Visual Sound Jekyl & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive Red

I???ve used the red J&H pedal for over three years but held off reviewing it because I couldn???t decide how I truly felt about it. Originally purchased for open stage nights and a yearly tribute gig where we???re forced to play through house amps, I needed something that would both give me distortion and the ability to boost my volume for leads. Couldn???t list all the pedals I tried but the J&H was the only one I found that approached what I wanted.

Theoretically easy enough : one pedal, two foot-controlled effects.
Jekyll Channel (green LED) = Overdrive with controls for Drive, Tone, Volume and a Bass Boost switch.
Hyde Channel (red LED) = Distortion = with controls for Drive, Tone, EQ, Volume and a Sharp/Blunt switch.

A settings sheet provided points you in the right general direction to obtain various sounds (rock, blues, jazz, metal) which is useful as a starting point. The controls themselves are highly sensitive; the slightest tweak makes a noticeable difference, the two switches making an especially distinct change. This means finding the tone you want requires some patient experimentation to sift the usable settings from the duds. Definitely not plug and play: you really need to spend some time finding the right tone (for each instrument and amp its hooked up to). Balancing the levels of each channel to each other, the amp, room and the band can take a while too???

I???ve used this pedal through an assortment of instruments and amps (Burns, Godin, Ibanez/Marshall, Traynor, Fender, Carvin, Line 6, Crate). Although not a true bypass, it???s acceptably transparent when off and fairly quiet when on unless each channels' Drive and Volume are set too high.

As for the sound quality itself, I can???t fully recommend this pedal as an overdrive/distortion unit. IMO, the J&H is capable of some ???okay??? sounds but you have to dial your way though some very ???plastic??? (meaning brittle, thin and noticeably artificial) sounding overdrive and a rather underwhleming distortion to get them. Even when you???ve dialed in an acceptable sound it???s nothing to get too excited about. It???s okay, occasionally good, never great. I sigh when ever I know I???ve got to use this pedal because I know I???m going to have to compromise on the sound I really want.

That being said, the J&H isn???t without its uses. Generally, I???ll set the amp up for my clean sounds, use the Hyde's distortion as my rhythm sound then turn the drive down and crank the volume on the Jekyll channel for soloing. This way when I need a clean sound I bypass the pedal and go through the amp, stomp on the Hyde for dirt and use the Jekyll-Hyde combined for leads. In this role the J&H is actually pretty good as a volume booster.

Another place the pedal seems to shine is when used with a bass; really makes it roar while maintaining definition. If sounded as well for the guitar it wouldn???t have taken three years to post a review???

Three years of regular use, no problems. A few paint chips but otherwise good as new.

Haven't used them; hear they're responsive.

Been playing rock and its offshoots for over 15 years and owned a fair amount of gear. To my ears, the J&H is a mediocre as an overdrive-distortion unit; there are plenty of worse pedals but it's the innate artificiality of tone that prevents it from ranking among the best. I'd up the rating to 7 for distortion/lead boost purposes and give it a 8 as a bass distortion unit.

Pros:
- Looks good
- dependable/rugged
- Distortion acceptable to early '80s level of heaviness (nothing
beyond the Maiden to Priest range)although lacking in sizzle

Cons:
- a challenge dialing in a usable sound
- Jekyll channel pretty unsatisfactory for my musical needs

Nearly sold this unit off a few times but always hung on to it for those house-amp gigs where the only alternative is going straight into the amp...spends more time hooked to a bass these days; will probably keep it although if lost I think I'd look for something else...

With any pedal, it takes time to tweek. It is initially 2 pedals in 1 so you need to spend some time with it. I have owned it for about a year and a half and just recently found some new settings that I love!

My signal chain: Guitar > Fender Tuner Pedal > J&H > Line 6 DL-4 > into Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

This pedal is amazing. The Jekyll side is like a way fatter and smoother TS808. I never use this thing without the bass boost on. I dont know why anyone would turn it off. Best tube screamer sound I have heard.

The Hyde side is a little more tricky. It is a scooped, buzzy distortion. I think this side was designed to saturate and boost the Jekyll side, because it sounds horrible on its own. Lots of lowend. The sharp/blunt switch is one thing I would change. The blunt setting is way too dark and muddy and the sharp setting makes the top end buzzy. I wish there was a middle ground to the two. It has so much gain. I usually put the gain around 12:00. If you have it lower than 10:00 I feel that you lose a lot of sustain and over 3:00 it gets way over saturated. The volume on the Jekyll side is much louder as well, but that is not a huge deal though. I generally keep the EQ knob all the way to the left(which is no mids taken out).

Now both together...Thats what this pedal is all about. It sounds so great. Somewhere in the realm of a Soldano mixed with a Mesa mark series(not saying it sounds like those amps, just in that realm). Fairly smooth, fat, saturated lead sound. The Jekyll side comes out a little more since the Hyde side is running into it and very scooped.

I bought it used for $50 used (best $50 ever spent). Only problem I have had was the Hyde side LED hasn't come on a few times. After turning it off and then back on it was back on (maybe touchy soldering joint). Haven't had a problem with it for a long time. Everything else is great, built like a rock.

No experience with the company, but I have heard great things about Visual Sound. I also use their OneSpot and it is simply amazing.

I play a bunch of styles from rock to worship. This is an awesome pedal that covers any base you would need short of metal. It isn't my ideal sound, but it is the closest thing to my ideal tone that I have found. No equipment will make you a better player, but an inspiring tone will help you stay excited about playing.

3 changes I would like to see:
1) Middle ground setting for Sharp/Blunt switch
2) Less scooped sound on the Hyde side
3) Less gain on Hyde side and more sustain at lower gain settings

If it were stolen, I would check out the Fulltone GT-500, which I am still planning on trying out.

I have played every tube screamer and clone out, BOSS, Digitech, DOD, MXR and everything else you would see at a major guitar shop. This is on a different level than BOSS and Digitech stuff. Not quite boutique level, but still really good.

If you don't buy this, buy their OneSpot and you will never buy another wallwart again.

Very simple. There's lots of options, but if you've ever used a stomp box before - and even if you haven't - it's all pretty self-explanitory, with no "cute" names for any of the knobs.

I love this pedal because: 1) It provides a wonderful overdrive on the Jeckyl side that propels a good tube amp (say, a Twin Reverb) into a warm, gritty state of grace; 2) The Hyde side kinda takes that warm, tasteful overdrive and sends it into BigMuff land, complete with searing feedback when you're not playing; 3) There's a million sounds you can get out of this pedal. I used to play through a "real" TS808 tubescreamer and I really can't tell the difference between it and the Jeckyl side of this pedal (what led me to this pedal is that the manufacturer says its guts are the same as a TS808). However, now I have the option of adding a whole new dimension of boost/distortion/whatever to the mix.

FYI: If you're into playing fuzz bass, this thing sounds mean as hell.

This is one tough pedal. I recently used it at a gig where people were jumping onstage to dance, spilling beer all over the place and generally creating chaos. After getting kicked around a little and taking a splash or two of beer, it's still going strong. I'd imagine it probably hurt whoever kicked it worse than they hurt the pedal. Visual Sound did an incredible job of making a tough piece of equipment that sounds great. I simply love it when you can take a piece of gear anywhere and don't have to worry about it getting damaged if things turn unruly. Plus, it sounds great for recording.

Probably won't ever need it. Hope not, anyway.

I play power pop that, at times, needs to get really fuzzy and loud for lead parts. In my 15 years of playing, this pedal has probably served me the best. It only wins out over the tube screamer because this one has the added "nasty" channel. I would definitely replace it if it was stolen. I really have no complaints. I just wanted to weigh in on this thing because I notice a lot of the users who discuss the pedal on this page surprisingly use it for praise music, which I don't imagine puts anyone's equipment in too much danger (just a guess). It's important to know this thing is built to withstand just about any abuse, but also built to sound great for rockers of all kinds.

This pedal is very easy to use and the multiple options for tone adjustment are great. It's capable of a wide spectrum of rock sounds. It's hard to imagine any musician, save for a death metal guy or something, not being able to dial in an acceptable tone. It's highly intuitive, and the manual has some great suggestions for starting points on tone.

