The English Gent is a DIY overdrive pedal kit from Jeds Peds, a maker of pedal kits and pre-built pedals. The maker describes it as "an AC15/30 emulator", meaning it aims at the sound of a Vox AC15 or AC30 style amplifier, and says the kit "compares to the Lovepedal Englishman"1. It is aimed at players who want that British overdrive character and are willing to solder it together themselves, or who would rather buy it assembled.
What the kit is
Jeds Peds calls the English Gent Overdrive kit "a very simple build"1. The circuit sits in the overdrive camp, the same broad family as the pedals covered on the Overdrive Pedals page. The board is designed to hang from the pots inside the enclosure, so the potentiometers hold the PCB in place rather than the board being fixed with separate mounting hardware1.
Controls
The pedal has two pots and one switch:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive pot | Controls the Drive |
| Volume pot | Controls the Volume |
| Diode clipping switch | The third control, a switch that changes the diode clipping |
The two pots control the Drive and the Volume, and the third control is a diode clipping switch1. You will need 2 knobs for the kit, and the maker suggests medium sized ones1.
Kit versions and options
The English Gent is sold in six versions, from a bare board to a fully assembled pedal1:
- PCB Only: just the plain PCB
- PCB & Components
- PCB & Components and off board parts
- Full Kit
- Full Kit & Drilling
- Pre Built Kit
Drilling is an optional extra for the Full Kit, with a small surcharge, and the drilled enclosure includes all the holes for a complete pedal1. For players who would rather not solder at all, the Pre Built Kit is the assembled option, priced at £31.00 GBP1.
Pre Built Kits have a 1 to 4 week build time, since each one is assembled to order1.
Warranty on the pre-built pedal
The Pre Built Kit carries a 12 month repair warranty, and no returns are accepted on these units. As the maker puts it: "There are no returns accepted on these but I do give a 12 month repair warranty"1. In practice that means a fault in the first year is handled as a repair rather than a refund.
Where it sits among Jeds Peds kits
The English Gent is one of several overdrive and gain kits in the Jeds Peds range. Others include the Jeds Peds Weighty, the Jeds Peds Plexi and the Jeds Peds Nepotist, along with kits like the Jeds Peds Zendaya kit and the Jeds Peds Dowager. For a comparison of two of the best known commercial overdrives, see Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer1.
Questions
What enclosure does the Jeds Peds English Gent use?
The kit is supplied with a JP1590B sized enclosure. The PCB is designed to hang from the pots inside the enclosure, so the board is mounted by the potentiometers rather than by standoffs or separate hardware.
Does the English Gent come already built?
Yes. Along with the solder-it-yourself versions, Jeds Peds offers a Pre Built Kit. Pre Built Kits have a 1 to 4 week build time, and the pre-built option carries a 12 month repair warranty with no returns accepted.
How many knobs does the English Gent need?
Two. The maker says you will need 2 knobs for this kit and suggests medium sized ones. The two pots control the Drive and the Volume, while the third control is a diode clipping switch.
Is the English Gent based on the Lovepedal Englishman?
Jeds Peds describes the kit as comparing to the Lovepedal Englishman. It is presented as a kit version of that style of circuit rather than an official Lovepedal product.
Does the pre-built English Gent have a warranty?
Yes. The Pre Built Kit comes with a 12 month repair warranty. There are no returns accepted on the pre-built units, so repairs rather than refunds are what the warranty covers.
Can the kit be bought pre-drilled?
Yes. Drilling is an optional extra for the Full Kit, with a small surcharge. The drilled enclosure includes all the holes needed for a complete pedal.
Sources (1)
- English Gent, Jeds Peds
