Truetone V3 Jekyll and Hyde Overdrive and Distortion Pedal Reviews

TL:DR - Versatile, easy to use pedal with great tone that also gets the finer details like routing, buffers, EQ and noise gate right.

My very first pedal was a first generation Visual Sound (now TrueTone) H20 Liquid Chorus and Echo. A lot of my friends at the time had the Route 66 compressor/tube screamer combo. While I've gone on to own a lot of other pedals over the years, the simplicity and immediacy of the dual function TrueTone pedals always stuck with me. Despite having more than enough overdrives that span from the bargain bin to the elite boutique realm, one sleepless night I impulsively grabbed the Jekyll and Hyde to see what new tricks TrueTone's pedals might have.

I'm so happy I did. It's been three years since my impulsive purchase and I am surprised how often I reach for the Jekyll and Hyde despite having plenty of other options for overdrive. The Jekyll side is based on the ODR-1 but with some smart mods, especially the bass control. I love the ODR-1, but sometimes the bass boost on that pedal can be a little too much, especially with humbuckers or if I want to use it as a cleaner boost. Being able to quickly dial in the bass on the Jekyll actually led me to let go of my standalone ODR-1 pedal.

The Hyde side is also awesome. I usually stay on the B-gain side, which has a very Marshall character and can range from old Marshall all the way up to modern with plenty of sweetspots along the way. I usually play it through my fender-inspired Tone King and the Hyde is a perfect complement to what that amp can do. The A side is also cool, especially if I'm venturing into heavier tones. That's not typically the type of music I produce, but it's come in handy on a couple projects. I even had one band prefer the Hyde on the A voice through my Tone King and the UA Ox Mesa Cab to their own Orange through a real 4x12.

Also, the pedal is so smart in it's layout. It's a dual pedal, but you can place either side at any point in your pedal chain and turn buffers on and off as needed/wanted. I typically run the Jekyll and Hyde with standard routing with a Klone that also has an independent FET boost. The combination of a Klone with the ODR-1 Jekyll and a Marhsall-y Hyde with a boost at the end of the chain covers 90% of my overdrive/distortion needs. I still frequently use other pedals because I switch things up a lot to keep myself inspired. But I could live with a chain with the Jekyll and Hyde on just about anything if needed. Oh, and the noise gate means that stacking boosts after the the Jekyll and Hyde is way easier than with other pedals because the noise floor stays so low.

The only negative I see with this pedal is that I like it best through a Fender-style amp. I have an AC30 and, while it sounds pretty good through that amp, I have other pedals I prefer. That's just the nature of pedals and our own individual preferences. But hey, that's why we're all on an endless quest and keep buying new overdrive pedals, no matter how many we already have on our boards and in our closets.

I've been searching for a distortion pedal that is incredibly versatile and powerful, and this pedal is the absolute best. It instantly elevated my tone and solved all of my issues. It has an internal noise gate making it a very clean sounding pedal no matter how much you crank the gain. There are so many different tones you can get out of it and I haven't even broke through the surface!

Hands down the best pedal I've purchased to date.

The range of tones I can get out of this thing is quite amazing. The jewel of the Jekyll side is the "Clean Mix" knob, the quality of pure clean is great and mixing it gradually to full overdrive allows you to "get that sound you're looking for" and the pride of the Hyde side (for me at least) is the A-B voicing allowing for some great sounds from a Mesa(ish) dual rectifier sound (A) & a driven Marshally sound (B). For me, using a jumper cable to reverse the default and running it as Jekyll into Hyde was the better option. I really don't have enough room for all the in-betweens, but if you liked the sound demos you've heard online you are sure to love it.

