Der GS124 hat in 2014 in den USA seit seinem Release für extreme Furore gesorgt und ist mit Sicherheit eine der heißesten Neuerscheinigungen 2014.
Recently, I
had the opportunity to spend a couple of days up close and personal with
a guitarist who tours with two Dumble ODS amplifiers in his rig. That
experience rekindled my interest in trying to replicate that sound in a
pedal.
For the development of the GS 124, I used a very accurate clone of
ODS #124 using blind switching for evaluation. The goal was to have the
pedal became virtually indiscernible from the amp. The GS 124 is not a
generic “D-style” pedal, rather, it is specific sonic replication of a
particular amp.
No bells and whistles; no extra knobs and switches. What the GS 124 does is match the tone and feel of the amp.
The GS 124 is amp friendly and particularly likes amps that are set blackface clean but that is only the starting point.
Based on its name, one might imagine that Jetter Gear’s GS124 is some
exotic time-travel circuit or plant varietal that fictional scientists
might chase across time and space. In reality, it’s a rugged overdrive
pedal that will reproduce the pleasing electric sizzle of an overdriven
amp. In its own way, then, GS124 will take musicians on their own
escapades, albeit across the sonic spectrum rather than the space-time
continuum.
The pedal, like others, is simple to control. Jetter Gear gives the
user just three parameters to control: Level, Drive, and Contour. Level,
of course, controls the output volume of the effected signal. Drive and
Contour adjust both the amount of overdrive and its tonal qualities,
respectively.
The GS124 produces a wide range of overdrive, from ![]()
the
subtle to the not-so-subtle. The pedal’s “sweet spot” for complex
chording is between 11 o’clock and 2 o’clock on the Drive knob. At these
moderate settings, this user could strum jazzy chords like the famous E
major flat seven sharp nine and make out the individual notes. However,
above two o’clock the unit became so overdriven that the distortion
worked best for power chord-type riffing or single-note phrases. But who
plays a complex chord like E flat 7 sharp nine at full distortion?
Okay, so maybe Jimi Hendrix did, but probably not with a totally
overdriven amplifier. In actuality, the GS124 could also produce a
pleasingly “round,” slightly fuzzy sound that mimicked Hendrix’s tone as
heard in “All Along the Watchtower.”
The more adventurous nomads in the land of overdrive will be happy to
learn that when it comes to an all-out sonic assault, the GS124 will
rock as hard as the Marty McFlys of the world want it to rock. Indeed,
the GS124 surprised this user with the sheer quantity of overdrive that
it could produce. At the Drive knob’s highest setting of 5 o’clock,
Nirvana’s “Breed” sounded almost like the recording from Nevermind,
complete with a bit of compression. Yet the pedal never buzzed or made
this writer’s poor technique too apparent. Marty can rest assured that
he’ll rock the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance without fear of
incidental string noise or noisy pick attack.
The GS124 sounded like a unit designed more for the higher end of the
sonic spectrum than the lower end. Despite the ample room the Contour
knob gives for lower-frequency overdrive—the neutral setting is not at
noon, but instead, 1 o’clock—the higher settings struck one’s ear as
somehow more musical and useable. It is not that the low end was
muddled. Rather, it’s a matter of character, and the GS124’s character
seemed such that its overdrive really sang when the pedal was adjusted
for a more trebly profile.
With smooth and uniform overdrive, Jetter’s GS124 overdrive is a worthy
contender for the buy-curious musician. From Nirvana’s noise-pop to
Hendrix’s blues-rock, this pedal can overdrive in whichever way the
player wants. Oh, and no need for a thunderstorm or Mr. Fusion—this baby
runs on the standard nine volts with a relatively low draw, not 1.21
gigawatts.
the
subtle to the not-so-subtle. The pedal’s “sweet spot” for complex
chording is between 11 o’clock and 2 o’clock on the Drive knob. At these
moderate settings, this user could strum jazzy chords like the famous E
major flat seven sharp nine and make out the individual notes. However,
above two o’clock the unit became so overdriven that the distortion
worked best for power chord-type riffing or single-note phrases. But who
plays a complex chord like E flat 7 sharp nine at full distortion?
Okay, so maybe Jimi Hendrix did, but probably not with a totally
overdriven amplifier. In actuality, the GS124 could also produce a
pleasingly “round,” slightly fuzzy sound that mimicked Hendrix’s tone as
heard in “All Along the Watchtower.”