JRAD reliably churns out quality pedals in the most compact and sturdy builds on the market. A low-gain overdrive, the J Rockett Blue Note is considered by many as the company’s take on the Blues Breaker circuit, although the company has been challenging that assumption.
This “Select” model is in essence a V2 that includes features found in two previous variants:
- the Fat knob in addition to the standard Gain, Tone, and Volume, which tailors the low end trim, useful for different pickup and amp combinations.
- The Hot toggle, which slightly boosts the gain for a more aggressive tone
This new version was improved not only in the looks but also in the sound and overall feel thanks to tweaks to the circuit.
J. Rockett Blue Note Select Overdrive, Builder’s Notes
The Blue Note Select is a “V2” of our favorite circuit. The original Blue Note Pro Series was the first and that included the “Hot” switch. We then introduced the Tour Series that did not have the “Hot” switch. The newest Blue Note Select not only includes the”hot” switch but also includes major improvements to the looks, the sound and the overall feel, all in a very small package. We have gone so far as to have custom knobs made, a custom color mixed to achieve
the electric blue you see and by far the biggest improvement is the low end both in and out of “hot mode”. This could be our best overall low gain drive.Low gain pedals can be a challenge because they skirt the line between boost and drive. Our suggestion for running the Blue Note Select or any low gain drive pedal is to let it breath with your amp. If you are using a clean amp and you rely on your OD pedal to produce your overdriven sounds it can be a challenge. Some of the negatives are that pedals can introduce a clean note underneath the overdrive giving it an unnatural drive sound. We find the best results are when you get your amp just past the minimum edge of breakup or “Breathing” you can then add in a touch of overdrive to send it over the top. The Blue Note Select lets you add a subtle OD or you can get the internal clipping pretty hot as well. Either way, getting your amp into a gain structure that does start to breathe only makes any OD sound better. The trick with the Blue Note Select is that you have two gain structures giving a wide array of drive so you can vary your amp type. We use the Blue Note Select to really push a Marshall Plexi because you can really tweak your bottom end to match. Please experiment because there are a good variety of sounds in a very simple setup. The best praise we have received about the Blue Note Select is that you can’t tell you are using a pedal.
- 4.00? x 2.30?
- 9 volt Negative tip adaptor and a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack.
- Analog – 8mA current draw
- 9 volt Battery
- True Bypass
