Since 2015 NEW PEDALS EVERY DAY! Over 3300 REVIEWS!
I use other reviewers vids & then critique from them __ If a pedal appears killer I buy one __ I try it out & update the Post__ If the pedal is SH@T I literally say so!__ I publish the street price a no brainer but few do. __ I save you time finding the best pedals & you get a second opinion. __OVER A MILLION VISTORS__
NO ONE OWNS ME___ I MAKE ZERO $ FROM THIS
...when I had my Brit band Tallis in London...I had a 50 watt 68 that I bought used in 71. ..the 50w saturates more ..less headroom but more sustain and the upper mids around 1k are more pronounced. The sustain has the quality of a female opera singer singing a long vowel sound. It was an aggressive sound but it had these sweet haunting highs.
Metropoulos Amplifications make a few clones...I picked this one because there isn't a sh@t load of well intended mods. I recommend coming here often and get the basic sound of the real thing stuck in your head. There is nothing wrong with good mods to both amps & pedals...BUT you need to have the sound of the real deal permanently in your head as a reference point.
Then when you hear a Plexi pedal you will soon know how close it is.
Keep in mind players like Hendrix would use 2 Fuzz Face pedals one had the gain very low and the volume/level right up. This would increase the natural gain of the amp by overdriving it with virtually a boost. Things like this are know built in to the amp by modifying it. My point is pedals were used in the 60's ...so on record we did not always hear exactly what the amp itself sounded like.
It only makes sense to build these extras right into SOME pedals. Once again this is fine in fact sometimes wonderful. BUT it is always good to know the difference to help you pick what combination of mods are good for you ...and what mods spoil the the sonic guts of the real sound.
...this is an exceptional ...high gain Marshall JMC800 pedal ....it could easily sell for $200.00
Jay Parmer on-line reviewer, teacher believes that the Friedman BE-OD is so good it is in a class of it's own ...on every video he mentions just how much he loves it. LOL
He only has 2 pedals on his pedal board ...LOL guess which two???
Buy one and put it in your gig bag. You will always be ready to play under any emergency...ready to jamb, or if you want to try out an amp or another pedal at your fav music store etc.you are ready to go. It will be your Swiss Army knife pedal!!!
NUMBER 2
NINE VOLTS __I WAS A WOLF IN THE FOREST $65.00 USD
...another JCM800 pedal ...but more of a medium gain pedal....so buying both this and the Blug jobbie makes a lot of sense. A little more money BUT made in Japan!!!!!
Quality plus. So check it out.
NUMBER 3
JOYO'S__ULTIMATE DRIVE $35.00 USD
...the biggest selling OD in the world is FULLTONE'S OCD...this a clone ...in a blindfold test...the difference in the sound of the 2 pedals is ...ZERO!!!!
I do not have mine on my board because the price of a better pedal is not insurmountable for me ...I have several gourmet pedals that are a better substitute ...BUT I did not sell it!!! ...it has that 'magic' that very few pedals have.
Personally I would get the first 2 . The Blug first and when you have the coin add the 'Wolf'.
Right after posting the PIOD FX WHAT YOU WANT 2
a very high gain but tube like OD.This showed up!
(read that post after reading this one)
The short story is that both pedals
sound very, very, very similar. The PIOD has a tad more mid range and the.... SCORPION has a hair more bite. There is no way anyone not having both under foot could choose one over the other.
If I were choosing I think price would decide. Not by the asking
price but things like shipping,duties and taxes.
The Scorpion is smaller. I quite like the look with the
heavy casing pebbled industrial finish and Ferrari red colour..both boast of the best parts.
The Piod has an additional digital output to your computer and 2
switches to voice the pedal. The Scorpion has one switch. It also can be powered by either a battery or standard 9v. power supply.
When it gets down to shaping your sound you will find little difference.. THESE 2 PEDALS HAVE FINISHED THE RACE TO YOUR WALLET IN A PHOTO FINISH TIE !!!
$220.00 USD
What could be better then both pedals side by each played by the same guy
.
