DISTORTION PEDALS
If distortion pedals were edible all rock guitarists would be obese.
The first guitar distortion was created when someone probably in the late 40's or early 50's walked over to their small tube amp with just a volume knob and cranked it up full just to be heard in a noisy crowded club .Even when the fuzz arrived the amps still had only one volume knob. If you wanted some distortion you had to play loud.
Today's distortion can be thought of as a booster overloading a preamp inturn overloading an amp...all in one small box.
They give you anything from medium to high amounts of distortion with lots of sustain. Anything less is an overdrive, Some players back off the gain on a distortion pedal and use it as an overdrive.
Unlike overdrives where there is a great advantage to having a few. One great one is all you need.
I have four.
OK! Let's have a look at my treasures...and I will give you the how...why..and how much.
LET'S BUY A DISTORTION PEDAL
JOYO US DREAM
My first one is a Joyo US Dream...a Suhr Riot clone. It has a very American sound. It is warm with a full mid range with bit of a boost around 1 k. Shades of Mesa Boogie.. I love this sound but I love a Brit sound too.JOYO US DREAM Current Price $30.00 USD
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Current Price $200.00 USD
Notice the distinct look of the Joyo ...you would never guess what they cloned
BIYANG DS-10 MAXIMUM DISTORTION
Basically a good Marshall JMC 800 take off.. I have heard a few...and the basic EQ has the familiar scoop or mid range cut that this one has...actually most have a sweeter tone. This one is a bit harsh...but in a nice nasty way. I heard it on a Les Paul and it was great, Then on a Strat....WOW!....many good pedals make the Strats pickups sound like indistinct thin hummies. Not this...the Strat sound comes through loud and clear and fat!...fat!..fat!.
BIYANG DS-10 MAXIMUM DISTORTION
Current Price $42.00 USD
ALL THE SAME "MOOER" OR LESS
When I first got into buying pedals on-line like most I did know what was what. I thought Gourmet pedals just have to be amazing. You could buy them from important distributors like 'Godlyke'.
Don't they sell only the best? I heard an amazing pedal...the TWA Flyboy FB-05 Metal Distortion....it was a gourmet pedal...my god...only $69.00 USD ....of course after shipping and various blah...about $100.00.....LUCKY ME!!! Just gotta have one!!!
The story gets better. Later I heard another demo...by Donner Giant Metal Distortion...it sounded great too....so why not get one....only $31.00 USD...free shipping too.
So I bought that too.
Both sounded the same...and neither of them sounded like their demo!!!
Much later I found out they were both a Mooer Blade Distortion...Current Price $48.00 USD
I learnt TWO important lessons.
Do not trust a demo that does not show or tell you what amp it is going thru and you should hear that amps clean sound first.The pedal should not be teamed up with other pedals either.... unless you here it first without them.
Secondly if a pedal is made in China you have to find out if it is manufactured by the brand name printed on the pedal.
I not only ended up with 2 pedals the same...I was gouged on one. What's more although the pedal has it's use....one use...it is not what I expected or wanted.
Current Price $31.00 USD. Current Price $69.00 USD
Current Price $48.00
It does shine at one thing. If you want to play triplets at 120 bpm or faster every note will articulate with awesome clarity...and at that speed you will have the odd note that is played with something less then perfection...but this thing will correct your minor fluff. So I did keep the first one...the TWA.
Yes...I can play that fast....on a good day...LOL
OK...I have had for some time with it since writing this review...Plenty of time to cool out over the BS.
It is really not bad...punchy and oddly quiet. Switching to it in a solo then back to a very good Metal distortion can be quite effective...it is not noticeably different to your average listener...so they put what you CAN do with it is put down by the audience as your great technique. LOL
BIYANG METAL-END...'KING'
Before you read about this distortion...I must warn you in order to get one...you have to make a deal with some guy...I think his name is DEVOL....yeah...that's it Mr.. DEVOL! A nice sort of guy...I think.... he is into the footwear manufacturing business...shoes or something because he wanted my sole.I heard this demonstrated thru the clean sound of a small practise amp.
My first impression was...."OK....Who do I have to kill to get one???
So the first thing you will notice is that it's really big. It takes up a lot of pedal board space.I found a simple way to get around this. GET A BIGGER PEDAL BOARD!
Lots of knobs and switches but none of them are just stuck in there to make the pedal look impressive. You click a switch or move a knob...and you get very niceable changes.
So the first thing you will notice is that it's really big. It takes up a lot of pedal board space.I found a simple way to get around this. GET A BIGGER PEDAL BOARD!
Lots of knobs and switches but none of them are just stuck in there to make the pedal look impressive. You click a switch or move a knob...and you get very niceable changes.
The EQ can both boost....or cut the signal..... The killer is the mids. They are sweepable...it is like tuning in a radio...you move it until it is EXACTLY where you want it. So you want a scoop...
you can pull out the mids while leaving some low mids to add to the bass for a massive low end.
You twiddle a few knobs and ...poof....you have perfection. but wait you have a second guitar. No big deal...plug it in.and with a few minor adjustments...and it is perfection plus for that guitar too.
You can get a Modern distortion out of it....it even has 'label' on the toggle to get you started.
BUT...this really shines pulling off those Classic Marshall Sounds.
Current Price $65.00 USD
SO WHAT''S THE BASIC SOUND???
sorry I can not tell you....there are not any words that I can say that would do it justice.
It really is that good.
How does it compare with all the competition?
Line up every high end gourmet distortion...even if it is a few hundred bucks!
The best you could convince me of is a tie.. this sucker will eat all but maybe a couple in seconds.