The sound quality - especially on the Jeckyll side - is fantastic. I used an AnalogMan TS9 modded into a TS808 for about three years before it became severly damaged, and this is a more than adequate replacement. The Jeckyll side sounds almost exactly like my last pedal, but with the added option of a bass boost, which comes in very handy. The Hyde side is fun to play around with at home, but in a purely practical scenario (such as a gig) I just use it for a boost for leads. Careful how you balance the volume of the two, though, in relation to your amp's volume. Can result in feedback hell if the Hyde is too loud, which you may like. Sometimes I do. In any case, it's nice to have the option. My advice:

So far, so good. I've owned it three months and there have been no problems so far. It seems tough as nails, and the knobs seem way more durable than those on my Tube Screamer were.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I like to play power-pop, surf, garage and rockabilly-flavored stuff. I love using my Tele (outfillted with a Seymour Duncan Little 59 in the bridge) with this thing. I tend to just leave the Jeckyll side on at all times, which pushes my Fender Champ to a perfect point of breakup. It's great having the option of fuzz on the other side, too. I really have no complaints. As a poor working musician who can't afford to drop money on gear that's not going to last, I have to say this is worth the money, especially when you consider what you'll drop on a Tube Screamer. I'd certainly replace it with another J/H if this one was stolen. Basically if you like to keep your rig simple and dependable, this is a worthy acquisition. To all "utility rockers" out there: it's worth giving this thing its day in court. I don't anticipate ever needing another o/d or fuzz pedal.

Very easy to use. No elaborate knob-naming, just drive-tone-volume (and EQ for the Hyde). Although it would have been nice to also see two groups of knobs, one group per section, instead of the knobs being lined-up side by side and a bit more space between them as well. But this is a minor issue.

This is the sound i was looking for. I previously owned a Boss metal zone (MT-2)(amongst others), but that pedal only produced one type of very distinctive cheap metal-sound. I am not after that mid-cut sound, but a sound with a ballsy low-end AND good low and high mids, enough to palm mute chords and also a nice rich tone in which low mid and high are IN BALANCE! Upto now, this pedal does the job well. The "Hyde" side produces a brutal metal/overdrive but with enough transparancy to hear the characteristics of your guitar. The "Jeckyll"-side produces a warm and rich overdrive sound.

The metal casing is very solid and the connector-sockets also feel very reliable.

I've been playing for 14 years, mostly in a band. We write our own music, which is alternative rock with a hint of metal. Normally, i use a Fender american standard Strat or an american standard tele through a Marshall JCM2000 TSL100 head on top of a 1960A cabinet. Effect order: guitar --> pedal --> input (clean channel). I also considered buying the T-REX Bloody Mary, also a kick #ss pedal. But the J&H was ???90 cheaper and featured 2 overdrive sections.

Easy to use. Uncomplicated.

LP-J&H-TSL100-1960a(gt-75s)

I am after a fat, tight, and highly saturated distortion- not an overdrive sound.

Unfortunately,this is just another stomp box that won't cut it. Maybe I have been spoiled by my old Mesa, but my Line6 PodXTL can produce several tones which are leap & bounds over this pedal.

Not a fair comparison, you say? Well, I am only after one single distortion tone and was iunder the impression that this was a distortion pedal. I thought the Jekyl side would b elike aTS9 and the Hyde would be more saturated, but it is not so. I have no use for this piece of well made gear.

The Jekyl side is very muddy and midrangey through this amp- even with an EQ in the loop. The drive control adds nothing after 12-o'clock in it's sweep.

The Hyde side of the pedal has more gain, but even with the 498t in the bridge position of the LP, lacks the ability to lay down the thick and nasty. Palm mutes sound thin and piercing.

The tone is very bright with the Sharp switch engaged and the tone control does nothing for this. With the Blunt switch engaged, the tone is very muddy and again, uneffected by the tone cotrol, which has little use overall.

The overall feel of this pedal is very stiff and sterile. You know how a certain amp can make the strings of your guitar seem stiffer than they really are? Well, that's what this does. A bit more saturation would give me the springy feel I love.

When using both channels in tandem, the damn things runs the signal from Hyde into Jeckyl, making this thing just about as useless as can be.

Listen, I want a fat, medium-gained tone- not AC/DC tone. This pedal actually sounds great for light rock and blues. I'm sure it would kill as a clean boost through the front end of a Marshall, but this is not what the Doctor ordered for me!

Do not buy this if you are after a hard rock tone in a box!

Seems well made.

I play modern rock and the name, marketing and dual channel format of the pedal led me way astray. I've been playing for 12 years and love tube amps and modern rock.

Great little box. I had been searching for a drive unit for about six months when I finally found this one. Not really a need for a manual, if you know what to do with a dirt box, it's really easy to set up well. You just need to spend a little time with it, as the controls have a wide dynamic range and are very responsive. A very small adjustment can make a huge difference in the tone, so it could be a little hard to dial in for folks who are used to far less dynamic and responsive effects like the Boss units.

I play a Fender American Series Strat (Stock), a custom built chambered mahogany tele copy, and a Gibson Les Paul Special w/P-90's. I use .12 gauge strings, and a medium action, and the tones are thumping. My signal chain runs: Guitar- Jekyll and Hyde- MXR Micro Amp- Visual Sound H2o Liquid Chorus/Echo- Electro Harmonix Pulsar Tremolo- into either my Traynor or Marshall tube amps. I play the strat most of the time, and I love the J&H because I can crank out a wide range of very responsive and largely transparent OD and distortion tones. It's really easy to dial in the SRV or Clapton thing, but it's also really nice to be able to actually play my strat, and get a wide pallette of fat, greasy, and happenin' tones that don't sound like either one of them. It'll sing, it'll scream, it'll do the dirty jangle, and everything in between. A lot of reviewers here mention that the pedal is noisy, not so with my unit. The stock strat hums like mad, but this pedal is FAR quieter with it than my MXR Distortion Plus, Boss SD-1, or my TS-9's. My tele and my Paul are nearly dead quiet through it. The Jekyll side does the TS-808 thing very well, but with more available headroom, and the bass boost switch. Personally, I dig what the bass boost does on the high strings, but it makes the lows a little convoluted when used in a full band setting. The Hyde side reminds me very much of my old MXR Distortion Plus, but with very useable and wide ranging EQ and Tone knobs. I set the volumes and gains on both channels at about ten or eleven o'clock, and then adjust the tone knobs to taste. With the Micro-amp as a clean boost after this pedal, the tone is nothing short of flat out spectacular. Using both channels at once is one of the fattest, greasiest, and see-through lead tones I have ever heard. Loads of attitude, and gobs of sustain. For everything I play, (Roots-rock, alt. country, 70' style honky-tonk, folk-rock, etc.) I can't imagine a better unit.

Seems OK so far. I've been using it for several weeks without incident. The casing seems sturdy enough, and the switches are the same ones that are on some of the pedals I've had for years. Metal jacks shouldn't break loose too easily. My only complaint is the loud-ass POP that comes through the amp when I switch the bass boost on and off. I'll give it a seven for now, and bump it up after it holds up for a year.

N/A. Haven't talked to them. I like the way their stuff sounds though, and it was nice to get free stickers with the effects.

For what I do, I can't imagine a better drive unit. Used as a low gain, overdrive/boost to kick the amp hard, or just add a little color and dirt, it's amazing. I have been playing for twenty two years, sixteen of them professionally, and I have tried just about every dirt box ever made. This one gives me some of the best attributes of a couple of my favorites, but with more headroom and improved EQ capabilites. Some have complained that it may be a bit expensive, but I don't think so. A new TS-808 is $169 bucks at Guitar Center, and a new Distortion Plus is $60-$70. Buy them both, and you'll spend alot more, and not have nearly the tonal possibilities allowed by the J&H's tone shaping. I would defnitely buy this again, unless it proves un-reliable down the road, which doesn't seem likely.

Very easy to use like all pedal of it???s type. I usually run the Jekyl at output=1:00 tone=3:00 vol=2:00 and the Hyde at drive=11:00 tone=2:00 eq=7:00 vol=12:00. I usually set the bass boost ???on??? so that the mid-hump is less as the low???s and high???s are brought up to meet the mid???s. I also set the high boost to ???blunt???. With all the control of this pedal, it???s the most versatile drive I have on my pedal board. Here???s my line-up Guitar --> 535Q -> S-DynaComp -> Keeley BD-2 -> J & H -> BF-2 -> TU-2 -> CS-9Pro -> DD-3 -> DD-3 -> Volume -> GE-7 -> Tube Amps

This is a high quality product which produces a high quality sound output. The versatility of this pedal never stops amazing me. Just when I think I can???t find a tone I???m looking for, there it is, right under my toes. I want to point out that like any overdrive or distortion, the second most important pedal in the line-up is a good Graphic EQ. Without the EQ, I found that the Hyde was not as usable (when used standalone) as I would have liked. I hope this is read by Visual Sound. Change the ???EQ??? control so that passive (unity) is at 12:00 noon and not all the way to the left (7:00). The ???EQ??? controls a mid???s trap circuit, so all the way to the left is passive mids and as you rotate this control to the right, results in taking mids away (trap). An active EQ control would make the Hyde more versatile and allow a mid boost if needed in addition to the trap. With a mid-boosted EQ pedal (GE-7), I???m able to dial in that JCM-800 tone nicely. The Jekyl side as many have mentioned is your typical TS808 tone but with the addition of the bass boost makes this more versatile and usable than a TS808. Now, when you stack both Jekyl and Hyde together??? stand back.. some really nice (desirable) smooth singing rectifier like tones appear especially when used with a tube amp. I was also amazed as to how transparent this tone is and allows me to roll back the volume and still maintain my original guitar tones. Nice..

