The JET Pedals Mr Jax is a signature high-gain overdrive and distortion pedal, and the first pedal in JET Pedals' Signature Series1. It was created in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer and Gretsch artist Chris Rocha, and it covers ground from edge-of-breakup overdrive to saturated lead distortion through a selectable four-stage gain system21.
Where most dirt pedals give you one clipping character, the Mr Jax moves between the two. Delicious Audio describes the design intent: a redesigned tone stack lets the pedal pull off both "soft clipping" type overdrive and "hard clipping" distortion sounds2. Pedal of the Day's reviewer summed up the result as a pedal that "delivers an aggressive yet smooth and buttery distortion, with rich overtones and a wide-sweeping EQ curve"1.
Designed with Chris Rocha, from the Crowther Hot Cake
The Mr Jax came out of a collaboration between Chris Rocha and JET Pedals to capture Rocha's signature high-gain sound2. The starting point was an existing pedal: Rocha loved the aggressive yet smooth sounds of the Crowther Hot Cake, but that circuit did not capture the overtones he was after, so the JET team redesigned everything to build an aggressive and smooth, buttery high-gain pedal with rich overtones and a wide EQ curve2.
Pedal of the Day notes the pedigree on the artist side: the pedal "was created in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer and Gretsch artist Chris Rocha"1.
Controls and gain stages
The pedal looks like a standard three-knob dirt box, with Level, Tone, and Gain knobs, but the Bypass footswitch does more than switch the effect on and off1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the volume1 |
| Tone | Sets the EQ; transparent at noon, and can produce soft or hard clipping2 |
| Gain | Sets the gain; must be fully counterclockwise for Gain Staging to work2 |
| Bypass footswitch | Soft click bypass; long press cycles gain stages, double press toggles Mid Boost21 |
The Gain Staging system offers four settings, selectable from 25% to 100% gain, each marked by its own LED color21:
- White LED, 25% gain: the default setting, fine-tuned to dial in an edge of breakup tone2
- Light Blue LED, 50% gain: tuned to sound more overdriven but not too aggressive; works great on chords2
- Purple LED, 75% gain: tuned to sound like a stacked overdrive, thick, saturated, and quite aggressive2
- Red LED, 100% gain: a full-on lead tone, good for thick saturated single-note lead lines2
You can also plan a change ahead of time: to cue a specific Gain Stage while the pedal is bypassed, perform a long press while it is disengaged, and the LED flashes to confirm2.
A second hidden mode sits on the same footswitch. Pedal of the Day explains that double-tapping the Bypass switch "immediately enter[s] into Mid-Boost mode, which adds in just enough volume boost and saturation" to reach lead territory at any gain stage1.
The Gain knob must be turned fully counterclockwise for Gain Staging to work properly. To run the pedal manually, set it to the 25% Gain Stage and adjust the Gain knob yourself2.
The Tone knob is doing double duty as part of the clipping design. It sounds transparent at noon, but turning it just past noon gives hard clipping distortion, so the knob shapes both EQ and clipping character2.
Power and size
The Mr Jax runs on a 9V power supply with a negative tip and a 100mA rating, and the supply is not included with the pedal2. At 4.82" x 2.62" x 1.425", it takes up a modest slot on a pedalboard2.
Videos
JET Pedals
Sebas Mora
Eddy Lozano
Questions
How do you change gain stages on the JET Mr Jax?
Long-press the Bypass footswitch to cycle through the four gain stages, from 25% to 100% gain. You can also cue a stage while the pedal is bypassed: perform a long press while it is disengaged and the LED flashes to confirm the selection.
What do the LED colors on the Mr Jax mean?
Each gain stage has its own LED color. White is 25% gain, the default edge-of-breakup setting. Light Blue is 50% gain, a more overdriven stage that works well on chords. Purple is 75% gain, tuned like a stacked overdrive. Red is 100% gain, a full-on lead tone.
What power does the JET Pedals Mr Jax need?
It runs on a 9V power supply with a negative tip (center negative) and a 100mA rating. The power supply is not included with the pedal, so you need to supply your own.
Why does the Gain knob need to be fully counterclockwise on the Mr Jax?
The Gain Staging system only works properly when the Gain knob is turned fully counterclockwise. If you want to set the gain manually instead, put the pedal at the 25% Gain Stage and adjust the knob yourself.
Sources (2)
- JET Pedals MR JAX Overdrive Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2022-05-02
- JET Pedals Mr Jax Overdrive Chris Rocha Signature, Delicious Audio, 2022-05-02
