JHS Panther Analog Tap Tempo Delay

The JHS Panther Analog Tap Tempo Delay is an analog delay pedal from JHS Pedals, announced in January 2012 as the company's long-awaited tap tempo analog delay. It runs its repeats through a 100% analog signal path built on 3205 bucket brigade chip sets, the classic delay chips behind the warm, darkening repeats players associate with vintage analog units, and it offers up to one full second of delay time, which Pedal of the Day noted is "a feature not common in analog delays"¹².

What sets the Panther apart from most analog delays of its era is tap tempo. Onboard and external tap tempo functionality make setting the delay time quick, and a Ratio control lets you divide your tapped tempo into quarter notes, dotted eighths, eighths, or triplets for rhythmic repeats¹². There is also a full modulation section, with Speed and Depth controls that Pedal of the Day described as giving "as much or as little tape delay warble and wackiness as you can handle"².

Premier Guitar's reviewer found the circuit delivers on the analog promise, writing that "superior bucket brigade analog circuitry delivers warm and lush echoes and unusually thick modulation flavors," and noting that the pedal "clearly sets out to explore the terrain mapped by the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man," aiming for the creamy shimmer and low-mid warmth of that inspiration³.

A bucket brigade delay with tap tempo

Bucket brigade delay chips pass your signal down a chain of tiny capacitors, one step at a time, which is what gives analog delays their character: each repeat loses a little brightness and gains a little warmth. The Panther uses 3205 bucket brigade chip sets, the same family of chips found in the classic analog delays players chase, and Premier Guitar's reviewer credited them with "gorgeous tones only real-deal 3205 bucket brigade chip sets can produce"³¹.

The tap tempo side is where the Panther differs from most analog delays, which usually make you dial in delay time with a knob and guess. Here you tap the tempo on a footswitch, and the Ratio control then sets the subdivision: quarter notes, dotted eighths, eighths, or triplets¹. The tap tempo control can also be used with the modulation without affecting the delay time, so you can bring the warble in and out on the fly³.

The modulation section is a feature in its own right. Pedal of the Day called it "an entire Modulation section," with Speed and Depth controls for tape delay style warble². Premier Guitar's reviewer found the modulation unusually thick compared with other analog delays, describing "a smooth and rich modulation circuit that aims for the creamy shimmer and low-mid warmth of its inspiration," the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man³.

The controls and footswitches

The Panther carries three footswitches, laid out left to right¹:

Around the switches, the control set includes¹²:

• Ratio control: chooses quarter notes, dotted eighths, eighths, or triplet divisions of your tapped tempo
• Speed and Depth knobs: set the modulation rate and intensity, from subtle shimmer to full tape delay warble
• Delay time: up to one full second, set by tap or external tap tempo

The onboard Tap Tempo switch sets your delay times on the fly⁴¹, and the Ratio control chooses the subdivision the repeats follow: quarter notes, dotted eighths, eighths, or triplets⁴¹. On the Panther, the three footswitches run left to right: True-Bypass on-off, EFX Loop on-off, and Tap Tempo¹.

For stereo-adjacent setups, the Dry Out jack passes an unaffected copy of your signal, allowing stereo fielding options. Premier Guitar's reviewer was clear about the limit, though: the Panther "does have a dry output for stereo field effects, but does not do actual stereo delays"³¹.

Power: 9V, 100mA

The Panther runs on standard 9V DC, center negative, and requires only 100mA, so it works with just about any common pedalboard power supply¹². Pedal of the Day noted that "all of this madness is run on simple 9V power, so you can use just about any power supply"². It ships in a silver powerboat style enclosure measuring 7.38" x 4.7" x 1.3"¹.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

JHS Pedals announced the Panther in January 2012 as "the long awaited JHS Panther Analog Tap Tempo Delay," pairing a fully analog signal path with the tap tempo and ratio features that had mostly been the territory of digital delays¹. The design follows the lineage of the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, whose low-mid warmth and shimmer the modulation circuit aims for³.

Premier Guitar's 2026 review summed up both the appeal and the cost. On tone, the reviewer found the bucket brigade circuitry delivered "warm and lush echoes and unusually thick modulation flavors"³. On practical limits, the pedal "maxes out at a single second of delay time" and offers no presets³. And on price, the reviewer was direct: "the Panther, at $499, is an investment in genuine analog"³.

The Panther family later grew to include the smaller JHS Pedals Panther Cub Analog Delay V2, which Pedal of the Day described as pedalboard friendly with true bypass, top-mounted jacks, its own onboard tap tempo switch, and a side jack that doubles as both an external tap tempo and an expression jack controlling Time, Ratio, or Modulation⁴. JHS has since continued in the delay lane with pedals like the JHS 3 Series Tape Delay and the JHS 3 Series Oil Can Delay.

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