Both pedals avoid using clipping diodes and both use multiple gain stages...this makes the pedal harder to design and get right ...and costs a lot more. They can be lumped into the Metal OD group because of their amount of distortion but are really much more like a real amp. The ghost of Jim Marshall was busy...being the guiding hand of both these pedals.
A TIE FOR THE BEST 2 MARSHALL (very) HIGH GAIN OD'S IN THE WORLD???
an SOB to decide...features...price ...availability ...
one made in the Ukraine ...one made in Canada
...in Europe or the US the closet may determine duties ....returns for service etc.
ALEKS K is direct...PIOD uses dealers For Canadians the Canadian dollar is accepted at par
WILL I BUY EITHER ONE?
I JUST ORDERED THE RED SCORPION!!!
In many ways I like their HOT ICE SWEET DISTORTION better. BUT between all my overdrives I have that covered. I could use my Diezel DH4 to sub this but I have it set up just a bit backed off and the EQ is set to optimize my Strat.
The Red Scorpion will give me my balls against the wall sound on all my guitars with a one size fits all setting ....since all but one guitar has a hummie.
I think the Scorpion might be better then the Friedman BE-OD...
I will certainly let you know.
I received my pedal today...my gear is in the city so I can not try it out.
FIRST IMPRESSION
Cool stuff..
First the fit and finish is stellar.. I have bought about 60 pedals in 2 years..this is definitely the the best looking one I have ever got. The thing is built like a tank. Included in the box is a sheet of every part in the pedal...everything is absolutely the best money can buy. Much of it is military spec.
Pet Peeves..
I find it hard to imagine someone buying this pedal that is not using a pedal board. If any they are in the minority. So it is annoying that the pedal has the little rubber feet on it...they could have been left loose in the box. Many high end pedals I have got recently send the rubber feet and a nice pre cut velcro patch and let the owner choose. One last minor thing is the info on the use of a battery ...It does not make it clear that there is not a battery in it...so I had to take off the bottom to make sure...as I never use them...so if a battery were to be left in a pedal it may eventually leak causing damage.
Back in the City
In spite of petty gripes ...I am very, very impressed. A half hour test told the whole story. I did an A/B with the Friedman BE-OD. The Scorpion has all the sustain and smack that the Friedman has but is much richer in tone ..harmonics and overtones just float out of it in an endless stream. It is much ...much fatter.The Friedman is more JCM800 sounding ...the Scorpion is very Plexi like with deep thick sumptuous mids and the ballsy bass ...So I will keep them both.
RIGHT NOW IF I LOST MY ENTIRE BOARD THE SCORPION IS THE FIRST PEDAL I WOULD BUY!!!
CODA
I have owned over 60 pedals in the last 2 years. Some good some crap. A few of the best were cheap..but the very best are never cheap ...some expensive boutique pedals were a profound let down.
I have 14 dirt boxes on my board! Maybe 15 if you consider the Bluguitar Amp1 ... simply a 100 watt OD. All I consider is that they be the very best of what they do. Not one was bought because of the price.
If the tone is right. I get it!!!! F. the price!!!
4 pedals stood out...........
Xvive Thomas Blug Golden Brownie
A new product for the budget brand Xvive. The heavy duty case is evident. I expect a small bump up of quality of any important part. Last but not least a great designer. In this case Thomas Blug.
The result is an excellent Marshall JCM 800 pedal (Brown sound) ...a very appealing sound that can butt heads with the very best of the traditional brands. At $45.00 USD ...a very impressive offering
Lawrence Petross Design ...LPD Sixty 8 Drive
A medium Plexi OD...with a great touch sensitivity. There is something almost trance like in the tone. It has voice that is incredibly warm and articulate. Every note and chord is clear without that clarity contrived with some metallic click to give the notes some definition. It has the voice of a classic Marshall but with the glassy transparency of the original Klon.I think in time it could be a classic.
