It is certainly a power tool. Great sounding pedal. Thanks to Amazon I could get it for a very good deal.

I've been experimenting with preamp style distortion pedals straight into the fx return with excellent results. Only problem is when you want a clean tone. Turning off the distortion pedal has you guitar signal going straight into the power amp which sounds like s**t. Adding the Clover is like adding a clean channel. I switch between the two using a switcher. Diggin it!

The Clover von JHS ist wohl das beste, was mein Padalboard bisher gesehen hat. Er ist mittlerweile eigentlich immer an. Den EQ meist ausgeschaltet. Er verändert den Klang der Gitarre nicht, er macht nur mehr draus, sodass der Amp besser sättigt. Der seitliche Schalter für den Tiefpassfilter könnte etwas größer sein, da ich diesen tatsächlich häufiger benutze aber es geht auch so. Egal vor welchen Amp oder vor welches Drivepedal geschaltet, ist es immer ein riesiger Zugewinn. Top

The JHS Clover is essentially clone of the BOSS FA-1 FET Amplifier "pedal" from the early 1980's, albeit with a couple significant added features. The FA-1 is essentially a simple "clean boost" circuit, and I believe the original (long discontinued) came with a belt clip. The idea was that a guitarist would use this at the front of the signal chain to boost/buffer the signal prior to going into an effects board/rack or amplifier. The original also included knobs a Bass and Treble control, as well as a switch to cut low frequencies. I might not have ever learned about the FA-1, but for the fact I saw it discussed as one of the elements of U2's The Edge. In addition to an intricate stereo setup with modulated delays, The Edge apparently used an FA-1 to front-load his Vox AC30's and achieve a clean-ish tone with nice saturation and that signature chime.POSITIVES:The JHS Clover improves upon the FA-1 in two significant ways. First, it adds a tone control for MIDDLE frequencies. To me, this vastly expands the usefulness of the Clover as a tone-shaping element. You could place the Clover at the beginning of your signal chain as an "always on" pedal. Or you could try it immediately before (or after) one of your other gain pedals to completely change the EQ and drive character of that pedal. By placing it later in the chain, you could even just use it as a volume/gain boost for solos (along with a mid boost).Second, the Clover has an XLR output (with a ground lift), which makes this pedal very intriguing as a preamp/DI box. I'm not going to comment too much on this feature, as I don't have a lot of expertise in PA/audio setups, but I do have a FRFR speaker that I use as my primary "amplifier", so the Clover could be interesting to use with an acoustic guitar.But my primary interest the Clover was as a boost pedal and the effect it would have on my tone, and the Clover definitely delivers in this department. Unity gain on the volume knob is probably around 9:00 or so, and when you click the pedal on with single coils, your signal just instantly comes to life. While the pedal itself is not clipping or distorting the signal, it can result in additional gain by pushing the front of your amplifier harder (same goes with feeding it into another drive pedal).NEGATIVES:I think the most obvious critique of this pedal would be its price - boost circuits are relatively simple, and you could argue that a boost pedal with a little EQ control should not be $200. But I refuse to downgrade my score for that reason, as nobody is compelled to spend the money on it, and you can decide for yourself if you think it is "worth it". Also, I think JHS has made some useful additions here with the EQ options and the XLR output that add additional value and versatility. If you are looking for cheaper alternatives, there are many. I like the DOD Bi-Fet Boost (about $50, I believe), and Valeton makes another FA-1 clone at around $60 to $70. But the Clover is built to last, and is the kind of pedal that could get a lot of use.One minor other gripe would be that there are DIP switches for Ground Lift and Low Cut that are accessible on the sides of the pedal, but they are recessed within a groove cut into the housing, so you probably would need a small pen or screwdriver to adjust them.Overall, this is a niche product and hardly the only option if you want a clean boost with tone control. But I would argue that it's one of the better ones out there, and has the potential to become an integral part of your setup.

Very robust construction and clean sound. If used before your drive pedals it enhances the clipping and it's just perfect to push a bit more if the saturation of your overdrive doesn't do the gain you want. I personally use it for having an eq before going from pedals straight to the return of the amp(bypassing the amp preamp). It excels in keep the tone of my signal giving me a great eq and a balance output for recording.