# Boss HM2/Clone Chainsaw Megathread



## feraledge

I normally do ranty NGDs, cut right to the point here:
Does it chainsaw: YES
Is it the best HM2 clone: NO
Is it the best HM2 clone going new at MF for $50: YES

Versatile? Not really. But here’s the deal, TC wanted to dip their toe in the HM2 craze, but not really commit in line with some great boutique options (I’d love to buy my Throne Torcher back at some point). The name SUCKS, design is bleak (not in a good way). I’ll say this, I love TC pedals, have owned a handful, but my Ditto Looper and HOF mini have stuck around and will go nowhere. That said, my surprise at the size of this was massive, hence the pic in hand for reference.
All that said, they picked up a pointer: the pedal is all EQ knobs on 10, classic chainsaw. Gain on 0, pair it with your amp’s distortion for megagrind. Put it on 10, pretty good maxed out HM2. I go 0 and dick around with the blue and red channels on my 5153.
The boutique options get nice and articulate. This does not. It’s a bulldozer. But sometimes a bulldozer is the tool you’re looking for. So a $50 one that works pretty convincingly? I’ll buy that for a dollar (x fifty)!

I need to post up clips, but think “room feel” will be more accurate than VST. Just need to figure that out and will do.


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## feraledge

FYI, the TC demo sucks. This is the one that sold me on it:


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## Blytheryn

By Lasse and Svend. I am in tears. Glad to hear you found a decent temp for the TT situation!


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## Beheroth

Have you opened it to see if the EQ is hardwired or set by trimpot ?


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## Bearitone

Please check this ^^^ and let us know!!!


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## feraledge

Beheroth said:


> Have you opened it to see if the EQ is hardwired or set by trimpot ?


Hardwired


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## JD27

Pretty cool, didn't know these existed. Was sort of interested in the Walrus Red, but this is a much cheaper option to get back into the grind of the chainsaw.


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## bnzboy

this and 3rd dimension are very intriguing


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## Werecow

feraledge said:


> Is it the best HM2 clone: NO



What is the best HM2 clone in your opinion? I love the sound of my Behringer HM300 but the input jacks suck on it, it hums like a bastard with all but the best power supplies, and they tend to just completely break randomly. I'm on to my third one now, and want something better made that sounds pretty much exactly the same.


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## Smoked Porter

Dunno if you've tried the Behringer clone, but if you have, how do they compare vs the TC?


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## Bearitone

Werecow said:


> What is the best HM2 clone in your opinion? I love the sound of my Behringer HM300 but the input jacks suck on it, it hums like a bastard with all but the best power supplies, and they tend to just completely break randomly. I'm on to my third one now, and want something better made that sounds pretty much exactly the same.



I love my HM 300 too. Still going strong but, I agree. It feels like a mcdonalds toy in your hand and it hums real bad.


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## Blasphemer

I’ve been curious about these. I’m starting an HM-2 collection, and wondered if this would be worth throwing in the pile


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## 0rimus

Makes me wanna do a shootout between this and the Nine of Swords Funeral Party I already own.

Both are 2 knob HM inspired jobbies.

Initial impression is that the Funeral Party is much darker, but, who knows


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## feraledge

JD27 said:


> Pretty cool, didn't know these existed. Was sort of interested in the Walrus Red, but this is a much cheaper option to get back into the grind of the chainsaw.



Exactly. If this weren’t so cheap, I’d probably get pickier about it, but I’m amped on the package deal, short the name and looks. 



bnzboy said:


> this and 3rd dimension are very intriguing



I’d give it a shot. 



Werecow said:


> What is the best HM2 clone in your opinion? I love the sound of my Behringer HM300 but the input jacks suck on it, it hums like a bastard with all but the best power supplies, and they tend to just completely break randomly. I'm on to my third one now, and want something better made that sounds pretty much exactly the same.



I dig the Throne Torcher the most, but I haven’t tried many to be honest. This is a formidable pedal, don’t see it having resiliency issues. 



Smoked Porter said:


> Dunno if you've tried the Behringer clone, but if you have, how do they compare vs the TC?



Have not. 



kindsage said:


> I love my HM 300 too. Still going strong but, I agree. It feels like a mcdonalds toy in your hand and it hums real bad.



This thing is a brick. I don’t see any of that being a problem here. 



Blasphemer said:


> I’ve been curious about these. I’m starting an HM-2 collection, and wondered if this would be worth throwing in the pile



It’s $50, not a bad entry fee! Works for me.


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## Shask

kindsage said:


> I love my HM 300 too. Still going strong but, I agree. It feels like a mcdonalds toy in your hand and it hums real bad.


I am wondering what you guys are hearing, lol! I have been playing with my HM300 the last few days, and I can never find a tone I would actually use. It always sounds like a buzzaw, garbled mess. I know that is kind of what they are suppose to sound like, lol, but I never even get close to their famous tones, like At the Gates, or Nails.


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## Bearitone

Shask said:


> I am wondering what you guys are hearing, lol! I have been playing with my HM300 the last few days, and I can never find a tone I would actually use. It always sounds like a buzzaw, garbled mess. I know that is kind of what they are suppose to sound like, lol, but I never even get close to their famous tones, like At the Gates, or Nails.



Try drop tuning, setting as a boost into a high gain amp, and just playing bar chords. You get a huge, grinding, doom sound. 

I never go for “Swedish” death metal tones when playing with the HM300


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## Smoked Porter

kindsage said:


> Try drop tuning, setting as a boost into a high gain amp, and just playing bar chords. You get a huge, grinding, doom sound.
> 
> I never go for “Swedish” death metal tones when playing with the HM300


I usually go for the same. "Swede-ish", not Swedish


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## Mathemagician

That pedal looks like a shitty 80’s video tape and I LOVE it. The name is so stupid too. Idk, I think it’s gnarly.


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## pullingstraws

I'm pretty sure the name is a reference to the Entombed track on Wolverine Blues. Not sure if you guys caught that...


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## feraledge

Mathemagician said:


> That pedal looks like a shitty 80’s video tape and I LOVE it. The name is so stupid too. Idk, I think it’s gnarly.


I've got a love for shitty 80s horror, so the red on black was really seeming like a cheap homage to a fake corporation from Robocop or something. I like that aspect of it theoretically, but could be a bit more over the top IMO. The box is almost more convincing than the pedal, even though it looks like a spooky version of an old, smuggled Sovtek pedal. 


pullingstraws said:


> I'm pretty sure the name is a reference to the Entombed track on Wolverine Blues. Not sure if you guys caught that...


Never got into Wolverine Blues, but I figured this was the case, just too lazy to look! Haha. But kind of the vibe too, "we could nail this directly OR do just enough that people who know will know without having to compete in the mine field of HM2 clones." A tiny bit more R&D and this could've nabbed a title from more prime Entombed or Dismember track lists. 

That said, I still think it's a badass pedal. Just a little boutique comparison shame. Haha!


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## Smoked Porter

I may grab one of these, but it'd be cool if they sold well enough for them to make a "deluxe" version with more tweakability, mainly a blend knob. I really want a Left Hand Wrath Deluxe for that reason, but just can't stomach the cost, and I bet TC could to it for half the price or less.


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## feraledge

Smoked Porter said:


> I may grab one of these, but it'd be cool if they sold well enough for them to make a "deluxe" version with more tweakability, mainly a blend knob. I really want a Left Hand Wrath Deluxe for that reason, but just can't stomach the cost, and I bet TC could to it for half the price or less.


Oh definitely. That would be fucking rad. I'd say it would probably be a nightmare for the boutique HM2 world, but honestly I doubt it would touch it. I think at this point everyone who loves the HM2 has the affliction to hoard them like they're never coming back again. So people should buy these up and encourage TC to unleash some Massive Killing Capacity in a deluxe version.


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## Shask

kindsage said:


> Try drop tuning, setting as a boost into a high gain amp, and just playing bar chords. You get a huge, grinding, doom sound.
> 
> I never go for “Swedish” death metal tones when playing with the HM300


Maybe. I am using it into my Triple Recto, with a guitar with a Duncan Custom tuned in E. I will have to try a different guitar. I also notice many guys who love them tend to use EMGs, so maybe the Custom is too bass heavy for it. I have tried as a boost, and stand alone with a Tubescreamer boosting it, which is better. I also notice many prefer it with a cheap solid state amp, so I will have to try it with my Katana also. Those videos on Youtube where HM-2 pedals just sound like a wall of noise, and you cant tell anything they are actually playing? That is pretty much what I get....


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## kevdes93

Might have to cop one sometime just to try something cheap. Also have an hm300 that sounds surprisingly good.
Nothing beats the Dunwich modded hm2 IMO, and avoid anything and everything Lone Wolf Audio. One of the most underwhelming of the clones while simultaneously being the most expensive available. The owner is a massive egomaniacal prick who threatens and harrasses any builder who makes an HM2 because for some reason he thinks he should be the only one "allowed" to make them. Hes threatened people with lawsuits who share the messy guts of his pedals and anyone who talks negatively about his stuff. Avoid at all costs.

