The JHS Pedals JHS AC+ is a JHS Pedals distortion pedal. Close alternatives include the Catalinbread Galileo and the Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired. It pairs well with the Fender Twin Reverb Head and the Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W.

JHS Pedals JHS AC+

JHS Pedals · pedal

The JHS AC+ is a boutique overdrive pedal from JHS Pedals inspired by the chimey, top-boost character of the Vox AC30 amplifier. It produces a warm, slightly compressed overdrive with a distinctive treble presence and chime that replicates the character of AC30-style gain. The mid-forward, harmonically rich overdrive texture of the AC+ suits Britpop, classic rock, new wave, and jangle-pop styles where Vox-derived tonal character is central to the sound. It works best with single-coil or P90 guitars that complement the chimey, bright-midrange character of the circuit. JHS designed the AC+ for players who want Vox amplifier character in pedal form without requiring a Vox amplifier, making it useful in setups where an AC30 is not practical. The pedal responds to guitar volume rolloff with a characteristic reduction in the top-boost chime.

What stands out

  • “The JHS AC+ is a boutique overdrive pedal from JHS Pedals inspired by the chimey, top-boost character of the Vox AC30 amplifier”

    — from the listing

  • “It works best with single-coil or P90 guitars that complement the chimey, bright-midrange character of the circuit”

    — from the listing

  • “The mid-forward, harmonically rich overdrive texture of the AC+ suits Britpop, classic rock, new wave, and jangle-pop styles where Vox-derived tonal character is central to the sound”

    — from the listing

  • “Vox AC30-inspired overdrive with a bright, chimey, top-boost character that captures the essential AC30 gain voice in pedal format”

    — from the community notes

  • “The pedal responds to guitar volume rolloff with a reduction in the top-boost chime”

    — from the listing

Trade-offs

  • “It produces a warm, slightly compressed overdrive with a distinctive treble presence and chime that replicates the character of AC30-style gain”

    — from the listing

  • chimey
  • bright
  • classic rock
  • overdrive
  • chime
  • mid forward
  • boost
  • vox amplifier character

Genres the JHS Pedals JHS AC+ is commonly used in

Amps that pair well with the JHS Pedals JHS AC+

Fender Twin Reverb Head

amplifier

31% match
$639.06via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

Where this leans bright, Fender Twin Reverb Head answers back warm

Comes later in the signal chain

Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W

Hiwatt

tonal match
$4300via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Run Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp

Orange

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp leans warm right where the bright tone needs it

Orange Terror Bass

Orange

tonal match
$754.36via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Orange Terror Bass leans warm right where the bright tone needs it

Gibson GA-50

Gibson

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Gibson GA-50 leans warm right where the bright tone needs it

Blackstar Series One 200

Blackstar

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Blackstar Series One 200 leans warm right where the bright tone needs it

Orange Little Bass Thing

Orange

tonal match
$683.03via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Run Orange Little Bass Thing after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Victory Amplifiers V50 The Earl

amplifier

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Victory Amplifiers V50 The Earl's warm balances out the bright tone

Pedals that stack with the JHS Pedals JHS AC+

EarthQuaker Devices Hoof

EarthQuaker Devices

12% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

EarthQuaker Devices Hoof's warm balances out the bright tone

Catalinbread SFT

Catalinbread

12% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)

Catalinbread SFT's warm balances out the bright tone

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Ashdown Velvet Compressor

Ashdown

12% match
$243.31via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)

Ashdown Velvet Compressor's own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying

Comes earlier in the signal chain

TC Electronic SCF Gold Stereo Chorus

TC Electronic

11% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep JHS Pedals JHS AC+'s glassy voice out front: TC Electronic SCF Gold Stereo Chorus goes after JHS Pedals JHS AC+ in the signal chain so its analog warmth voice doesn't muddy it

Comes later in the signal chain

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte

Caroline Guitar Company

9% match
$199via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte's pristine voice goes after JHS Pedals JHS AC+ in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with JHS Pedals JHS AC+'s own glassy character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

JAM Pedals Delay-Llama

Jam Pedals

9% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep JHS Pedals JHS AC+'s glassy voice out front: JAM Pedals Delay-Llama goes after JHS Pedals JHS AC+ in the signal chain so its analog warmth voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive

Solidgoldfx

tonal match
$152.15via Reverb

Comes earlier in the signal chain

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo

Dunlop

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Run Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Alternativessee all similar tone character →

Catalinbread Galileo

Catalinbread

68% similarity

Shared character: ac30, presence, treble

Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired

Lovepedal

60% similarity

Shared character: circuit, treble, bright

Carl Martin AC-Tone

Carl Martin

55% similarity
$169via Reverb

Shared character: bright, boost, gain

Audiocade Royal British Velvet AC30 Overdrive/Preamp Clone

Audiocade

52% similarity
$149via Reverb

Shared character: ac30, circuit, bright

Vox Valvenergy Mystic Edge

Vox

51% similarity
$152.82via Reverb

Shared character: ac30, gain, overdrive

EarthQuaker Devices White Light

EarthQuaker Devices

51% similarity
$145.60via Reverb

Shared character: single coils, bright, warm

Friedman Small Box Overdrive

Friedman

51% similarity

Shared character: treble, bright, classic rock

Catalinbread Super Chili Picoso

Catalinbread

50% similarity
$139.99via Reverb

Shared character: presence, treble, bright

Free The Tone Crunchy Chime OD Natural Booster

Free The Tone

49% similarity
$200via Reverb

Shared character: single coils, bright, overdrive

JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2

Jam Pedals

49% similarity

Shared character: circuit, treble, bright

Bogner Ecstasy Blue Mini Overdrive

Bogner

49% similarity
$125via Reverb

Shared character: boost, gain, classic rock

Vox CT-03BT

Vox

48% similarity

Shared character: treble, boost, gain

See all alternatives to the JHS Pedals JHS AC+ (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the JHS Pedals JHS AC+?+

The closest matches in character are the Catalinbread Galileo, the Lovepedal DOV Death Of Vox Handwired, the Carl Martin AC-Tone.

What pairs well with the JHS Pedals JHS AC+?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Twin Reverb Head, Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W, Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp — Where this leans bright, Fender Twin Reverb Head answers back warm.

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