OVERDRIVE- HEPTODE Heavy Tone ...Soldano-in-a-Box

HEPTODE| HEAVY TONE 

$165.00 USD

They are a French small boutique amp company with 2 amps. One with a
Marshall vibe and another with a Fender like tone. Like many they make a few pedals. They have Phaser, a Crunch pedal and the Heavy Tone. This pedal was released 9 years ago. It is based on a Soldano? Maybe. The thing is the MESA Rectifier amps and the Peavey 5150 all started life as a take on the 1987 Soldano SLO that borrowed from the Plexi's and the JCM 800.

The layout is level, gain, treble, mids and base. A toggle adds a faux cab sound. A Marshall 4x12 cab resonates 130Hz so

a boost at 130 Kh can be cool especially if your amp has an open back cab.

The look is classic MXR style using a Hammond cast metal enclosure. 

It is an 80's sound which is open with still some Marshall vibe to the overtones. 

CONCLUSION

This came out 9 years ago. Quality build and 

a great tone are timeless. 

The amps of the late 80's and 90's combine 

the best of the old with the demands of the 

future which the Soldano, the MESA Dual/Rec 

and the Peavey 5150 that are now are the 

classics. I feel having a great pedal of a Plexi, 

a JCM 800 and at least one of the three 80'-90's 

types are all must haves. The Heptode is a good 

addition or even a great start.  

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the fine print

An AIAP pedal is on the whole is a transistor take of a tube preamp. A pedal cloning an amp usually chooses the highest gain on the amp to nail. The difference between Soldano, Mesa & Peavey will be be the resonance point in the mids. Or in other words where that little honk in the tone is. All else in the sound is the same. The more accurate that honk is placed the more convincing the cloning. AMT Electronics clones are brilliant at this. Not getting it right does not negate what could be a killer OD. I have both kinds of pedals. Yes ...if it sounds good it is!!!