About JHS Pedals
JHS Pedals was founded by Josh Scott, who started out in Jackson, Mississippi in 2007 buying stock BOSS pedals and modding them for local players before stamping his own circuits with a "JHS" logo the following year. The company relocated to Kansas City, Missouri in 2009, where it remains headquartered today, and grew from a one-man woodshed operation into a full manufacturer with original designs like the Morning Glory overdrive, Colour Box, and Angry Charlie that established JHS as one of the best-known names in the modern boutique pedal market.
JHS's pedals have been reviewed favorably by Guitar World and Premier Guitar, which have covered releases across the catalog from the budget-minded 3 Series line to flagship boxes like the Colour Box and SuperBolt Overdrive, praising the brand's mix of accessible pricing and genuine boutique circuit design. The 3 Series in particular was built to bring true JHS engineering, true-bypass switching, and quality components to a sub-$100 price point without cutting the corners that usually come with a budget boutique pedal.
Brand website: jhspedals.com
What JHS Pedals makes
JHS Pedals's catalog runs wider than the gear we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
3 Series
Budget-friendly single-voicing pedals across distortion, overdrive, reverb, and modulation -- the line our pick belongs to — featured on House of Octave
Overdrive & Distortion
Morning Glory, Angry Charlie, and SuperBolt Overdrive -- the original designs that built the brand's boutique reputation
Colour Box
Flagship preamp/DI pedal used widely in studio and live recording setups
Modulation & Reverb
Alpine Reverb, Kilt, and other dual-mode digital effects
DIY Kits
Solder-it-yourself versions of select JHS circuits for hobbyist builders
Why we recognized JHS Pedals
The House of Octave Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose gear consistently stands out in our player-tested category guides. JHS Pedals earned it on the strength of the products below, judged the same way every product on this site is: assessed on build, tone, and playability, weighed against what players actually report over years of use, and ranked on merit.
JHS Pedals gear we rated highly
JHS 3 Series Distortion
A real JHS boutique pedigree at a sub-$100 price that most boutique brands simply cannot match -- the name and the design team are the genuine article, not a budget knockoff. True bypass and quality components come in a simple, honest three-knob layout (Volume, Tone, Gain) that dials in fast, making it the easiest low-risk first step into boutique dirt for a player who wants a great sound without a menu of options.
Read the 10 Best Distortion Pedals of 2026 (Metal, Rock, Blues & Budget) guide →What earned JHS Pedals the recognition
- House of Octave's Best Boutique Value pick in our distortion pedal testing -- a genuine JHS-designed circuit at a price most boutique brands can't touch
- Founded by Josh Scott in 2007, growing from hand-modded BOSS pedals into an original-design manufacturer headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri since 2009
- Original designs like the Morning Glory, Colour Box, and Angry Charlie built JHS's reputation as one of the best-known names in the modern boutique pedal market
- Pedals reviewed favorably by Guitar World and Premier Guitar across the catalog, from the budget 3 Series line to flagship boxes like the Colour Box and SuperBolt Overdrive
- True-bypass switching and quality components carried down into the accessible 3 Series line without cutting the corners a budget boutique pedal usually requires