I???ve had mine Jekly and Hyde for a year+ now. It appears that it's built to last.

Very friendly folks??? They are always willing to listen and provide good information and suggestions

I???ve owned a lot of overdrives (28 years as a player) and this one is tops with its uncanny versatility. Not sure if you notice, but I have used the word ???versatile??? a lot in this review. That word sums it up. This is a very high quality pedal and delivers nicely. Put an active ???EQ??? control on the Hyde side (in the next version), and you have the frosting (with ice cream on the side) on the most delicious cake you have ever eaten. We???re just about to release a CD that will be used for ???Focus on the Family??? ministries. This is the pedal I used the most on that CD and I am very pleased with the guitar tones that I was able to accomplish with it. Great tool??? Koodo???s to Visual Sound.

Pretty easy, only the many sounds and many combinations you can get with both channels on takes a little more time to fool around with. you're dealing with 7 knobs and 2 switches...

Amazing sound. so many options, yet within 2 minutes i nailed the sound from this new pornographer's song i'd been listening to on the way to the studio. the tones are great. i wont ever need another dirty pedal. i had an boss od-2r, im gonna sell it (what would i get for that? haha). i use a tele into the j&h into a peavy classic 30, and a dano fish'n chips eq in the effects loop (to smooth down the highest tele frequencies). the sound is amazing.

Just got it, seems sturdy.

Haven't had to.

This unit is fairly easy . Take the time to adjust the tone your looking for. That is most of the problem with some people giving a reveiw. I messed with this unit for four hrs to get the od & tone I like.

I am a STRAT man, all the way. Nothing else. My setup consist of a crybaby classic wah- Visual sound Jekyl&Hyde- MXR Van Halen Phase 90-Ibanez FL9 flanger- Visual Sound H2O Chorus-Echo into a Marshall MG 100 amp. Straight up rock sound and this unit sounds great.

Metal case. Had it for a few years with no probs.

Never had to all them.

Great straight up rock sound. I play rock from 60's to today (If you want to call todays crap rock) and I have no problems with this unit. Like I said take the time to adjust it, use your ear. I use the hyde side as a booster for lead work and it sounds great.

Not plug-and-play, but neither is it rocket science.

I play a semi-hollow guitar into a Fender amp.

I have to say that I almost passed by this pedal after adopting both the Route 66 and the H20 for my rig. I auditioned the older (silver) Jekyll & Hyde and really didn't like its sound at all. But the red Jekyll & Hyde has a "meatier" sound that better matches my taste.

The Jekyll (OD) side is similar (but to my ears, not identical) to the OD in the Route 66. As on the Route 66 the bass boost switch can add some girth to the OD. This is really nice for playing at lower volumes.

To my ears (and probably having a lot to do with the way I set the controls) the Hyde side reminds me of a hot-rodded Marshall. I haven't had any use for setting the tone switch on "sharp", however.

The buffer sounds really good to me. I think I can hear a small difference between the buffered signal compared to plugging my guitar straight into the amp, but it's subtle and not at all unpleasant. The complaint that I have about most buffered pedals -- that the high-end is veiled -- is definitely not present with Visual Sound's buffer.

The other nice thing about a good buffered pedal is that you get absolutely clean switching with none of the glitches or pops that seem to be unavoidable with true-bypass switching.

It's too early to tell how well this'll hold up with long-term use.

I've had no occasion to call upon customer support for this pedal. However, I had a question about two other Visual Sound pedals and was pleased with the rapid, courteous and thorough responses to my emails.

I play improvised fingerstyle guitar, drawing freely from old-school rock, folk, jazz and classical styles. I first picked up the guitar in the mid-`60s, and have been playing "seriously" for the past six years.

My main rig is a Koll Custom DL Thinline through a Fender Vibro-King. I have a small assortment of special-purpose pedals in addition to the recently-added Visual Sound Route 66 and H2O. If the Visual Sound pedals hold up under regular use, I may consider selling the rest of my pedals.

The most important things to me are that the pedal sounds good and is easy to adjust.

The real stroke of genius is packaging two related effects in a single pedal with the stomp switches close together. With one press you can turn either or both effects on or off or toggle between one effect and the other.

The "home plate" shape of the pedals may also be useful. I have both the Route 66 and the H2O and have experimented with placing them at 45 degrees to each other so all the stomp switches are in a cluster. I've been able to toggle useful combinations of three or four switches at once.

Not a problem getting nice tones from each channel, but when you combine them you need to experiment with the settings for each channel, and this depends a LOT on the guitar and amp used. I get wildly different outputs with my Les Paul Jr and Tele.

No idea about version, but mine is made in China. No mods done.

My setup is a Fender tele or Epi les paul through the J&H, going to a Marshall stack. Both channels do sound good, but it's a bit noisy compared to my other od/distort pedals. Even my Tele sounds a bit chunky and warm so I need to bump up the tone to compensate for it, there is a loss in the trademark Tele jangle, feels like a little something (character?) is lost in the process. It's a nice pedal overall, but for not really "boo-teek" territory.

Don't know about that. Mine is made in China, and I'd expect something better for this price. I don't have any information about the quality of components they use.

Never needed.

It's an ok pedal if you're experimenting with od/dist pedals. Nothing really fancy or unique about it. I can conver the same range of tones using my Boss SD-1 and modded MT-2. If stolen, I'd pay a little more and get a true "boo-teek" pedal with true bypass and better components, and LESS noise.

let the knops at 12 o clock and dail only youre choice of volumen and gain. I thing its easy.

The Jekyll is great, Its the reson for buying this unit.
Smooth overdrive sounds from very mild chrunch to fat Rock sounds.
I have a Boss Sd1, Nobels Odrs and a maxon ts 9 to compare with and this is my number 2, I like the Ts 9 a bit more. But with playing in my Band I have only a Roccaforte Plexi full stack ( only clean ),
so I need the Jekyll to have chrunch sounds.
The Hyde is a distortion, Its a mix of a ds 1 and a guvnor. I like that for grunge, punk, metal attacks !! Very good Hard Rock sounds.
I never have the Jekyll Gain over the 2 o clock !! No one needs that ( maybe for you Slayer guys !? ).
Both sounds bad over my Transistor practise amp at home, but shining with the tube Plexi. You can also use both at the same time to get some Santana cream sounds very hot for lead lines.
For live gigs and studio works, I have a Engl screamer + Mesa 1 x 12, with the Maxon ts9 as clean / lead booster a Boss DD3, a Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe and a GCB 95 F. Thats all.
Works good with my Paula, but a bit better with my 70?? Strat.
So I give the Jekyll and Hyde a 9 for sound.

Have it 1 1/2 years and sometimes you must stomp on the chanel selection
knops, two times, the ligths are on but its still clean, thats tricky but for my Band practising its ok. Never would use this at gigs.
Maybe I have a psycho unit ( the hyde is fighting against the Jekyll ;-)

? never dealt with

I play 20 years and the last 10 as a session player in studios ( radio and Tv commercials ) also as Privat Teacher and sometimes at Festifals with oure own Stuff for fun or with Covers to earn money.
So I must be in, at every style. And I can use it in every style.
BUT NOTICE. First you need a realy great sounding Guitar, than a great tube amp. and than the most effect Boxes sounding good.
Second ; the best equipment is only as good as the human that is playing over it !!
When you need a good overdrive AND a nice distortion in one box, forgett the rest and spend youre money on this one.

Considerably easy to use, a couple of knobs and switches here and there, not really a need for a manual.

I use a 1960's Les Paul into a BOSS TU-2 - TS808 - Jekyll & Hyde - Bixonic Expandora - Radial Tonebone - BOSS DM-300 - BOSS OC-2 - Jim Dunlop TS-1 - BOSS DD-5 and then into a Roland JC-120.
It's not bad for value, 2 pedals in 1. Jekyll side has that sweet Tubescreamer sustain and the Hyde side can get just about any kind of distortion.

The Jekyll side is really nice, but the Hyde side isn't as great. The Hyde side doesn't have as much volume as the Jekyll side.

Combining the channels wasn't as great either. They feedback too much.

Haven't had any problems with it yet.
A little big though, kind of difficult trying to put it in the right spot on my board.

I e-mailed the guy in customer support (can't remember what for) and he replied the next day. He was real friendly too.

Play rock with it and it's probably the thing I use most. Been playing pro for about 3 years. I love the sound of a tubescreamer with delay. mmm...

