The JHS State Line is a 2-in-1 overdrive pedal from JHS Pedals that packs two of the company's circuits into one enclosure. The left side is the Charlie Brown Channel Drive, which JHS describes as "a JTM45 in a box," and the right side is the Morning Glory, a Bluesbreaker-style overdrive, in a modified form with tweaks JHS says appear only in the State Line1.
It was built as a limited edition. JHS released it on Black Friday 2012 in a run the maker puts at 135 pedals2, and a 2014 review reported about 130 made with no further run planned3. It is discontinued and now sits among JHS's rare pedals, so finding one today means the secondhand market.
A JTM45 in a box: two overdrives in one pedal
The two sides cover different ground. The Charlie Brown side is a Marshall-in-a-box style overdrive/distortion, a category MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen notes has become a staple of many makers5. In JHS's own demo video, Josh Scott introduces it plainly: "this is the Charlie Brown it's a jtm45 in a box"6. The Morning Glory side, meanwhile, traces back to the Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit, as Pedal of the Day's Adam E describes it7.
A few features set the State Line apart from running the two pedals separately:
- An on-board toggle switch selects which side runs first or second in the signal chain3.
- The Morning Glory side carries modifications found only in this limited run1.
- The Bright Cut toggle on the right side behaves differently from the standard Morning Glory's switch3.
On the Bright Cut toggle: the down position is the up position from the original Morning Glory, giving what JHS calls "a less chime'y foundation from the start," while the up position provides a rich, full, smooth tone1. For context, on a standard Morning Glory the bright cut in the down position brightens dark amps and the up position suits naturally bright amps like a Vox7, and later versions moved the switch to the side of the pedal8.
Pedal of the Day's Mike B found the combination effective, writing that mixing the two sides together yields "one powerful and incredible-sounding overdrive"3.
"Mix these 2 sides together, and you've got one powerful and incredible-sounding overdrive."
Origins and the limited run
The State Line is a personal pedal for JHS founder Josh Scott. JHS says the company owes a lot to a couple of states where Josh lived before moving to Kansas City in 20091. The stars printed on the enclosure mark those places: "the stars on the enclosure are the cities where I lived: Muscle Shoals, Jackson, and Tupelo"4.
The run itself was small and final:
- JHS's own account: a limited run of 135 pedals released on Black Friday 201224.
- Pedal of the Day's 2014 report: about 130 made, with JHS "pretty adamant that there will NEVER be another run"3.
The maker and press figures differ slightly, but both agree the pedal was made once, in small numbers, and not repeated. Mike B's overall take was that the pedal is "totally unique and rare, making the journey to find one of these beauties that much more rewarding"3.
Relation to the Double Barrel, Sweet Tea and Bunrunner
The State Line follows a JHS formula. The company says it has "the same footprint, function, and order toggle as the Double Barrel, Sweet Tea, and Bunrunner"1. In other words, it is the same two-circuits-in-one-box concept with an order toggle, just built around the Charlie Brown and a modified Morning Glory rather than the circuits in those other pedals. JHS has continued the idea: the 2026 Wanderer combines a Morning Glory V4 with the Notaklön in a vertical two-in-one enclosure.
Videos
JHS Pedals
Pedal of the Day
Roger Fortner
Questions
Which circuits is the JHS State Line based on?
The left side is the JHS Charlie Brown Channel Drive, which JHS describes as a JTM45 in a box. The right side is a modified version of the JHS Morning Glory, itself based on the Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit, with tweaks JHS says are found only in the State Line.
Is the JHS State Line discontinued?
Yes. JHS released it as a limited run on Black Friday 2012, with the maker putting the run at 135 pedals and a 2014 review saying about 130 were made and that no further run was planned. It now appears on JHS's discontinued and rare pages.
What do the stars on the State Line enclosure mean?
The stars mark the three cities where Josh Scott lived before moving to Kansas City in 2009: Muscle Shoals, Jackson, and Tupelo, all in Mississippi. The pedal's name and artwork are a tribute to that part of his life.
How is the State Line related to the Double Barrel, Sweet Tea and Bunrunner?
JHS says the State Line shares the same footprint, function, and order toggle as the Double Barrel, Sweet Tea, and Bunrunner. It follows the same two-circuits-in-one-enclosure formula, with a toggle that sets which side runs first in the signal chain.
What does the bright cut toggle do on the State Line?
On the Morning Glory side, the Bright Cut toggle works differently from the standard pedal. The down position matches the up position on a regular Morning Glory and gives a less chimey foundation, while the up position provides a rich, full, smooth tone.
Sources (8)
- STATE LINE, JHS Pedals
- STEAK N EGGS, JHS Pedals
- JHS Pedals State Line Dual Overdrive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-10-29
- THE STORY OF THE MORNING GLORY, JHS Pedals
- JHS Charlie Brown review, MusicRadar, 2015-06-03
- JHS Pedals Demo by Peter Stroud and Joshua Scott at NAMM 2012, JHS Pedals (youtube.com), 2012-01-27
- JHS Pedals Morning Glory Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2015-02-17
- JHS Morning Glory Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2025-11-18
