The JET Pedals Mr Jax is a Chris Rocha signature high-gain overdrive with a wider than usual tonal range, in particular for a three-knob dirt box.
This is because there is an awful lot going on under that red hood:
A Tone knob that sounds transparent at noon but that can also produce soft and hard clipping.
A selectable Gain Stages system that allows the player to choose a setting from 25% to 100% gain, which can be selected by long-pressing the footswitch when the pedal is off. This is what the four settings deliver:
- 25% (White LED): 25% gain, the default setting, fine-tuned to dial in an edge of breakup tone. Clean sound that goes into edge of breakup when playing loudly.
- 50% (Light Blue LED): 50% gain, tuned to sound more overdriven but not too aggressive, it works great on chords without getting muddy.
- 75% (Purple LED): 75% gain, tuned to sound like a stacked overdrive: thick, saturated, quite aggressive. Best used on power chords.
- 100% (Red LED): 100% gain, full-on lead tone, great for thick saturated single note lead lines
Also, a pre-gain Mid Boost can be activated by double-tapping the bypass switch while the pedal is engaged. Pressing the bypass again will disengage it.
Check out the JET Pedals Mr Jax tones in the videos below.
Introducing MR JAX, our first pedal in a new series called the “Signature Series”. Our first official JET artist is Chris Rocha, Chris is a two time Dove award winner, multi nominated Grammy producer, and a Gretsch Guitar artist. Chris and JET worked together, collaborating to capture his signature high gain sound. Chris has used a few different high gain pedals in the history of his playing however not one pedal did it all for him. He loved the aggressive yet smooth sounds of the Crowther Hot Cake however sonically it didn’t capture the overtones and eq he was looking for. Insert MR JAX, we redesigned everything to achieve an aggressive and smooth/buttery high gain pedal with rich overtones and an eq curve to match what Chris had been seeking for years.
Redesigning the tone stack makes this pedal pull off “soft clipping” type overdrive AND “hard clipping” distortion sounds. With the tone knob at noon, the output sine wave closely resembles a transparent overdrive.
By turning the tone knob clockwise (just past noon), the sine wave transforms into more of a “hard clipping” distortion. The tone knob doesn’t need to move very far past the noon position (in either direction) to quickly transform and shape the sound of MR JAX.
Typical JET fashion, we also added some very cool hidden features to make sure this pedal isn’t a “one trick pony”. First is what we call “Gain Staging”, when the pedal first powers on it fires up in 25% gain (adjustable in global settings), long presses of the Bypass switch will cycle through each gain stage. To “Cue” up a specific Gain Stage when the pedal is bypassed, simply perform a long press while the pedal is disengaged. The LED will begin to flash and the next time the pedal is engaged it will be at the “Cued” up Gain Stage.
* Turn the Gain knob fully counterclockwise for Gain Staging to work properly. To operate MR JAX manually, set the Gain Stage to 25% and adjust the Gain knob as desired.
Gain Staging:
25% (White LED) – 25% has been fine tuned to dial in an edge of breakup tone. This could be used as an always on tone shaping sound which has plenty of touch responsive dynamics. Play softly and remain your pure clean tone or dig in and achieve a bit of breakup.50% (Light Blue LED) – 50% has been tuned to represent a second stage overdrive tone. Thick but not too aggressive, can be used for full chords without getting muddy (think of using this during verses). Also used for a bit more breakup when single note melody lines are being played.
75% (Purple LED) – 75% has been tuned to represent a third stage, stacked overdrive. Thick, saturated, and starting to get pretty aggressive. Best used with two or three note chord inversions (think of using this during the bridge).
100% (Red LED) – 100% is full on lead tone, used for thick saturated single note lead lines (think of using this for solos or specific guitar parts meant to stand out in the mix).
*Increase the Gain knob slightly to add a bit more gain per each stage, this is useful for individual output levels on different guitars.Mid Boost:
The next hidden feature we added is a pre-gain Mid Boost. Fine tuned for each Gain Stage, the Mid Boost adds the right amount of volume and saturation to jump out in the mix while simultaneously adding a nice amount of mid’s to your tone. Perfect for lead lines or solos no matter what Gain Stage you are currently in! To engage the Mid Boost, simply double tap the bypass switch while the pedal is engaged. Pressing the bypass switch again will disengage the Mid Boost.Features:
Soft Click Bypass Switch
Gain Staging 25%, 50%, 75%, & 100% (Long Press Bypass Switch to Cycle Thru Gain Stages)
Store in Global Settings Which Gain Stage is Active When Pedal First Turns On
“Cue” Up Any Gain Stage When Pedal is Bypassed
Pre-Gain Mid Boost (Double Press Bypass Switch When Pedal is Engaged)
Multi-Colored LED Showing the Status of Bypass, Gain Stage, and Mid Boost
Easily Able to Achieve Transparent Overdrive
Easily Able to Achieve Thick Saturated Lead Tone Distortion
Power via 9v (Negative Tip) 100ma Power Supply (power supply not included)
Dimensions: 4.82” x 2.62” x 1.425”
