The Jetter Helium is a standalone overdrive pedal from Jetter. It takes the Jetdrive as its starting point, but it is not simply a single-channel version of that pedal: it has a less powerful gain range and a tweaked bottom end of its own1. Like the Red Square, it shares control layouts with Jetter's standalone Red Shift and Helium pedals2.
What it does
The Helium's overdrive is described by MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen as organic and natural, sounding more like a valve amp channel being turned up than a pedal effect1. The lean/rich tone control works in a specific frequency range, which Curwen found makes it nearly impossible to dial in an unusable sound1.
Because its gain range is gentler than the Jetdrive's, the Helium sits in a different place on a board. Curwen's overall verdict was that it works two ways1:
"This is a great source of breaking-up amp sounds and a useful option for adding boost to another overdrive pedal."
In other words, it can push an amp that is already close to breaking up, or it can act as a boost in front of a second overdrive pedal. For a player weighing it against other Jetter drives, the Gain Stage Red, Gold Standard and Pedal X cover other ground in the maker's range, and the broader field is covered on the Overdrive Pedals page1.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Ryan Kiesshauer
Sources (2)
- Jetter Helium review, MusicRadar, 2011-04-27
- Jetter Red Square Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2012-10-08
