Visual Sound Jekyl & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive Red

leave everything at 12 oclock and just put gain and volume to youre likeings...easy yes, i take 10 minutes to have my favorite two sounds.

Wow, this is what i was searching since 16 years of guitar playing,
the Jekyll is smooth, dynamic, sensitive and chrunchy, great for Hendrix meets Pearl Jam sounds, I dont need the bass bosst option but this is a good think...its better as the tubescreamers and blues drivers/breakers..etc that i have played.
The Hyde is a great disrortion, bottom, gain, dynamic allround Rock Heavy sounds, I can play just everything I like. 5 levels over that Metal zone/Hyper lead pseudo Stacks in a box, no question.

My setup, Gibson Paula or Fender Strat - Korg Tuner - Morley Tremonti Wah - Jekyll & Hyde - Digidelay - Phase 90 - Holy Grail - in my JTM 60 home Tube practise combo or that great Mk II London city Stack for gigs or Band playing... all you need ;-)

This one is a keeper on my board, absolutly great.

fat steel, heavy Knops, lokks and feel very strong, good job here

i dont need this boys, for what ?!

I cant stop playing, absolultly a keeper for a very long time ( maybe forever ). I play since 16 years from Bob Marley to Hedrix, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Soundgarden, Alice in chains, Aerosmith, and myself stuff. All overdriven sounds i need are in this box. If you have it in your fingers, this box, definatly helps you to go on and on and on and on.
But first try and then buy, I would buy it again if I have to, and it makes me more intressted in VS stuff like the H2O.....I will see.

This thing is idiot proof. The controls are well marked and do exactly what they are supposed to do. The sharp/blunt switch is very effective on the Hyde side of the unit, and the bass boost switch really adds some "oomph" on the Jekyll side.

I use this pedal with a Godin LGX-SA or a Parker Fly Deluxe. It runs into a Visual Sound Route 66 and H20 pedal, then through a Digitech JamMan, and then into a Yamaha Magic Stomp amp modeler, and then it goes straight in to the mixer. I think it is hard to get a bad sound out of this thing. Using one side or the other gives a great contrast, and using the two sides together gives an over-the-top sound that is very useful. The Jekyll side is a TS808 Tube Screamer clone, even using the same chip that the Tube Screamer used. it is a very useful sound with numerous variations. The Hyde side is extremely thick, but with a lot of definition, especially with the sharp switch engaged. There are lots of beautiful harmonic overtones present in this signal. Heavy metal people would feel right at home with this sound.

All Visual Sound pedals are built like tanks, so it is very dependable. The switches feel rock-solid, and the metal casing is quite thick and substantial. I would definitely feel comfortable doing a gig without a backup for this thing.

This company has the best people in the business. They answer all emails, often the same day you send them. Bob Weil is a great guy. All the other staff have been very friendly and helpful.

I give this pedal the highest rating possible. I have been playing for 27 years, and it is the best built piece of gear I have ever owned. It sounds great, is dependable, and customer support is second to none. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it with the same thing. It is a great value, especially considering it is two pedals in one (a theme for Visual Sound design). I play adult comtemporary Christian-themed music, and this pedal fits very well with our guitar-driven sound. BUY ONE: you will not be disappointed!

Here's an updated review as I have seen the light in the ultimate o/d.
I had a chance to play a friend's jekyll with my rig.

I'm using a "73" Marshall super lead and gave this pedal a bad rapp last review which was only a couple of months ago,
This time I placed it a little differently in my chain and was very pleased with the change it brought to my sound.
I'm not personally interested at all with the hyde side, I use two overdrives to get my desired effect, This time round I placed my DOD-250 before the jekyll and set it to 12 o'clock on both level and gain, I then set the jekyll to 9,00 level, tone 100 percent and gain at around 9,00 depending on amp volume and found myself sporting tonal bliss! I use the two because there's always a lack of gain when using only one overdrive, I use my guitar's volume pot to clean the sound up, these pedal's are never switched off, guitar amp cleans up great.
Extremely smooth, harmonic overdrive that really sings, retain's good tight low end,Can get nice and boomy with the blunt switch on if that is your thing, keeps my guitar's tone intact at all times
Gary Moore, Yngwie, Led Zep eat your heart out,
This is the tone I have searched high and low for that a super lead plexi just does'nt have without a little help from it's friend's.
I strongly believe that if you have a good amp without preamp gain stage's cluttering the circuit then this pedal will truly shine.
I tried it out with Marshall jcm 2000 super lead's and it did not sound anywhere near as good as it does with my amplifier.
I imagine this would be a great match with Fender twin's and such.

