The JHS Panther Delay is a delay pedal from JHS Pedals, released in 2011, built around a 100% analog signal path and 3205 bucket brigade chip sets12. What set it apart at the time was tap tempo: JHS's Josh Scott says he was the second person to ever put out a tap tempo analog delay, with the Panther arriving in 20112. It offers up to one full second of delay time, which reviewers noted was uncommon for analog delays of its era3.
The pedal is no longer in production3, but it started a whole delay line at JHS: the smaller Panther Cub, its V2 revision, a 500 Series version, and the digital Pink Panther reissue all trace back to it.
What it does to your sound
As a bucket brigade delay, the Panther passes your signal through a chain of analog delay chips, which gives the repeats the darkened, progressively degraded character that players associate with vintage analog units. Pedal of the Day described it as "a BIG, bold, fat-sounding, lush delay pedal" and noted that "being a true Bucket Brigade delay like the Panther is, you get sounds and tones that are hard to replicate elsewhere"3.
The pedal also carries a modulation circuit aimed at the character of its inspiration. Premier Guitar's reviewer found4:
"Superior bucket brigade analog circuitry delivers warm and lush echoes and unusually thick modulation flavors4."
The review described the modulation as "a smooth and rich modulation circuit that aims for the creamy shimmer and low-mid warmth of its inspiration"4. Another reviewer summed up the repeats simply: "The repeats are warm and the modulation on the repeats just makes it even sweeter"6.
Tap tempo, expression input and effects loop
The Panther's control set is what made it unusual for an analog delay in 20112.
- Tap tempo: An onboard tap-tempo switch plus external tap tempo functionality, letting you set the delay time to the beat of the song36. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted the tap-tempo control can also be used with modulation without affecting delay time4.
- Expression control jack: Works with any TRS expression pedal to control the Ratio, Mod Depth, Mod Speed or Delay Speed1. One reviewer used it to tap in the beat of the song while manipulating parameters such as the subdivisions6.
- Effects loop: A footswitchable loop that lets you place another pedal in the path so it affects only the delay repeats, not your dry tone36.
- Dry output: The pedal includes a dry output for stereo field effects, though Premier Guitar's reviewer noted it does not do actual stereo delays4.
The effects loop is worth a closer look for players comparing delays: because the inserted effect only touches the repeats, you can, for example, run a fuzz or filter into the loop and have it color each echo without changing your clean signal at all. JHS has used this same loop idea on other pedals in its line, such as the Panther Cub delay and the Spring Tank reverb7.
Panther, Pink Panther and Panther Cub versions
The Panther family spans more than a decade of JHS delay making, starting before the Panther itself892.
| Version | Year | Type | Delay time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pink Panther (original) | 2007 to 2008 | Analog delay | not stated | First JHS delay pedal810 |
| Panther | 2011 | Analog, tap tempo | 1 second | Silver powerboat enclosure12 |
| Panther Cub | 2013 | Analog, tap tempo | 1,000 ms | Smaller box, eight 3208 delay chips511 |
| Panther Cub V2 | later | Analog, tap tempo | 1,100 ms | Half the size of the Cub 1/1.51213 |
| Pink Panther reissue | 2017 | Digital | 1 second | Tape/Digital modes148 |
| Panther Cub 500 | current | Analog, 500 Series | not stated | MN3005 chipset, modulation, EQ, tap tempo, expression15 |
The original Pink Panther, released in 2007, was JHS's very first delay pedal8. Josh Scott has written that the Panther line "really started in 2010 as the Pink Panther" and that it got as far as version 2 before the Panther itself arrived9. The Panther Cub, announced in December 2013, two years after the original Panther, condensed the big pedal into a smaller box with space-saving top-mounted input and output jacks, keeping the 100% analog signal path and soft-touch tap tempo switch while adding improved feedback and oscillation and an internal Roar switch for two modes of oscillation sensitivity51116.
The Cub's controls were straightforward: Mix, Feedback and Time knobs as standard, plus M.Speed and M.Depth for dialing in a little or a lot of modulation16. Its assignable expression jack could control Speed, Ratio, Mod Depth or Mod Speed17. The Cub V2 later pushed the delay time to 1,100 milliseconds within an all-analog path, using four 3205 bucket brigade chips, in an enclosure half the size of the already half-sized Cub 1/1.51213.