I bought this to run in front of my Mesa Lone Star Classic to give it a bit more kick and it definitely fills that role nicely. Feature rich with the built in, switchable buffers on each channel and noise gate, plus being able to switch the order of the OD and distortion sides is nice. The knobs all have a nice sweep to them. You need to spend a little time to dial it in to your specific amp, but once you do, it rewards you with very nice tones. I've been playing for 30 years, I've owned a lot of amps and pedals and I generally prefer a good amp's tube distortion over pedals, but this one is giving me some downright inspiring tones. Highly recommended.

The Jekyll and Hyde Overdrive-Distortion combination was no horror story for me!
Just like I enjoy a guitar with a lot of dials and switches that actually change the tone of that instrument.
I like to work with an effect box that gives me the same options.
The Truetone V3 Jekyll & Hyde is a great box with several tone options which made it easy and fun to use.
I highly recommend!!!

This pedal has a ton of sounds available. The overdrive side can be set up anywhere between an almost clean boost to borderline distortion, and the distortion side goes from mild to heavy. And they sound great together.

It probably was one of the most versital of its kind. I got it because it was a deal. Then didn't realize what I had until it was gone. One of the few pedals I've ever missed. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

One of the best distortion pedals I've ever used. It sounds fantastic with all my guitars. You will not regret buying this pedal. Awesome, awesome pedal. I can understand why it's so highly rated.

I was blown away at just how beautiful the tone is from this pedal. The ability to mix clean signal form the amp is a thing of beauty when dialing in the perfect overdrive tone. The added distortion side too is a mega plus, as it can get down right dirty and still maintain excellent tonal character. This pedal has PLENTY of options for shaping your sound. Just get it, you won"t regret it!

It's a beautiful pedal. Set up carefully and plugging into the front of a good tube amp set to clean, this pedal will give you everything from Dumbley overdrive to Gary Moore solo tone. It's really great. I have two of them. One of them runs into the 'dirty' channel of my pedalboard setup, which uses one or two Marshall heads. The other I use with my mini board - just a wah, the J&H and a Truetone H2O. With that rig I can plug into almost any amp, dial it as clean as I can, and get gorgeous, singing tones. I also have a VS-XO, which is also fantastic if you don't need more than brilliant classic tones. If you need some more heavy metallic stuff in addition to classic rock/blues, the J&H is your ticket for sure.

Before I got the J&H I was experimenting with different combinations of tube screamers. TS808, TS9, Maxons, etc. It sounded really good, but the J&H can do all that but quieter and smaller, and with an extra bit of awesomeness when you step on the second button.

The Jekyll&Hyde V3 is truly an achievement for Truetone as a company. What a great sound and versital pedal.

Starting with the elephant in the room, many think it is strange that by default it is running the distortion into the overdrive. I found that if you are running it into a clean amp, with some dirt on the overdrive and some good use of tbe mix knob, it makes an excellent tone for solos. Running the other way would be better if you are running it into and aleady distorted amp and were using the overdrive as more of a boost. Which you are a patch cable away from doing with each side of pedal having its own input and output.

The overdrive does quite well and has good clarity while still adding some nice body and puncb. I use it for AC/DC's Shook Me All Night Long, as well as most blues and anything with a vintage "old cranked up tube head" sound to it.

The distortion side is the star of the show. That Mid control is a godsend for me. I like a lot of Midrange in my distorted sound, but I like that slightly scooped Fender clean. So I dime that midrange, slap that footswitch and I got what I need.

The A-B distortion is a nice touch if you like to have things the fiddle with on your pedals or play a lot of different kinds of music. "A" is heavier sounding and more compressed, and B has a more open distortion with more headroom.

I LOVE the bright switch. It is great of you switcj between a Les Paul and a Strat. Bright A will let your humbuckers cut, Bright B will keep that single coil bridge under control.

Built in noise gate works great. No tonesuck from the buffer. I would never dream of turning them off.

Overall, it is excellent. The only thing I would want is more EQ on the overdrive and maybe a bit more gain on the B distortion. Thank you Truetone and the folks at Sweetwater this pedal is great!