Cant really say but I have never had a pedal go on me before.

I dont know why some people are saying that you cant play metal with the hyde side because it really boots if you ask me,
This tone monster will handle just about everything you could ever imagine playing.
I cant see myself using anything else in the future, it works well with my gear,
Sorry about the bad rap last time Mr Visual Sound.
Keep up the good work.

Its hard to use if your a monkey!!!Very straight foward

I use a modified fender strat with a jb jr. on the bridge. I play heavy metal in vein of Priest, Maiden, Saxon. The jekyll side is fat and very smooth. You can pretty much play anything accept Metal. Thats the Hydes job! The Hyde is super chunky...almost too chunky..but you can roll of the bass from your amp..No biggie. You can get a great raunchy Motorhead, Iron Maiden sound, or If you have a full humbucker guitar..you can scoop out the mids and go for Pantera type of tone. The tone is so pure. Sounds very authentic and not digital like the metal zone or other processed distortions. If you really want some extra kick use both distortions together..However..roll the gain down to about 3 on which ever mode you kick second...or else it will go crazy. I must warn..kicking both cuases some feedback..but an experienced guitar player knows how to ride the cuff....Also ,if you use both together, there will be some hiss..but thats normal..after all you are using 2 distortions. Like I said, roll off some gain on one of the channels..and the hiss will not be heard over the playing. If you like to speed pick on the neck pickup..try kicking both channels together..and you get an ultra smooth sound that pickups each picking dynamic. To some it up..its a great versitile pedal. If you want to hear my sound..go here for a clip.. hear the song HAYWIRE..its the pedal straight to my marshall

www.myspace.com/warriorrock

Its built really well!

Bob Weil is a cool guy..I told him how much I liked his pedal and he sent me a shirt, and a cap

I gave it pure 9's cause nothings perfect...but this is a great pedeal

click on this link and hear Haywire to hear my sound

www.myspace.com/warriorrock

I found it very easy to get a decent sound out of this. I simply set the dials to 12, plugged in and played. Sound was good. Obviously not great, but with tweaking I found it very easy to find a sound I really like. It might take a while to really get the sound 'just so', but that's the same for any pedal.

Manual is basic, but so is the operation of the pedal: Vol, Tone and Gain for the Jekyll side (plus bass boost) & Vol, Tone, EQ, Gain for the Hyde side (plus Blunt/Sharp switch)... it's not rocket science!

My setup is:

Epiphone Sheraton with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat single coils and replacement chrome hardware > Ernie Ball Vol Pedal Jr > Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Pedal > Boss DD5 > Boss RV3 > VS J&H Red > Rat II > Big Muff Pi US reissue > Line 6 DL4 > Boss TU2 > Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue.

This pedal does not sound noisy when it's not on, and when it's on, it produces distortion of the signal - not very much 'noise'. This is a first impression as I haven't spent a very long time with this pedal, but the sound is great and very versatile. I'll try to describe it:

JEKYLL - Fat, crunchy, deep, powerful overdrive.
HYDE - Ballsy, cutting, powerful distortion.

It really sounds IN YOUR FACE - the sound seems to leap out of the speakers.

Basically, I'm a distortoin junky and have the following pedals: Rat II, Big Muff Pi US Reissue, Boss OD3, Keeley Modded Boss DS-1, Keeley Modded Boss BD-2. I've purchased all these pedals because I've been looking for my 'perfect' distortion/overdrive sound from a pedal rather than a distortion channel on an amp. That sound being: note clarity with as much or as little gain as I would like, but always with DEFINITION! That has been hard to find.

Closest I got was with the Keeley modded Blues Driver, but I didn't like the way that it responded so much to picking dynamics - and when the gain was up, it got too harsh. I was pretty happy with the crunch I could get out of the OD3, but was really looking for a full-on distortion, not an overdrive, that would maintain the clarity of what I was playing. I use the Rat in my rig for leads, and the Big Muff for super leads that really need to jump out.

My bandmate owns the silver Jekyll and I really like the tone he gets, so I took a chance on the new J&H. My first impressinos are - VERY NICE! Jekyll side can give me warm crunch and can go up to a nice overdrive, whereas the Hyde is DISTORTION - it doesn't respond to picking dynamics well, so if that's what you want, the Jekyll side is the better bet. But I was looking for full distortion and this is about as close to a dual rectifier type sound I have ever heard. As you turn up the EQ knob, the sound becomes 'scooped' for that "metal" type sound - not for me, but it sounds pretty authentic.

