The JCA Texas Flood is a high-quality boost/overdrive pedal hand-made in Germany that encapsulates the sound of Stevie Ray Vaughan – or, as some say, it’s an “SRV in a box.”
The reference tone for this stompbox is obviously the guitarist’s debut album reference in its name, considered by many as one of the best blues tones ever created, with great sustain notwithstanding the relatively clean sound.
The two top knobs, Sustain and Volume, control the gain and output sections, with the first one delivering amp-like character up to a gentle overdrive when past the 9 o’clock position, while the Body and Sweet knobs are tone controls affecting lows and highs.
Have a listen to it for yourself in the videos below.
JCA Texas Flood, Builder’s Notes
The TEXAS FLOOD pedal offers authentic SRV tone, so to speak a “Stevie in a box”. The following control options are available: Sustain, Volume, Body and Sweet. All knobs work evenly and allow a very wide spectrum of sounds. The plug sockets and the stable footswitch are handwired. This makes the pedal very robust and guarantees a safe and trouble-free operation over many years. The electronic components are of the highest quality and selected for best sound quality.
What does the TEXAS FLOOD sound like? Reference for the sound is Stevie’s first album “Texas Flood”, which offers the ultimate blues sound for me and for most fans. The magic in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s sound is that he has a good sustain in spite of his (relatively) clean sound. This quality also offers the TEXAS FLOOD. Distortion as such is not perceived superficially. It creates this sweet, singing tone that gets every guitarist and listener into ecstasy. At least as important is the play feeling. The player does not have to fight for good sound. The response of the pedal supports the player in a pleasant manner. It is inspiring. The only requirement is to connect the pedal in front of a clean set amp. The TEXAS FLOOD never sounds and feels like a pedal. It reacts always like a good tube amp. Without loss of any heights and dynamics, the volume control on the guitar get a powerful tool to shape the guitar’s tone.
The TEXAS FLOOD is not only interesting for SRV fans, it’s also great for other styles, such as blues, rock, country, etc…