It is way to easy to use, two chanels, very simple. adjust till you get yor proper sound, and thats it!

I use a Fender stratocaster American standard through a Fender PA 100, and this pedal really sounds amazing. I have played guitar for 10 years, and I do matter in tone, and having experimented with several gears, I conclude this pedal really gets what its said.
I also use a vintage Teisco, and it really gets great sound with this pedal. Very versatile, and cheap for its price.

I do depend on this pedal, if lose it, would buy another one inmediately.
Its a tank

Great costummer management. They do respond to any question.
Never had problem with the pedal for 2 years

Over all, just love it. Have played guitar for 10 years, and this is the pedal I had always wanted. Dont really know why some guys here didnt like it, you really can get a very versatil sound out of the pedal, going from soft rock, to heavy metal. I think that analog pedals are the real thing. Not making any promotion about this company, but "real sound, for real people" slogan, I think really fits with the quality of the Jekyll & Hyde. Had tried Pod 2.0 for 2 years, and guys! its plastic sound! After trying to get a nice sound, I finally sold it. The jekyll & hyde pedal is real. Digitals are false tone units for me.

This is a strange pedal and I will explain in the 'sound quality' part of this review.
Ease of use....it's a guitar pedal for crying out load, not a space shuttle.
I bought it new so got all the settings etc on a bit of paper.
Green channel has 3 knobs, gain, tone and vol and bass boost switch
Red channel has 4 knobs, gain, tone, eq and vol and sharp/blunt switch

I reason I'm writing this is because a friend of mine was looking for a new pedal. I mentioned that I had a J&H and he asked how it sounded etc.
I gushed forth with praise about this pedal, and how much different sounds I could get out of it etc. So I thought I would look up other peoples views on this pedal.
I was surprised to see so much bad press about this unit. I'm not sure what these guys want out of a pedal like this, but it does everything and more what I want.
What I have noticed though is that it is important to get your amp sound set up first. I say this because I have a DSL 50 and if I play the RED channel through the clean amp channel it makes a very distorted/fuzzy sound (some might like this, i do for some punk stuff) however, if I play it through the crunch channel it changes the sound completely. Try giving the channel you are playing through a little more gain and it will fatten up a treat.
The GREEN channel is awesome, i love it. Great for chords or solos etc. It works well with Red channel for boosting solos etc.

I know play this through a VOX AC30 JMI and is sound great.

I've had a small problem with the bass boost switch. It was a sticky connection but it seems to have sorted its self out now.

N/A

I play everything from 70's uk punk, Led Zepp, BRMC, Thw Who, The Kinks etc, and get all the sounds I need from here.

Both channels have 3 knobs ? for volume, tone and gain, plus Hyde channel has EQ knob for midrange. On top of that, Jekyll has a bass boost switch, and Hyde has a Sharp/Blunt (more/less compression) switch. For each channel separately it's not that difficult to get nice sounds outta this box, but when it comes to combining them, you get numerous variations ? sometimes it?s confusing. Though the manual with suggested settings was somewhat helpful.

I use this unit with both my US Strat and a Les Paul copy and this is my only OD/DIS unit. The thing is noisy when compared to other boutique pedals, but what can you expect from made in china ?boutique? pedal... Jekyll sounds nice, but I?d say it?s on the bass side, so I almost always keep the tone knob past 2-3 o?clock. Otherwise it?s just another Tubster copy. Hyde channel is not bad either, but I think it doesn?t cut in the mix easily. This channel can get really nasty, if you use it with Jekyll. Overall, this units sounds really usual to me, on top of that, it?s not true bypass, it says it?s ?PURE BYPASS?, but believe me it sucks tone ? my Strat looses some sparkle when the unit is not engaged. I think I could get these kinda sounds with Digitech Dad Monkey and Boss Super Overdrive (or Blues Driver). Really nothing to hype about.

Not sure, had it only for 2 month.

Never dealt with ?em.

Overall, it?s a nice unit, it has a lot of features and I think this effect can cover a lot of music styles, but the sound quality didn?t ?WOW? me. So if you need just usual OD with plenty of variations, this is for you. If stolen, I would definitely NOT buy this unit again, I?d add few bucks and buy a real boutique OD, probably Fulltone Fulldrive, which doesn?t have such a range, but has a great sound and is true bypass.

Two channels just read the other comment from belows

The sound is different from the silver one. Yes it has more gain but it is less crunchy. The new one is more like AC/DC Powerage, Let there be rock era while the old one could go has far has Metallica. The hiss from the silver one was part of the sound and the removal of it did not help the sound I guess. The sound also his definitely more compress and not has soft and subtle has the old one and that is on both channels. I have both and I must admit that I they have a totally different sound. Even if the customer service rep at Visual sound did not think so, obviously he does play guitar and by the tone of all his email he did not really care. I guess this new format could be use has a signal booster.

I had the old one fix once for a cold solder. I will sale this one before that because I do not like it.

Very bad, I?ve spoken to someone call Dave Mullins and he was very arrogant and rude and all this on email (available on request). I?ve send my new pedal there and he said that he has compare it to the old one and that he did not se a difference. Obviously, he did not even compare it. The pedal came back without warning, note or nothing. I will surely not buy anything from this company anymore has it seem like the customer support suck

No I would not buy it again and even if I was considering getting their H2O pedal my latest experience with then has put them on my black list of company. Again feel free to ask me for the email exchange that I had to go through and you will wonder how real that is because it is simply unbelievable.

Anyway there is better pedal out there and have I mentioned I preferred the grey one which has a nastier overdrive. I guess mr Hyde went pop?

The knobs are intuitively labelled and easy to use in that sense, but to tweak them to your liking might take a bit more work just because there's so much to play with.

The biggest problem is actually finding settings so that you can engage both channels together and have it sound usable. Just an issue of spending time on it.

battery compartment is accessed easily enough despite complaints I've read.

I use an Ibanez JS1000 or a Hamer Sunburst DC into Dunlop 535Q wah > EH Small Stone phaser > Keeley DS-1 > Fulltone OCD > VS Jekyll & Hyde > VS H2O pedal > Crate V1512T (all tube class A combo)

The distortion tones you can get out of the pedal are rich and full. The Hyde side to my ears, is a little bit too compressed. It's also way too soft in comparison to the Jekyll side. The Hyde side will get you in the ballpark of solid crunch tones and hard rock stuff e.g. The Darkness or Velvet Revolver. It doesn't have quite enough gain for a fat lead tone e.g. Petrucci or Satriani. A little bit more gain would have been nice. The Sharp/Blunt switch is useful if you have different amps, but I can't see a need for it when you only have one amp. If I set it to Sharp, the tone is just so bright my ears want to bleed. I've used another amp where it was just too dull when set to Blunt.

The Jekyll side is a tubescreamer type tone and it works great as a boost for an amp. It's loud enough as well for this use. The bass boost is also very handy.

Combining both channels didn't work for me. The tone wasn't as versatile as I expected because it always sounded had the Jekyll side's character. Still, it did make for many more options.

One last thing about the Pure bypass the pedal has. I'm not the type that insists on true bypass, but once I took the Jekyll & Hyde out of my signal chain, I found an improvement in my tone when using my other overdrives. Before it seemed a bit thin and lackluster. This was after I sold the pedal off, so I can't compare again to be sure.

It seems very sturdy and I would use it on a gig without backup. However, since I haven't road tested it I won't give a rating.

I've emailed Visual Sound before with questions and they answered within a few days with courteous helpful replies.

The ability to switch between channels or turn them both on/off with one stomp is a really cool feature and you can really cover a lot of ground with this pedal for most pop/rock applications.

I bought this pedal to play hard rock music, but really I was hoping to use it to get a singing high gain lead sound with lots of sustain. This didn't quite work out.

Still, I must say it is an impressive pedal, especially for the price. The distortion tones on the Hyde side didn't seem very amp-like to me, but few pedals do. The Jekyll side does what it does very well, but I've never liked the Tubescreamer tone so much. These factors put together prompted me to sell it and keep looking.

As with any pedal, some amount of trial and error is needed to find sweet spots. The Jeckyl side is easier to get good sounds but the Hyde side always manages to frustrate me for a long time before a good sound is achieved.

I find this pedal to be reasonable compromise for a channel switcher on a good valve amp.

Pros

* Jeckyl (left) side gives a nice Tubescreamer "sound"
* 2 channels can be used at once for boosting solo's etc
* Hyde side(right side) covers hard rock/metal etc
* Sounds quite natural when set-up right although still not valve-like

Cons

* Both sides often sound very metallic and overly bright regardless of EQ shaping or settings on amp
* Tone pot on Hyde side only manages to make it muffled or overly brittle......no in-between
* Hyde side suffers from only modest gain and almost no harmonic richness for any serious guitarist to decently pull off hard rock or metal

Its very well made and the battery compartment lid saves carrying a screwdriver around

It gets a 5 though since the original one I brought from the shop had a defect, the LED's didnt light up at all.
I ordered a 2nd and sent my original back, the 2nd one had the exact same defect so I fixed it myself with solder and wire

Not a bad pedal, can sound quite natural with the right amount of twiddling with it but nowhere near to built in valve amp distortion.

