Tape Jockey (JHS 424 Gain Stage mod)

**PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:**

• UNLESS YOU SELECT PRE-MODDED PEDAL then this is for the mod service only. This purchase does not include the pedal itself! You can ship us your pedal at the address below.  
• Turnaround time is approximately 2 weeks from when we receive your unit to when we ship it back out. 

If you have any questions at all, please send us a message via our CONTACT page. We try to respond to all inquiries promptly!

About the mod

Our Tape Jockey mod expands the incredible JHS 424 Gain Stage into a multi-dimensional lo-fi tone machine, and a more complete recreation of the Tascam 424 Portastudio tape cassette recorder. We’ve created a simple but effective circuit that emulates the sounds, vibes, and behavior of tape cassette to complement the pedal’s spot-on recreation of the 424’s gritty preamp and channel strip. The warmth, wobble, degradation and distortion of cassette tape are an integral part of the Portastudio sound, and with our mod, finally part of the 424 Gain Stage.

Two controls are added to the pedal:

• A MODE switch is added to the side of the pedal, allowing you to choose between three modes:
  • Stock JHS - In the up position you have the original JHS pedal, totally unaffected, with our mods completely bypassed. You still have access to 100% of the sounds of the unmodded pedal.
  • Cosmodio Cassette - In the down position you have our new tape cassette voice. It’s dark, gooey, laggy, and a bit degraded and with a completely different distortion character when driven with the Gain 1 knob.
  • Blended - In the middle position you get both voices mixed together, resulting in a thicker multi-textured tone. Perfect for lo-fi chorus sounds when modulating the cassette voice.

• A MODULATION knob is added to the face of the pedal, allowing you to control the movement and pitch warping of the new cassette voice. This knob is bi-directional and can be used in three ways:
  • At noon modulation is OFF and the cassette voice is stable.
  • By turning the knob clockwise we introduce increasing amounts of randomized movement, simulating the wow, flutter, and malfunction of a cassette machine in disrepair.
  • By turning the knob counterclockwise we add classic sine-wave modulation with increasing depth and speed. This emulates playful use of the Portastudio’s “Pitch” wheel, and can yield slow pitch warped bends, as well as vibrato and chorus sounds.

The cassette voice, and any modulation to it, is positioned between the 424 Gain Stage’s “Gain 1” and “Gain 2” gain stages, meaning that you can add dirt and grit before the cassette, after the cassette, or… you know… both!

Maybe you’re a lo-fi experimenter. Maybe you’re chasing the tones of artists like Mk.gee or Spoon. Perhaps you’re on a nostalgia kick, or just looking for a powerful and unconventional tone sculpting device (it’s great for direct recording, but also works just as well in front of an amp!). No matter how you’re using it, the Tape Jockey mod unlocks an entire new dimension of expressive character and creative control from the 424 Gain Stage.

Be kind. Rewind!

Where do I send my pedal?

If you are shipping us your pedal to mod, or sending us one directly from JHS or a retailer, address it to our workshop:

Cosmodio Instruments
200 Great Rd
STE 245
Bedford, MA 01730

Include in the box either a printout of your order confirmation page from us, or just write out your name, email address, and order number clearly so we can make sure we know that it's your pedal in the box!

 
More about the 424 Gain Stage from JHS Pedals:

The 424 Gain Stage gives all the elastic, lo-fi tone inspired by a guitar being plugged straight into a vintage 424 multi-track recorder.  With the 424 Gain Stage pedal, you can easily integrate the rubbery clean tones, high head room, and smashed out fuzz that’s being repopularized by today’s emerging guitarists.  

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.

Cosmodio Instruments is in no way affiliated with JHS Pedals… but we think they’re really great.