What do these words have in common?
Vintage, unique, handmade, inexpensive, great sounding, recycled, boutique, one-of-a-kind, amazing...
They all describe Joe Hart's Semi-Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals!
Have you ever wondered why vintage gear is so sought after? Tone, right? And what makes a four-cent capacitor from the 60's or 70's better than an identical capacitor made today? Age? Different manufacturing techniques? Different raw materials? The subtle mellowing out through the years? Who really knows??
But, if one could build an effects pedal with today's technology using vintage components from then... well, you figure it out!
And on top of that, it can keep the price down, because we get a lot of parts from old, broken-down electronics! And if all that's not enough, we're recycling so it's good for the world!
This was posted on Aron's DIY Stompbox Forum
Subject: MAGICAL PEDALS, Posted By: WGTP, Date: 5/17/03 19:25
<<What is the most magical/rockingest pedal??????????>>
In Response To: MAGICAL PEDALS (WGTP), Posted By: ansil, Date: 5/17/03 20:36
<<for dist i would have to say joe harts dist pedal.. it just floors.>>
When we read this, we was very flattered, and started thinking that maybe Joe was on to something with the JH DST1... So, over a year later, here we are!
Some more reviews HERE
These pedals are all 100 % handmade using (some) recycled electronic components. We say "some" recycled components because, let's face it, are we going to spend hours tearing apart and searching through the remains of dozens of radios and VCR's looking for a certain non-critical component when we could just buy it? And some older parts just do not sound as good as newer ones. Of course, if an older part does, in fact, sound better, we'll spend the time to find it. The bottom line is good tone.
Our list of endorsers:
Joe Hart, Art Ellis, Mike Freitas, Sam Warren, and Joe Stump.
The JH DST1 Distortion Pedal
JH DST1 - Boasting tones ranging from bluesy overdrive, to screaming metal distortion, to smooth "Fuzz Face" sounds. This is a premier distortion/overdrive pedal. Plenty of gain to drive tube amps, and MORE than enough tone-shaping capabilities. Controls are: Drive, Blend, Volume, Low EQ, Mid EQ, and High EQ. The "Blend" control allows you to choose from a wide open crunch (like a Marshall JCM) to a fuzzy compressed sound and anything in between. And the EQ controls are amazingly responsive. All hand-built by Joe Hart using only the best sounding components and top quality hardware. And this thing is ULTRA QUIET! Features True Bypass. Comes with easy to open battery compartment and an AC adapter. Only $150.00 (plus $10.00 S+H). Check it out some more here.
Sound clips from Mr. Joe Stump! Here's how it sounds in the hands of a master!
After messing around with the JH DST1, Joe Stump asked about building a custom pedal to his specifications...
This led to the creation of...
The Dominator
The Dominator - Built to Joe Stump's exacting specifications, The Dominator is essentially a cross between the famed DOD 250 and the new DOD YJM308 pedals, but with some added features. It's a little warmer than the YJM pedal, but a little more powerful than the 250, and it has a tone control and a "fat" switch for even more versatility. And it's quieter than both. We've also added an indicator light. And don't forget those evil looking chrome skull knobs! Controls are: Drive, Volume, Tone, and the "Fat" switch. All hand-built by Joe Hart using only the best sounding components and top quality hardware. Features True Bypass. Comes with an AC adapter. Only $130.00 (plus $10.00 S+H).
And for the more budget minded...
