The JHS Color Box V2 is a preamp pedal from JHS that combines three jobs in one box: a DI box, a preamp and an equalizer, built around a completely analog circuit. Guitar.com described it as "not a guitar pedal as much as it is a general preamp", which is the honest way to frame it: it is aimed at players who want studio-style tone shaping and a direct feed to a mixing desk or audio interface, not just another drive on a board1.
It is the 2019 update to the original Color Box, carrying over the same XLR/quarter-inch combo jacks as its predecessor while adding new features and improvements1.
What changed from the original
The most notable change in Version 2 is the addition of an output transformer, according to Guitar.com's coverage of the update1. The other headline addition sits below the pedal's 3-band EQ: a knob for shifting each frequency band around, letting you pinpoint a certain area of bass, mids or treble for the EQ shift knobs to act on. In other words, the V2 does not just cut and boost fixed bands, it lets you choose where those bands sit1.
Physically, the V2 is one row of knobs taller than the original, the price of adding that sweep control1.
Where it sits in JHS's range
The Color Box family extends beyond this pedal. JHS also makes the rack-format JHS Colour Box 500 and the JHS Colour Box "10", both carrying the same studio-preamp idea into other formats. Players comparing options across the wider category can see how units like these differ in the preamp pedals roundup.
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Sources (2)
- JHS updates the Color Box to version 2, Guitar.com, 2019-11-18
- JHS makes good things better with Color Box Version 2 preamp pedal, gearnews.com, 2019-11-20
