The search for a suitable distortion pedal reaches an end - for now
The Interceptor
search thus far - going back to when I was 15 (20 years ago) has included a
range of pedals - from Boss to Visual Sounds - but nothing has quite hit the
spot. I have overdrive covered with my Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.
I got a gift voucher for a good guitar shop from my brother for Xmas, so I
took advantage today to try and find my ideal distortion pedal. I was very
keen to test out the Blackstar range of pedals. I did it properly this
time: same guitar and amp as at home (Les Paul + Fender HRD), same amp
settings as used at home. And bugger me, I was rather disappointed with the
Blackstar pedals. I tried the HT-DIST and HT-DISTX and both sounded rather
flat (maybe my ears are losing their top end). I just couldn't dial in
something that really worked for me.
In desperation I tried the Boss Metal Zone (MT-2). It was half the price of
the Blackstar gear, and bugger me (again) but it sounded a whole lot better.
I ended up buying the MT-2 and the crucial test at home, A-B'ing with other
pedals has put it on top for me.
Somehow this pedal works really well (for me): almost sounds like a
cocked-wah for single note work, but also sounds great with chords. Thus I
can obtain a UFO like sound, and even the Kiss "Rock 'n' Roll Over" era
tone. I only need half of the available gain setting.
Now I expect bunch of abuse for buying such a generic pedal. But the thing
is, it works for my ears with my gear, so the MT-2 was the logical choice.
In addition, it strangely works well with my Strat too, thus resolving
another conundrum.
(That said, should I have been buying a distortion pedal after watching the
Anvil movie?)
Brett
Master Betty
"The Interceptor" <this...@willnotwork.com> wrote in message
news:1MmdnTViDc4urqXW...@westnet.com.au...
The Sparkle Drive is a decent pedal. Worked well with my HRD. Smooth lead
boost.
The MT-2 is a good pedal but limited. Should work well with "Metal" on your
strat and maybe your LP too. Actually, not a bad choice for fuzz to clean
od. That's not easy with a HRD.
Anvil? Marshall Stack and a Flying V. :-)
Master Betty
"The Interceptor" <this...@willnotwork.com> wrote in message
news:1MmdnTViDc4urqXW...@westnet.com.au...
The Sparkle Drive is a decent pedal. Worked well with my HRD. Smooth lead
boost.
The MT-2 is a good pedal but limited. Should work well with the "Metal"
setting on your
strat and maybe your LP too. Actually, not a bad choice for fuzz to clean
od and that's not easy with a HRD.
Rufus
Hey, what works for you - works. I got a serious surprise with the
distortion in my Morley wah/vol/distortion pedal, myself...I really love
the distortion in it with my Strat. Enjoy yours!
--
- Rufus
eric weasel
> I have been searching for the ideal distortion pedal for some time now.
>
>
> cocked-wah for single note work, but also sounds great with chords.
>
Dude, don't apologize for what works for you. I finally settled upon a
keeley modded Ibanez TS9-DX. Tone is as much a matter of technique,
pick choice, and string choice, as it is toys. If you can rock it and
it works for you, more power to you!
eric
Lu R
"The Interceptor" <this...@willnotwork.com> wrote in message
news:1MmdnTViDc4urqXW...@westnet.com.au...
I bought a MT-2 recently and was told by many fuckwits in the NG's that it
was basically a waste of time except for metal..well I love it for sustained
rock leads and powerchords..and I also use a Blackstar HT Dual for not so
in- your- face distortion..that plus my Epi LP and Im happy as Larry..:)
The Interceptor
"Lu R" <wh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4b384916$0$5425$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
I think I followed that thread. Whatever works is the right thing I guess.
Brett
Squier
I had a Boss MT-2 pedal a little while ago.
But what I mostly remembered about it was that it had a nice sorta
parametric equalizers built in as tone controls on the pedal knobs which helps
it out a lot. That is what made it easier (for me) the pedal to get dialed in
rather than just a single tone control.
If you set it up right it can do mild overdrive/distortion to all out mayhem.
For some people and their rigs, it's actually a fairly versatile pedal.
I think it does heavier stuff the best but sometimes it beats having 2 or 3
boosts/overdrives etc.. so you can just use this one pedal for a good variety.