The 2017 Pink Panther broke with the family's analog tradition: Premier Guitar's press release described it as taking "a different approach: unashamed digital processing," with Tape/Digital modes, an external tap tempo jack and 1 second of delay time14. Delicious Audio noted it tips its hat to early digital delays like the Boss DD-5, Ibanez DE7, DDL and the DOD DFX910. Pedal of the Day called it "an excellent digital delay that doesn't seek to be anything else," and noted a hidden Digital/Tape switch on the side for choosing clean digital or vintage tape echo modes18. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick demonstrated its analog mode reaching up to one second of delay19.
How it compares and where the line went
The Panther's pitch was analog warmth with modern control: tap tempo and expression were features players usually had to give up bucket brigade character to get. Its one-second ceiling was the trade-off, since analog delays of that era generally ran shorter than digital ones. The line has since moved on: the Panther and Panther Cub V2 are both no longer made2015, and JHS's current delay offerings include the 500 Series Panther Cub, which JHS describes as "a true bucket brigade analog delay that is driven by the legendary MN3005 chipset," with onboard modulation, EQ, tap tempo and expression pedal abilities15.
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Questions
Is the JHS Panther Delay analog or digital?
Analog. The Panther uses a 100% analog signal path built on 3205 bucket brigade chip sets, which is what gives its repeats the warm, dark character players associate with vintage analog delays. The later Pink Panther reissue went the other way and used digital processing instead.
Does the JHS Panther Delay have tap tempo?
Yes. The Panther was one of the first tap tempo analog delays, released in 2011, and JHS's Josh Scott says he was the second person to put out a tap tempo analog delay. It has both an onboard tap switch and external tap tempo functionality, and the tap control can be used with modulation without affecting delay time.
What is the difference between the JHS Panther and the Panther Cub?
The Panther Cub, released in 2013, two years after the original Panther, condenses the Panther into a smaller box with top-mounted jacks. It keeps the analog signal path and tap tempo, offers 1,000 milliseconds of delay using eight 3208 delay chips, and adds an internal Roar switch for two modes of oscillation sensitivity.
Is the JHS Panther Delay still in production?
No. The Panther Analog Delay is no longer in production, and the Panther Cub V2 is also no longer made. The delay line at JHS continued through the digital Pink Panther reissue of 2017 and later pedals such as the 3 Series delays and the Troika.
What does the effects loop on the JHS Panther do?
It lets you insert another pedal into the delay's feedback path, so the inserted effect alters only the repeats, not your dry signal. The loop is footswitchable, so you can bring the inserted effect in and out while playing.
Can you use an expression pedal with the JHS Panther?
Yes. The Panther has an expression control jack that works with any TRS expression pedal, and you can assign it to control the Ratio, Mod Depth, Mod Speed or Delay Speed. The Panther Cub offers assignable expression control over Speed, Ratio, Mod Depth and Mod Speed.
Sources (20)
- New JHS Panther Analog Delay Pedal with Tap Tempo, Premier Guitar, 2012-01-18
- 12 RARE PEDALS, JHS Pedals
- JHS Pedals Panther Analog Delay, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2017-10-31
- JHS Panther Analog Delay Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2012-10-02
- JHS Pedals Announces Panther Cub Delay, Premier Guitar, 2013-12-04
- JHS Pedals Panther Analog Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2014-12-26
- 5 REASONS TO WAH, JHS Pedals
- LUCKY CAT DELAY, JHS Pedals
- WORST JHS PEDALS EVER MADE, JHS Pedals
- New At The BK SBE 2017: JHS Pedals Pink Panther Delay, Delicious Audio, 2017-09-08
- JHS Upgrades Panther Cub Delay Pedal, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2013-12-03
- PANTHER CUB V2, JHS Pedals
- JHS Pedals Panther Cub Analog Delay V2, Pedal of the Day, 2019-03-14
- JHS Pedals Introduces the Pink Panther Delay, Premier Guitar, 2017-06-12
- Panther Cub 500 Series, JHS Pedals
- JHS Pedals Panther Cub Delay, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-08-28
- JHS Pedals Announce Panther Cub Delay, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2013-12-05
- JHS Pedals Pink Panther Digital Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2017-08-07
- TPS Pick'N'Mix, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2017-10-23
- Origin Effects Revival Drive, That Pedal Show, 2018-08-17
