Three ALL NEW 3 Series Pedals - Flanger, Hall Reverb, and Phaser

In October 2020, we released seven $99 pedals. It was the first series of budget pedals that JHS had ever put out, and we called it the 3-Series. Our original lineup featured the Overdrive, Compressor, Fuzz, Distortion, Reverb, Chorus and Delay, and if our sales numbers are anything to go by, you guys have really enjoyed them.

So we decided to pull out the stops and add three more to the list.

Yup. This is not a drill. We’re releasing three more pedals into the 3-Series universe, and we’re doing it today. This week’s episode of the JHS Show is the world debut of…(drum roll, please)...the 3-Series Phaser, the 3-Series Flanger and the 3-Series Hall Reverb. They each have their own quirks, so we’re going to look at them one at a time.

What, are you late for an audition? No? Then you’ve got time for this. Trust me.

3-Series Phaser

Very simply put, the 3-Series Phaser is a $99 pedal that says Phaser on the enclosure. As the name suggests, it gives your guitar the sound of phasing, but this is actually a pretty big deal for JHS as a company. In our fifteen year history, JHS has never made a phaser. Ever. Period. So the 3-Series Phaser is a groundbreaking, really cool, super versatile addition to our lineup.

It features controls for blend, rate, width and feedback. This pedal is inspired by phasers from the 1970s (A.K.A. the golden age of pedals), but we also gave it enough versatility to handle more modern sounds. It’s inspired by the Top Gear Phaser, the Guyatone PS-007 Phaser, the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone and the MXR M107 Phase 100 (which may be my favorite phaser of all time; the jury’s still out).

Also, did we mention that it’s $99? We did? Cool.

3-Series Flanger

So, you know how I said that the 3-Series Phaser was something completely new for JHS? That we’d never made one before in our entire history? That this is entirely uncharted territory?

Surprise. So is the 3-Series Flanger. Basically, JHS got wheeled into the delivery room to birth one healthy kid, and it turned out to be twins. I’ll admit that this birth metaphor isn’t landing as well as I’d hoped, but I think you understand where I’m coming from. If I had to describe the flanger effect, I’d say that flanging is like a milkshake: thick and satisfying. If you’ve played a flanger, you get it. If you haven’t, go pawn a few video games and buy this pedal.

The 3-Series Flanger has controls for blend, rate, intensity and tape. The tape switch on this is especially cool, because it allows you to emulate the sound of the first flanging effects ever which were done with analog tape machines. This pedal was inspired by classic flangers like the MXR M-117R Flanger (which, for you thrill-seekers, also comes with a power cable you can electrocute yourself with), the DOD FX70, the BOSS BF-2 and the A/DA Flanger.

Also, I’m not sure if we brought this up already, but this pedal is $99. That’s pretty baller.

3-Series Hall Reverb

Lastly, let's talk about the 3-Series Hall Reverb. I can already hear some of you asking, “Josh, didn’t you already do a reverb in the 3-Series?” Yes and no. We dropped a 3-Series Reverb last October with a very unusual, low-fi effect, but it didn’t emulate the sound of room, plate or hall reverb. This next addition to the series is going to fix that.

Now, spring reverb is my favorite style, hands down, but I have a special place in my heart for hall reverb, which is why we developed the 3-Series Hall Reverb. To really understand hall reverb, try to imagine the way sound echoes in a big cathedral, or really any giant room with hard floors, hard walls, hard ceilings, where the sound reverberates and creates this huge, echoing effect. You don’t get this sound in a recording studio-- at least, not without the right pedal.

The 3-Series Hall Reverb was inspired by the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, the Line 6 Verbzilla, the BOSS RV-6 and the Digitech Hardwire RV-7 Stereo Reverb Pedal. It features controls for verb, dampening, decay and modulation, which opens up some really cool options/sounds you can make with this $99 pedal.

Oh, yeah, the pedal’s only $99. Did I mention that?

In all seriousness, it’s been a pleasure to develop the 3-Series as an entry point for new JHS pedal users. I’ve loved seeing players that couldn't afford the others finally get their first JHS pedal, and I love that we can offer a high quality piece of gear for such a freakishly low price. You guys are literally why we do what we do, so thank you for making this series such a success!