The JHS Charlie Brown is a JHS Pedals overdrive pedal. Close alternatives include the Universal Audio Uafx Lion '68 Super Lead Amp and the MXR Super Badass Distortion. It pairs well with the Marshall Plexi 1959SLP and the Laney Ironheart IRT-Studio.
JHS Charlie Brown
JHS Pedals · pedal
The JHS Charlie Brown is an overdrive voiced to capture the tone of a cranked mid-1960s Marshall JTM45, delivering thick, chewy, old-school British rock crunch. With a three-band EQ it ranges from a near-transparent boost up to full, dimed Marshall-style saturation, producing copious chunky crunch just short of high gain and rich lower-gain overdrive with a thick shot of sustain and musicality. It adds a touch of compression and midrange and reacts much like a real tube amp, which makes it both a satisfying standalone drive and an excellent candidate for stacking with another overdrive. The V4 adds Marshall-style tone controls that help it mate with a clean amp and dial in the exact JTM45 character. It is especially suited to 1960s and 1970s blues rock and classic rock tones.
What stands out
“A characterful overdrive that genuinely evokes a cranked JTM45, with thick, chewy crunch and a chunky midrange that lands just”
— from the reviews
“The common caveats are that it is fundamentally a vintage Marshall voicing , and that its added midrange and compression make it more colored than a true transparent overdrive”
— from the community notes
“It adds a touch of compression and midrange and reacts much like a real tube amp, which makes it both a satisfying standalone drive and an excellent candidate for stacking with another overdrive”
— from the listing
“With a three-band EQ it ranges from a near-transparent boost up to full, dimed Marshall-style saturation, producing copious chunky crunch just”
— from the listing
“The community sees the Charlie Brown as a JTM45-in-a-box, prized for thick, chewy, old-school Marshall crunch that runs from a near-transparent boost to full dimed-plexi saturation”
— from the community notes
- midrange
- overdrive
- compression
- boost
- crunch
- thick
- eq
- full
Genres the JHS Charlie Brown is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Rock
- Blues Rock
- Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the JHS Charlie Brown
Marshall Plexi 1959SLP
amplifier
31% matchMarshall Plexi 1959SLP's own aggressive character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Laney Ironheart IRT-Studio
Laney
29% matchLaney Ironheart IRT-Studio's own saturated character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run mid-forward into Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt for more high gain on top
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H
Marshall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward high gain
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Friedman BE-Mini Head stacks high gain on top of the mid-forward already here
EVH 000
Evh
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put EVH 000 in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward high gain
Pedals that stack with the JHS Charlie Brown
Fjord Fuzz Berserk
Fjord Fuzz
17% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Run mid-forward into Fjord Fuzz Berserk for more fuzzy on top
Comes later in the signal chain
Fjord Fuzz Odin
Fjord Fuzz
17% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Run mid-forward into Fjord Fuzz Odin for more fuzzy on top
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
pedal
10% matchsits 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 Charlie Brown's mid-forward voice out front: Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble goes after JHS Charlie Brown in the signal chain so its lush voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Jackson Audio Bloom V2 Compressor/EQ
Jackson Audio
8% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
JHS Charlie Brown's own mid-forward character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Roland SDE-3000D
Roland
6% matchPut Roland SDE-3000D after JHS Charlie Brown in the signal chain, clear of JHS Charlie Brown's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay V1
Walrus Audio
6% matchRun Walrus Audio Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay V1 after JHS Charlie Brown in the signal chain, clear of JHS Charlie Brown's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Matthews Effects Architect
Matthews Effects
tonal matchMatthews Effects Architect takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward clean boost
NuX Drive Core Deluxe
Nux
tonal matchStack NuX Drive Core Deluxe on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward clean boost
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Universal Audio Uafx Lion '68 Super Lead Amp
Universal Audio
59% similarityShared character: crunch, response, classic rock
MXR Super Badass Distortion
MXR
58% similarityShared character: voicing, thickness, middle
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
57% similarityShared character: voicing, compression, touch
Source Audio L.A. Lady
Source Audio
57% similarityShared character: chunky, crunch, lead
Xotic BB Preamp V1.5
Xotic
56% similarityShared character: thickness, boost, gain
Sonicake MiniLane Shark Classic Crunch Distortion
Sonicake
56% similarityShared character: crunch, classic rock
Z.Vex Double Rock
Zvex
56% similarityShared character: boost, thickness, gain
EarthQuaker Devices Zoar
EarthQuaker Devices
55% similarityShared character: touch, thickness, boost
Dunlop Custom Badass
Dunlop
55% similarityShared character: boost, compression, thickness
Wampler Plexi-Drive Deluxe
Wampler
55% similarityShared character: middle, crunch, boost
Tone City Model B Distortion TC-T31
Tone City
55% similarityShared character: chunky, voicing, thickness
JAM Pedals TubeDreamer MK2
Jam Pedals
55% similarityShared character: compression, touch, boost
See all alternatives to the JHS Charlie Brown (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the JHS Charlie Brown?+
The closest matches in character are the Universal Audio Uafx Lion '68 Super Lead Amp, the MXR Super Badass Distortion, the Marshall Guv'nor.
What pairs well with the JHS Charlie Brown?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Plexi 1959SLP, Laney Ironheart IRT-Studio, Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt — Marshall Plexi 1959SLP's own aggressive character is the real reason this is worth trying.