GEAR SPOTLIGHT
JHS
MOONSHINE V2
REVIEW BY ERIC TISCHLER
STREET PRICE $199.00
What the world needs now
is love, sweet love, so I was
a little skeptical when JHS’s
new version of its “Super
Screamer,” the Moonshine,
arrived—don’t we have
enough of these? It turns
out the world (or at least I)
could also use a little less
skepticism, because there’s
a lot to recommend this
iteration of the pedal.
Like most Tube Screamer-
inspired pedals, the
Moonshine has a Tone
control, Drive control,
and Volume control. Like
most Super Screamers,
the Moonshine also has
a switch (the “Proof”
toggle) that changes the
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GEAR SPOTLIGHT //
clipping. Down offers more
traditional Tube Screamer
characteristics: the voicing
is more compressed and
darker. Up is more open,
with a broader frequency
response. What’s unusual
is that the Moonshine has
a “Clean” knob that brings
the clean signal in (and out).
I’m usually a little skeptical
about clean blends, but
the Moonshine made me
a believer; between these
controls, this pedal is very
versatile. Screamer: compressed,
heavy on the mids, with the
top end and bass response
attenuated. Despite the
familiar character, the pedal
definitely extends those
mids well into the lower
end of the spectrum—it’s
meaty, but still articulate.
The Tone control also
seems to have extended
range; past 3:00 and
it’s bright, open, and
present—the depth of
tone is atypical for a Tube
Screamer.
With Clean fully counter
clockwise and Proof in
the down position, the
Moonshine sounds a lot
like a traditional Tube Both the Tone and Drive
controls roll off bass as you
advance them clockwise
(adding treble and
distortion, respectively),
JHS Moonshine V2