MENATONE ...THE KING.
Menatone have been producing Marshall based overdrives since 1996. The most notable has been the King of the Brits. Menatone remind me of Analog Man ...both make handmade pedals and have a cult like following. Both take a very individual approach.
So...what's so different about Menatone. The most notable for me is that all the popular Marshall type OD's are obvious trying to create some kind of tube sound...and in the pedal world a transistor replaces the actual tube. The closet transistor to a tube sound is a FET. I have no complaints but I have always suspected they are what give the pedals sound an overall gloss to the sound. Think of it this way. A tube amp being a painting...and a pedal that cloned that being that same painting but with a piece of glass over it. This is not a criticism...just an observation. So what impressed me is the Menatone 'King" sound does not have glass over it.
There is something slightly surreal about it. It is like a waxwork figure that suddenly comes to life.
Menotone has a kind of rawness you hear from a real amp without FX of any kind in an average sounding small room. I can not imagine anything more 'real' then this pedal. I am sure if recorded in a band situation it would fool us all.
Some of my most exciting pedals are really a take on a bombastic overkill, overproduced recording of a good tube amp. I do love them for that. LOL
BUT THIS IS NOT A THEATRICAL SOUND.... IT IS THE REAL DEAL !!!
Years of making Marshall OD's from the JTM45 thru all the Plexi's to JMC800's and cherry picking the best as individual boxes have now all been put in one pedal ...and Brian Mena has done a stellar job of pulling it off.
In the last few years pedals keep popping up that have ripped off his basic voicing design. No they are not cheaper because of it. It simply needs great parts to pull off. The cheapest I found was a certain Japanese company. The best they can do is save you $10.00 USD. So this pedal is a great way to give them all the finger. LOL Yes..for $10.00 USD more you get the "best of" all the Menatones pedals...not just a knock off of one of them.
BUT HOW DOES IT SOUND?
You can get a convincing Rolling Stone bottom heavy chunky distortion right up to a classic 70,s Metal and beyond that to a modern tight sounding Metal. This pedal has nailed the basic sounds that it was designed to do. I do not know of any (even the best) that have nailed the gutsy clean/dirty Stones sound
What makes it easy to get accurate distinct voices is how the drive and gain knob work. If you set the drive low ...the gain reacts with less crunch ...but with the correct balance of the two. For example if you are trying for an early Plexi 100 watt amp. The drive is set low but the gain now reacts to the natural gain which that kind of amp being emulated has. So ...you then get a Hendrix 'The Wind Cries Mary' sound or a very 'Stones' like sound
.
The 3 way EQ then sets up your sound to perfection.
It does not end there either...pull off the back and you have even more control! A trim pot to zero in a 60''s thru 70's voicing....and a modern /vintage switch.
I think a lot of Marshall OD's are really giving you a Marshall plus Boss SD-1 sound because hundreds of classic recordings were made with that combination...nice ...but not accurate. I have these pedals and some are my essential tools. BUT...I would love to get a pedal with the correct voicing too. The King can do this.
The most impressive thing is something one does not generally buy a Marshall pedal for.
A dead accurate clean sound with the sound of the amp just before it breaks up.
Think about it... this sound is the root sound of a real amp.
If this can be done dead on. The distorted sounds are based off a real amp...not someone's imagination.
.
This pedal is really an accomplishment ...
I find this best for a Rythm/Lead sound. Cuts like a knife and is a very controllable sound that gives you good sustain but tight enough for playing fast passages.
There is something slightly surreal about it. It is like a waxwork figure that suddenly comes to life.
Menotone has a kind of rawness you hear from a real amp without FX of any kind in an average sounding small room. I can not imagine anything more 'real' then this pedal. I am sure if recorded in a band situation it would fool us all.
Some of my most exciting pedals are really a take on a bombastic overkill, overproduced recording of a good tube amp. I do love them for that. LOL
BUT THIS IS NOT A THEATRICAL SOUND.... IT IS THE REAL DEAL !!!
 |
Current Price $199.00 USD |
In the last few years pedals keep popping up that have ripped off his basic voicing design. No they are not cheaper because of it. It simply needs great parts to pull off. The cheapest I found was a certain Japanese company. The best they can do is save you $10.00 USD. So this pedal is a great way to give them all the finger. LOL Yes..for $10.00 USD more you get the "best of" all the Menatones pedals...not just a knock off of one of them.
