The JHS Octave Reverb and Harmonic Tremolo
This week, we debuted not one, not one and a half, but two new 3 series pedals: the Harmonic Trem and Octave Reverb, A.K.A., the only two pedals you need to make your shimmery, glimmery guitar dreams come true. These effects are classic for a reason, and we couldn’t be happier that they’ve been added to the 3 Series lineup.
Plus they’re $99 apiece. To put that in perspective, you can’t buy a pound of quality coffee beans for less than $125. Or at least that’s what my barista tells me.
We first dropped the 3 Series in October 2020, releasing the first seven pedals in one glorious pedal-release pileup: the Chorus, Compressor, Delay, Distortion, Fuzz, Overdrive and Reverb. In November 2021, we added the Hall Reverb, Flanger and Phaser to the lineup, and in April 2022 we dropped the 3 Series Screamer. With this week’s two additions, that brings the number of pedals in the 3 series to lucky number thirteen. To put that in perspective, you could buy all thirteen pedals in this series (a series which spans pretty much every possible effect you could need) for $1287. That’s like three bags of coffee beans. You can swing that.
Coincidentally, the two newest members of the 3 Series lineup– the Harmonic Trem and Octave Reverb –may actually be the two most requested effects in music history. Or at least in the JHS suggestion box. Let’s take a closer look to see why they’re in such high demand.
JHS Pedals 3 Series Harmonic Trem
JHS Pedals 3 Series Octave Reverb
Harmonic Trem
The harmonic tremolo effect originated in the early 1960s when Leo Fender started putting a tremolo circuit in some of the very early Fender amps. It was a peculiar circuit that functioned more like two tremolos bumping into each other and phasing in and out, which is a much more interesting sound than your standard tremolo, which is just the volume going up and down. This unique sound was subsequently labeled the harmonic tremolo effect, and roughly fifty years later it became one of the most requested effects in JHS history.
You spoke, we listened. That’s what a good company does. Thus, we put this same circuit into the Harmonic Trem pedal. It's a really fun way to get a different unique tremolo sound that sometimes crosses over into a Univibe-type effect.
Octave Reverb
The Octave Reverb is our take on the “shimmer” effect first created and popularized by Brian Eno in the late ’70s/early ’80s. Essentially, Brian took a digital reverb and blended an octave effect into the reverb’s decay. Our 3 Series Octave Reverb includes a toggle that lets you switch between low octaves (down) and high octaves (up).
Did we mention it’s $99? Because it’s only $99. That’s bananas.
The 3 Series has been a great opportunity for us to get quality guitar pedals into the hands of musicians who may not have $300 to blow on a single pedal. We’re super excited to release these two incredibly versatile and affordable new pedals into the wild. If you want to hear the Harmonic Trem or Octave Reverb for yourself, you can visit your local music store or watch this week’s episode.