The Dominator Lite - This features everything that The Dominator has, but without the fancy (and expensive) skull knobs and black box. It has the exact same circuit and the exact same sound, but it's housed in a much less expensive (but still VERY sturdy) box and has your every day, standard plastic knobs. Only $90.00 (plus $10.00 S+H)
Curiously Strong Distortion
Curiously Strong Distortion - A funky, fuzzy, fun little box. Don't let the size fool you, this is one strong distortion. It has no controls and only one sound - loads of fuzz - but it's housed in a candy tin! What could be cooler? And there is no on/off switch. But you won't want to turn it off! It runs on one 9-volt battery, and when the input plug is taken out, the battery is disconnected, so that battery will last a long, long time. Only $50.00 (plus $5.00 S+H)
The Grey Pedal
(picture coming soon)
We have gotten a few requests for this pedal, so we will now "officially" offer it for sale. It is a copy of a famous pedal from the seventies (can you guess which one?). If you have ever heard Yngwie Malmsteen's tone, you've heard this pedal. Controls are: Drive and Volume. All hand-built by Joe Hart using only the best sounding components and top quality hardware. Features True Bypass and an indicator LED. We will also toss in a couple of different Op-Amp chips (these are like the "brains" of the circuit) and instructions on how to change them (don't worry, it's easy -- they pop in and out). That way you can see which one you like best. Comes with an AC adapter. Only $100.00 (plus $10.00 S+H).
Some additional customizations to the Grey Pedal. Please note that this is a fairly quiet pedal -- unlike the original ones! -- but adding anything to the circuit does increase the potential for added noise. It will still have less noise than the old pedals, but just something to think about.
Tone Control - Add $20.00
Bright Switch (cuts some lows -- great for a darker sounding amp) - Add $15.00
6 Position Diode Selector (see my Grey 250 Pedal below) - Add $30.00 (this includes a larger box)
Asymmetrical Diode Switch - Add $15.00
And Here Are Some Other Music/Electronic Things That Joe's Been Working On...
(These are his own toys and not for sale, but this will give you an idea of what he can build if you wanted something)
Grey 250 Pedal
Grey 250 Pedal - This is a copy of an old grey-colored distortion pedal (we don't want to get sued, so we won't mention any names). Like the original, it has controls for Drive and Volume, but Joe has added a few twists. There is a 6-position rotary switch to select between: (1) the original silicon diodes, (2) germanium diodes, (3) LED's, (4) one silicon and one germanium diode, (5) one LED and one germanium diode, and (6) no diodes. And there is also a switch in the upper left of the pedal. This adds an additional silicon diode to the mix for some seriously asymmetrical clipping -- very slick! So, you get 12 different distortion sounds (including the original sound of that grey pedal). Pretty neat.
BC109 Fuzz
This is a silicon Fuzz Face using BC109 transistors. Joe added a "tone" control which varies the input capacitor for subtle shades of tone shaping.
Modified Cry Baby
Here's a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah pedal that Joe has modified extensively. He added true bypass, an LED indicator light, adjusted the sweep and some other things internally, and added a 6-way rotary switch to select the frequency range of the Wah. This is a VERY nice sounding pedal now! And extremely versatile.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
(well, just the answers, really...)
All of our pedals are true bypass with hard-wired LED indicator lights.
All of our pedals are 100% money back guaranteed (minus shipping).
Once you get the pedal, Joe Hart will make any internal changes free of charge (again, you pay the shipping), or we will tell you what needs to be changed so you can have someone do it locally and save yourself the shipping (we're not running a top secret NASA-style operation here -- no secrets -- we just build good pedals).
Want to Buy Something??
Well, here's how you do it...
First, email us (at JHartBand1@aol.com) and tell us what you want. And be specific! We build these pedals to order, so if you want something slightly different, just say so. Chances are, it will be no additional charge.
Then, either PayPal me some money (our PayPal account is under Rabbath@aol.com), or send me a check or M.O. (my bank charges $20.00 for out-of-country checks, so it must be drawn on a US bank) to:
Joe Hart
P.O. Box 258
Westwood MA 02090-0258
USA
We require 50% paid up front with the remained owed before the finished pedal is shipped.
Pedals are usually finished in 3-4 weeks, but could be sooner if we don't need to order a load or parts for it, or could be a little longer if you have some very strange requests for your pedal. Again, we build them all by hand and to order, so what can you do, huh? But we will give you a good estimate before you order.
Here's a link to a page Joe created to help first-time effect builders. Click HERE.
If you surfed to this page from somewhere else and liked anything, check out our whole site!
