JHS "The Bonsai, 9-way Screamer" *Free Shipping in the USA*

  • $249.00
    Unit price per 


This is the brand new JHS Pedals "Bonsai - 9-way screamer" and it is in-stock and ready to ship today!

In the late 1970's the overdrive pedal was arguably perfected when
Japanese engineers designed the sound that we now know as the heart and
soul of so many of our favorite artists, recordings and sounds. Players
ranging from The Edge, Trey Anastasio, Buddy Guy, Kirk Hammett, John
Mayer, SRV, Carlos Santana and thousands more from every possible genre
have utilized and depended on this classic iconic green box. If a single
effect pedal was chosen to board a Voyager 3 mission and be solely
responsible for showing the universe the sound of overdrive, it would
undoubtably be Tube Screamer. It is probably the most produced and sold
pedal in the history of guitar pedals! The Bonsai is our tribute to
one of the greatest pedals ever created.


Following in the steps of our ,
the Bonsai utilizes a simple rotary knob to switch through nine
classic, vintage, rare, or hard to find variations of the Screamer.
Creating the Bonsai became an archeological dig of sorts that sent us
deep into the history of this circuit by examining dozens of versions,
variations and replications. At the end of it all, Josh chose nine of
his personal and favorite units and we painstakingly replicated every
nuance and aspect of each pedal. One of the most challenging parts of
this project was accounting for component drift as many of these pedals
were decades old and the internal components had strayed from their
original values. Each pedal was individually replicated using our
analyzer and various other methods that allowed us to perfectly
replicate every aspect of the sound and feel of the unit. It's important
to know that the Bonsai is not a "box of mods," it is exact
replications of these nine units all housed in one box! The Bonsai is
exact replication, not emulation. When you choose a mode on the Bonsai
rotary, you are actually activating components specific to each mode and
playing the unit that Josh chose along with all the quirks, drift,
vintage mojo, and individuality that a vintage pedal has.


Lets take a look at the 9 modes of the Bonsai based on the 9 pedals we have chosen...


OD-1 - 1977

An overall brighter and slightly higher gain mode that does not utilize
the Tone knob. This mode also inverts signal just like the original and
has symmetrical clipping. The OD-1 is magical at boosting other drives
or amps into singing saturation.


TS-808 - 1979

The classic low gain with that signature pronounced mid range.


TS-9 - 1982

Nearly identical to the TS-808 but with a slightly more pushed low-mid range.


MSL, Power or L Series - 1985

Though metal is in the name, this sound doesn’t quite inspire the modern
metal djent we think of. Still it has a higher gain sound with a more
low end and an overall more gooey feel.


TS-10 - 1986

Made famous by John Mayer, this model is a slight upgrade from the TS9
for the late ’80s. Bluesy, crisp, more low end roll off and low gain.


Exar OD-1 1989

The EXAR is a Polish made TS-style pedal that has a slightly different
drive character with a little more gain than the classic screamers as
well as a slightly more transparent feel.


TS-7 (+mode) - 1999

The hot mode on this version gives you the highest gain sound in the
Bonsai. More low end and dirt fill out the tone to have you shredding
away.


Keeley Mod Plus - 2002

Robert Keeley’s classic mod tightens up the tone on the original giving
you smoother mid range and high frequencies, and increased bass
response.


JHS Strong Mod - 2008

Our own mod we’ve been doing since 2008 is much cleaner and overall more
powerful. The mode has more pronounced higher nd low end drop offs.


With the JHS Pedals’ Bonsai you can get the classic sounds of nine
Tubescreamers in one pedal. Let the Bonsai help you find your overdrive
zen.
This pedal requires standard 9V DC Negative power, consumes less than 100mA, and measures 2.2"x4.8"x1.6".