BUT HOW DOES IT SOUND?
You can get a convincing Rolling Stone bottom heavy chunky distortion right up to a classic 70,s Metal and beyond that to a modern tight sounding Metal. This pedal has nailed the basic sounds that it was designed to do. I do not know of any (even the best) that have nailed the gutsy clean/dirty Stones sound
What makes it easy to get accurate distinct voices is how the drive and gain knob work. If you set the drive low ...the gain reacts with less crunch ...but with the correct balance of the two. For example if you are trying for an early Plexi 100 watt amp. The drive is set low but the gain now reacts to the natural gain which that kind of amp being emulated has. So ...you then get a Hendrix 'The Wind Cries Mary' sound or a very 'Stones' like sound
.
The 3 way EQ then sets up your sound to perfection.
It does not end there either...pull off the back and you have even more control! A trim pot to zero in a 60''s thru 70's voicing....and a modern /vintage switch.
I think a lot of Marshall OD's are really giving you a Marshall plus Boss SD-1 sound because hundreds of classic recordings were made with that combination...nice ...but not accurate. I have these pedals and some are my essential tools. BUT...I would love to get a pedal with the correct voicing too. The King can do this.
The most impressive thing is something one does not generally buy a Marshall pedal for.
A dead accurate clean sound with the sound of the amp just before it breaks up.
Think about it... this sound is the root sound of a real amp.
If this can be done dead on. The distorted sounds are based off a real amp...not someone's imagination.
.
This pedal is really an accomplishment ...
 |
.
Current Price $199.00 USD |
What a great novelty is it's name
The King.
meaning The King (period) lol
Inside the pedal is a switch that allows you to go from a classic sound to a modern overkill...I have mine modern. There is a small trim type pot to move between a 60's to 70's sound. I like the 60'sI find this best for a Rythm/Lead sound. Cuts like a knife and is a very controllable sound that gives you good sustain but tight enough for playing fast passages.
Menatone is a one man show. Brian Mena...He loves what he does ...he is some what of a perfectionist....and getting rich is a very low priority.
He makes 11 pedals...but it appears all but 2 take a 3 week wait if you order them.
in fact since ordering mine he seems to have zero inventory of any of his pedals .lol
The site is called ...Menatone Pedals and Pipes....yup Pipes
Tobacco pipes...you naughty boy....not those...but tobacco pipes.
now...if I want a Lear Jet...I do not tend to go to a bath tub site...lol
I might add ... if you want a pipe ..apparently he has no inventory of those either. lol
Ok...ya gotta love this guy.
Which would you say has a more authentic vintage '60s or '70s Marshall sound? The Mentone King or Thermion Heartbreaker?? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove this blog. Such a great resource and has introduced me to a handful of new designers. Thank you! Two questions on the King:
ReplyDelete1. Does this pedal or the king studio version,when adjusted for 90s and modern and gain cranked all the way up... Does this produce in the thick JCM 800 sound? I’m deciding between this and the JHS AT.
2. How does this compare to the Catalinbread dirty little secret III for foundation Marshall tones?
The Catalinbread products alway do a great job of getting detail in their tone but they are never fat sounding. The JHS AT is a bit strident and there isn't any richness to it's tone. The 2 best JCM800 pedals are the PedalPalFX Pal800-V3 Gold and the LPD 87 Preamp. Both are to die for!!! The PedalPal is literally taking the amps blueprint and then replacing the tubes with transistors ... each transistor is tweaked by hand until the pedal's sound is matched to the sound of the actual amp in the room. The LPD has cascade stages of gain ...12 of them!!!!This allows you to get multiple 'sweet spots' Most of the records you hear from the 80's used a JCM with a 'Jose' mod. The LPD is based from that.Most guys are judging the sound they want from old recordings so I find that not knowing who I recommend too that generally speaking that the LPD is a bullet proof choice. In fact when I get asked to simply recommend a great dirt pedal to buy I recommend the 87.
ReplyDelete