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424 Gain Stage - JHS Pedals

Aug 23, 2025

The 424 Gain Stage nails that rubbery, lo-fi Portastudio magic in a compact pedal format. JHS recreated the preamp circuit from a vintage Tascam 424 multitrack cassette recorder, complete with the original UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps that give it that distinctive gooey character. It’s essentially Mk.gee’s signature sound - that elastic, dreamy texture you hear when someone runs their guitar straight into a Portastudio instead of an amp.

The dual gain structure is where things get interesting. Gain 1 and Gain 2 work together with the volume control to dial in everything from sparkly clean boost to saturated lo-fi fuzz. The bass and treble controls are surprisingly powerful for shaping the character - you can go from warm and rounded to bright and cutting. What really sets it apart is how responsive it is to your playing dynamics. Light picking gives you those compressed, tape-saturated cleans, while digging in pushes it into that signature smashed-out territory.

The balanced XLR output with ground lift is a nice touch that makes it genuinely useful for direct recording - just like the original Portastudio workflow. I find myself using both outputs simultaneously: the 1/4” into my amp for monitoring and the XLR straight to the interface for that authentic bedroom pop sound. The bypass is buffered but transparent, so it won’t mess with your signal chain when off.

If you’re chasing those Mac DeMarco, Steve Lacy, or modern indie vibes, this pedal delivers in spades. It’s not trying to be a traditional overdrive - it’s its own thing entirely. The 424 excels at adding that unmistakable vintage cassette character that sits perfectly in lo-fi, dream pop, and indie contexts where pristine clarity would actually be the wrong choice.

Signal Chain

  • Fidelity Guitars Stellarosa with Mojo Lipstick Pickups (both pickups in series)
  • 424 Gain Stage
  • Mixwave Benson Chimera Plugin* for the fuzz/overdrive + amp preset

Links

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