Premier Guitar

JHS Pedals has introduced the Morning Glory Clean pedal, the latest version of the company’s revered Morning Glory transparent overdrive.

The Morning Glory Clean offers clearer pick attack, improved low end, and more versatile gain stacking. It’s designed to provide an ideal first-stage overdrive pedal for a broad range of musical styles.

For the new Morning Glory Clean, JHS took their Morning Glory circuit (a Bluesbreaker-style topology) and completely rebuilt it around a studio-grade parallel clean blend. It’s not just a modification, but a redesign from the ground up.

Why blend a clean signal into something already transparent? The Morning Glory's magic happens when you turn up the Drive, and the circuit boosts higher harmonics and adds soft compression. The newly added parallel clean circuit lets you keep all that while dialing the natural low end back in.

The new Morning Glory Clean offers a four knob control set: Volume, Drive, Tone and Clean.

Volume — Adjusts the overall volume in conjunction with the drive and clean.

Clean — Full left: original Morning Glory. Full right: pure clean signal. Start with Clean and Drive maxed, dial Clean back (counter clockwise) until you find your perfect balance.

Drive — Saturation. Crank it and use the Clean control as your balance. This pedal is designed to be used this way.

Tone — Classic Morning Glory tone stack. This Tone control affects only the overdrive path. Your clean signal stays parallel and untouched. Adjust Tone back for warmth, forward for clarity.

Clean Boost Pro Tip – Morning Glory Clean can be used as a stand-alone clean boost. Set the Clean to 100% (fully clockwise) and increase the Drive. In this configuration, the Drive will not produce any overdrive clipping - only clean volume boosting.

This isn't a Clean knob slapped on a Morning Glory. The Clean control uses a dual-gang potentiometer. As you turn it, clean gain scales proportionally with the drive signal — it’s perfectly engineered from the ground up. Think of the Clean control as adding back in wattage, clarity, and punch. Most clean blends are an afterthought — a simple mix knob tacked onto an existing circuit. This one was designed so the two signals track together across all gain settings – with no volume or weird phase issues. Just seamless blending from Morning Glory to pure signal and everything in-between.

The pedal is also well suited for bass. The Clean blend dials that low end back on command for different bass and amplifier needs, making it a highly versatile bass overdrive.

Other Morning Glory Clean features include:

- Pedalboard friendly top-mounted jacks

- Uses standard 9V DC Center Negative external power – no battery compartment

- Silent Buffered Bypass Switching

An important note: this pedal does NOT replace the JHS Morning Glory V4 pedal, which remains a key item in the company’s product lineup.

The new Morning Glory Clean carries a street price of $179. For more information visit jhspedals.com.

Gibson Custom today proudly unveils the new Gary Clark Jr. ES‑355™, a striking signature model created in close collaboration with the four‑time GRAMMY® Award–winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Austin-born and globally celebrated for his electrifying live performances, Gary Clark Jr. has long blended blues, rock, soul, and hip hop into a sound entirely his own. His previous Gibson and Epiphone signature instruments—the SG™ and Casino™—each captured facets of his musical identity, but the ES‑355 represents a deeper personal connection. Inspired by the first time he saw B.B. King command the stage with one, the ES‑355 has become Clark’s new number‑one guitar, now reimagined with the craftsmanship and detail of the Gibson Custom Shop. The Gary Clark Jr. Custom ES‑355 is available worldwide at Gibson Garage locations in Nashville and London, via authorized Gibson Custom dealers, and on Gibson.com.

The Gary Clark Jr. Custom ES‑355 is built with a three‑ply maple/poplar/maple body with a figured maple outer layer, paired with a mahogany neck carved to a comfortable 50s Rounded Medium C profile. A bound ebony fretboard with 22 Historic medium jumbo frets and mother‑of‑pearl block inlays delivers a classic playing feel, while multi‑ply binding on the body and headstock elevates the guitar’s vintage‑inspired aesthetic. The headstock features the iconic Custom split diamond inlay and Grover® Rotomatic® tuners with kidney buttons, underscoring the instrument’s premium heritage.

Under the hood, the ES‑355 is equipped with a pair of unpotted Custombuckers featuring Alnico 3 magnets, chosen for their warm, articulate response and dynamic range. The pickups are wired with CTS® audio taper pots, paper‑in‑oil capacitors, a Switchcraft® three‑way toggle, and a mono Varitone circuit topped with a black chicken‑head knob, offering players a wide spectrum of tonal colors. True Historic gold Top Hat knobs with dial pointers complete the control layout, reinforcing the guitar’s vintage authenticity.

