The Jetter Gold Standard is a dual overdrive pedal that combines the company's versatile Gold Shift and low-gain Helium circuits in a single enclosure, with the two circuits optimized for maximum performance when used together1. Each side has its own footswitch, so the two can be used separately or stacked1. Jetter Gear also builds the circuits as standalone pedals: the Jetter Helium and the Gold Shift, a sibling of the Jetter Red Shift.
The Gold side
The Gold side operates very similarly to the Gold Shift pedal on which it is based1. It carries a voicing switch with two settings:
- Shift: a smokier, slightly more compressed tone. Delicious Audio notes this setting works particularly well with brighter guitars and amps and suits "violin tone"1.
- Gold: the upper harmonics stay strong but the "bite" has been trimmed back at higher gain, giving a slightly woodier tone1.
The Gold side's tone control was also revoiced: the tonal center has been shifted for a somewhat softer attack, with neutral now at approximately 2 o'clock rather than straight up1.
The Helium side
The Helium side is the low-gain half of the pedal. Its primary design goal in this version was a natural, organic low-gain performance and to complement the Gold side when the two are stacked, with the changes most evident in the lower mids1. With a neck pickup, particularly on a Strat or Tele, Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio found the tones "absolutely stellar"1.
A related pedal: the Dwarfcraft limited edition
The Gold Standard name also appeared on a separate, limited-run pedal: the Dwarfcraft Devices Eau Claire Thunder Gold Standard. That version features a slightly different circuit with vintage, hand-sourced components2, and gearnews.com reported it was designed with germanium diodes and NOS Fairchild 2n5133 transistors3. It is a distinct product from Jetter's Gold Standard, not a version of it.
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Mike Hermans
Chicago Music Exchange
Questions
What is the Jetter Gold Standard based on?
It combines two Jetter Gear circuits, the Gold Shift and the low-gain Helium, in a single enclosure, with the circuits optimized for maximum performance when used together. The Gold side operates very similarly to the standalone Gold Shift pedal on which it is based, while the Helium side was tweaked for natural, organic low-gain performance and to complement the Gold side when stacked.
Can both sides of the Jetter Gold Standard be used together?
Yes. The pedal has two separate footswitches, one per side, so each circuit can be used on its own or together. The Helium side was specifically tweaked to complement the Gold side when the two are stacked, with the changes most evident in the lower mids.
What does the Shift setting do on the Gold side?
The Gold side has a voicing switch with Gold and Shift settings. Shift gives a smokier, slightly more compressed tone that works particularly well with brighter guitars and amps and suits what Delicious Audio calls violin tone. The Gold setting keeps the upper harmonics strong but trims back the bite for a slightly woodier tone.
How does the Helium side sound with a neck pickup?
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes the Helium side's tones with a neck pickup as absolutely stellar, particularly on a Strat or Tele. The Helium side was tweaked for a natural, organic low-gain performance, with the changes most evident in the lower mids.
Who makes the Jetter Gold Standard?
The Gold Standard is made by Jetter Gear, which also makes the standalone Gold Shift and Helium pedals the dual overdrive is based on, along with other overdrives such as the Pedal X and the GS3 Dual Overdrive.
Sources (3)
- Jetter Gold Standard Dual Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2021-02-04
- Dwarfcraft Devices Eau Claire Thunder Gold Standard, Delicious Audio, 2020-04-27
- Dwarfcraft Gold Standard Eau Claire Thunder: A limited run of only 73 units, gearnews.com, 2019-06-03
