The JHS All American Hand Paint is a dirt pedal from JHS Pedals built on the vintage ProCo RAT circuit, one of the most sought-after effects in history according to the maker1. JHS classifies it as Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz, and the company says it offers a more focused frequency range than any pedal in its class, with the bass and mids combined and the highs tamed1. The All American line is discontinued, so units circulate only on the used market23.
A RAT-based drive with tamed highs
The All American is JHS's take on the RAT. In a guitar.com interview, Josh Scott described it as "a pedal called the All American, which was his take on the RAT," developed as JHS moved into more original models around 20084. Pedal of the Day put it the same way: JHS "decided to try and take the basic blueprint of the RAT and make a few tweaks, twists and improvements"5.
What JHS changed is the frequency balance. The maker says the pedal has a more focused frequency range than any pedal in its class, with the bass and mids melting together and the highs tamed1. Pedal of the Day's reviewer heard the same character in the Distortion V2: "JHS tweaked the RAT circuit for a more focused frequency range with tamed highs. Its bass and mids melt perfectly into a" focused whole2.
Overdrive or distortion?
The line ran under both names at different times. The original was reviewed as the All American Overdrive, with a tone that "ranges in tone from clean with a little dirt on it all the way up to crunchy, gritty fuzz"5. The later version was sold as the All American Distortion V2, which Pedal of the Day called "an updated take on the classic ProCo RAT circuit"2. JHS itself lists the Hand Paint as Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz, so the honest answer is that it covers all three, depending on where the gain is set1.
The controls: Sweep, tone/filter and a three-way clipping switch
The All American's layout centers on two additions JHS made to the RAT formula:
- Sweep knob. JHS calls this its biggest addition: "our sweep knob that gives you instant control over the gain structure as a whole," allowing the breakup and clipping in the circuit to be tuned1. Pedal of the Day described it as controlling the feel of the gain stage, "unusual for any pedal, really, but somehow it works, allowing the user to precisely dial in the tone they need for their specific setup"5.
- Tone/filter knob. JHS notes that the design "allows you to actually use the tone/filter knob past 25%," a reference to how far the control can be turned up before the sound gets harsh1.
- Three-way clipping switch. A three-way mini gain switch offers LED, Silicon or Open clipping1. Pedal of the Day described the switch as "providing LED, Silicon and Open clipping modes for a variety of tones and sounds"5.
The Distortion V2 was reviewed with a four-knob layout that the reviewer found "extremely responsive"2.
Discontinued and sought after
The All American has been out of production for years. Delicious Audio referred to it in 2022 as "the now discontinued JHS All American"3, and a 2026 Pedal of the Day review of the V2 said "The All American Distortion V2 has long been retired"2. The original Overdrive was already described as discontinued and "harder and harder" to find back in 20145.
That scarcity has not hurt its reputation. Pedal of the Day's 2014 review concluded that "All of these options together form the core of a pedal that backs down from nothing"5, and the 2026 V2 review ended with: "but if you can find one, I highly recommend grabbing it"2.
Because the All American is discontinued, it is only available secondhand. JHS's current overdrive range, including the JHS Morning Glory Clean and the dual JHS The Wanderer, covers different territory, and there is no current-production equivalent of the All American in the lineup.
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Questions
Is the JHS All American discontinued?
Yes. The All American line has been retired: Delicious Audio referred to the pedal in 2022 as the now discontinued JHS All American, and a 2026 Pedal of the Day review of the All American Distortion V2 noted that it has long been retired. The earlier All American Overdrive was already described as discontinued and increasingly hard to find back in 2014, so any unit today will be secondhand.
What does the Sweep knob do on the JHS All American?
According to JHS, the Sweep knob gives instant control over the gain structure as a whole, letting you tune the breakup and clipping in the circuit. Pedal of the Day described it as controlling the feel of the gain stage, which the reviewer called unusual for any pedal but effective, allowing precise dialing in of the tone needed for a specific setup.
What is the difference between LED, Silicon and Open clipping on the All American?
The All American has a three-way gain switch offering LED, Silicon or Open clipping options. JHS added this switch to let players choose the clipping character of the circuit, and Pedal of the Day described the three modes as providing a variety of tones and sounds, opening up the possibilities of the pedal even further.
Is the JHS All American an overdrive or a distortion?
Both, depending on the version and the setting. JHS lists the Hand Paint version as Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz, and the later version was sold as the All American Distortion V2, while the original was reviewed as the All American Overdrive. Its range was described as running from clean with a little dirt on it all the way up to crunchy, gritty fuzz.
Sources (5)
- ALL AMERICAN HAND PAINT, JHS Pedals
- JHS Pedals All American Distortion V2, Pedal of the Day, 2026-02-24
- JHS PackRat Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2022-08-23
- How Josh Scott built JHS Pedals from the ground up: “It’s a total accident that was incredibly hard to do”, guitar.com, 2020-11-30
- JHS Pedals All American Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2014-09-25