For the price paid I was expecting a more professional "sound".

You are not Harmony-Central, try before you buy with any pedal..

Well, you can dail in only good sounds, realy you cant get bad sounds of it, so because it takes some time to find MY sound....
its an 8.

Classic, warm, chrunch tones at the Jekyll side very good for Blues, Jazz, Rock or Alternative tunes, very, very usefull and sounds realy tube like. a big fat 10 here.
The Hyde is more versatile very difficult to find the main sound, because its is great at every setting. From Hard Rock to Metal its all in there. My tip, dont pull the gain over 3 o clock or its sounds just to gainy.

My gear are Paulas and Strats, Marshall Plexi with 2 2x12, EHX Holier Grail, T Rex Replica delay, Jekyll and Hyde, Fulltone 69 Fuzz, moded Vox V 847.
And a littel home practise Amp.
I like it.

Mhh looks like a tank but sometimes the green LED dont work for a second, this is bad especially with low gain life situations, when you cant realy notice, is it on or not.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I use this as my main overdrive distortion, I have the guvernor, ds1, sd1, Nobels, Big Muff, Zoom, and many more noise boxes but this one is the only I use, now.
I play since 15 years, from rock, blues, grunge, Metal,Jazz, everythink that is funn.
I play in a band, we make gigs, have demo Cd etc....and yes this one helps me to make musik and find great tones.

Pretty straightfoward in use, it's effectively just 2 dirt boxes mashed together, with a few switches. I skimmed the manual for any important info and just ignored the suggesting settings since..well..I have ears and hands, so can adjust the dials til it sounds good.

I primarily use hot singlecoils (Strat & Jazzmaster) into a few assorted delay and modulation FX, into the front end of a Marshall JCM2000 DSL50 and 1936 2x12 cab, with the amp set so the clean breaks up a bit when I dig into the strings. That's what tube amps are for, aren't they??

So you've got your 2 sides, the green 'Jekyll' overdrive and the red 'Hyde' distortion- green has a bass boost switch, red has a "sharp/blunt" switch which is basically a treble boost/cut. Right, one side at a time..

The overdrive is "a funny one", as they say. There's loads of pedals out there that audibly mix the clean with the overdriven signal to retain clarity (the original Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal does, an old fave of mine) and even some that allow you dial in the balance (Sparkledrive). I reckon the green OD side could do with one of these balance dials. Far too much clean in the signal, it just sounds like 2 sounds crammed together in a very unsubtle way, like you're running 2 amps or something.

Fortunately, this works a lot better with a crunchy amp though, the general mix between the 2 is a lot more subtle and pleasing. The bass boost switch is a boon, since so many Tubescreamer type pedals will lose your low end. The gain and tone controls cover a fairly wide spectrum, and the level can very LOUD! More on this later..

So, the red side. Why the hell Visual Sound decided to put that Sharp/Blunt switch in, I'll never know- even with the tone down all the way down, and said switch set to Blunt, I find the distortion still a little too bright. And I use singlecoils, so it's not like I'll have a high treble setting on the amp, I keep it fairly low to keep things smooth. God knows what it'd sound like with a more trebly, humbucker-friendly amp EQ setting.

The EQ dial is pretty useful, but I always leave it on "0" for the lovely midtone. It's not a 'honky' midtone by any means, it just sounds so much fuller in the lower settings. Bringing it up scoops the mids for braving early thrash metal territories.. fun once in a while, but not what I'm about. The volume has just about enough scope, could maybe do with being a little louder maybe, you can't get the huge volume boosts like availabe on the OD side.
from Mik
Now the low end problem. The Hyde seems to have low end hump around 150hz or so.. not a FAT low end, more of a rumbly one. It's not really a problem, until you start palm muting and it all gets a bit wooly. So, I ordered the online mod pack walkthrough thing at Indyguitarist.com to tame the low end, just a simple resistor swap. It made a bit of difference, but didn't totally cure it- I was worried about putting too low a value resistor in and finding all of the pedal's guts had gone since the bass was most prominent in that 150hz region.

But for all these niggles, I really like this pedal. I've got a warm, full sounding distortion on the Hyde side (gain at about 5, the tone and EQ low and the switch set to Blunt).. THEN! With the gain down and the tone and level at about 5-6 on the OD side, I've got a great sounding PHAT boost to add on top of the distortion. It's got a load more volume available too, I can almost double the volume with this setting.

This is what made this pedal for me. I'd messed around with EQ's and boosters to get my leads to cut through with limited success, but with the J&H I can get such a great lead tone and huge volume boost. The amp needs to be set fairly clean for this though, run into a crunchy clean channel, the solo boost just slams the front end for more preamp gain, not a volume boost.

Phew, that was comprehensive. I guess I tend to go for the classic rock-indie rock kinda guitar tones (ala Stephen Malkmus) and this pedal does a pretty decent job. Noise is pretty low unless you dime the gains on both sides, then you get this strange minor oscillation thing..might use it on a song actually..

After having taken the pedal completely apart to get at the PCB for modding purposes, I'd say I have a lot of faith in the construction and parts. Everything seems really sound, no dodgy soldering jobs or anything.

Not had to contact Visual Sound, but from what I hear, the main dude is a real gent.

I mainly bought this because.. well, I got a tax return, haha.. but wanted some kind of dual distortion thing so I could boost for solos and stuff, and also a nice natural overdrive. Turns out I'm alot more into the distortion side with a low gain setting and using the OD for the boost! So it worked out pretty well.

If it broke, I'd probably buy something else, because I like trying new gear really.

So yeah, a few annoyances like it's slightly bright nature and the rumbly low end but it's a great pedal for what I need it for.

I've got a few minutes of samples with the pedal if you're interested in hearing it in action. Just drop me a line at the email addy supplied.

Although it has 3-4 times the knobs of most overdrive pedals, I dialed it in quicker than any other I;ve used. I have never needed the manual. My only complaint is its size. I find it tough to fit such a big pedal in my pedal board. However, to contradict myself, I also find its girth helpful because it has two switches, and its width makes it easier to use the switches indepedently without accidentally hitting the other one.

This is the greatest overdrive pedal on the market. For years I have been trying in vain to get a natural sounding pedal, only to experiment with pedals that sounded thin and lacked bass. This sucker does everything. I use the overdrive for rhythm and then add the distortion for leads. It's easy to control and shape the tone, and it makes my Fender tweed deluxe reissue sound like a Marshall. I used to A/B my tweed for clean with a 412 tube half stack for crunch, but I no longer need to with this pedal. I has so much bass and fullness with the bass boost switch engaged, and it sounds 100% natural. I find that the two channels work very well together. I truly don't understand why someone would feel otherwise unless it was user error. I normally don't review products, but for this I made an exception.

Hasn't broken yet . . .

not needed

Sonically perfect.

Difficult to get good sounds out of both channels together, and the Hyde channel is basically useless as far as good tone is concerned. No amount of tweaking on the Hyde channel gave me a clear, cutting, well-defined sound. Jekyll side yields some decent tones, but nothing to really get excited about.

I run an American Standard Strat loaded with Seymour Duncans and a Gibson Custom Shop Class 5 Les Paul into a THD Univalve with a Celestion loaded 2-12 cab. Effects include a 535Q wah, Big Muff, Keeley-modded DS-1, Keeley Katana boost, Keeley-modded CE-2, and Keeley-modded DD-3. The Jekyll and Hyde was noisy and cheap sounding to my ears. I really wanted to like it, but I found it to be a total disappointment. As I said before, the Jekyll side is okay, but I couldn't get a ballsy, hard rock sound out of the Hyde side. The tone always seemed muffled and confused no matter what I did with the EQ. My Keeley DS-1 blows this inferior pedal away.

No functional problems with it while I had it. The paint chips off very easily, however.

Never contacted them.

This pedal rates a 3 only because the Jekyll side is somewhat useful. The Hyde channel rates a big, fat ZERO. In my opinion, this is an overpriced, over-hyped inferior piece of junk. The Keeley DS-1 is lightyears beyond this thing in tonal quality and COSTS LESS!!! I've been playing about 20 years now and have owned a myriad of pedals over the years. I bought the Jekyll and Hyde on a whim, and it was a mistake. I play blues and classic rock, and this pedal did not inspire or motivate me, and I'm glad to be rid of it.

