The Jet City Shockwave Distortion is a distortion pedal from Jet City, the company better known for its valve amps. Mike Soldano, whose name has long been attached to Jet City's amplifiers, is named as the designer behind the pedal as well1. It sits in the distortion category, alongside related gain effects such as overdrive and fuzz.
What it does
The Shockwave keeps its layout deliberately simple. MusicRadar describes a minimalist layout of dials, and notes the pedal was marketed with what the review calls its "bullish sales shout-out to 'serious and versatile guitarists'"1. The Gain control is the heart of it: MusicRadar describes it as one that "raises the temperature by degrees", meaning the pedal moves smoothly from moderate drive into heavy distortion as the control is turned up1.
On sound, the review draws a clear line between the two ends of the Gain range. At the lower end, MusicRadar found "a really strong vintage crunch to the lower-end distortion", while pushing the control further produced "genuinely white-hot, high-gain sounds"1. In other words, the same pedal covers classic-sounding crunch tones and full high-gain territory, depending on where the Gain dial sits.
"If you're after no-nonsense distortion of real pedigree, investigate the Jet City."
That verdict sums up how the pedal was received: a straightforward distortion with a credible design background behind it, aimed at players who want gain without a crowded control panel1.
Videos
Donnie Distortion
LordOfThisWorld74
Donnie Distortion
Sources (1)
- Jet City Shockwave Distortion review, MusicRadar, 2011-06-17