All I can say is WOW. Between the distortion side and overdrive side or the combination of both you can get unlimited sounds out this pedal. Running this pedal through a Blackstar 100 watt half stack. Talk with Ashton Vaudt at Sweetwater .

The sound is amazing with overdrive and distortion channels and there is so many sounds in this box! Worth the investment

Bought this a few months ago, and you can dial in the sounds you want! Very unique pedal! I had to send the first one back, had no sound whatsoever, but the folks here at Sweetwater had another one to me within 2 days! This pedal kicks butt! I gave it 5 stars cause it's been very relialbe for me, and the first gig I did with it, sounded amazing! If you take the time to experiment with this, you will find all kinds of sounds! The Overdrive is awesome on this, and the distortion can be dialed in to perfection!

I had a small issue with the first one I got, But Sweetwater jumped and got it taken care of. A BIG thanx goes out to all that helped ! I have been playing for 40+ years, and virtually have tried 90% of all that is out there. I will not be without this pedal again ! The more I play, the more I find ! Hats off to Truetone !!!!!!!
Thank you Sweetwater !!!!!!!!!!!

You can't go wrong with this one. I've played my fair share of other distortion pedals out there but nothing compares to this bad boy. It's also one of the few distortion pedals out there that you're able to control low, mids, highs. This one is definitely a keeper.

I got this pedal for the OD-1-style Jekyll side, thinking I would use that the most. The Jekyll side is indeed absolutely great. The OD-1 is somewhat similar to a Tube Screamer in that it rolls off the lows a little and pushes the upper mids, but it does it in a different way with lower gain. I love the "spankiness" of the OD-1. It hits the amp in a way that is very different from a Tube Screamer. But the OD-1 also has weaknesses. It's cheaply made and not particularly versatile. It's mostly an "on or off" kind of pedal. The Jekyll side delivers this tone but with welcome flexibility, like a separate bass control that allows me to dial in exactly how much tightening in the lows I want. The blend knob is also amazing, especially if I use it as an "always on" boost with just a little OD blended in. I can make the Jekyll side a lot more transparent than the OD-1 is, or I can blend it all the way in to get all of what an OD-1 style circuit has to offer.

But I had no idea I'd like the Hyde side so much. The "B" setting is where it's at for me. I have a variety of amps, but the amp that gives me the most trouble when I try to find a good, crunchy ovedrive tone is my AC30. It just doesn't do well with most pedals if I want more than just a low-gain boost. Well, the Hyde side with both the voice and the treble setting on "B" is a perfect match. It is definitely Marshall-like and is more open than the A setting. The EQ lets me tailor it to the AC30 until it sounds just right. I'm surprised at how much I like how it sounds even with the Hyde's gain nearly maxed out. It gives me a high gain sound that is a little more vintage than modern and, to be honest, it's converted me to liking higher gain tones. The "A" setting is also awesome for a Dual Rectifier-like sound. I don't typically need that tone, but if I ever need it, it's there.

Also, the noise gate is unobtrusive (I was a little nervous about it) while also being useful. I can rock the Hyde side through my noisy Vox with my noisy Tele single-coil bridge pickup without getting squeals or feedback thanks to the noise gate. That is not true with some of my other pedals, even my very nice boutique drives.

Both sides sound great in front of my Tone King Sky King, too. In fact, despite the fact that I love the sound of it through my Vox, I use it in front of my Sky King most often.

The one interesting thing about the pedals is that I'm not actually a huge fan of stacking them with each other, no matter which one comes first. But that's just personal preference. I'm sure others can find great tones. But for me, their characteristics are best appreciated on their own.

I won't say this is the last drive I'll ever buy because that would be a blatant lie. But it is a really underrated pedal that can cover a LOT of ground, from country to blues, to classic rock, to hard rock and to modern high gain. I mostly produce artists in the studio and the versatility of the Jekyll and Hyde makes getting good tones for a wide variety of genres a piece of cake. Also, my very first pedal was a first gen Visual Sound H20 that I got in high school. That thing is still going strong today. So I have confidence that the Visual Sound/Truetone makes reliable gear that lasts.