The best part is the versatility - you have two definable sounds in one box, and then when you turn both on at once - BINGO! It delivers a huge sound. Clarity seems to be maintained well, although higher gain settings for the Hyde take it a little too far and it gets a bit shreddy - I have it set on Blunt, sharp is too much "icepicks in the ear". But find the balance and you're away.

Not sure yet - I won't have a backup and with due care and attention, I'm not worried about it - the J&H seems very weel built.

N/A

I play mostly alternative/postrock/experimental type music. I love the clean sound of the Fender twin but have never owned a distortion pedal that delivers the kind of huge sound of an 'amp' distortion a la Marshall or Mesa... the Hyde sound is as close as I've come so far. The Jekyll side is a great beefy overdrive crunch - very rounded and full.

I've been playing for probably 12 years, gear listed above. If this pedal was lost or stolen, yes I do believe I would get another.

I have compared this pedal to all the other distortion and overdrive pedals I own and I think it's the best sounding so far... but this is based on first impressions so this might change - I was very impressed on first listen though.

I wish it had a 'mix' control for when both circuits are activated, so you could choose how much Jekyll and how much Hyde come through... but other than that, yes this is going to help me make music for sure.

I love the versatility and the sheer number of different sounds it can deliver and how much control is available. It sounds great (good clarity), looks great, is eay to use, what more could you want?

This particular pedal is quite hard to find that sweet spot when using both o/d and dist.
The distortion side i found was just too bassy even with the treble all the way up.

I was using it with a mkII 1972 50w marshall top which responds extremely well to any kind of effect as there is no coloured preamp section and the amp is 100 percent valve.
The jekyl side sounded quite good, its raw and transparent, responds well to picking but was just a tad too brittle sounding for my ears,
Side two is just beefy distortion with enough low end even without using the sharp/ blunt switch,
I had alot of trouble using them simultaneously though,
I couldnt find a smooth, classic rock lead sound that just felt good to play with and would help my rig,
I returned it the day after,

yea you can depend on it.

I play classic rock and like a very smooth natural dynamic touch response preamp/ overdrive,
This pedal sure wont cut the mustard in that respect.
I have been playing for around 20 years now and have used alot of stuff,
I really didnt like the blended channel sound,
I would definitely search around for another overdrive before purchasing one of therse,
It just gets in the way to be honest,

I originally borrowed my friends J&H when I went into the studio and I wanted to try and get some different sounds. Once I plugged it in, it didn't take me long to figure out how to tweak it. There are a lot of knobs and a couple of switches, but all of the controls are clearly marked. To me it was very self explanatory. The pedal even comes with diagrams for people who want to explore with some factory recomended settings.

I replaced my Fulltone Fulldrive 2 with this bad boy. In a heartbeat. That is how amazing it sounds.

As I had said before, I borrowed my friend's J&H when I went into the studio to try and get some different sounds. It was among several different pedals that he had for me to try out. I had never heard of the J&H before. I didn't have any expectations out of it whatsoever. Once I plugged it in and hit the first note, my recording engineer and I just looked up at each other. Eyes wide with our mouths open. He is a total gear slut, too. Way worse then me, so that says a lot. History was made. Amazingly, it was just what I was looking for. I immediately called my buddy to try and buy it off of him, but he is a smart man and would not give it up. After the session was finished I went online and bought my very own.

But enough gushing. Here is why I like it. First and foremost, it adds considerable bottom end to my tone without sacrificing any definition. That is very important to me because I play in a three piece rock/metal band where I am the only guitarist. Our music is very heavy on the riffs (sort of like a Black Sabbathy, Helmety kind of thing), so it is absolutely crucial that my tone is clear and cuts through without sounding thin. The J&H performs this major task effortlessly while many other pedals have impressed me, but left me wanting something more. It also gives me incredible sustain and increases my harmonic clarity without adding any screeching high end. The adjustment knobs are very responsive, and it does not take long to dial out any unwanted frequencies or feedback. It has two channels to play with ("Jekyl" and "Hyde"), and they can be used either independantly or simultaneously without any changes in tone. It does not make any noise when it is plugged in and not on.

Just to clarify, I am playing a Les Paul and an SG (both with the 498r and 500t pickup configuration) through a Dr. Z KT-45 amplifier with a 2x12 cabinet fitted with two Celestion Vintage 30s.

