The JHS Overdrive Preamp is based on the DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp, which according to JHS owner Josh Scott didn’t exist. Before we let Scott tell the full story of the pedal, it’s worth noting a few specifics – the pedal offers more gain/grit overall and more unique low/mids and is controlled by Level and Gain knobs, as well as a slider switch to switch between two different types of overdrive. The JHS Overdrive Preamp is available here for $179.
“It was a DOD Overdrive / Preamp that predated the “Gray Box” 250 pedals that everyone– myself included –had assumed were the first version ever made. The pedal was encased in a large gray folded metal enclosure that resembled Electro-Harmonix more than DOD, and it was conspicuously lacking the “250” model number. The typeset and DOD logo were different, but it still had the same charm and quirky feel of the vintage 1970s DOD.
“The sticker on the pedal’s backplate said DOD Electronics Company and listed the home address of founder David Oreste Di Francesco, as well as a number: 75. According to my interview with David himself a year later, I had found the 75th DOD pedal ever made and one of the first ten DOD Overdrive / Preamps (250) ever sold. This stompbox represented the genesis of America’s Pedal. For a pedal historian, it was the equivalent of uncovering the Dead Sea Scrolls.
“The internals featured a floating/loose hand-etched PCB and the same DOD 250 circuit, but with a few changes. The internal parts dated as early as 1972 and, according to David, were harvested from old radios and electronics he scavenged when he started building his first effects.”
