SANDY, Utah -- Designed to maximize the capabilities of Johnson Amplification’s Marquis JM60 and JM120 guitar amplifiers, the new J8 foot controller features eight foot switches and a built-in expression pedal all on a rugged metal chassis. The J8 can also be used with Johnson’s Millennium JM150 and JM250 amps, in which case the eight foot switches all become user-assignable.

Three of the floor controller’s foot switches correspond to the three effect types available on the Marquis Series amps (Modulation/Pitch, Delay and Reverb), and are used to turn these effects on and off on the fly. Below those are three Channel foot switches for accessing one of the three presets or channels in the currently selected bank. All six switches have an LED directly above them to indicate the currently selected effect or channel.

"Bank-Up" and "Bank-Down" foot switches enable the guitarist to advance through the amps’ user banks. Holding down the Bank-Up switch for two seconds activates the tuner—a Marquis Series feature that can only be achieved with the J8. Once the tuner mode is activated, any note played will register on the J8’s LED display while seven LEDs above it will provide an indication as to whether the note is flat, sharp or in tune. The audio signal is automatically "muted" when entering the tuning mode however, it can be brought back using the foot treadle

With the Millennium Series, any footswitch can be assigned to a "TapIt" function to set up the delay time. When a program using delay has been selected, guitarists may tap this switch to the tempo of the song to set up the delay time so that the repeats are synchronized with the music.

Lastly, the expression pedal on the right side of the J8 can be used either for volume, or as a wah controller when rocked all the way forward and the wah switch is engaged like a traditional wah pedal.

Suggested U.S. retail price on the Johnson Amplification J8 is $199.00.

Johnson Amplification, a division of the Harman Music Group, is a manufacturer of guitar amplifiers, loudspeaker enclosures and other guitar-oriented products for live and recording applications. The Harman Music Group is a subsidiary of Harman International.