Easy to use

carvin vintage 16, lespaul,strat,tele jeckle and hyde both sound very good, its not noisey, can get quite a variety of sounds with it

I got this pedal used like new condition and its built very well had it for several months with no problems

50's,60's, rock,country,hard rock, blues playing over 20 years
if I lost it I would get another
Tried quite a few other distortion and overdrive pedals before finding this one.

Easy nuff to get a nice sound out of. An addition of a switch to run either side or both would be easier then having to hit individual switches might be a nice plus. By which I mean having a switch that just goes from Hyde or Jekyl and not a switch for each as it has, plus a switch to run both if that is your gig, though I don?t like it ran together for noise issues. They are close nuff to hit together though, but problimatic somethings to turn one off and the other on that way.

I'm challenged to pull a bad tone out of this box, nice and rich, even if it isn't a true bypass. I run my FD2 for one tone, and the Hyde for another with the Jekyl as my phat over-the-top drive. Very well made, and adds so much girth to be admired.

So far so good but have only had it one month, hope it last as long as what it replaced. BK Bulter Realtube bought in 1983.

Again don't know, haven't yet needed to find out. :D

If you're looking to add extra punch on non-mater volume amps such as my old Maggy 460 and Gretsch Fury this is the box for you. If you have a Marshall a boast might be a better way to go. They Fulltone FD2 or OCD in that case are fine.

There are a lot of knobs but you won't get lost. There simply are no bad sounds in this box!
Some people seem to think that it is hard to get the two sides to work together.
I find that if you just spend some time with it you'll get great sounds out of this pedal.

Setup: Fender tele or Gretsch Duo - Jet into Lehle 1@3 - Ehx LPB-2 - T-Rex Moeller - Jekyll & Hyde - BYOC Tremole - BYOU Delay - EHx LPB-2 into Fender '63 Reissue Vibroverb or Peaver Classic 30.

I use the first LPB-2, the Moeller and the Jekyl & Hyde pedals as sort of like 4 stages for overdrive cascading them into each other wich I think is anabsolutely fantastic idea for getting good sounds out of overdrive stompboxes. This setup gives a lot of tonal oportunities ranging from "almost clean (which I love)" to a really hot and singing overdrive/distortion.

The Jekyl & Hyde I use like this: I set the Jekyll side to an overdriven sound that is not to dirty but with a good punch and sparkle. I then use the Hyde side to push it a little bit more to get more drive and a more singing sound. I started with using the "Hot blues" setting in the manual and just worked from there 'til I was home.
In this setting the Jekyll side sounds great by itself but the Hyde side is setup so that it will work together with the Jekyll side and that makes it sound absolutely crap by itself.

You can choose to use this pedal as two separate pedals or as one pedal with a sort of boost function which is what I do.

The sound of the Jekyll side is definitely a tubescreamer kind of thing. On the other hand, which OD isn't? It sounds absolutely great!
I use the bass switch most of the time. It makes the pedal sound full and rich. Some people think it gets muddy in a mix with the bass switch on. I have not noticed that so far but I'll try to listen for it.

The Hyde side is great to, both as a separate pedal and as a compliment to the Jekyll side. I guess you could get really good metal sounds out of it if you wanted to. The EQ control lets you scoop the mids. That is not my thing at all though. If you keep the gain low on the Hyde side you can get it to sound like a "tubescreamer on fire" sort of.

Both sides are transparent in my opinion and let the guitar come through.

And as I said. Putting boosters and OD's in front of it is something you REALLY should try. It just makes everything glow a little bit more if you know what I mean?

Yeah. Good build. The knobs don't twist too easily so you won't lose your setting accidentaly.
It can seem a little big but if you think about it as two pedals...

I don't even know what gigging with a backup means. Should I buy two pedals and keep one in my closet? Have a sence of adventure will you?

If I lost it I would try out the Menatone Fishfactory to compare. Otherwise I would definitely get another Jekyll & Hyde. I'm absolutely in love with the "two stage" approach you can do with this thing!

Never dealt with them. I hear good thing though.

I play rock in the style of Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Tom Petty and others. Been going for 14 years and have tried a lot of pedals. This one will stay on my board for a long time. Possibly forever.
My favorite thing with this pedal is how you can use the two sides together for great sounds.
I actually took a bit of a chance when I bought it. I was looking for a good quality OD and read some reviews on this site and looked around on the internet. It was either this one or the Menatone Fihfactory but since I live in Sweden it was too much of a hassle to get a hold of the Menatone. I would love o try it out some day though.
I look for pedals thatlets your guitar come through and this one does it so I'll keep it.

very easy,so 10 out of 10

I use custom strat-vox wha-small stone-marshall compressor-jekyll e hyde-roger mayer voodoo vibe-soldano supercharger-mesa formula pre-all fed into the power amp of a fender hot road de luxe.This pedal is a miracle! blues hot rocks metal end all in between,I compare it to the best sound of boogie and soldano but at a fraction of cost.
I's also very dinamic and works wonder with the wha.

I had a problem with the first vervion but the red new one is fine.

Didn't try.

I THINK THIS IS A REAL WINNER,IT COULD PROVIDE ALL THE OVERDRIVE AND DISTORTION YOU'LL EVER NEED!

This effect is intuitive to use. Dialing it in is a breeze.

Gibson Les Paul Studio -> Boss GE-7 EQ -> Jeykle and Hyde -> H2O

It sounds good and has a full range of color! I run through any guiatr amp I can get my grimy little hands on!!

I play a lot of styles. I compared this to so many crappy-sounding 'boutique' overdrive and distortion boxes you have no idea. I chose this one because it was actualy sounded pleasing.

You need good ears and a slow hand and you can dail every sound just simple in one minute.

The Jekyll is a smooth, chrunchy, sensetive and dynamik overdrive.
In my opinion 5 times better as the tubescreamers and bluesdriving-breakers etc. for roots rock sounds just simply a 12 for this side.
The Hyde is a good mix between that Marshall Full Stack tone that meets a rectifier and they rolling over your MetalzoneHyperleads. Wow, I can use it for anything harder stuff.
But it depends at all your equipment and especially at your fingers and ears. First try and than buy.

My setup. Gibson Paula, Fender Strat, Yamaha Strat, Kaman Strat, Crafter Acoustics in a Korg Tuner - Morley Wah - Jekyll&Hyde - Phase 90 - Digidelay - Holy Grail - in the clean chanel af my JTM 60 Home practise amp or my London City Halfstack at concerts.

Metal and solid metal case and metal and solid metal....and....

I play since 16 years, anything beetwen Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Soundgarden, Metallica and myself stuff.
This is a long time keeper, and it makes me smile playing it.
But first check your ears and than your likings and than your money, the price is right for this one.

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

Setup: 93' PRS Custom 24 -> Analogman Comprosser -> Real McCoy Custom Picture Wah -> Sweet Sounds Mojo Vibe(uni-vibe)-> Visual Sound Jekly & Hyde -> Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12 -> fx loop: line 6 delay module

The pedal adds a very slight degree of feedbag to the overall clean sound when not engaged. Overall, the pedal is not that noisy, nothing noiser than my old proco rat or amp distortion. Visual Sound pedals use 'Pure Tone' instead of a true bypass which is a great perk that most people are unawware of. I think 'Pure Tone' is much better than true bypass anyway. "Pure Tone, when placed first in the chain, made it sound like you were plugged straight into the amp even when going through notorious tone killer pedals." The Pure Tone puts the bite back into my tone that my wah and compression squeeze out of it even though they are true bypass. It also allows me to have an audible and balanced signal while having my wah, uni-vibe and distortion engaged.

The overdrive or jekyl channel is basically a replica of a ts-808 but with strong comptonents and capacitors. so for $120, you are already getting a sensational overdrive that is one of the most sought after sounds around. Vol knob never has to go past 12 or 1 o-clock because the pedal is extremely meaty and cuts through the mix very well.

For the distortion or hyde channel, you get an extremely versatile pallet of sounds. I can turn my fender into a roaring rectifier at will. I usually keep the channel on the blunt switch because i already have a treblely setup but without careful tweaking of the settings your tone can get completely lost in a mud of distortion of bass and low mids. The sharp option which really exentuates the high end is just too piercing at most settings. It takes a little time to find a good balanced tone that isnt too muddy or too brittle. My settings right now are 3:00, 4:00, 1:30, 2:30 which gives me a nice trey/warren haynes sound. I wish it could be a little bit smoother but i didnt expect a soldano in a $120 pedal.

havent gigged with it yet but seems very sturdy and the pedal recived a 5/5 on its build quality in a 1998 issue of "guitarist". On the bottom of the pedal there is a thick rubber piece that shields the battery opening which is somewhat imprudent in case i was to gig or play on a wet floor. Beer gets everywhere when you gig so it would be nice if the pedal had something more substantial covering it or something with a better seal to keep out all the crap on floors.

