JHS Pedals posts video on the PG-14 Paul Gilbert signature distortion

July 19, 2023 · 4 sources

JHS Pedals published a video on July 19, 2023 in which the company explains the origin of the PG-14, the signature distortion pedal it makes for Paul Gilbert¹. The pedal was announced earlier, at NAMM 2020, according to Guitar.com².

The PG-14 is a FET-based distortion pedal. JHS says the circuit "emulates the touch, feel, and the response of a pushed tube amplifier," and that an active mid-frequency preamp sits at the front of the FET distortion circuitry³. Guitar Player's review lists six controls: volume, drive, push, tone, mid and mid freq, with the mid freq control selecting a midrange band from 400Hz to 7.5kHz⁴. The review describes the push control as setting how hard the circuit's input is driven, affecting the drive control⁴.

In the video, JHS founder Josh Scott says Gilbert "loved the super bolt and he loved the haunting mids," referring to two JHS pedals, and that Gilbert's hearing loss shaped the design¹. Scott says Gilbert sent his hearing chart and that the pedal used "actual curves of frequency"¹. The shoe graphic on the enclosure refers to Gilbert's shoe size: "PG-14 is Paul Gilbert 14 for his shoe size," Scott says¹.

JHS lists the PG-14 at $199.00 and specifies standard 9V DC negative power, 36mA current draw and dimensions of 2.2" x 4.8" x 1.6"³. Guitar Player gives the price as $199 street, notes there is no provision for battery power and lists the pedal as built in the USA⁴. Guitar.com reported the pedal available at $199 at its 2020 announcement².