JTK Harmonics Tourbox (4 drive pedals) - initial thoughts...

[hawkeyeinexile]

yes, very nice job of review & clips, Deaj...

on the Alchemy (which i have & know the best), i believe there's even more gain on top. even with my low output single coils i get longer-lasting chords & single notes at low amp settings (e.g., Heritage Victory, a 22w combo), guitar vol & tone full up...is the tourboard being used with AC power?

[Deaj]

Originally Posted by thepimpdaddy

Nice post, Deaj, thanks for taking the time to write it all up, and great clips that highlight the differences in these boxes.

Deaj, for those of you who don't know him, is the GAS-ingest guy I know, he's been chasing tone since age 12 when he and I both got our first electrics the same year, and almost 30 years later, he has owned and put through their paces literally dozens of classic amps and cabs, probably 100 stomp boxes or more, rack gear, you name it. He's got a great ear for tonal subtleties -- not only is he fortunate to be on the JTK tourbox list, but TGP and JTK is fortunate to have Deaj's ears and fingers evaluating these pedals, especially since he can articulate what he's hearing so well with the written word.

Enjoy! PD

Thanks PD!

[Deaj]

Originally Posted by hawkeyeinexile

yes, very nice job of review & clips, Deaj...

on the Alchemy (which i have & know the best), i believe there's even more gain on top. even with my low output single coils i get longer-lasting chords & single notes at low amp settings (e.g., Heritage Victory, a 22w combo), guitar vol & tone full up...is the tourboard being used with AC power?

Hi Jeff,

The clips were recorded using battery for power. I did test through the amp using both battery and a PPII power tap. The clips were recorded 'direct' (through an amp sim) and I did note less sustain than was present through the amp. I didn't notice any significant difference in the amount of available gain but there may well have been. The Alchemy definitely has a healthy amount of gain on tap!

[hawkeyeinexile]

Originally Posted by Deaj

Hi Jeff,
... I didn't notice any significant difference in the amount of available gain but there may well have been. The Alchemy definitely has a healthy amount of gain on tap!

(hey there's a good guy selling a Murano hereabouts)

OK, so here's what i mean, kinda. plugged a '98 LP Custom (WCR Crossroads pups) into a Juke 1210. Juke's @ about 1/2 Master vol, 1/4 Level, tone controls around noon. mike is an old AKG 330 close, Crown room mike overhead. Alchemy's at noon pretty much, 'cept Gain and Level are around 1 o'clock. it's on the whole time.

(IIRC & that's iffy - d-o-c was there & this might've been what he tags the "cross-eyed setting" (Gain 3/4, Level 1/4)).

i'm on neck p'up only, looking for interaction of right hand pressure on amount of distortion, effect of guitar volume, singing, other stuff. guitar volume is worked from about 2/3 to full on before the high G you hear, then rolled off at last chord.

rough, but i think it shows what sustain is there for single notes. chords go on for 'slong as your hands can hold 'em.

'nother note (so to speak): Gain control is very linear in that 1/4 is 1/4, 1/2 is 1/2, 3/4..., etc. there's still a bunch more gain on tap

y'wanna hear a monster sound, plug this sucker into a semi-cranked Heritage Colonial

[Deaj]

Bump.

I've added a couple of comments to my reviews in the original post for this thread. I'm also looking forward to more reviews from the other tourbox participants.

[Garygtr]

Well, I'm not a tourbox participant but I have a new Alchemy on order from Joe, and I just bought a Murano in the Emporium. I look forward to getting these, sounds like they are a bit different in their features and voicing, and I'm guessing they will play nice together

[Deaj]

Originally Posted by Garygtr

Well, I'm not a tourbox participant but I have a new Alchemy on order from Joe, and I just bought a Murano in the Emporium. I look forward to getting these, sounds like they are a bit different in their features and voicing, and I'm guessing they will play nice together

They do play nice together

[decay-o-caster]

Those are the two I have and I could see building a board around them both.