Friedman BE-OD
Not new to design with a successful series of amps but pedals are a new territory. The pedal is meant to copy his ever popular Brown Eyed amp. It is a beefed up JTM45 ...to my ears it sounds very,very much like a Marshall JCM 800 on steroids. It is incredibly high gain. It takes a bit of work to keep it's tube amp identity and one can very easily push it into a near fuzz like contrived Metal pedal. It's best feature is that even at low amp volumes it likes to swell the notes and can usually be persuaded to go into a beautiful feedback. All ready a contemporary classic.
Aleks K Production Red Scorpion Distortion
In this case we have an pedal encroaching on Friedman's forte. The Scorpion does not claim to be anything ...but it has Plexi written all over it .It does not have that easy swelling that the Friedman has BUT everything else is better right down to the case it is built in. . The tone is easily richer with beautiful sweet overtones and harmonics.
MOST noticeable is it has a deep masculine tone and .... ....it is twice as fat as the Friedman.
It is the heaviest sounding overdrive that I've ever heard that can easily pull off a Metal thing ...
WITHOUT LOOSING IT'S REAL TUBE AMP ROOTS. If you just want a great straight forward PLEXI...NO PROBLEM it does that too.
Unlike the Friedman you do not have to work for hours to get the best out of it. Put everything on 12 o'clock and you can find yourself jamming for hours before you realize that maybe you can tweak it and get more. Damn it Margret..that is exactly what you can do.
FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO SHRED AND BLOW THE CROWD OFF THEIR SEATS AND PLASTER THEM AGAINST THE BACK WALL! this can do it.. and still sound great. I hope I did not forget to tell you it is twice as fat as the Friedman? I have bought and sold 2 of the Bognar distortions ...the Bogner Burnley and the Uberschall. I also had the Amptweaker Big Rock Pro and the Tight Metal. All 4 pedals I only kept a few weeks. The problem with them was that they were lifeless and artificial sounding. The Scorpion is not for sale. LOL EVER!!!
IF THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A CONTEST FOR THE BEST DIRT BOX IN THE WORLD
MY MONEY IS ON THE SCORPION
IT IS 6/10/2017
WITH A WHOOPING 50 PEDALS ACTUALLY ON A BOARD
THAT I ACTUALLY USE LIVE I AM DEFINITELY PEDAL NUTS!!!
BUT
I AM NOT A COLLECTOR! IF I SPEND EVEN $400.00 USD Plus ON
THE LATEST 'WONDER-DRIVE' ...IT BETTER BLOW MY MIND OR IT IS HEADED TO TO Reverb EVEN BEFORE THE PAINT DRYS!!
THAT SAID...
FOR ME A FIRST!!!!! 4 MONTHS LATER... AND I AM NEVER DISTRACTED ENOUGH FROM MY LATEST ACQUISITION TO NOT WANT TO SWITCH ON MY SCORPION FOR A FEW MOMENTS OF BLISS!!!
Today we go to Sydney Australia.
It seems that to get originality and creative and exceptional pedals we now must search the world and look under every rock. BUT they 'are' out there.
Amp makers making a pedal of their own amp is getting to be the norm. This time it MI with a pedal of their Megalith Beta 180 watt amp. Micheal Ibrahim designed both.
To be fair... M.I. probably were the first to make a pedal to clone their amp...as this pedal has been around since 2006. In fact this is v.2
,
This is a straight up high gain Distortion box.
A shredder for all and a basic Metal pedal for some.
The EQ is very effective unlike many such boxes. The contour knob tightens the sound, and the boost adds a bit of bite to the top end and boosts the bottom to give it a bit of a low end 4x12 thump.
Every control has a very wide range. In a pedal with this much gain the EQ is usually less then useful. The variety of tones on this pedal is exceptional!!!
$250.00 USD
It is quite a nice gritty distortion ...fat & tight with no nasty fizz.
Best of all it easily jumps into a great controllable feedback.
This pedal is a treat!!!
Even if something this high gain is not your thing ...wouldn't you just love to satisfy that guilty pleasure of yours and be able to borrow it for a weekend!!!
This is without any doubt the 'heaviest' Metal style pedal ever made that based on a classic tube tmp..
Yes...not the most extreme. The honour goes to the Goosoniqueworx Kult...but making an all tube amp that is based on it's sound is beyond probable ...I think most likely impossible since it has more gain then the M.I. with the gain set on ....(wait for it!) ....ZERO!!!!!!!!!!
I own a couple of decent Fuzz boxes that I use on an anthem like chorus or two. I am not a modern metal player I am attempting to blend into the Indie scene. The things I play behind the vocals are genre appropriate and are just fine. BUT ...whereas Indie might pop in some Hardcore ...I sneak in an early Sabbath/AC/DC type vibe on riffs and hooks for the intro and bridges. Doing this on a bright sunny yellow Airline guitar helps pull off my bluff. LOL
No one but a guitar player has noticed. Hell it's a good thing too because I have 4 JCM 800 and 5 Plexi pedals.
So I bought one so I had to bump the Apocalypse Fuzz. The M.I. is not only as aggressive as a fuzz it still has some of that big balls tube amp sound.
I have put my APOCALYPSE FUZZ on Reverb.
.
READ
OVERDRIVE-ALEKS K PRODUCTION RED SCORPION DISTORTION OVERDRIVE-PIOD FX WHAT YOU WANT 2
these 2 pedals are the classic Marshall sounding ...alternative choices
Metal pedals can be great fun. Testosterone in a box!!!
But many feel they are nothing more then a Fuzz with a couple of tweaks. part of the reason for this is basically they all use clipping diodes...of which I am not totally against but they kill any hope of getting a natural tube sound.
To be fair Piod do not claim this is a Metal pedal. BUT a lot of Metal players have been scooping them up.
One thing this pedal has is superb natural tube sound.
To me this one of the the fattest fullest classic Marshall type sound I have ever heard. Any more gain and it would slip into the abyss of another straight up metal pedal.
$220.00 USD & $180.00 USD
I have checked into it ...there seems to be no inventory anywhere. There will be no more until late Spring.
Piod are a small company from the Ukraine. A basic one man show. The highest quality parts are used and the owner, designer and builder is Alexsy Malyshok.a meticulous craftsman.
This is going on the short list !!!
This is one super FAT sounding pedal.
With the ALEKS K. PRODUCTIONS RED SCORPION
we now have 2 great pedals to choose from.
(check the Aleks K. Production Red Scorpion post and compare)
They make a smaller pedal for those that need to save pedal real estate. But the functions are simplified. Hey! ...you can't be compromising on your 'shredder'
Hi...welcome to the world of the best CHEAP pro pedals and the world of STATE OF THE ART
pedals to entertain you and keep your knowledge on the cutting edge.
IN FACT I REVIEW PEDALS BEFORE THEY ARE EVEN AVAILABLE! THE PROTOTYPE!!!
HERE YOU GET CUTTING EDGE INFO ....and you leave here with BRAGGING RIGHTS you can one up your musician friends every time they talk pedals.LOL
I started with the very best entry level pro pedals most around $35.00 USD and went straight for the worlds very best one at a time. See my board. I still have some cheapies on my board.
For example the MIGHTY SOUND M5 DELAY ....$23.00 USD YES indeed ...$23.00USD including free shipping! I almost forgot.. XVIVE THE THOMAS BLUG GOLDEN BROWNIE a stunningly accurate Marshall JCM 800...if it were $200.00 or more when I first heard it ... ...it would have not seemed crazy. But it was $45.00 USD. This is a keeper if in time you start buying some gourmet pedals you will still hang onto this The Rowin LEF 606 is a better sounding BIG MUFF then the new Nano by EH. it is only $24.00 USD. I just ordered one for myself. I have spent over $400.00 on just one fuzz and yet I am damned impressed with this one. .
I have found a few I might pick over it because of taste. But are they better NO!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Each TYPE of CHEAPIE pedal has it's own Collective Post...these posts are kept updated
as a result the post may be dated DEC 2015....but it has a pedal in it that I put in it today.
A STATE OF THE ART pedal has a separate post with only that one pedal in it.
OD's out sell all pedals 10 to 1.SO....they have 10 times as many posts.
NEWCOMERS USUALLY START WITH THE POST.....OVERDRIVES-SBS this is the essential guts of why SDS exists. Then go back and read HOW TO USE SDS
I have a small collection of pedals that have been bumped from my board but I just can not get myself to sell them.
JOYO JF-02 ULTIMATE DRIVE
This is a OCD clone. A copy. A dead on perfect copy. There is obviously something about the OCD that has made it so popular that they have sold quite literally thousands of them.It is a little bit harsh and the sustain sucks. Those that shred with it I suspect push the level away past unity and force the amp to get a great deal of the sound. In unity gain it is a very nice medium distortion that is good for riffs and power chords.
JOYO JF-39 DELUXE CRUNCH
This is not a clone. It has 2 gain controls and acts like an amp with one control acting like a preamp volume and the other the amp volume. You can use the 2 to get a decent lite to medium high distortion. The voicing of the pedal is scooped. This gives the pedal a lot of definition but without that mid range it then becomes a bit thin. It also has a weak sustain. It is a riff and vocal backing pedal. It does however have an original and pleasant voice. If you have room on your board get one. Why? It always seems to work just right when pedals twice as good just do not fit a tune.
MAXON GE-601 EQ
$160.00 USD
$37.00 USD
The green Maxon is a clone...part for part clone...it is sold as an original...does the word 'counterfeit" come to mind. LOL
The parts on the Maxon were never high end but the damn thing sounds good anyway.
Being total contraband the clones are hard to find.
I am currently using the EQ in a Joyo American Tech21 Blonde clone of a 57 Fender Deluxe preamp pedal.
I am keeping the Maxon just in case of.
The novelty of the thing makes it a keeper too.
I bet you are asking yourself why the price difference is so extreme??????
The copy is built into a heavy steal box like some very expensive gourmet pedals???
MAGOO TUBE SCREAMER DEMON
This sucker really has cloned the original in a stellar fashion. The problem is that all ts pedals rely on the JRC4558D chip. This chip is 98% of the sound!!! SO the difference between them in context of a band is childishly infinitesimal. Add to that in a band context a $23.00 USD will almost always do the job.LOL
$35.00 USD
$1628.00 USD no sh@t!!!
"No..ya can't fool me ...I gotta have the original."
Not a lot to say. It is pedal designed for Via to use to get his sound in something portable.
It is mainly for his personal playing ...writing and general noodling. LOL
It is really a complete 2 channel preamp.The clean sound is superb. I think everyone would love it.
The distortion. GOOD? ...well yes ...BUT it gives you exactly what it was designed for.
Steve Via's sound. I think his sound is great. BUT ...it is not versatile ...you can not shape the tone to get around it, Plus it is huge and expensive. I thought most players are at least curious. I do not recommend it. Everyone needs things to get 'their' sound. There is no right or wrong way to do this. But there are so many great pedals better then this ...cheaper and malleable. Hey...on the bright side I just love the retro look with the 50's Detroit green and the chicken head knobs.
There are lots more vids out there but most of them are infomercials. This one is objective and worth your time.
OK ...OK ...we got to hear what good ol' Steve has to say about a pedal that isn't made by Boss. LOL
Just when I think it's safe out there this shows up!
Current Price $260.00 USD
There is no claim that this is a Marshall ...but it leans heavily towards a PLEXI. Definitely a gourmet Plexi though.
First this pedal is not cheap but with a list of the manufacturers of the parts used to make an Aleks K.pedal ...I would say you get more then your moneys worth. The words 'State of the Art' comes to mind.
So...parts make a great pedal better but how does it sound?
Try making a list of everything you want in an OD
and this pedal gets a perfect 10.
OK maybe a 9. LOL
I have never heard a bigger sound in a rock OD.
Metal yes...but Metal is more into an emotional response in the absence of rich tone.
The detail and clarity are to die for. As for sweet spot?
Leave the 2 gains anywhere and it still sounds great. Even on 1.
It is really 2 pedals in one. One drive for light to medium OD sounds and another for medium to heavy OD.
