JHS Pedals Twin Twelve Channel Drive

Submitted on November 6, 2014

In 1963 Silvertone* introduced the 60 Watt Model 1484 guitar amplifier. Originally a student model amplifier, the 1484 has since become legendary, hard to find, and coveted by some of the biggest names in music. From the time of its debut in the Sears Catalog until its discontinuation only four years later in 1967, the model 1484 "Twin Twelve" amplifier is considered a Van Gogh of sorts as it developed a great appreciation and worth years after being discontinued. Artists such as Beck, Death Cab For Cutie, The White Stripes/Jack White, and more recently Vampire Weekend and Coldplay have brought this rare amp to the forefront of popular music. The JHS Pedals "Twin Twelve" channel drive is the first ever all analog stomp box that replicates the classic preamp/overdrive tones only found in the Silvertone 1484 "Twin Twelve" amplifier.

The heart of the JHS Pedals Twin Twelve are the discrete transistor stages that take the place of the original tubes found in the amplifier. Each transistor stage of each pedal is meticulously hand tuned and adjusted for the perfect voltage that achieves a striking similarity to the real valve sound of the original amplifier. To help achieve the weight and power of the original valve design the circuit is designed around a charge pump that internally converts your standard 9V DC Negative power up to a powerful 18 volts. This conversion gives you more punch, a better dynamic range, and overall one of the best amp-like feels of any pedal we have ever offered.

The JHS Pedals Twin Twelve has four controls: Volume, Drive, Bass, and Treble. The original amp only had Volume, Bass, and Treble. Let's start here and explain the additional Drive control that exists on our Twin Twelve pedal. The Volume control of the pedal acts as the master volume that the amplifier never had. By design, if the Volume control of the pedal is maxed out, the pedal is acting like a non-master volume amplifier. The Drive knob of the pedal is essentially the Volume control of the amplifier. As you turn up the Drive knob of the pedal you get more overdrive and tube-like saturation just like you would by cranking up the Volume knob on the amplifier. The biggest difference between the pedal and the original amplifier is that you can now crank the Drive knob of the pedal and turn the overall volume down with the pedal's Volume knob. The 1484 amplifier did not have this feature and made it at times unbearable to achieve the best cranked-up amp tones when in a small venue, small club, or bedroom situation. The Bass and Treble controls are almost exact replications of the 1484's baxandall tone circuit with only minor improvements that make them work more effectively in a guitar pedal format. If you have ever played a real 1484 amp you probably found yourself cranking up the amp's Bass control due to the fact that the first 40% of the sweep was pretty useless and completely non-audible in change. On our pedal, we've adjusted the values within the Bass control network giving a more audible and useful control range. With the pedal's Bass and Treble set to noon you have the very classic and true 1484 amp tone with plenty of room to expand and tweak. The Bass and Treble controls of the pedal are active and allow you to cut or add either frequency.

The Twin Twelve pedal can be used as an "always-on" preamp, an enhancer for your current rig, or as a powerful solo booster. The Twin Twelve also does great job at amp-like overdrive tones, treble boosting, edge of fuzz overdrive, and more. We are convinced that this is one of our greatest offerings ever and we think you will feel the same.

Enjoy classic Silvertone 1484 tones without having to jump in a Delorean and turn back time.

Available at Dealers everywhere on Monday November 10th, 2014.

Price: $199