All user reviews of 3/5 for the Marshall JH-1 The Jackhammer

I got It as a Birthday present, but I know that it was acquired from one man band, in Banbury, England.It cost £45 which is about $78.

It has a really good heavy metal fell to it when you're using it. It also has some great looks compared to most effects pedals (Iuse this term loosely)

I dislike the way that you cannot control how heavy the effects are, as it is merely turned on with a button, meaning tedious time spent fiddling with gain. Also there are two different effects (overdrive and distortion), which could be considered a good point... exept the fact that they both sound exactly the same!

Extremely good. the look and wieght are just right for a marshall product, it will take any amount of bashing,and will last forever.

A good effects pedal for begginers,but if its rapid effects mellowing and strengthening again you want then I'd shop around for something else.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

ABC music in Hounslow at a very reasonable price of £45. I bought this unit because I wanted to add distortion to my tone, without any prior investigation I went out and bought the first one I saw. In retrospect I now would have a got a BOSS DS-1 or DS-2 because I wanted a more 'grungy' sound whereas this pedal gives you a more metallica kind of sound.

Many different knobs to twiddle and play with however there isnt't MUCH change in the sound no matter how much you play with it.
I also particularly like the way this thing is built. Basically its a brick, I reckon you could chuck this thing at a wall and it would still work!

What I dont like? Where should I start?

- It eats batteries, definately get an adapter for it.
- The 'pedal', this 'pedal' isnt a pedal, the on/off switch is actully a button and a loose one at that so I have to tread carefully so as not to break it. This also makes playing difficult if your at home in just socks.
- The 'distortion' setting is dire. I NEVER switch over to it.
- Instruction manual isn't too helpful in explaining the different knobs.


Built like a rock however the button is a major downfall.

Get this pedal if your afetr a metallica sound however if your into NIrvana get a BOSS DS-1.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

OD / distortion with a mid scoop analog frequency adjustable. 7 controls: gain, volume, and scoop freq, treble and bass, type (OD or distortion). Inter true bypass and LED Switching. Runs on 9V battery, AC Classic (tip = GND). Metal casing.

An input jack, output jack.

UTILIZATION

The configuration is easy. Bought used so no manual with it, and I survived. Seen on the Marshall site: the manual is fairly complete, with examples of sounds and even a troubleshooting section, rather simplistic, but it's something.

The buttons look good but are a bit difficult to reach since they are small and fairly close, but nothing off-putting. The bypass button switches easily, no surprise. It is also quite easy to actuate the mechanical stroke is low, which is fine by me. The LED is visible, and being small, it will consume little. Good for autonomy.

The underside is covered with rubber. It's good for the grip. on the other hand, because it is a kind of shoe that is glued to the bottom plate of metal, it is problematic when put on a pedal board. For there is little mechanical stress (like the pedal board often transported vertically, in my case), this "sole" is off. Annoying. I was obliged to remove and clean the metal plate to alcohol.

Other concerns, access to the stack is by unscrewing a screw to release the trap is below. But this door is a small metal plate separated from the bottom, and the hinge is made with the "sole" rubber. So when you open the door, it makes a big mechanical stress on the sole, which amplifies the separation thereof. And if we remove the sole (as I have been obliged), and although there is no trapping and the stack walk. Well, once the pedal Velcro-ized on the pedal board, it does not move, but hey, it's a shame.

It is rather small (just under a wide BOSS). But high enough to cause pimples.

SOUND QUALITY

Basically, I try to get its very own in the acute limit metal, but, you know, not like Metal Zone, something specific and not to gain too high. In fact I try to have the sound of the guitar 101 and Dischord Bluetip. I needed a distortion with a "modern" approach and the ability to make mid scoop in a little advanced. I thought I had found in this pedal the perfect tool, but actually not.

Mainly it is an OD / distortion classic, with a tone control 2 band and a mid scoop adjustable. The difference in OD / Disto is a story of an advantage in gain distortion. Since I'm on Jag Japan, I am all the time distortion, if not mean saturation. Lack a bit of profit margin by moi.La volume is good. It's good.

The Treble boost is pretty light, I think. But it works pretty well anyway.

The mid-scoop is really interesting Feature of this pedal. Problem: whatever you do, there is a bump in the bass, which makes his rough and mushy. And I can not be overcome with the treble / bass. If I remove the bass sound I get an nazillard, and if I put it, that rumble to death. It's a shame. But not surprising for an analog equalizer pedal. It hurts me to say this, but this kind of thing is easier to do digitally. Analogue should be without doubt a very complex circuit to balance the power spectrum itself, and especially a setting that avoids having side effects to the nuts (like on-bass boost). Anyway, I digress. Inherently, Scoop control manages the attenuation of mediums. And it attenuates well, there's margin. Freq knob is effective, too, although the mean frequency variation. But the sound in the end is too unbalanced. So I put very little scoop, and it's been a distortion of his classic, with lots of mids.

OVERALL OPINION

I for one year. I already had a DS-1, I limit thrown out the window, unable to bear his sound (and the guys in my group not more). Having had a big time punk-psyche, I really grotty effects (big muff, French toast, germanium OD) but I needed a distortion "normal". This one really seemed ideal, but in fact the sound is really unbalanced repulsive. I keep it for now because I have nothing really convincing disto normal. But I'll change it as soon as I find a pedal that has the sound I want. And I craps round hat could find this * #% $ distortion pedal "normal".

In hindsight I would not have taken. but hey, considering the price (40 € used) is not too big a disappointment. And it is true that there is no equivalent to this kind of feature (adjustable mid-scoop) without falling into typical metal stuff too or very very expensive. Or maybe I just have not found.

This is a basic analog distortion pedal, with quarter-inch input and output jacks. This effect is not MIDI capable, and can't be edited with a Mac or PC. It's not rackable. It has a 9 volt power supply and also runs on 9V batteries.

UTILIZATION

This is an interesting pedal for an overdrive, as it's got a bit of a different setup. It has a "mode" button, which will switch the tone from a specific kind of overdrive or distortion, all of which vary in intensity. The next knob is for volume/gain, followed by a tone knob which controls the amount of low and high end on the pedal. Finally there is a contour/frequency knob, something you don't always find on a distortion pedal. I liked the uniqueness of the pedal in this regard, as these knobs are generally found on the amp itself, not a pedal.

SOUND QUALITY

I like to use this pedal with my Strat and Fender Twin, and I've also tried it with my Les Paul and the Twin. I was expecting a lot out of this pedal, and I expected the sound I got with it to resemble the sound of a Marshall amp. It didn't really come close. Considering that I'm not totally in love with the Marshall sound anyway, I wasn't too disappointed as much as surprised. I did get a few good sounds out of it, but I found more often than not the distortion effects were subpar. I think that I was fooled by the fact that it was a Marshall pedal.

OVERALL OPINION

I would recommend it to any younger, less experienced player who doesn't want to spend a ton of money on a distortion pedal. I did get this thing pretty cheap, so I would have to say that it's not a totally bad purchase. Player's who've already shelled out the money for a Tube Screamer or Big Muff and are looking for something on the same caliber would be wise to look elsewhere. The sound quality is versatile enough for a beginner but nobody else really.