[Garygtr]

Excellent, can't wait :AOK

[jharpersj]

Hi all I had pleasure of checking out JTK Harmonics awesome line of pedals recently as part of the tour box and thought I would add my 2 cents. All pedals went through 3 amps, and H&K Duotone 1-12 Combo, a Fender Bassman Relic reissue combo and a Egnater Mod 50 which has the twin deluxe modules and the SL2 (killer amp BTW). Guitars used were a PRS singlecut, a Tom Anderson alder strat and a Gibson Les Paul. The pedals did not display any preference to any one guitar and sounded excellent with hums and single coils. Also just so people know where I’m coming from I play in a rock cover band and do originals more in the rock to heavy rock vein.

All the pedals are true bypass, are built really well, and look fantastic. They are also are a nice size in that they would not take up a lot of pedal board real estate.

First up is the Alchemy, I found this pedal to have a really healthy range of output and gain (meaning more than you will probably need !), great clarity but also warmth, very nice crunch tones through a clean amp and also added a great just barely broken up thing to a clean sound, to me this had a vintage vibe in that it was very warm, by using the 2 tone shaping controls I was able to dial in pretty much any type of overdrive tone you could imagine, from warm and singing to biting but never harsch. It was lively and complex and tied for my favorite of the 4 pedals. The tone controls really work well on this pedal. You can add hair or crunch to clean amps and totally rip through a distorted amp. Highly recommended.

Murano – this is a bit more modern sounding to my ears, nice for solo’s, while I thought it sounded good into both clean and distorted amps I tended to lean towards the Alchemy and as a result this one didn’t get much play time. Not to say that it wasn’t cool just didn’t play through it that much because I liked the others more.

Aurora – this pedal through an already distorted amp was awesome, it has that touch of cocked wah sound and just makes your amp scream, very fun and cool pedal, you can just rip. It brings out the right frequencies for soloing and riffing and is one of those really fun pedals to have.

Delirium – the website description is spot on so here it is again “The DELIRIUM is a true-bypass low to medium gain overdrive, though it can venture into high-gain territory at extreme settings. Purists who like classic rock to hard rock, with a need for liquidy smooth solos, will find that this pedal can lead you to sonic delirium

Smooth and liquidy sustain characterizes the DELIRIUM. The overdrive sound is very fine-grained, never harsh, and extremely smooth. At low gain settings, it cleans up extremely well and offers sweet overdrive tones which are suitable for a variety of blues and rock styles. The single tone control spans a wide enough range to cut treble in harsh content material, or enhance and boost treble for solos to cut through the mix.”

This was tied for my fav of the bunch with the Alchemy, its very warm and works really well adding grit to clean amps or more over the top tones to semi distorted amps and rips for solo’s, lots of volume boost and gain, this one really sounded great for leads into an already distorted amp. Its also very simple to dial in a great tone. Way cooler than my tubescreamer in that it was bigger sounding had more volume and gain. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Joe for sending me these pedals, very nice work!

[MAR]

I'm already seriously thinking about getting a Murano.

I went to the website and I couldn't get past the fact that the guitar was hideously out of tune in the Murano clip. Don't these guys listen to the clips they're recording before they post them on the website?

Jeez, how are you supposed to be relying on the pedal makers ears when they can't even tell their damn guitar is out of tune?

[Garygtr]

Originally Posted by MAR

I went to the website and I couldn't get past the fact that the guitar was hideously out of tune in the Murano clip. Don't these guys listen to the clips they're recording before they post them on the website?

Jeez, how are you supposed to be relying on the pedal makers ears when they can't even tell their damn guitar is out of tune?

I understand what you're saying, but I think you should cut him some slack. Joe's intent was to demonstrate the tone of the pedal, which the clip does.

[Garygtr]

jharpersj, thanks for the review...here are my comments on the Alchemy and Murano from another thread:

"I wanted to give a preliminary report on the JTK Harmonics Alchemy and Murano OD’s. I am not part of the tourbox going around, but I ordered an Alchemy direct from Joe and bought a mint Murano off the Emporium (thanks Bill!) I received both pedals this week, and I wanted to share my initial impressions.
First of all, Joe is a pleasure to deal with. We had a good talk on the phone yesterday, he is certainly well schooled in his field and has put a lot of thought into his designs in order to produce some unique products.

Again, these are first impressions after playing at moderate volumes (basement level-somewhere between “bedroom level” and “gig level”) solo, I have not had a chance to use these in a band application yet but will post further once I do. Before anyone asks, unfortunately I am not able to provide soundclips at this time-sorry! Hopefully in the near future I can get some videos together and post those.
Both pedals used with an EJ Strat into a Chandler C38 amp (basically a tweed Super clone in a 1x12 format).