I play a lot of different kids of music in my band "Weema", (you can hear us @ www.purevolume.com/weema or www.archive.org/audio although i didnt use this pedal in any of the recordings)rock, funk, jazz and reggae and this pedal will definately take the place of my proco rat which was too thin for me and i will use this pedal much more than the amp's overdrive that I had been using because the pedal is much more transparent and just outright better. Its a very good deal considering you are getting three possible distortion channels, one being that of a vintage ts-808.

I found this pedal real easy to use. The JEKYLL channel provides us with the classic DRIVE, TONE and LEVEL, based on the same design as the ibanez 808 Tubescreamer with the same chip wich many beleive is the holy grail of tone. Also, you get a BASS BOOST switch to to get more low end out or your tone. Personly, i dont like it but it might appeal to some. You cant go wrong with three controlls and it doesnt take long to get your desired tone. The HYDE is a distortion channel similar to the boss distortion. It has the same controlls but with an added EQ controll and a SHARP/BLUNT swich to give a buzzy high or darker compresed tone giving uoi more controll of your tone. The EQ is the most important knob here as this has the potential of creating a vast tonal range alowing you to congure up any tone in your head. A bit of tweeking is needed with the rest of the controlls. Be warned it takes a while to find the tone that works for you in the HYDE with a bit of experimenting. Dont be put off by it

I use a epi dot with Gibson 57 classic in the Bridge and a Gibson P94 in the neck. I use a Fender Pro Reverb valve amp. I personly did not find the pedal to be noisey at all. you can just about get any overdriven sound you could ever want. I use the JEKYLL channel the most, and only to to drive my amp. The DRIVE is all the way down so i get a really nice silghtly overdriven sound same to the STROKES. they also use this pedal! The TONE sits about 11 o clock and VOLUME 12 o clock. I only use the HYDE channel live for hevier distortion parts that would sound like a mashall. So its JEKYLL for ryth and HYDE for leed.

It is well built and i use it every gig and rehursal. I couldnt live without it now. I would get it replaced if it were stolen!!!!!

never had to

i play everything from blues, jazz, rock n' roll to heavy meatal and reggae, r&b. This pedal has it all! Ive been playing for around 12 years now and this one takes it all. iI was originaly after a Tubescreamer but its all in the pedal, and more!!! What i love about this is that its the unlimimate tone provider. I even get people coming upto me after shows and saying how nice the guitar sounds wich to me, is the best comment anyone can make! would recomend this to any player out there who wans classic guitar tone.
Feel free to email me any questions or exchange tone settings

Easy to use, comes with a little suggested settings sheet for a number of different sounds, was easy to find a number of workable tones. Finding a usable cascaded (one distortion into the other) sound was more difficult as running both sides with any appreciable amount of distortion leads to feedback even at bedroom volumes. Using their "Slightly Soiled Boost" suggestion on the Jekyll side and a nice heavy sound on the Hyde side provided a usable cascaded tone, but then the Hyde setting was still short of what I'm capable of on my amp.

Hooked this up with my Carvin AE185 (semihollow quasi-tele) into my Carvin MTS3212 (100W all tube 2x12). Got some really nice distortion sounds, albeit not many that I couldn't easily attain using my Tube Screamer and the Lead channel of my amp. The Jekyll side has a nice Bass Boost feature, but then I crank the snot out of the bass side of my clean channel anyways. The Hyde side has a Sharp/Blunt switch that lends a nice versatility. Flipping over to the Sharp setting emphasizes the treble frequencies and helps you cut through.
That's the good news. The bad news is that this thing is NOISY. There is no way I would use this for recording and I'd be hesitant to even play it live. I have an unusually quiet guitar and the amount of noise present was shocking to me.
I'm returning it today.

The thing is built solidly; it weighs a few pounds and everything seems to made to last. That said however, Visual Sound, like so many other manufacturers, uses the flimsiest battery leads available.The slightest kink rends them inoperable and, in fact, out of the box these leads were already kinked and it took a great deal of coaxing just to get the thing to turn on. Obviously not an issue if you're using the company's excellent One Spot power adapter, but still really annoying to take it out the box and have to fix it.

I special ordered this unit from my local GC in the hopes that it could help me achieve a more cutting, crunchy punk-rock type tone. My band is all over the place stylistically and my Tube Screamer definitely doesn't cut the mustard for the heavier sounds I occasionnally need. I have a nice sounding chunk on my amp's lead channel, but live it wasn't cutting through well at all.
While waiting the week for the unit to arrive, I played a show and just made my lead/chunky channel about twice the volume of my clean channel and it sounded fantastic.
What with the noise and the redundancy, I'm returning it immediately.
This would be a great unit if a)it wasn't so damned noisy and b) I didn't have to fix it before the first time I used it, an epsidoe that sapped an appreciable amount of enthusiasm from me.

Actually, the pedal is well laid out but it is not intuitively obvious like some pedals. There are many tweaks to be had with the various combinations and the EQ knob.

Really excellent sounding pedal with many hidden sounds. The more you twiddle with it the more amazing it gets. The Jeckyl channel sounds like a Tubescreamer or a Fulltone, the Hyde channel sounds like, well, driven tube amps. The two can also be combined for yet another cascaded sound.

Very solid but with a funky battery cover and odd overall "home plate" shape.

N/A

For the sounds it can create and the price, this pedal absolutely rocks.

I picked this up after hearing about how good it is and I have to say Im very impressed.

This pedal has alot of knobs so there are so many different sounds. The controls are very responsive and Im sure thats why there are so many good settings to be found.

It was a little tricky at first. Using either side alone is easy enough (OD & distortion), but mixing them takes a little practice. Ive had it 2 weeks and thought I had a killer sound, that is untill I really started tweaking and listening intently. Now, I have the sound I have been searching for in a stompbox. Its the best Ive found as far as pedals go - it really gets you good, crunchy sounds usually not found in pedals

This thing sounds great!

It is a little mid-heavy just like the tubescreamers are, so an EQ is helpful afterwards. I just barely drop the mid frequencies and drop a hair of bass and damn it sounds so good.

The first side (OD) has that smooth tubescreamer sound, but in my opinion this pedal is way more responsive and that means alot to me.

I keep the OD side with the gain 1/2 way up just to add a little extra "meat" to my tube amps.

I keep the hyde side set so that when I engage it (on top of the OD side) it is a nice boost with good crunchy sounds. I keep it a little heavier than typical crunch, enough for good thick tones like Green Day usually uses. I dont care if you like them or not, you have to admit they consistantly have good tone. So I like that sound - great for rhythm workouts and heavy strumming, and with the boost go into harder territory.

I also like the fact that this pedal sounds good enough that I dont have to completely dime the drive controls to get good thick sounds - You can still actually hear the tone and timbre of the guitar being played and even hear the strings detail. So with a good tube amp you can enhance that warm tube crunch that is so thick yet not so overly-distorted that all you hear is a wall of distortion with no definition. Thats what I hate about most pedals, you have to dime the drive and its a sonic mess.

But with this the sound of your guitar/amp can shine through while retaining a good thick rock sound perfect for just about anything needing driven sounds!

It seems very sturdy.

I like the switches and the design, and I dont think Ill have any reliability issues considering the build of this pedal and its reputation.

Its the only pedal Ive found in my life that I would give a 9 rating overall.

Ive had a alot of drive/OD pedals but i typically try to use them as a boost rather than for thier heavier-setting sounds. Ive also had a few high-dollar pedals but with them you usually are stuck with 1 great sound, so I end up giving them a less overall score because of lack of versatility.

But with this pedal I have found just about every driven sound I could possibly want - from light blues crunch to hard rock to very hard rock and all in between - and the sounds are all great. Not just 1 or 2 good ones or alot of "so-so" ones, but many great ones.

First be warned that you have to play with the controls. Just the slightest movement of 1 control can off-set another frequency you may still want, so give it time.

Like I said before, I thought I had found the perfect setting for this only to find a much better one 2 weeks later after fiddling for a while. It is capable of many good sounds but I tend to leave it as I have it set and It covers alot of ground between drive 1, drive 2, my clean tube amps and my guitars tone/volume knobs.

So I am a very happy customer


ALSO - I am more than willing to discuss settings or give any info/thoughts about this pedal so feel free to e-mail me. I have 1 tube amp thats a little mid-heavy (like the OD on the pedal) and Ive found a setting to cure that and I have a few tube amps that are bottom heavy so I can help with that.

and through my trusty SS amp it sounds good. Not as good as through tubes but surprisingly good nontheless.

It's a dual-pedal with an overdrive and a distortion. Drive, Tone, Volume, and Bass Boost on Overdrive. Drive, Tone, EQ (Mid-Scoop), Volume and Hi-Cut on Distortion. Anyone that plays rock guitar and can't figure this pedal out really needs to go back to 2nd grade or something.

