The Violet Distortion is a signature overdrive and distortion pedal from JHS Pedals, built for guitarist Lario Basilio. It is designed to cover a wide gain range, from lower-gain overdrive tones up through a warm, open distortion, with EQ split before and after the gain stage. Guitar Pedal X placed it as a Silver runner-up in its 2024 distortion roundup, listing it at $199 USD as of December 20241.
What it does
The pedal's six controls are split into two groups. The Gain, Middle and Mid Freq knobs act before the gain stage, while the Volume, Bass and Treble knobs act after it. That pre-gain and post-gain split lets a player shape how the drive itself responds and then dial the overall tone and level separately1.
| Control | Stage | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | Pre-gain | Sets the amount of drive |
| Middle | Pre-gain | Shapes the midrange going into the gain stage |
| Mid Freq | Pre-gain | Selects where the Middle control acts |
| Volume | Post-gain | Sets the pedal's output level |
| Bass | Post-gain | Post-gain low EQ |
| Treble | Post-gain | Post-gain high EQ |
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described the pedal's range as "taking you from gorgeous mid-gain bluesy Morning Glory to" a "warm, open and singing distortion tone range", placing it alongside JHS's Hard Drive Modern Distortion in the same family of drives1.
"An incredibly versatile Overdrive / Distortion with plenty of subtle nuances onboard - just a beautifully and richly"
Where it sits in JHS's distortion range
JHS Pedals builds a broad line of drive pedals, from the Angry Charlie V3 and Sweet Tea V3 to the Kilt 10 Overdrive Distortion and the PG-14 Paul Gilbert Signature Distortion. The Violet Distortion is the maker's signature pedal for Lario Basilio, and Guitar Pedal X ranked it among the strongest new distortions of 2024, awarding it a Silver placing in that year's roundup1. For more on the category, see the site's guide to Distortion Pedals.
Videos
Sweetwater
R.J. Ronquillo
Sweetwater Soundcheck
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-17
