PedalPalFX PAL800-V4 Gold

The PedalPalFX PAL800-V4 Gold is a compact overdrive pedal built as a modified circuit of the Marshall JCM800 amp, with the vacuum tubes replaced by what the maker calls "very selected transistors." PedalPalFX describes it as a "Hot Rod JCM800 in a box," and says all the pre-amplification and saturation come from those transistors the same way the tubes do in the actual amp¹. It is a boutique product: each pedal is set up by hand and tested one by one by the founders of the company, and only a few reach the market each month¹.

The V4 is the current form of a line that goes back to the PAL800 JCM Emulator. Designer Luis Pena sums up the version history on the product page: "8 years of evolution to offer the best of our 800 series in a smaller and easy to setup format!"¹

How the circuit works

Most overdrive pedals get their grit from op-amps driving a pair of clipping diodes, the arrangement used in Tube Screamer-style circuits. The PAL800-V4 Gold takes a different route. PedalPalFX states it is "OP-Amps free, CMOS free and Clipping Diodes free," with the transistor stage doing all the work of shaping the gain¹. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson confirms the design uses a discrete transistor circuit².

For a player, that distinction matters in two ways. First, the pedal behaves more like an amp preamp than a diode clipper, since the circuit is clipping diodes free and all the pre-amplification and saturation come from selected transistors. Second, the three-band EQ of Bass, Middle and Treble knobs plus a Presence knob gives amp-like tone shaping rather than the single tone knob common on compact overdrives¹.

The controls: six knobs and a three-way switch

The control set mirrors the front panel of a JCM800-style head¹:

Guitar Pedal X also lists an internal "Master Tone" trim-pot among the controls, alongside the six external knobs².

The three toggle positions are where the pedal's range lives, and each has its own character¹:

• JCM II: keeps the original design from the PAL800 Gold Overdrive, delivering what PedalPalFX calls a modern JCM800 tone. Karlsson describes this position simply as "Rhythm!"²
• Mod #07: adds the maker's favorite configuration of the Gain Voicing switch from the PAL800-V3 Gold Overdrive into the circuit, which PedalPalFX says allows more tone range and structure response in the gain section. Karlsson calls it a "More Gain Mod + Attack" setting²¹
• Mod #34: an improved version of a famous modification that can be made to a 1959SLP or JCM800 amp, which PedalPalFX says is the main tone of Slash. Karlsson characterizes it as "More Sizzle + Brightness"²¹

From the PAL800 Gold to the V4

The V4 gathers what PedalPalFX describes as eight years of evolution of its 800 series into one box. Luis Pena puts it plainly: "8 years of evolution to offer the best of our 800 series in a smaller and easy to setup format!"¹

The most visible change in the V4 is the size. Earlier versions used a 1590BB enclosure; the V4 comes in the compact 115 x 70 x 51mm case with side-mounted jacks, which Karlsson welcomed: "I of course prefer the compact enclosure formats - so I was delighted when these got shrunk down from their former 1590BB" size²¹. The V4 sits alongside the PAL987 Plexi Carrera in the PedalPalFX range, both at $200 as of November 2023, with the PAL987 targeting the Plexi and the PAL800-V4 Gold targeting the JCM800².

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed the PAL800-V4 Gold in November 2023 alongside the PAL987, and his findings were largely positive on usability²:

Stefan Karlsson, Guitar Pedal X²

He noted one caveat: the EQ can need adjustment when switching between modes, and the #34 Mod in particular can become a little overly sharp and wiry². His stated preference among the three voicings was the JCMII mode².

Power and setup notes

With a 1M ohm input impedance, true bypass hardwire switching, and side-mounted jacks in a compact case, it fits a small pedalboard easily¹². Given the hand-built, low-volume production, availability is limited to a few units per month¹.

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