Sure you may have to bend down and tweak a knob or two going from classic stuff
to heavier stuff between songs in a set list - but that's not such a big deal
once you get to know the pedal and can tweak the knobs in less than a few seconds.
I found that a simpler germanium 'fuzz face' pedal worked better
for me but the MT-2 certainly was no slouch of a pedal.
You'll see that pedal on all sorts of pedal boards doing the gig circuits.
TheChris
I have never heard such a glowing review for a MT-2... Let me know how
it sounds loud at a gig or at a practice... that's where it fell short
for me..
Squier
Actually I think what falls short a lot of times is people playing
at quieter home volumes thinking their 'scooped' mid metal tones are
going to cut it live. The only thing you can do is sheer volume when
using the typical heavy mid scoop high gain tones. Sheer volume is the
only way to get heard or even get enough rhythm in the mix.
The mesa triple-rec crowd knows what I mean anyways (even if they won't
admit it) ... and unfortunately
too many just use the MT-2 as an add-on to already scooped tones to
further scoop the mids. The MT-2 takes the rap when it's how it's being
used as the real culprit. But that's just my take on it.
However, I did decide on a custom made fuzz face instead because it
retains the mids and can be dialed in to not get to mud fizz.
What can work nice is that the MT-2 be used without scooping away all the mids
either on the pedal or on your amp and not always using it with the gain
dialed all the way up until it's crap.
Bu yeah.. in the end if you want good high gain then let the amp be
doing most of the work. A nice Soldano Slo or similar would be the
better choice if you intend to play higher gain stuff and make a living
out of it or just want to sound good at weekend gigs.
But hey - Soldano Slo = $$$$$$$$$$$$ Even a Peavey 5150 = $$$$$$$
an MT-2 is a lot less and gives you something to play around with.
but again, that's just me.
The Interceptor
"Squier" <squ...@strats.net> wrote in message
news:281220092235208980%squ...@strats.net...
Where I'm at now is three levels of overdrive/distortion, to be used
independently as the mood takes me:
- Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive for very mild overdrive
- Digitech Distortion Factory on DS-1 setting for mid range distortion (and
the DF-7 offers a 3-band EQ for increased tonal flexibility over the DS-1 -
or at least that's my story until I come across a DS-1 for $50)
- Boss Metal Zone for full on saturated distortion
I think this is a pretty good place to be. The lesson for me is that one
overdrive/distortion won't do it all.
Brett
Dr. Zontar
wrote:
> - Digitech Distortion Factory on DS-1 setting for mid range distortion (and
> the DF-7 offers a 3-band EQ for increased tonal flexibility over the DS-1 -
> or at least that's my story until I come across a DS-1 for $50)
Huh? $50??? Just about everybody around here sells new DS-1's for
$39.99. I got mine used for $20.
- Rich
Tony Done
"The Interceptor" <this...@willnotwork.com> wrote in message
news:1MmdnTViDc4urqXW...@westnet.com.au...
Someone might find this chart helpful re Boss pedals:
http://www.promusicaustralia.com/guitar/BOSSImages/pedalchart.jpg
Tony D
The Interceptor
"Dr. Zontar" <drzo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2774eb95-d6fd-41ff...@r5g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
- Rich
You might want to consider that there is a world outside the US.
Brett
TheChris
Yeah, but Japanese pedals should be just as cheap over there! Isn't
Austrailia CLOSER to Japan?
Arlowe
>
> They're not (just as cheap, or cheaper).
>
> We still get to pay more, even with the $AUD value pushing 90+ US cents.
>
> They're also made in Taiwan now, and probably cost Boss $5-$10 per unit
> including packaging.
>
> On the flipside, there is a seemingly endless supply of cheap Japanese
> Fenders making their way over here (a large amount of the second
> hand ones through private import channels too), which almost makes up
> for it.
Even the price of the Japanese Fenders are creeping up...
Dr. Zontar
wrote:
> You might want to consider that there is a world outside the US.
Ouch. I deserved that. Sorry. I really should know better - I just got
back from London a few weeks ago (where I was amazed at how little my
American dollars could buy).