Alchemy: Joe describes this one as having a “horn like attack”, and while I wouldn’t put it into the “Dumble Sound” category (it is far too versatile to be pigeonholed in this way), it can cop that vibe and will appeal to those that like that thick, chewy OD. I have previously owned a Jetter GSR and an Ethos with the TLE mod, both of those are fine pedals. I think the Alchemy can hang with both of those if you’re looking for that type of sound, and has more gain/compression than the GSR and maybe a bit less than the Ethos at full tilt. But, the Alchemy seems to be able to do rock better than the other two, it is capable of more bite and clarity along with its gain, it does not get too mushy or overly smooth.

The EQ is incredibly versatile, with the hue and the tone controls you can broaden the frequency response (more low mids/bass with a bright top) or narrow the bandwidth by reducing the bottom and top for more of a mid focus like a tube screamer. But, even with the mids emphasized it does not get honky or nasally like a TS can, and it is capable of way more gain and compression than a TS.

There is a LOT of volume on tap with this pedal, and you can increase the dynamic response and reduce compression by reducing gain and increasing volume.
One previous reviewer said if he had to replace his CJOD he would be happy with the Alchemy. I had the pleasure of trying a CJOD for a few days about a year and a half ago, but with a totally different rig than what I have now, so I am hesitant to make any such comparison. But the Alchemy is definitely capable of plenty of drive and sustain while still remaining clear and ungarbled.

Murano: The Murano is described as more of a low/medium gain pedal with less compression and bit more of an “open” sound. One previous reviewer said although it didn’t sound like a Tim/Timmy, it could easily fill the same role. I borrowed a Tim around the same time I borrowed the CJOD, again a different rig so I don’t want to speculate on a direct comparison. But the Murano fills the low gain role very well, and is capable of a very crisp, open sounding OD. It has more available gain than I thought it would, once you get past 3 o’clock on the gain knob you get quite an increase in gain and some added compression. But even at max gain, the sound is nicely detailed and crisp, but not gritty or harsh.

The EQ has a wide range, and you can take it into the overly bright or overly bassy range at extreme settings, but this should enable it to work well with different guitar/amp setups.

The Murano loves the Alchemy stacked into it, and can very easily fill the role of a clean/dirty boost with great EQ to really dial in the boost sound. My idea in grabbing both pedals was to use the Murano in this role, and possibly remove my current clean boost from my board (Bad Bob). And it can certainly do this; however, I think I’m going to keep them both on my board for different OD sounds and keep the Bad Bob for boost. I can see the Murano getting a lot of use with my roots/alt country band, and the Alchemy getting more use for my P&W playing, although both pedals will definitely be used for both situations.

I really think Joe has come up with some great designs here, they each seem to have their own voice that makes them different from other pedals I’ve tried (too many). Both pedals allow the character of the guitar to come through, both have great EQ options, prices are reasonable….and they look awesome, too!"

I still haven't had a chance to use these pedals in a band situation, but will this weekend. Still, in the time I have spent with them since my review, I'm liking them even more. Each one has a unique voicing to it, I like the Murano better than jharpersj (I still like them both equally, they excel at different things) and the Alchemy continues to impress.
I would love to be able to record some better clips for Joe that really showcase the range of tones these pedals provide. I'm trying to line up some help with either some audio-only clips or some youtube stuff...stay tuned.

[JTK Harmonics]

Originally Posted by MAR

I went to the website and I couldn't get past the fact that the guitar was hideously out of tune in the Murano clip. Don't these guys listen to the clips they're recording before they post them on the website?

Jeez, how are you supposed to be relying on the pedal makers ears when they can't even tell their damn guitar is out of tune?

Just wanted to chime in here. MAR -- yes, you are right. The guitar was in tune during recording, but the G string was not properly intonated, so it is sharp when playing the chords. This is what you hear, especially on the Murano clips. I wanted to get something out as soon as possible to demonstrate the timbre of the pedals. I will be re-recording these soon. Thanks for your comments.

Joe

[Deaj]

Thanks for the great reviews jharpersj and Garygtr. I heard very similar things during my demo time with these pedals. The Alchemy is definitely one of the best sounding overdrive pedals I've played to date!