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# JHS Morning Glory V4: The Transparent Overdrive Worth Owning
- URL: https://www.unknowndivide.com/jhs-morning-glory-v4-overdrive-pedal/
- Published: 2024-11-20T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T06:16:34.000Z
- Description: The Morning Glory is the best known overdrive from JHS Pedals. The fourth version adds more headroom, a gain toggle and a boost you can kick in with a remote footswitch.
- Author: unknowndivide staff
- Tags: Music, Gear

*Unknowndivide may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this post.*

Some overdrive pedals change your guitar into something else. The JHS Morning Glory does the opposite. It is built to sound like your guitar and your amp, only pushed harder, and that simple goal has made it the most famous pedal in the JHS lineup. If you want one drive pedal that can sit on your board all the time and never get in the way, the Morning Glory V4 is a smart place to look.

## Who makes it

The Morning Glory is made by [JHS Pedals](https://www.jhspedals.info/?ref=unknowndivide.com), the effects company that has grown a large catalog of drives, fuzzes and modulation pedals. JHS calls the Morning Glory its most well known overdrive, and the pedal has gone through four versions. Each one kept the core sound and added something players asked for.

## What the Morning Glory V4 is

The Morning Glory is a transparent overdrive. That phrase means the pedal adds gain and grit without piling on its own strong flavor of bass or midrange. Your pickups and amp still sound like themselves. JHS says the gain control sweeps from completely clean to rock and roll, so it covers everything from a slight edge on chords to a full lead tone.

On the side of the pedal sits a bright cut switch. Flip it and the top end softens, which helps with bright single coil guitars or amps that already sound sharp. It is a small control, but it lets the same pedal work with very different rigs.

The fourth version brought the biggest set of changes so far. JHS moved the bright cut switch to the side and gave the front toggle a new job: it now engages a boost circuit that JHS describes as a more powerful sound with enhanced low end and grit. Pair the pedal with the JHS Red Remote footswitch and you can switch between the two voices mid song with a tap of your toe. The status light changes from blue to red when the boost is on, so you can see at a glance which mode you are in. JHS also lists increased headroom and output, which lets the pedal work as a full frequency boost.

JHS also lays out the family history. The first version came in a larger white enclosure. Version two moved to a smaller gold box. Version three added the bright cut toggle. Version four doubled the headroom and added the Gain toggle and the Red Remote system.

- Type: transparent overdrive
- Gain range: from completely clean to rock and roll
- Switches: side mounted bright cut switch and a front toggle for the boost voice
- Boost: built in, switched with the optional Red Remote footswitch
- Indicator: light emitting diode (LED) that turns from blue to red with the boost on
- Power: 9 volt direct current (DC), center negative, 43 milliamps
- Size: about 2.6 by 4.8 by 1.6 inches

## Why it is cool

The best thing about the Morning Glory is how easy it is to leave on. Many drive pedals sound great alone and then fight with the rest of your board. A transparent drive is more cooperative. It can act as an always on tone thickener, a rhythm crunch for the chorus, or a gentle push into another pedal or an amp that is already breaking up.

The doubled headroom in V4 matters if you play with active pickups, hot humbuckers or a boost in front. A pedal with little headroom can squash those signals. More room means the pedal stays clear and dynamic when you dig in, and cleans up when you roll your guitar volume back.

The boost voice is the clever part. JHS compares it to having two Morning Glorys in one pedalboard friendly package. Instead of buying a separate boost pedal, you get a second, heavier voice for solos, and the Red Remote lets you call it up with your foot. That keeps your board smaller and saves a patch cable and a power slot.

And then there is the design. The gold enclosure has become a familiar sight on pedalboards, and the layout is simple enough that you can set it in seconds on a dark stage.

## Who should buy it

Buy the Morning Glory V4 if you want an overdrive that respects your amp and guitar, if you play blues, rock, indie or country, or if you want a rhythm drive and a lead boost in one compact unit. It is also a good first serious drive for a player who has outgrown a multi effects unit and wants one quality analog pedal.

Look elsewhere if you want a heavy, saturated metal tone or a pedal with a strong built in voice. The Morning Glory is about polish and clarity, not about changing your sound completely.

**Shop the JHS Morning Glory V4**  
[Morning Glory V4 at JHS Pedals](https://www.jhspedals.info/products/morning-glory?ref=unknowndivide.com)  
[JHS Morning Glory V4 transparent overdrive pedal](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XGH58GY?tag=unknowndivi02-20&ref=unknowndivide.com)  
[JHS Red Remote footswitch for the boost](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XYQLXGC?tag=unknowndivi02-20&ref=unknowndivide.com)

Building a drive section from scratch? Compare it with the [Boss BD-2 Blues Driver](https://www.unknowndivide.com/boss-bd-2-blues-driver-overdrive-pedal/) and the [EarthQuaker Devices Plumes](https://www.unknowndivide.com/earthquaker-devices-plumes-overdrive/), then round out your board with our [best guitar pedals for beginners](https://www.unknowndivide.com/best-guitar-pedals-for-beginners/) list. Find more studio and stage gear in our [home studio hub](https://www.unknowndivide.com/home-studio/).