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JHS Calhoun (smaller red one) was first released in 2016 as a limited run of 250 units. This one is number 45. The Calhoun is named for Mike Campbell’s dog.

The 250 unit limited run Calhoun 2016 fuzz circuit is the same one used on the JHS Fire Fly and is a great fuzz pedal that compares well to the original Tone Bender as it utilizes NOS germanium transistors. The new production run Calhoun V2 (see below), is a silicon transistor version. The entire reason for the limited runs and halt of the JHS Fire Fly, is the limitied availability of the germanium transistors. I own the JHS Fire Fly and its one of the best fuzz pedals I have tried.

With the JHS Calhoun, I can eliminate two other pedals I have on my pedal board as this one has them covered.

The JHS Calhoun is a collaborative signature pedal for legendary guitarist, writer, and producer Mike Campbell. Mike is most known for his role in Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, but he has worked closely with such artists as Don Henley, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, George Harrison, Jackson Browne, Brian Setzer, Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac and The Wallflowers to name a few. He also is a founding member of Mudcrutch and has a side project called the Dirty Knobs. When the opportunity to create his only signature pedal came to us, we were honored, to say the least.

JHS Calhoun is a 2-in-1 overdrive/fuzz pedal that is designed around Mike Campbell’s specific desires for live and studio performance. Combining to great effects… overdrive and fuzz that are both stackable, but also reversible allowing the overdirve to go into the fuzz circuit or the fuzz to go into the overdrive!

JHS Calhoun is the perfect pedal for the player who wants straightforward, no frills and easy to use dirt tones in a single package. It covers everything you need for rock and blues tones with ease.

Looking at the pedal you will see two footswitches and a toggle switch in the center near the top. The best way to understand the Calhoun is to picture it as two effects… the left side is the drive portion of the pedal with Volume, Drive, Treble, Bass controls. The Volume control is a master level control allowing you to set the maximum or minimum volume of the pedal. The Drive control adjusts how much dirt/distortion you are allowing in the circuit. The Treble and Bass controls adjust the EQ of the pedal, allowing you to darken and brighten the frequencies as needed.

The right side of the pedal is the fuzz portion, with Volume, Fuzz, Bias, and EQ controls. The Volume control acts as the same master volume control as the left side. The Fuzz control adjusts the intensity of the fuzz sound. The Bias control adjusts the voltage to the circuit allowing more powerful tones that bloom with more headroom or weaker and more saturated tones. The EQ control lets you set the range of tone from dark to bright as you wish.

The toggle switch mentioned earlier allows you to choose the order of the two effects when stacked (both on at the same time). The effect that the toggle is pointed at is first in series; this lets you stack the effects in whichever way you desire to achieve different textures of stacked tones.

The power jack is a standard 9v DC operation. The right 1/4″ jack is the input jack where you plug in your instrument. The left 1/4″ jack is the output jack where you go out into your amplifier.

Limited-edition hand-painted JHS Calhoun model
The Calhoun Limited Edition Hand Painted pedal was limited to 100 pieces with custom designed artwork by Mike Campbell’s daughter. Available exclusively at Sweetwater. The Hand-painted Custom Calhoun features an engage/bypass switch and an effect selector footswitch. Simply kick the pedal on, then toggle between the two effects with the tap of your toe.

The proceeds from each Hand-painted Custom Calhoun go to the Tazzy Animal Rescue fund to help fund its needs and mission.

The hand painted model has a larger case and has a master bypass and a footswitch to choose between Drive and Fuzz. You cannot stack them like you can on the more compact version (smaller red one).

JHS Calhoun V2 Production model released in 2017
This is the newer production run for 2017. It is similar to the red 250 limited run, except the V2 uses silicon transistors for the fuzz. As the germanium transistors were NOS in the first 250 and are no longer available. So expect a slightly different sound from the V2. These new production models will have V2 in the logo.