The Prestige is a buffer and boost pedal from JHS Pedals, announced for Black Friday 2012 as a redesigned revival of the company's discontinued Mr. Magic. JHS describes it as "a booster/buffer/enhancer that will give you that \"something\", the magic that you've been looking for", and lists its uses as a booster for solos, saturating another overdrive, or overdriving your amp12. In the announcement video, Josh of JHS said it "does the same cool stuff that the mr. magic did and actually has a few advantages over it"2.
Buffer, boost and full-up settings
The Prestige has a single knob for volume, and JHS divides its travel into three zones1:
| Knob position | What it does |
|---|---|
| First 25% | A natural buffer/enhancer, great for long cable runs or to add a touch of brightness1 |
| 25% to 75% | A volume boost for solos, or to put in front of an overdrive to create more saturation1 |
| 50% or more | Breaks up a tube amp "in a smooth and natural way", per JHS's press release3 |
In the demo video, Josh summed up the same three roles: "it's a buffer you can leave it on like this leave it at zero and it'll buffer your clean tone it's a booster you can do..." and went on to describe the full-up setting as overdrive driving the amp's preamp2. Premier Guitar's press release framed the middle range as "a powerful, dynamic solo boost that adds definition, clarity and a little magic to your solos and lead passages"3.
No overdrive circuit of its own
The overdrive at full settings does not come from the pedal. As Josh put it in the demo, "there's actually no overdrive in the pedal itself it's doing that to your amp"2. The Prestige simply delivers enough level to push the amp's preamp into breakup, so the character of the drive depends on the amp it feeds. That is the same idea JHS promotes in its own buying guide on boost pedals, where the writer plugs "my own Prestige here" as an example4.
"When set at 50% or more, the Prestige gives you the ability to break up your tube amp in a smooth and natural way"
A redesigned Mr. Magic
The Prestige is the successor to the Mr. Magic, a buffer, booster and enhancer that JHS released a little more than a year before November 2012 and then discontinued52. In the announcement video, Josh said "we've brought it back and redesigned it fully", and noted the new pedal is "now it's in the smaller enclosure"2. JHS's own history article on boost pedals makes the family tie explicit: "The version two of that is the Prestige. A lot of people don't realize it is really similar"6.
The Mr. Magic itself is no longer made. JHS's product page says that no units are being produced, though it adds that one day the company may release a V2 that never saw the light of day5. Josh noted in 2012 that the pedal was still sought after on eBay and forums2.
The Mr. Magic is discontinued, so used-market prices and availability vary. The Prestige is the current-design equivalent in JHS's lineup6.
Circuit family
An independent technical analysis on the Guitar FX Layouts blog compared gut shots and found that the Prestige and the JHS Mini Bomb "use the same pcb", with the pot on the opposite side7. A commenter there, comparing demos, said "I agree the prestige sounds nicer and a little grittier" than the Mini Bomb, though that is one listener's impression rather than a measured difference7. JHS's buying guide also names the Prestige among its own boost designs6.
Demo
JHS's own announcement video, published on 22 November 2012, shows Josh demonstrating the Prestige as an "Enhancer/Buffer/Booster", walking through the buffer-at-zero, boost and full-up amp-driving settings, and describing it as having "a great price point smaller package and redesigned"2.
Videos
Chicago Music Exchange
Reverb
Questions
What is the JHS The Prestige?
The Prestige is a buffer/booster pedal from JHS Pedals, announced for Black Friday 2012 as a redesigned revival of the discontinued Mr. Magic. It has a single volume knob that covers three jobs: a natural buffer and enhancer at low settings, a volume boost in the middle of its travel, and enough output at full up to push a tube amp into overdrive. JHS describes it as giving players that "something", the magic they have been looking for.
Does The Prestige have its own overdrive circuit?
No. In JHS's own demo video, Josh of JHS said that at full settings "there's actually no overdrive in the pedal itself it's doing that to your amp". The pedal simply raises the signal enough to drive the amp's preamp into breakup, so the overdrive character depends on the amp rather than on the pedal.
How is The Prestige different from the JHS Mr. Magic?
The Prestige does what the Mr. Magic did but in a smaller enclosure, and Josh of JHS said it "actually has a few advantages over it". JHS's own history article calls the Prestige the version two of the Mr. Magic and notes that a lot of people do not realize how similar the two are. The Mr. Magic was discontinued, with no units being produced.
Can the JHS The Prestige be used as just a buffer?
Yes. JHS's product page says that in the first 25% of the knob's travel the Prestige is a natural buffer/enhancer, great for long cable runs or to add a touch of brightness. In the demo video, Josh described leaving it at zero so it buffers the clean tone. Players who only need buffering can also look at dedicated buffers such as the JHS Little Black Buffer.
Is the JHS Mr. Magic still made?
No. JHS's product page for the Mr. Magic says that no units are being produced, and in the 2012 demo video Josh said JHS discontinued it and quit making it. The page adds that one day JHS may release a V2 that never saw the light of day. The pedal is still sought after on eBay and forums, and the Prestige is its redesigned successor.
Sources (7)
- PRESTIGE, JHS Pedals
- JHS Pedals "The Prestige" in HD (Please Forgive The Slight Clipping From Not Recording Properly), JHS Pedals (YouTube channel), 2012-11-22
- JHS Launches SuperBolt & Prestige Overdrive Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2012-12-14
- SMALL PEDALS, BIG SOUND, JHS Pedals
- MR MAGIC, JHS Pedals
- WHY YOU NEED BOOST PEDALS, JHS Pedals
- Guitar FX Layouts: Escobedo Duende JFET = JHS MiniBomb, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2015-01-21