It's very well built, and after doing a little research on Visual Sound and the people behind the manufacturing I feel very secure with it's dependability. Still, I have only had it for a little over a month now. In that time it's only been through about eight practice sessions and eight gigs, so I cannot judge it properly in this category. It still works, though... :)

I have not had to deal with anyone at the company, but so far I have heard nothing but excellent things about them. It appears that the inventor of the product (Bob Weil) is some sort of devout Christian or something (judging by some phrases and links present on their site). Where I am not big into religion or anything, it seems to me that they're making a point and adhiring to the "Thou Shalt Not Screw Anyone Over" school of thought. Plus he's a family man. I trust a family man. Still without any experience I'll have to leave this one blank. I would just like it to be known that I have no worries.

Absolutely love it. After many years of playing and trying to perfect my tone, I feel like I have finally achieved what I have been looking for all this time. I have bought and tried some of the most highly acclaimed distortion pedals from companies like Boss, Fulltone, Z Vex, Electro Harmonix, Ibanez, MXR, DOD, Maxxon, and more. The Jekyl and Hyde is the best that I've played through yet. I highly recommend it to anyone who plays ballsy rock, metal, or blues.

Jekyll: Pretty straightforward, just drive, tone, and level knobs and a switch for the bass boost. It's easy to get any kind of bluesy tone out of, from just above clean to very thick.
Hyde: A bit more complicated with the addition of the EQ knob to the mix and a sharp/blunt switch. The EQ knob lets you accentuate the mids. The sharp/blunt switch alters the tone dramatically; sharp sounds aggressive and is great for leads (think Angus Young, as this setting with the tone and EQ around 2:00 gives the best AC/DC sound I've heard out of any pedal) while blunt is more subtle and it better suited for rhythym parts.
The Hyde takes a while to get used to, as it has a very different feel to it than most pedals, while the Jekyll is fairly easy to use. Once you get to know the pedal, any kind of driven sound you're looking for is pretty easy to get. Overall, I'd say it's a 9.

I'm using this with a Fender Fat Strat and a Crate XT amp. The gain channel on the amp is pretty bland and one-dimensional, not surprising given that its not very high end, but the clean channel sounds very nice, and this pedal sounds great on top of it. It's not a terribly quiet pedal, but no high-gain pedal is going to be. It's not bad with reasonable amounts of drive on it. This pedal is incredibly versatile. It can do just about any kind of driven or distorted sound. It's not great for metal, but it can nail any other sound perfectly.

It seems well-built, and I haven't had a problem yet. The knobs feel feel very fluid and study.

I contacted the company once, around 11:00 at night, and by the time I woke up the next morning they had already replied. They were extremely friendly and really went out of their way to help me. Definitely the best customer service I've dealt with.

I play blues and classic rock, so this pedal is perfect for me. This pedal blows Boss distortion pedals away, although the Metal Zone is good for a really heavy sound. The Metal Zone can sound very sterile though, so I usually color the sound a bit with the Jekyll and Hyde first, since it has a very warm and natural sound to it. I would have to buy another one if it were stolen, although they've gotten more expensive since I got mine. It's worth every penny though, because you'll never need another distorion pedal unless you want ridiculous amounts of distortion. The Jekyll and Hyde is great for basically any kind of sound, and I can't imagine playing without it now.

It does take a while to find a nice balance. Its not because the pedal is bad but the controls are very responsive. I have only been playing guitar for about 2 years. And this pedal is so responsive it was hard at first for someone like me who doesnt really know what each knob will do before turning it.

I know Ive not been playing too long but I do know what sounds good to me. Ive had boss, dod, and a few other various distortions and overdrives but they never really had a sound that i thought was really good. it does have alot to do with your amp too. I was using a crate SS 2x12 and most any pedals sounds like shit throug it, but since I got my Marshall Bluesbreaker combo I decided it was time to get a quality overdrive to go with an amazing amp. with this pedal I can get a wide range of sounds of my favorites from Skynard to GundsnRoses and Santana. Thats the best part about it is the liquidy sustain it can add when set right that does not seem to really alter your guitars character but just thicken it up into a smooth thick sustain. You can get as little or as much overdrive/distortion as you need. Oh ye, Im using a Gibson SG and a MIM tele. You do have to alter the knobs when switching between guitars but tha seems normal.