So i play in a cover band that plays many different bands from 70-90s. This pedal enables me to go from greg kihn, Tom Petty on the over drive side to Foo Fighters, Better than Ezra etc on the distortion side.
For me, the distortion level has to be much higher than the over drive to produce a balanced volume. Distortion volume is around 2-3 o"clock position compare to 7-8 o"clock on the over drive. Also the overdrive doesn"t have enough brightness for me so I just adjust my amp with more treble and bring up the bass on the distortion side. All in all exactly what I was looking for.

Truetone did a great job of providing this pedal with the low, mid, high tone knobs and switches, to be able to dial in a variety of sounds. Very pleased with this pedal. It is pretty easy to get some good sounds from this. While I probably will use the Hyde side more, because of the style of music I play for recording, the Jekyll overdrive is one of the best I've heard and will probably use that more for worship team.

Don't just dial in the tone for one of the switch combinations. Try dialing in the tones for each of the switch combinations or you will miss out, because when you dial it in for one, then change a switch, it may not sound good until you dial in the low/mid/highs etc.. So play around and try to make each of the switch combinations sound good, then you'll know what the pedal can do.

I like that they give you the option to set it for True Bypass or Buffered and a noise gate for for the Hyde side. I also like that you can change the pedal order, and the foot switches are fantastic; very nice!

I did have to send back the first one I bought, it had issues and the pedal was malfunctioning right out of the box, but Carson and the Sweetwater techs took care of me... I've had the replacement pedal for about a 3 week now, and it has been working flawlessly...

What sound you are looking for depends on the type of music you want to play. And with overdrives and distortions, they are so affected by the type of guitar pickups, pedal levels, chain position, if you are going into a tube amp set clean or dirty, speakers/cabs, types of mics and position, or going direct, or direct with speaker emulation, etc.. Everything in the signal path. So Just remember all that affects the tone, from subtle to huge..

As guitar players, we are alway on the "never-ending quest for tone" no matter what gear we get, but for me in that quest, this one's a keeper and will be added to the arsenal... :)

This is a really cool OD/ distortion pedal. It's really nice having OD and Distortion in one box, and the flexibility of both (internally selectable bypass mode on both channels and noise gate on distortion). There is PLENTY of available distortion, you could use this pedal for any genre.

There are two minor issues with the pedal that may or may not bother potential users-

1. The flow of the pedal without patching is distortion first and then overdrive. I would guess 95% of users would prefer it the other way (including Shawn Tubbs in the demo video). Distorting your overdrive adds more overall distortion giving you 3 textures of grit depending on your needs for a part or song. Overdriving distortion just makes it louder and uglier. It can work as a boost, but it's changing your tone. You can patch around this, but that's one more cable that can fail.

2. The overdrive channel has one knob for drive level, and then another for clean mix (a wet/dry mix basically). Which sounds cool in theory, but in practice it just sort of makes tuning your overdrive a bit more tedious. If you can set the level of drive, you don't really need another knob to set the level of clean. It's like when you use an older bathtub that has one faucet (or knob) for hot and one for cold and you're trying to get warm water. It's a lot easier with one knob.

Both sides of this pedal sound great and are very usable. I favor the overdrive side, but the distortion side is really good too.

The overdrive side of the pedal is the best overdrive I've ever used.

The option to dial in your guitar's clean signal allows flexibility in tone. This allows you to create anything from a light amp breakup to a creamy, rich overdriven sound.

The distortion side of the pedal has plenty of options to sculp a large variety of tones. It's taken me a while to get get totally comfortable with this side of the pedal. I really like it.

This pedal has excellent build quality and is super flexible. The variety of tones you can achieve is amazing and they're all rich in harmonics.

I would actually prefer two independent channels of the overdrive, rather than a distortion channel because it's so amazing.