Every detail of the instrument reflects Gibson Custom’s commitment to precision and artistry. The hardware is finished in VOS nickel, including the ABR‑1 Historic no‑wire bridge and a Bigsby® B7 vibrato for expressive pitch control. The guitar is offered in a stunning VOS Cobra Burst finish, adding a dramatic visual flair that complements its sonic versatility. Each model ships in a Gibson Custom hardshell case adorned with Gary Clark Jr. graphics, featuring a brown exterior and black plush interior.

This special run is limited to just 100 guitars, handcrafted by the expert luthiers of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee. With demand expected to be high among collectors, players, and fans alike, the Gary Clark Jr. ES‑355 stands as an extraordinary opportunity to own the artist’s new go‑to instrument—an inspired blend of heritage, innovation, and unmistakable style.

In 2026, Gary Clark Jr. continues to push his creative boundaries while bringing the bold sonic world of his 2024 album JPEG RAW to audiences across North America. The project marks a defining leap in his artistry—melding blues, rock, hip-hop, jazz, and global influences into a unified, future-leaning sound that has earned widespread critical acclaim. Onstage, Clark channels this new era with a renewed sense of urgency and experimentation, weaving immersive grooves, pointed lyricism, and explosive guitar work into performances that reaffirm his status as one of modern music’s most electrifying live artists.

Listen to Gary Clark Jr. HERE, and for the latest tour dates, go HERE.

Beyond the studio and the stage, Clark’s artistic reach has expanded into film, cultural programming, and high-profile collaborations, underscoring his evolution as a multifaceted creative force. His portrayal of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, his role as Music Director for Jon Stewart’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony, and his continued work with icons across genres reflect an artist operating at the height of his influence. With JPEG RAW ushering in a bold new chapter and a major tour underway, Clark stands firmly at the forefront of contemporary music—restless, visionary, and shaping the sound of what comes next. Rooted in the blues yet unbound by genre, he’s pushing the tradition forward with purpose and originality, cementing his place as one of his generation’s defining guitarists and storytellers.

Shnobel Tone has introduced the latest addition to its line of premium guitar effects. The new Dumbbell Driver combines the company’s acclaimed Daily Driver Overdrive with the recently launched Dumbbell Boost into a single, super flexible pedal.

The Dumbbell Boost and Daily Driver circuits are identical to the standalone versions of these pedals. Both the overdrive and boost circuits are completely independent and can be used together or separately, activated by their own dedicated true-bypass footswitches. A two-position toggle switch allows you to assign the order of the effects when both circuits are in use: Boost>>Overdrive or Overdrive>>Boost are available, providing a huge range of sonic options. Setting the toggle to the right places the Dumbbell Boost in front of the Daily Driver.

The pedal offers an intuitive 6-knob control set. The four knobs on the left side of the pedal control the Daily Driver circuit with Volume, Gain, High frequency and Low frequency EQ. The Daily Driver controls on the left side also include a three-position toggle switch for added EQ flexibility: the switch offers two different high-cut settings, along with a flat setting in the center position, so you can dial in the perfect overdrive sound with any amp.

The two knobs on the right side of the pedal control the Dumbbell Boost circuit. The Input knob adjusts the input impedance and acts as a supplemental tone control: when turned all the way to the left it gives you a brighter, less bassy sound; turned all the way to the right it delivers a full range sound with rich harmonics reminiscent of a Dumble-style circuit. The Level knob controls the Dumbbell Boost’s output level.

Sporting gloriously retro-flavored chrome-skirted knobs and available in either Black or White, Shnobel Tone’s Dumbbell Driver includes these features:

• Six control knobs: Four knobs on the left side for adjusting the Daily Driver overdrive; and two knobs on the right side for adjusting the Dumbbell boost.
• Three-position “Hi Cut” toggle switch affects just the Daily Drive portion of the circuit (not the Dumbbell boost).
• Two-position toggle selects the order of effects when both circuits are engaged
• Two true bypass foot switches for activating each circuit
• Pedalboard-friendly top mounted power and in / out jacks
• Hand-built with top quality through-hole components
• Standard 9v center negative power – no battery compartment

Shnobel Tone’s Dumbbell Driver carries a street price of $329 and can be purchased at shnobeltone.com.