Ive never owned a pedal built like this. Ive had it for about 3 weeks now and it looks like it could withstand a nuclear blast

I am rating this pedal very high because IMO it deservs it. I played my first year on a cheap SS crate amp with alot of pedals and when my parents saw that I was going to stick with playing guitar they bought me a SG and a Marshall combo that is out of this world. The jekyll and hyde is a perfect match for my setup. I chose this because I compared it with alot of pedals I played at various stores and none of the others seemed to sound this good at any setting. Just last night I was able to crank my amp when my parents were gone and I decided to plug this pedal in and see what it could do. It sounded different than at lower volumes so I messed with the knobs and found a killer sound for crunchy rock n roll! I had to lower the drive knobs and then I got a sound that I hear on alot of my favorite albnums I think they must be using a loud tube amp with an overdrive pedal too!

This pedal takes some time to figure out. I have had it for about a month and have found so many settings that really enhance different guitar and amplifier combinations. But the knobs are so sensitive when tweaking away that it is easy to come up with some of the best overdrive sounds ever from a pedal - or a sonic mess. You really have to spend time getting to know the controls, and the pedal will react differently with different guitars.

So there is a learning curve so to speak. I have not found a pedal that was capable of this many good sounds that are of this quality, but again the controls are so responsive you really have to take the time to get to know how it responds

IMO this is the perfect overdrive. The sounds can range from smooth and classic to modern and heavy. I don't know what equipment a reviewer below is using but I do not find this pedal noisy in any way unless I dime both of the drive controls and use single coils. With humbuckers there is no more noise than to be expected (none), and even with single coils I can get as thick and heavy a tone as I will ever need and still not hear any extra noise, because it has so much gain I cannot see a need to dime the drive knobs for any application.

I wanted to give this pedal a while to get to know before reviewing it here, but to be honest I loved the sounds so much I did not want to wait. But after seeing the review below about all of the noise that it is causing the reviewer to return the pedal, I had to give it time with different guitars and different situations to see for myself.

Live the pedal has become my best friend. I use it to boost my already dirty Marshall TSL and it could not be any better. The amount of volume and level this pedal has is beyond insane. And the tone is smooth and natural. The Jekyll side does have that classic Tubescreamer midhump which some tube amps respond very well to, some don't. I noticed that if you do not like the midhump all you have to do is engage the Hyde side, and you can keep the drive down so you only use an extra boost and take advantage of the Hydes EQ section which is NOT mid heavy, and makes a nice balance.

I can see myself using this pedal in any situation where a boost is needed for tube amps, and any situation in general that requires good, smooth tones. This pedal can do the extrmely heavy stuff but it is not limited to that. In fact I beleive it was intended for overdrive freaks - hence the name Ultimate Overdrive. You can dial in the thickest overdrive tones to compliment an already driven tube amp, or even use it as a double boost on top of a clean channel. It seems to respond extrmely well either way. I have come to love keeping the drive knobs low on both sides, maybe 1/2 way - and set the volume where I need it for a given situation. What this does is not only enhances and boosts a quality tube amp with one hell of a boost, but actually made my SS practice amp even sound better. I know you cannot make a bad amp sound good with just a pedal, but the Overdrive on my SS clean channel sounds 10 times better than the SS amp alone.

there are also little features like a bassboost switch on the Overdrive side and a sharp-blunt switch on the heavy side. These are useful in tone shaping. I find my Mrahsall does not need any help in the bottom end but my practice amp at home benifits from it. Ane the sharp-blunt switch has been very handy when recording. Just keep the switch set to blunt for rhythms, then change guitar or pickups and switch to sharp for a biting lead cut-throat tone. Works equally well live.

I am willing to bet it would withstand anything a roadhog like myself could throw at it. I was reading the website and it seems they went out of thier way to build a very sturdy, reliable, professional pedal, but I knew that after a few hours with this Overdrive.

I think a solid rating of 9 is in order here. It does cost a little more than your average Boss Overdrive, but the sound quality is 10 times better, and you do not have to worry about the bypass. I have noticed no tone loss when using this pedal or bypassing it and I found out at the website they use a "Pure Pedal Buffer". Im not sure exactly what that means but I do know I have every bit of my original signal coming through my amps, and the only difference is i have an extremely versatile tool that kicks things into afterburner. Not only does this pedal provide some seriously thick kicks in the tubes asses, but it has tremedous tone shaping on top of that.

I don;t think there is another Overdrive available that is this versatile with the types of tones and the amount of rocket fuel punch this monster has. I don;t know any other way to put it