The JHS Colour Box V2 is a JHS Pedals preamp pedal, currently around $401.23. Close alternatives include the JHS Colour Box V2 10th Anniversary and the Catalinbread VariOboost. It pairs well with the Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII and the Pigtronix Octava Micro.
JHS Colour Box V2
JHS Pedals · pedal
The JHS Colour Box V2 is a preamp, EQ, and fuzz pedal built around dual gain stages delivering over 39dB of total gain, with Master, Pre-Volume, and Step controls for precise gain staging, a powerful 3-band EQ with wide-ranging Shift knobs (Treble 2kHz-30kHz, Middle 150Hz-2.4kHz, Bass 20Hz-440Hz), and a Hi/Lo switch controlling clean headroom, from ultra-clean in Lo mode to readily distorting, fuzz-adjacent breakup in Hi mode. It also passes phantom power to condenser microphones, reflecting its studio-preamp origins alongside its guitar-pedal functionality.
- eq
- preamp
- gain
- frequency
- clean boost
- fuzz
- distortion
- clean
Good for
- Silent Recording
- Studio
- Silent Stage
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the JHS Colour Box V2 is commonly used in
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Indie Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the JHS Colour Box V2
Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII
Sola Sound
32% matchRun the Colour Box after the Tone Bender to shape and clean up the throaty germanium fuzz's frequency spread rather than stacking more dirt on it.
Pigtronix Octava Micro
Pigtronix
31% matchBoost with the Colour Box first and the Octava Micro's ring-modulated octave fuzz tracks off a fuller, pre-gained signal.
EarthQuaker Devices '- Speaker Cranker
EarthQuaker Devices
29% matchStack the Speaker Cranker's subtle, transparent saturation after the Colour Box's characterful preamp gain for extra warmth without changing the EQ.
Beetronics Swarm
Beetronics
27% matchRun the Colour Box after the Swarm to shape and clean up the fuzz's frequency spread rather than stacking more dirt on it.
SAE Effects Colossal
Sae Effects
27% matchJHS Colour Box V2 layers clean boost onto an already fuzzy signal
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase
MXR
27% matchRun the ZW90's phase sweep after the Colour Box's preamp gain so the modulation rides on top of the boosted signal.
Vox V846HW Wah
pedal
26% matchPut JHS Colour Box V2 in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward clean boost
JHS Smiley
JHS Pedals
26% matchSmiley's clear, midrange-compressed fuzz stacks onto the Colour Box V2's own eq'd preamp gain for a biting, textured drive.
Cheaper alternatives
67Audio Harry Balz
67audio
74% similarityShared character: pedal, boost, treble
Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII
Benson Amps
73% similarityShared character: boost, treble, headroom
JHS Clover
JHS Pedals
72% similarityShared character: pedal, full, boost
Benson Amps Germanium Preamp (Boost)
Benson Amps
72% similarityShared character: boost, treble, studio
Xotic BB Preamp V1.5
Xotic
72% similarityShared character: boost, treble, stage
67Audio Libido
67audio
72% similarityShared character: boost, treble, headroom
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
JHS Colour Box V2 10th Anniversary
JHS Pedals
73% similarity“is a limited-run colorway of the standard Colour Box V2”
Catalinbread VariOboost
Catalinbread
69% similarityShared character: pedal, boost, treble
Empress Dist
Empress
66% similarityShared character: studio, distortion, recording
ISP Technologies Theta Preamp Distortion
Isp Technologies
65% similarityShared character: pedal, distortion, preamp
Tech 21 PED PSA Preamp 30 TH ANN
Tech 21
65% similarityShared character: studio, preamp, bass
Demon FX Gladiator Double Preamp Just
Demon Fx
64% similarityShared character: pedal, distortion, preamp
See all alternatives to the JHS Colour Box V2 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the JHS Colour Box V2?+
The closest matches in character are the JHS Colour Box V2 10th Anniversary, the Catalinbread VariOboost, the Empress Dist. Budget picks: 67Audio Harry Balz, Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII, JHS Clover. Boutique upgrades: Analog Man King of Tone.
What pairs well with the JHS Colour Box V2?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII, Pigtronix Octava Micro, EarthQuaker Devices '- Speaker Cranker — Run the Colour Box after the Tone Bender to shape and clean up the throaty germanium fuzz's frequency spread rather than stacking more dirt on it..
How much does the JHS Colour Box V2 cost?+
Around $401.23 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
Compare
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