JHS Crimson

The JHS Crimson is a fuzz pedal that recreates the 1992 Sovtek Red Army Overdrive, a pedal guitar.com's reviewer calls "an ultra-rare 1992 Sovtek Red Army Overdrive, one of the very first Russian-made Big Muffs"¹. JHS positions it as a faithful copy of a specific vintage unit: "The Crimson is an exact replica of my own Red Army Overdrive, allowing you to own a unique part of fuzz history"². It belongs to JHS's Legends of Fuzz series, which the maker describes as "a collection of the world's most historic, rare, and sought after circuits"².

JHS describes the original Red Army Overdrive's sound as "warmer, clearer, and more defined than any of the Soviet Big Muffs that followed"², so the Crimson offers a different flavor of the familiar Big Muff formula rather than a copy of the later Russian versions. Note that JHS lists the Crimson as a FINAL SALE item, with no cancels, returns or exchanges².

A replica of the Red Army Overdrive

The Crimson traces back to the Mike Matthews Red Army Overdrive, a Sovtek pedal from the early 90s. Delicious Audio's buying guide describes the Crimson as "a replica of one of Josh Scott's own vintage Red Army Overdrives from the early 90s," noting that despite being called an overdrive, it was the first Muff Mike Matthews made in Russia⁵. Stomp Under Foot, another maker building versions of the same circuit, calls the original simply "the rare Mike Matthews Red Army Overdrive"⁶.

The original is scarce enough that Pedal of the Day wrote that "the Red Army is extremely rare"⁷. That rarity is the reason the Crimson exists: it puts a circuit few players will ever see an original of into a current production pedal.

JHS's own framing of the sound, which the maker carries over to the Crimson:

The Crimson sits in the Legends of Fuzz series alongside pedals like the JHS Legends of Fuzz Bender, JHS Legends of Fuzz Smiley and JHS Legends of Fuzz Supreme, each of which recreates a different vintage fuzz circuit².

The controls and the JHS Mode button

The control set follows the original: Volume, Tone and Distort knobs, plus a mode switch for the mid boost¹. JHS describes the Volume control plainly: "Volume sets the overall output level of the effect; turn it up and things get louder"².

The JHS Mode button is the one addition JHS makes to the vintage circuit. Premier Guitar describes it as "a side-mounted push button that shifts the circuit's fundamental voice into a louder more mid-forward character"⁴. Delicious Audio puts its purpose in player terms: "Push that button for a mid frequency boost that forces your sound through the mix"⁹. Pedal of the Day calls it "a mid frequency boost to slice and dice"⁷. For anyone who has fought a scooped Big Muff in a band mix, this is the practical case for the Crimson over a straight reissue.

Power and connections

The Crimson runs on a 9V DC negative center supply with a 4mA draw², light enough for any isolated supply or even a daisy chain with headroom to spare. It also takes a single 9V battery on a clip under the backplate². JHS warns not to exceed 9V DC, or the warranty is voided².

Premier Guitar's reviewer noted some unusual construction details: "The I/O jacks and 9V DC jack are situated low on the crown of the pedal," and the enclosure opens like a clamshell via two lower screws, with the circuit inverted so the components are not visible⁴. Inside, the reviewer found "the Crimson looks well put together on the interior, with chassis mounted jacks and I/Os and a 9V battery clip"⁴. The wedge-shaped enclosure, the same reviewer notes, "clearly nods at the Shin-ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz"⁴.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar reviewed the Crimson at a street price of $179⁴, the same price gearnews.com reported for the Legends of Fuzz pedals at launch in 2020¹⁰. The Premier Guitar verdict was positive on both sound and construction:

guitar.com's review of the Legends of Fuzz series gave the Crimson an 8/10 rating¹.

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