JHS Pedals Double Dragon

In a world of perfect digital octaves, we looked backward. 

The Double Dragon Lo-Fi Octave Device is built on shoulders of 40-50 year old analog octave divider technology — the same technology that gave us the MXR Blue Box, DOD Octoplus, the Boss OC-2, Ibanez OT10, Electro Harmonix Micro-Synth, and other circuits that synth designers helped inspire. 

Pre-DSP. Pre-precision. All analog warmth. 

Play single notes and you have a riff machine. Play a chord and the circuit starts to stutter, jump, and fight itself, making something new. It's not trying to replicate you perfectly — it's trying to play along with you. 

It's alive!

THE SOUND 

The Double Dragon is an all-analog monophonic octave-down and up effect. The lower octave is the foundation — thick, analog, with the characteristic behavior that made vintage octave circuits legendary. The upper octave is pure bonus: an octave-up distortion that lands somewhere between an Octavia and a Superfuzz. Gritty. Usable. With a mid-range sting that cuts through the mix. 

Turn on the Double Dragon and you can't help but start playing riffs. Your guitar feels twice the size. You fill out the space that used to need a band. 

A MILESTONE

In our entire JHS Pedals history, this is our first octave device. We've done octave fuzz but we never landed on a sub octave circuit that felt at home in our brand — until now. Weird, wild, and lo-fi. We're glad we waited to get it right. 

WHO’S IT FOR?

For riff lovers. For anyone who's ever listened to Led Zeppelin and wanted that synchronized guitar-and-bass weight under their fingers. For fans of The White Stripes, Hendrix, and Rage Against The Machine, Muse, Royal Blood. Also — For bass players who know what a vintage OC-2 can do to your basslines. For creative players who want something more than digital precision and clinical accuracy. For people who want a collaborator, not just a tool.

CONTROLS

VOLUME controls the master output level with extra boost available. Turn the octaves off, dry full on, and you have an amazing always-on preamp. 

DRY mixes in your clean signal to the octave effects — all the way up is where we suggest you start, all the way down goes fully wet for glitchy vintage synth textures. 

OCT− controls the lower sub-octave mix. 

OCT+ controls the upper octave and distortion (activated by right footswitch).

Left footswitch is ON/OFF. Right footswitch engages OCT+ circuit. 

The main effect must be on for OCT+ to function — it's the way it's designed — not a limitation. For octave-up only, engage and turn OCT− down. 

PAIRS WELL WITH 

Overdrive after (especially Tube Screamer - mid heavy types). Fuzz after for chaos. Pitch vibrato for a more synth-like texture. The Double Dragon's tracking quirks become even more alive and useful when layered with other effects. 

SPEC­I­FI­CA­TIONS

- Top-mount­ed jacks 

- 9VDC Cen­ter Neg­a­tive

- Silent Buffered Bypass Switching

THIS PEDAL MEASURES 2.6” X 4.8” X 1.6” AND CONSUMES 75mA. DO NOT USE MORE THAN 9VDC. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR AND YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED.

Multi-track recorders were made famous in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and gave musicians and songwriters the ability to bring our songs to life from the comfort of our cluttered bedrooms. These devices meant for home studios eventually found their way onto hit records like Springsteen’s Nebraska, the Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang, and Spoon’s Gimme Fiction. Many of the vocal parts and fuzzy guitar tracks on Gimme Fiction – a huge inspiration for the creation of the Colour Box – were actually recorded on a vintage multi-track unit. Since hearing those recordings, the 424 Gain Stage has been brewing in the background, and now we’re proud to bring it to you.

In this historically accurate recreation, we perfectly replicated the original 424 MKI circuit using the original UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps and all the original controls, which is crucial for recreating the unique character that makes the old units sound so good.  The 424 MKI's gain controls–trim, channel volume, & master volume–all work in tandem for dialing up your desired tone and can be further refined with the Low and High EQ settings. In addition, our unit offers a ¼” output alongside a balanced XLR output (DI out) for ultimate flexibility in any situation, live or studio.

The 424 Gain Stage as a DI

Going DI will give you the exact same unparalleled gooey texture and lo-fi fuzz you get when plugging directly into a 424 without the hassle of dragging around your beloved vintage unit. Leave it on your recording desk for easy access. If you want to get fancy,  you can toss an Active A/B/Y switcher at the end of your rig and send the A output to your amp and the B output to the JHS 424 Gain Stage input, then XLR output of the pedal directly into your mixer or interface. This way, you can flip between your amp and the 424 Gain Stage easily or play through both at the same time. Give it a try! 

The 424 Gain Stage with an Amp

Plugging a vintage 424 unit into your amp is quite a feat. In this pedal format, you can easily integrate the tone of the 424 with the saturation of your favorite amp. This adds a whole new quality to the tone and gives the ability to stack it with your other pedals. Use it as a gain stage to boost your signal, a unique and colorful new overdrive sound, or push the gain knobs into full-on overloaded and broken fuzz. 

CONTROLS

VOLUME (Corresponds to 424 MKI's Master) - Controls the output volume. Left is less, right is more.  On the 424 MKI, this is the MASTER fader. 

GAIN 1 (TRIM) - Sets how much preamplification will be added to the input signal.  On the 424 MKI, this is the TRIM control.

GAIN 2 (CHANNEL) - Sets the volume level of the second gain stage. On the 424 MKI, this is the CHANNEL fader.

BASS - Cuts or boosts bass frequencies. Left is less, right is more. 

TREBLE - Cuts or boosts the treble frequencies. Left is less, right is more.

INPUT - Top ¼” right jack.

OUTPUT - Top ¼” left jack.

XLR OUTPUT - XLR jack on the left side of the pedal. This is a balanced output which can be used as a direct-out straight into a mixer or interface. The 1/4” output and XLR output can be used simultaneously.

GROUND LIFT - Dip switch on the left side of the pedal. If you experience a hum/buzz while using the XLR output, use this switch to lift the ground.

POWER - Requires 9VDC center negative power and consumes 50mA. 

The 424 Gain Stage is silent, soft touch switching with a buffered bypass.

THIS PEDAL MEASURES 2.6” X 4.8” X 1.6” AND CONSUMES 50MA. DO NOT USE MORE THAN 9VDC. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR AND YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED.