JHS Pedals' VCR Becomes The Space Commander

Updated Mar. 26, 2019 | by Paolo De Gregorio

The VCR, now retired (but keep reading…), was a collaboration between JHS and North Carolina’s alt-country star Ryan Adams. Its name was an acronym for Volume, Chorus, Reverb and it was said to be inspired by the tones of The Smiths, The Cure, and other angsty bands of the ’80s – which is kind of interesting, considering that Adam’s music doesn’t seem to reference that particular musical style!

However, after Adams was in the news in early 2019 for alleged abusive behavior, JHS rebranded the pedal without changing its circuit, naming it Space Commander.

Each effect can be turned on or off, here are some more info directly from the manufacturer:

The volume/boost is an all discreet transparent boost that can be used as an always-on enhancer, lead booster, or pushing an amp into natural overdrive.

The Chorus is based around classic 1980s analog chorus pedals. With Chorus knob at 12-noon, this emulates a common 80s chorus pedal with ALL knobs at noon. As you turn the Chorus knob to the right… the rate will increase and depth will decrease. As you turn the Chorus knob to the left, rate decreases and depth increases.

The Reverb is a hall reverb tweaked to Ryan’s exact preferences. The reverb and decay is fixed and the knob functions as an effect Level.

Last but not least there is a secret lo-fi switch to top things off.

Here are a few demo videos of the pedal, check what style/gear better matches yours to form your own opinion about it!

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In this demo: Fender Custom Shop 1962 Telecaster into a Carr Skylark amp.

Gear used in the following video:
Fender ’65 Reissue Princeton Reverb (https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/…)
Fender American Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster (https://goo.gl/nFXIdd)