So just when I sit down with my smug and arrogant self to waddle in my genius of picking the perfect pedal...this gourmet jobbie comes knocking on my opinionated door!
Current Price $200.00 USD
So what does it sound like? A damn Metal-End King!!! So who has been sneaking inside what/which box??? Just kidding!!! LOL
Ok...the Bogner is darker sounding.. Like Bogner amps it just screams "MODERN". The Metal-End sounds like it almost has a reverb on the voice...and leans heavily into the Marshall thing.
In spite of the lack of bells and whistles of the Uberschall...I would call it a tie,
If you like your distortion very defined the Uberschall will do it .It doesn't have a trace of fuzziness...you get a maximum distortion yet every note is clean and defined with maximum bite. Nothing is tighter sounding as this distortion. the high end sounds like a Tube Screamer...the bass is defined and very tight...the mids are smooth and full but they seem to make lots of room for the highs and lows.
What I like about it is it is the opposite of the Metal.End.
It is almost sythetic...but in a good way
so at the best price on Amazon at $200.00 USD . It still is worth a cautious listen. I do not think
either will disappoint you.
Bottom line. It just gets down to your taste. The Metal End is easily as good. The Metal End...is so cheap ya just gotta think...that the Bogner has to be at least a tad better. NO! it is not even 1% better...just different. So if you choose the Metal End because it is the best you can afford. Cheer up you just got a distortion that nothing can beat. Tie maybe...but beat?.... Neve
you can pull out the mids while leaving some low mids to add to the bass for a massive low end.
You twiddle a few knobs and ...poof....you have perfection. but wait you have a second guitar. No big deal...plug it in.and with a few minor adjustments...and it is perfection plus for that guitar too.
You can get a Modern distortion out of it....it even has 'label' on the toggle to get you started.
BUT...this really shines pulling off those Classic Marshall Sounds.
SO WHAT''S THE BASIC SOUND???
sorry I can not tell you....there are not any words that I can say that would do it justice.
It really is that good.
How does it compare with all the competition?
Line up every high end gourmet distortion...even if it is a few hundred bucks!
The best you could convince me of is a tie.. this sucker will eat all but maybe a couple in seconds.
The best thing about the Metal-End pedal
is.... $65.00 USD
BOGNER UBERSCHALL
So just when I sit down with my smug and arrogant self to waddle in my genius of picking the perfect pedal...this gourmet jobbie comes knocking on my opinionated door!
So what does it sound like? A damn Metal-End King!!! So who has been sneaking inside what/which box??? Just kidding!!! LOL
Ok...the Bogner is darker sounding.. Like Bogner amps it just screams "MODERN". The Metal-End sounds like it almost has a reverb on the voice...and leans heavily into the Marshall thing.
In spite of the lack of bells and whistles of the Uberschall...I would call it a tie,
If you like your distortion very defined the Uberschall will do it .It doesn't have a trace of fuzziness...you get a maximum distortion yet every note is clean and defined with maximum bite. Nothing is tighter sounding as this distortion. the high end sounds like a Tube Screamer...the bass is defined and very tight...the mids are smooth and full but they seem to make lots of room for the highs and lows.
What I like about it is it is the opposite of the Metal.End.
It is almost sythetic...but in a good way
so at the best price on Amazon at $200.00 USD . It still is worth a cautious listen. I do not think
either will disappoint you.
Bottom line. It just gets down to your taste. The Metal End is easily as good. The Metal End...is so cheap ya just gotta think...that the Bogner has to be at least a tad better. NO! it is not even 1% better...just different. So if you choose the Metal End because it is the best you can afford. Cheer up you just got a distortion that nothing can beat. Tie maybe...but beat?.... Neve
SURPRISE BARGAIN... Wampler Plextortion
So there is nothing wrong with 'any' gourmet pedal that a 75 percent price reduction can not fix.
One of Wampler's biggest selling pedals for the last 4 years is the WAMPLER PLEXTORTION
a Marshall JMC800 distortion/overdrive pedal. You can dial in the classic scooped sound of the Metal players or dial up other great sounds with a very nice 3 way EQ. Perhaps get a rich middy sound...which is very thick with lots of rich overtones. Pinched harmonics leap out easily and the pedal is very quiet. It is made with the best parts, has a beautiful finish and is built like a tank.
They now make a variation of it nailing the EVH signature sound. So they discontinued the Plextortion.
Some dealers are waiting a bit longer and are holding down the current price as long as they can...asking between $199.00 and $245.00 for it
Others are announcing "last chance to buy a classic" and putting the price up
In fact way up to $400.00
Last and more important to us ...some dealers are dumping them out..at $138.00 USD...we are talking
SBS prices....lol
OK not SBS prices...but for a splurge...this is a cheap treat.
a Marshall JMC800 distortion/overdrive pedal. You can dial in the classic scooped sound of the Metal players or dial up other great sounds with a very nice 3 way EQ. Perhaps get a rich middy sound...which is very thick with lots of rich overtones. Pinched harmonics leap out easily and the pedal is very quiet. It is made with the best parts, has a beautiful finish and is built like a tank.
They now make a variation of it nailing the EVH signature sound. So they discontinued the Plextortion.
Some dealers are waiting a bit longer and are holding down the current price as long as they can...asking between $199.00 and $245.00 for it
Others are announcing "last chance to buy a classic" and putting the price up
In fact way up to $400.00
Last and more important to us ...some dealers are dumping them out..at $138.00 USD...we are talking
SBS prices....lol
OK not SBS prices...but for a splurge...this is a cheap treat.
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