The JHS 424 Gain Stage brings the magic of the original vintage 424 right to your pedalboard. Known for its elastic cleans, gooey DI saturation, and smashed-out lo-fi fuzz, the 424 sound has defined records for decades—and now you can have it without hauling a vintage 4-track recorder.

From the direct-in tones of D4vd, Steve Lacy, Malcolm Todd, and Omar Apollo to the timeless bedroom pop textures of Mac Demarco, Spoon, and Radiohead—this pedal nails that rubbery, nostalgic character and pushes it even further.

A Piece of Recording History in a Pedal

The Portastudio® defined home recording in the ’80s and ’90s, finding its way onto legendary albums like Springsteen’s Nebraska, Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang, and Spoon’s Gimme Fiction. Many of those fuzzy guitar and vocal tracks were cut straight into a 424, inspiring the creation of the Colour Box—and now, the 424 Gain Stage.

JHS painstakingly recreated the original 424 MKI circuit using the same UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps, plus all the original gain and EQ controls for historically accurate tone.

Two Ways to Run It

As a DI

Plugging directly into the 424 Gain Stage via the balanced XLR output gives you the exact gooey, lo-fi tone of a real Portastudio®—perfect for tracking guitar, bass, keys, or vocals without the bulk of the original recorder. Pair it with an A/B/Y switcher to flip between your amp and the 424 Gain Stage output, or run both at once for huge layered tones.

With an Amp

Now you can run “Portastudio into amp” without the headache. Use it as a boost, a dirty gain stage, or crank it into broken fuzz territory—stacking beautifully with your existing pedals.

Controls

• Volume (Master): Overall output level

• Gain 1 (Trim): Preamp gain amount

• Gain 2 (Channel): Second gain stage volume

• Bass: Low frequency boost/cut

• Treble: High frequency boost/cut

Connections & Power

• Input/Output: Top-mounted ¼" jacks

• Balanced XLR Out: Side-mounted, use alongside ¼" output

• Ground Lift: Side-mounted dip switch for XLR hum/buzz elimination

• Power: 9VDC center negative, 50mA draw (do not exceed 9V)

• Bypass: Silent, soft-touch switching; buffered bypass

Specs: 2.6” x 4.8” x 1.6” | 50mA current draw

The JHS 424 Gain Stage is not affiliated with or endorsed by TASCAM®. TASCAM and Portastudio are registered trademarks.

Capture the vibe of the ’80s/’90s 4-track era—without the tape hiss. The JHS 424 Gain Stage delivers the unmistakable lo-fi magic in a compact, tour-ready pedal.

👉 Order now at www.britishaudio.com and be among the first to add this new release to your board.