- Rich
Dr. Zontar
> No shit. It amazes me that there are people that don't realise usenet
> is an international medium, particularly in alt.guitar where us
> 'outsiders' (from .au and .uk amongst other places) must just about
> out-number our US counterparts (not counting the nutters who account
> for >50% of the traffic in a.g.)
Funny how most of the psychos seem to be American, isn't it? Or maybe
it's just sad...
> $300-$400 for a USED Japanese (silver screw, apparently 'collectible')
> DS-1 over here.
Wow.
> ~$100 (less if you look/haggle hard) for a new one in a shiny carboard
> box from Taiwan.
Wow. I had no idea. What about mail order from the US? It seems that
even with the extra shipping cost, you'd still come out way ahead.
- Rich
RobWoozle
wrote:
Interesting....years and years ago a friend of mine loaned me a BOSS
HM-2 pedal, it was sweet for lead work even in a non-metal band.
Someone one day will be able to explain to me why I sold my original
Marshall Guv'nor pedal for like $30.....groan!
Rob
The Interceptor
"RobWoozle" <robw...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:a3e9b536-4cd6-4e42...@u7g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...
Rob
A HM-2 was my 2nd or 3rd distortion pedal when I was a teenager. I've still
got it for sentimental reasons but it is very limited in the sounds on
offer. Probably ok for some lead work like you say.
Brett
DeeAa
wrote:
> I have been searching for the ideal distortion pedal for some time now. My
> search thus far - going back to when I was 15 (20 years ago) has included a
> range of pedals - from Boss to Visual Sounds - but nothing has quite hit the
> spot. I have overdrive covered with my Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.
>
There's a pedal for every amp and purpose. Sometimes very strange
combos work well.
With HRD, DeVille I used an Ibanez Tubescreamer and/or an EMG preamp.
In recent years, I have found Marshall Jackhammer (in OD mode) to be a
very good marshall-style pedal. I also used a Guvnor and several
others in between, but always come back to Jackhammer for basic OD/
drive it seems. It just works, it has that classic JCM800 bite.
I had a HM-2 for several years and it was a good pedal. It's very
popular in certain circles.
Lately, for distortion/lead I've been actually using a H&K WarpFactor
again, also in combination with the Jackhammer.
That does incredibly tight Zakk Wylde yelps and shrieks.
Actually just recorded a bit of goofing with the band using the Warp<.
http://deeaa.pp.fi/clips/spook_jam.mp3 for a clip.
Cheers,
Dee
TheChris
@unique_and_different_just_like_everyone_else.westnet.com.au:
> TheChris wrote:
>
>> "The Interceptor" <this...@willnotwork.com> wrote in
>> news:Z7qdncWbyJvoGafW...@westnet.com.au:
>>
>>>
>>> "Dr. Zontar" <drzo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>> news:2774eb95-d6fd-41ff-8486-ff506dd425d7
@r5g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
>>> On Dec 29, 6:50 am, "The Interceptor" <thisem...@willnotwork.com>
>>> wrote:
>
>>>>> or at least that's my story until I come across a DS-1 for $50)
>>>
>>>> Huh? $50??? Just about everybody around here sells new DS-1's for
>>>> $39.99. I got mine used for $20.
>>>>
>>>> - Rich
>>>
>>> You might want to consider that there is a world outside the US.
>>>
>>> Brett
>
>> Yeah, but Japanese pedals should be just as cheap over there! Isn't
>> Austrailia CLOSER to Japan?
>
> It is (closer).
>
> They're not (just as cheap, or cheaper).
>
> We still get to pay more, even with the $AUD value pushing 90+ US
cents.
>
> They're also made in Taiwan now, and probably cost Boss $5-$10 per
unit
> including packaging.
>
> On the flipside, there is a seemingly endless supply of cheap Japanese
> Fenders making their way over here (a large amount of the second
> hand ones through private import channels too), which almost makes up
> for it.
>
If you can figure out a way to pay me $25US - I'll send you one of
mine...I'll even send it in a DS-1 box! :)
Stratmaster
them. Awesome pedal. Well worth the money IMHO. I got mine on sale. It
may still be going.
Jim