The Basics: Josh Scott’s stompbox preamp pedal with 3-band EQ, $449.
The Apps: It’s no secret that wrecking sounds on the way in has a special magic to it—a certain element of chaos and inspiration that smashing a plug-in on a track doesn’t quite equal.
• Subscribe to Mix Magazine and our Weekday Newsletter for free!
JHS Pedals’ Colour Box V2 takes basically a 1073 preamp, with both XLR and ¼-inch in and out (easing interconnect and impedance issues), and adds some EQ and filtering. There’s input sensitivity in 5 dB coarse steps, more variable fine gain, clean and dirty hi/lo modes, a global -20dB pad, an output HPF and three bands of sweepable EQ, all passing through a Lundahl transformer on exit.
That sweepable mid is really helpful against on-stage feedback, and it also helps when adding some clarity/definition to squared-off tones in the studio. The unit passes phantom power, and there’s no click when you stomp it on.
• Seen on the Scene: AES Nashville 2026, Part 1
This smart and flexible design, quality components and wonderfully malleable tone make Colour Box V2 the best “destroy anything” dirt-box on the market today.