It sounds awesome. It really kicks ass. I use it with a Cry Baby 535Q in front of it, and a V.S. H2O after it. It sounds great through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. It really does what a good Rock and Roll Overdrive unit should. I use a stock Gibson SG for my main instrument and this pedal sounds perfect with it. Noisy? Every distortion pedal I've ever owned is freakin' noisy! That's the whole point! There's no A.C. hum, or anything out of the ordinary (if that's what the question is referring to).

Don't know yet. I've only had it for a a month; no problems yet, but then again I'm gentle with my equipment. I keep these 3 pedals on a SKB PS15 pedal board, with the stock A.C. adaptor, attached with Velcro to the board. Yeah, I'd use it on a gig without a backup, like I said, I'm easy on my equipment.

I've never dealt with them. I bought this pedal through the internet, through a dealer.

Lets see...I'l answer these questions as they are askeed....
1. My style is: Rock and Roll and Blues.
2. Playing for: 26 years
3. Yes, if it were stolen, I'd buy another one.
4. I love the "3 in 1" aspect, the sound, the build quality (it's a brick), The look, the way it works so well with my wah, and the price.
5. I compared it with the MXR Double Shot (I also own that pedal as well). I like the Jekyll an Hyde better. It has a better sound than the MXR, and it's a 9 volt pedal (the MXR is 18 volts). The MXR is still a good pedal though (don't get me wrong).
6. It helps me make music (redundent question, I mean "duh").
7. Nope. I've said enough.

Easy enough to use, comes with a guide to to various sounds so you can always start from there if you're unsure.

The sound is quite good but it can be a little 'spikey' but for a pedal its not bad, quite noisey at high gain settings but drowned out by actual playing.
I've used this for guitar and bass and it works well, bass loses bottom end on both channels and clarity on the hyde channel. If you want a stranglers bass sound the 1st channel will do that well but then again so will a #30 boss pedal.

Oh Dear!!!!
I bought an original silver J&H pedal about 6 years ago, in the first 6 months one of the switches broke, as I'd bought it in a local (ish!) shop I took it back and it was repaired under warranty , (I don't know who repaired it but it was fixed within a week so it must have been a local repair guy.
After 3 years and very little use due to a band split it stopped running off battery so I had to use a power supply, then the thing died and I had a local guy repair it including the wonderful (ha!ha!) "jc chips" and it know works ok!

It gets worse!!!
When I saw the new red model being advertised I thought I'd buy one as I liked the idea of the bass boost on channel one. I couldn't find it for sale in the U.K. so I bought it from the states and it was shipped to me within a week, Great!
I've had the pedal about 4 months now and discovered when doing recording over christmas that if the pedal was on for about an hour the drive and level began to fade, I tried a new battery and no joy. If I unplug and leave it for a while it works again. I tried it at a rehearsal this week and it was fine, intermittent problems are a nightmare to trace!
I could gig with it because I don't play long sets but recording is a bit of a problem.

AWFUL!!
I never had any dealings with them when my first pedal broke as I just took it back to the dealer, but as I bought the second one from the states I thought I'd contact visual sound directly, I've sent two emails explaining the problems that I've had but as yet I've received no reply.
I don't know if they're just really slow or they hope I'll give up, but its made me write this review so I hope it sends some of you elsewhere when you're looking for a new pedal.

I play the clash to the kings of leon and the stranglers to oasis.

If it were stolen I'd go and buy a Fulltone which I should have done in the first place!

If you just want the 1st channel go and buy a boss they sound so similar its not worth the extra money.

I wish I had the home address of the guy that owns visual sound.

This pedal cost around a #100 with shipping, honestly go and get a couple of Boss pedals then go and get drunk on the change!

Fairly easy for the Jekyll side.. a little more time was needed in tweeking the Hyde side. It's a bit of a beast....
Has a fairly good A4 bit of paper with a few preset settings to help you get going, although, to be honest, I ignored it.

The unit is built like a tank. Looks damn good on the pedal board too...

Fender USA Stratocaster into a Fender Twin Silverface.

I wanted the Jekyll to act as a mild overdriven boost, which it does perfectly. It still retains the clarity of the Twin, but with a nice, warm drive. It will drive hard if required though - really wide range of sounds, that retains all the lushness of my Strat/Twin combination.

The Hyde side is a little more tricky to set up. I have to be honest to say that I am not interest in using the Hyde on it's own - I wanted to use both channels on together.

So... with both channels selected, man, this thing has SO much range of possible drives. I currently have the setting set so, as mentioned before, the Jekyll is mildly overdriven, and with both selected, it a raw, yet smooth, sustain drive. Very raw with the bridge pickup selected, and seems a bit of a shock at first, but the more you use that setting, the more I loved it, until I found that using just the Jekyll channel on it's own was no where near as fulfilling as both channels selected - so be warned - this pedal is ALOT of fun!

Now with both channels selected, and the EQ on the pedal tweeked - I have a wonderful David Gilmour meets Radiohead sustain drive, especially when used with a delay pedal. Really, nice and very addictive.

I don't use the Hyde channel on it's own yet though, so I'm sorry I can't comment on that specific channel in it's own right.

Built like a tank. Nice movement in the dials.

Not sure, but the web site seemed pretty good, and the Musicians Friend site had some additional sound clips. You got to hear it in the flesh ideally though....

I play a range of styles - in my own private house I am very into banging out Hendrix and Pink Floyd etc, but in the public eye I am in a church worship band so I tame myself a little.... I have yet to inflict both selected channels on an unsuspecting congregation... ha ha - could be a laugh though to see old granny bishop having a face full of Hyde... if you excuse the expression....

Quality pedal, expensive though, but I feel worth every penny to drive a good clean amp like a Fender Twin.

Lot of knobs on this thing, so it takes longer to figure out than, say, their Route 66 (which I also own).

They could have separated the two different banks of knobs with different shapes or sizes, so I knock off three points for that lack of forethought.

Great sounds, once you dial them in. Very bold statements on the Hyde side.

I think the two sides can be used together well, with practice. But you can get some real bad sounds if you don't coordinate the two well.

So the great sounds get a 10, the bad sounds a 4, so will split the difference and knock down to 8 for sound.

I never had any probs with my Route 66 (and I've owned 2) so don't expect to have any probs with this unit. Based on my experiences with the 66 I'll predict a 10 for this category.

I love the feel of the knobs.

Never had to deal with VS.

I play all kinds of stuff from straight rock to hip hop to alt country. I can find uses for this pedal in almost everything.

Feels like a 9 to me.

In response to Stick's end-of-review affirmation:

Deep within the heart of every evangelist lies the wreck of a car salesman.
-- H. L. Mencken

The Riddle of Epicurus
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

No problems here...if you can read and follow directions. Plug it in and set it to one of the presets in the instructions and ROCK OUT! If you're a knob tweaker...hee hee, there's plenty of room to play.

Playing with either Fender Amer Delux Fat Strat, of Melancon Tele, my setup is on a Pedaltrain 2=Crybaby BB535 Wah>keeley comp>Jeckyl&Hyde>Vis Sounds H2O>ErnBall Vol>Boss DD5 Delay>out to Laney VC30 2x12...With Boss TU2 off the Vol Pedal. This works great for what I do most of the time which is play in Praise and Worship band with occasional extra-curricular gig with local Chocolate Playing Band. The J&H absolutely gives me a PHAT tone at any volume which is cool. This thing is full of cool tones and nails ZZ TOP to Steely Dan to Lynyrd Skynyrd and THE WHO! Anything you want you can get it.
As stated everywhere else the Jekyll side is as good or better than some modified TS9's I have heard and the Hyde side gives you ZZ and beyond. What a great 2-fer!

So far so good owned for a short time only but anticipate no problems. I use it with no back-up. (Knock on wood)

Have not had any dealings with them , so can't really say. Good website though. <www.visualsounds.com>

Iv'e tried DS-1's, BD-2's, TS7's, TS9, and multi-effects and this beats them all! I've been playing for 30yrs and play a little bit of everything I guess. If it were stolen, I'd probably lose my religion, kill the sucker if I could find him, and then buy another one. It is extremely quiet so it doesn't get in the way during those seh-la moments. I love the fact that it's 2 excellent pedals in one and so versatile!! I really chose this pedal and my Visual Sound H2O Chorus after attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert and saw Steve and the other 2 guitarists all had them on their pedal boards. I really dig SCC's music so he really sold me on them. They definately help me make music! PTL and check this out:

"Musicians Prayer"
by Ramona K. Cecil
God Please bless my music that it might glorify your name.
May using it to serve you always be my aim.
Let it be a witness to your majesty and love.
And remind us that you're watching from your throne above.
Oh Lord, I ask for guidance in everything I do.
And pray you'll make my music an instrument for you.
Amen.