Combine them and this pedal gets scary!
The knob labelled 'juice' compresses and boosts the signal adding more gain and a slight boost on the highs.
There is only a single control for the tone but the definition
as you sweep thru it's range puts this single control in a league of it's own.
There are lots of pedals with treble, mid and bass that are not this good.
...It seems that in private Brett Kingman thinks the Aleks products are without equal. Keep in mind he has demoed quite literally hundreds of OD's .To find this pedal he thinks is this good and say so
is tricky. Who wants to send him a pedal to review if they think he thinks it has to be no better then second best.
The last thing he says in the vid is that he is putting it on his pedalboard. He is old school enough to have relatively small board & you can bet some big bucks OD got pulled to put it on.
...Darrel Braun is famous for his overkill on what makes a thing tick
if he promotes a product not a piece of audio lint has not caught his attention
in short...he's sold on the Hot Ice
but keep in mind he is not a player that is interested in a tone that features a
the kind of ballsy sound that strips the paint off the walls of your local rock club.
So what's the verdict.
I think it is one of the best sounding OD's I ever heard. BUT ... nothing is perfect. It seems to lack a nice edgy defined top end. Where is that 6th knob labeled Sparkle (presence) To be fair that very nice bit of sizzle can be lost when it hits your PC by modest the modest amp/speaker headphones it is nearly always teamed up with. I am sure it is adequate to the voicing of this pedal. The company is small so it lacks the exposure and hence there are too few videos to judge by. Brett does not push the highs all the way up on the demo ...that is visibly noticeable on the pedals settings. Darrel uses more highs but all his tones float around a 'Fusion' sound. Fusion sounds to me are a bit wimpy and dripping with pretentious false maturity. In short the sound has to be understated ...which equals no balls. OK...I am sure i am lint picking one of the best pedals ever made. Being a self styled expert have to find something to moan about. lOL.
I have boasted many times about how good the Friedman BE-OD is. In fact in my book it is number one. It does have an amazing response to your touch and the notes swell beautifully. BUT ...the overall tone is tight rather then warm and fat
.
For the straight overall tone the Hot Ice is noticeably superior.....but the Friedman has more highs then a veteran drug attic.
So which is better? A pedal with that real tube swell and sizzle to burn. Or a pedal that features a flawlessly rich fat tone with moderate highs. I am sure if I had room I would have both.
This OD is definitely a contender for ...BEST OVERDRIVE! ...but is it second best?
Yes this is the guy that just made your current OD pedal redundant. LOL
SO DON'T BLAME ME
This pedal in general sounds very much like a 100 watt 68 Marshall Plexi that no one got crazy modding. The Friedman sounds just like his amps. modded to the extreme.
This is very much a milestone product. The pedal effectively covers low, mid and high gain Marshall type sounds without sounding compromised. It is a session players dream. The ultimate dirt pedal for a cover band. An incredible tool for a song writer. It can lay back behind a vocal or take center stage with a commanding ease.It doesn't even take up more board space then it needs What is not to like
FINAL VERDICT
When I wrote this I had not heard
ALEK K PRODUCTION RED SCORPION DISTORTION
This pedal is so hot it gives off nuclear radiation. It borders on melt down!
A Dutch company enters the pedal world. The 70's OD is quite obviously a Marshall. The voicing of the pedal is very good.. It lacks that precious 'swell' of the notes that separates the merely very good from the stellar.
Personally I love the look. Modern without being gimmicky.The company demo is short. and the other demo is rather pedestrian. A lot of players will love the simplicity. A great sound with only 3 knobs level gain and tone and a reasonable price.
BUT...there are plenty of cheaper pedals with
a good sound. Blug's ...Xvive Golden Brownie
is only $45.00USD and it is equal if not better.
The companies big push is to make using pedals simple.Their board is the key. It has a built in tuner and powers all the pedals. You just snap the pedal into a 'pocket' and you are ready to go.
BUT...even though the pedalboard is reasonable at $100.00 USD ...anyone serious about pedals is not going to buy from just one brand.
