JHS Pedals Panther Cub Analog Delay V2

The JHS Pedals Panther Cub Analog Delay V2 is a compact delay pedal from JHS Pedals, the Kansas City pedal company. It is an all-analog bucket brigade delay with tap tempo, a modulation section, and expression pedal control, packed into an enclosure Pedal of the Day described as half the size of the already half-sized Panther Cub 1/1.5¹. JHS called it "our most anticipated pedal to date" at the time of its release².

The pedal is the third step in a line that began in 2011 with the JHS Panther Analog Delay, followed about two years later by the smaller original Panther Cub². The V2 condensed that design further while adding features, and it is no longer in production: That Pedal Show listed it as no longer made in August 2018³.

What it does to your sound

The V2 is built around four 3205 bucket brigade chips, the charge-coupled delay devices that give analog delays their character. Bucket brigade chips pass your signal along a chain of capacitors, and each handoff rolls off a little high end, so repeats get progressively darker and softer. Pedal of the Day heard "that classic dark, brooding analog sound, along plenty of modulation on tap" in the V2¹.

The delay time is the one place the two published figures differ. JHS's own product page lists 1100 milliseconds (1.1 seconds)², while Pedal of the Day's review states 1,000ms, calling that figure "huge for an analog creation of this type"¹. Either way, it is a long delay time for a bucket brigade design.

The controls

The V2's front panel covers the standard delay controls plus a few extras. Pedal of the Day's review walks through them¹:

The fully wet Mix setting is worth noting for players who want to run the pedal into a second amp or into other effects, since it turns the pedal into a wet-only delay send. The Ration knob working with tap tempo is what makes the pedal practical in a band context: tap in the tempo and choose the subdivision rather than dialing in a time by ear¹⁴.

The modulation section gives the repeats a tape-delay warble character, a feature the line has carried since the original Panther, which Pedal of the Day noted had "an entire Modulation section" with Speed and Depth controls⁵. On the V2 the depth and speed of that warble are handled through the side switches and related controls rather than the two dedicated M.Speed and M.Depth knobs of the first Panther Cub⁶.

Tap tempo, expression and dry out

The V2 has two footswitches: one for bypass and an onboard tap tempo switch to set delay times on the fly¹. There is also a jack on the side for an external tap tempo pedal¹, a feature JHS's own guidance on stacking pedals confirms the Panther Cub carries, noting both an onboard tap and an external tap jack¹⁴.

That same side jack doubles as an expression input. Plugging in a TRS expression pedal lets you control the Time, Ration or Modulation with a sweep of your foot¹. The original Panther offered something similar, with its expression jack able to control the Ratio, Mod Depth, Mod Speed or Delay Speed⁷.

For stereo or two-amp setups, a TRS splitter cable at the output gives a dry out option, creating a stereo field of sound¹. The first Panther Cub offered the same trick, with Pedal of the Day noting in 2014 that "you can run the Cub in Stereo (via TRS again)"⁶.

Where it came from

The line's history, in short:

• 2011: JHS releases the Panther Analog Tap Tempo Delay, an analog tap tempo delay pedal announced by Premier Guitar as "the long awaited JHS Panther Analog Tap Tempo Delay"⁷². It included a dry output and a jack for an external tap-tempo pedal to supplement the onboard switch⁸.
• 2013: Two years after the Panther, JHS announces the Panther Cub Delay, which Premier Guitar's press release described as "a warm vintage delay pedal with modern features"⁹. It used eight 3208 delay chips¹⁰, with true bypass switching, a 100% analog signal path and a soft-touch tap tempo switch¹¹.
• 2017: The original Panther Analog Delay is no longer in production, per Pedal of the Day⁵.
• 2018: The Panther Cub V2 arrives, half the size of the Panther Cub 1/1.5, with four 3205 chips and the fully wet Mix option¹¹². That Pedal Show featured it that August and listed it as no longer made³.

JHS also built a 500 Series rack version, the Panther Cub 500, with onboard modulation, EQ, tap tempo and expression pedal abilities¹³.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day reviewed the V2 in March 2019 and came away positive, writing that the reviewer "really dug the first iteration of the Panther Cub Analog Delay" and that the V2 "really takes everything you love about all your analog delays, and crams it into a tight, comfortable and exciting package"¹. The same review praised the true bypass, top-mounted jacks and pedalboard-friendly size¹.

On the first Panther Cub, the same site's 2014 review found "full, rich, 100% Analog delay drips from this thing with ease, oozing out up to 1 full second of gorgeous delay time"⁶. That Pedal Show used the V2 in an episode comparing overdrive pedals in 2018¹².

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