JHS Pedals All American Distortion V2

When pedal companies make new models, they sometimes have to discontinue old ones to make room for new stock, or just to move on from particular circuits, or whatever the case may be. One pedal I’m glad I got a hold of before it went the way of the dodo is the All American Distortion V2, an updated take on the classic ProCo RAT circuit. After it’s been sitting on my shelf for years, I suddenly realized that, even though I’ve used in IN demos, I have never done a proper demo for it on its own. Therefore, I’m happy to present you all with a look into this amazing dirt pedal and what is can do…

The All American is based on the original ProCo RAT, an early distortion pedal designed and built in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1970s. Vintage RAT pedals are some of the most sought after overdrive pedals out there. Favored by such greats as Joe Perry, Nels Cline, and David Gilmour, the RAT is known for its unbelievable range of tones, spanning from clean to gritty all the way to compressed sustaining fuzz.

For the All American, JHS tweaked the RAT circuit for a more focused frequency range with tamed highs. Its bass and mids melt perfectly into a combination that’ll make a 1×12 combo sound like you have a stack of cabs backstage. The addition of a Sweep knob gives instant control over the feel of the gain structure as a whole. JHS also gave this beauty a three-way gain switch, allowing either LED, Silicon or Open clipping options, for one explosively versatile distortion pedal.

The All American’s four-knob layout is extremely responsive, going from a clean grit to a fuzzy compressed assault with a few twists and turns. You can easily move from dirty rhythm tones to powerful lead lines, and there’s a lot of room for exploration everywhere in between. The All American Distortion V2 has long been retired, but if you can find one, I highly recommend grabbing it – be sure to check out our demo video to see and hear just what this red box is capable of, enjoy this one!!