El Guapo

The Jackson Audio El Guapo is a dual-channel overdrive and distortion pedal developed in collaboration with guitarist Mateus Asato. Designed as a compact “Marshall-in-a-box” solution, it combines two distinct British-style gain circuits within a single unit. The distortion channel is inspired by the high-gain character of the Marshall JCM800, delivering detailed, harmonically rich distortion with strong articulation and sustain. The overdrive channel focuses on the smoother, more dynamic response of vintage Marshall Plexi amplifiers, offering touch-sensitive breakup and lower-gain drive tones. Developed through an extensive multi-year prototyping process, the El Guapo was designed so both channels work effectively independently or stacked together for a broader range of gain textures.