JHS Morning Glory
JHS Pedals · 2010
What It Is
The JHS Morning Glory is an overdrive pedal based around the Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit, a vintage stomp box widely considered one of the most musical-sounding overdrives ever made. JHS refined and expanded the circuit, adding a bright switch and more gain range while keeping the core characteristic that makes the Bluesbreaker design special: its interaction with a tube amp feels nearly seamless. The Morning Glory became one of JHS's defining products and a staple of the boutique overdrive market.
Tonal Character
Warm, open, and dynamic. The Morning Glory has a slightly British character — there's a subtle midrange emphasis that hints at a driven Marshall without being aggressive. At lower gain settings it acts more like a clean boost; at higher settings it produces a smooth, full-bodied overdrive that cleans up remarkably well when you roll back your guitar's volume. The bright switch adds upper-harmonic sparkle for single-coil guitars. Responds well to pick dynamics.
Found In
| Platform | Model Names |
|---|---|
| HeadRush | Glorious Drive |
Videos
Manual
View ManualFamous Uses
- →Widely used by boutique and professional players; JHS Pedals' most recognizable design
Best For
Controls Explained
Descriptions reflect the real-world gear these models are inspired by. Your modeler's implementation may vary. Use as a starting point — always trust your ears.
Volume
Output level. The Morning Glory is often used with volume above unity as a boost pedal — its warm, open character makes it effective as a signal-level boost that also adds slight harmonic enhancement. In a modeler context, running volume above unity pushes the amp model's input, which is typically the desired result. At unity, it serves as a pure tone-shaping tool without volume boost.
Drive
Gain amount. At low settings (1–3), the Morning Glory produces a warm clean boost with subtle harmonic enhancement. The British character of the circuit starts to become apparent at settings of 4–6, where there's a natural-sounding, full-bodied crunch. Above 7, the saturation becomes more prominent but retains its musical quality. The Morning Glory's drive range is more musically useful across its full range than many overdrives — even maximum drive has a pleasant, controlled quality.
Treble
High-frequency EQ. At center position, the Morning Glory is warm but present. Rolling treble back produces a darker, rounder tone — useful for humbuckers or darker amp models. Pushing treble up brightens the overdrive and adds bite, which can help single-coil guitars cut through. The Morning Glory's treble control is voiced gently — it doesn't become harsh at high settings the way some overdrive treble controls do.
Bright Switch
Engages a fixed upper-harmonic boost that adds sparkle and presence to the overdrive character. With humbuckers, the bright switch can compensate for the naturally darker, warmer character of PAF-style pickups. With single-coils, the bright switch can make the Morning Glory too bright depending on the amp model — experiment with it engaged and bypassed at your normal settings to determine which suits your setup. The bright switch is also useful when using the Morning Glory as a boost ahead of a dark amp model.
Sample Configurations
Starting points for common tones — dial in from here.
| Name | Volume | Drive | Treble | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Boost | 7 | 2 | 5 | Bright switch OFF. Volume above unity. British warmth without obvious drive. |
| Bluesbreaker Crunch | 5 | 6 | 5 | Bright switch ON. Classic Morning Glory midrange crunch. |
| Humbucker Drive | 5 | 5 | 7 | Bright switch ON. Treble up to compensate for darker humbuckers. |