Dunwich hm2, Dunn effects heirophant, kma audio wurm are all awesome options


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## buriedoutback

This is how I run my hm300 - as a boost into my 5150. no sound samples at the moment, but it's chainsaw enough while not being too messy (for my taste)
https://i.imgur.com/OnQlvQS.jpg
--sorry to derail/hijack


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## Blasphemer

I have the hm300, and I think it sounds great. It’s brighter than my MIJ HM-2, but not in a super radical or unpleasing way. I rehoused it with no knobs (all set to 10 internally) and with some art on the box. There’s no way a snob wouldn’t see or hear this and rant on about it’s “boutique” sound quality, which is extra funny to me because HM-2s realistically sound terrible for anything other than pure anger.

In short, the hm300 is a totally acceptable alternative to the real deal as long as you’re not worried about the cheap plastic.


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## buriedoutback

Blasphemer said:


> I rehoused it with no knobs (all set to 10 internally) and with some art on the box.


That is amazing!
I might do that (keeping the knobs at my preferred position though).

ps. might be new-thread-worthy to show how you did it


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## wakjob

Damn... another HM-2 clone!
What's going on lately?

I like the concept of this T.C. pedal, and LOVE the looks.
But I never got a really good "chainsaw" sound out of my HM-2's with the theoretical everything on '10' method.

It's sounds and feels more like a gunky sputtering fuzz.

In fact, if anyone hasn't tried their HM-2 at 12 volts 
really should. 

Then... bi-amp !
Yep, I split my signal into a med-high gain tight amp like my Randall RD-1/4x12, with the other half of my signal going into the HM-2 @ 12vdc > Marshall 8100 Valvestate set to a dirty clean sound on the drive channel. Then balance the volumes to my tastes. 

So I'm basically focused on playing the Randall,
and the "chainsaw" sound is just tagging along.

This is the closest to 'Clandestine' as I've gotten.

To my ears, the closest clone is the BYOC "Swede" 
going just from YT vids.


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## Vyn

I've got this. Wicked pedal, sounds knarly as fuck on a lead channel with just a tiny bit more gain. All the Swedes!


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## feraledge

FYI, I don’t think anything about HM2 talk is derailing a thread about HM2 clones and tones! Keep it going!

^^ that one switch HM300 is cool as shit.


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## KailM

Shoot, for $50, I'd really like to try one of these. I have a real MIT HM-2 that's in great shape, but I've always struggled to get a great sound out of it through my 6505s and 5153. I mean, I _have_ gotten great sounds out of it, but it's such a finicky pedal that if you accidentally bump a knob it's off and no longer sounds great. 

IMO the original HM-2 sounds best through a solid state amp's clean channel (and I no longer have any solid state amps), not a high gain tube amp. With my 6505s and 5153, I'm always battling too much gain, and then the pedal makes it an inarticulate wall of noise that has too mushy of a response to play anything technical. Some of the boutique pedals like the Wurm and Throne Torcher seem to address that, but damn, they're expensive. Maybe I'll give this TC a go...


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## JD27

This video was pretty interesting as far as getting the Entombed tone.


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## feraledge

Goddamn, people talk way too much on youtube videos! 

I keep thinking I should grab a Hotone Nano head and 1x12" with an ABY and mix. Then it's like, oh yeah, TT has a clean blend now.


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## JD27

feraledge said:


> Goddamn, people talk way too much on youtube videos!
> 
> I keep thinking I should grab a Hotone Nano head and 1x12" with an ABY and mix. Then it's like, oh yeah, TT has a clean blend now.



Longwinded video yes, but the part about the microphone was interesting


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

JD27 said:


> Longwinded video yes, but the part about the microphone was interesting



I'm glad he gets to the tone first, because god sometimes he rambles on WAY too much. 

But I'd love to check this out. Honestly, since these are just Behringer pedals with slight tweaks tonewise, I wouldn't be surprised if this is just a HM300 without the EQ controls.


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## NateFalcon

...I thought this was going to be about ACTUAL chainsaws...I was excited, too


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## Bearitone

NateFalcon said:


> ...I thought this was going to be about ACTUAL chainsaws...I was excited, too


  Your picture makes the comment 100 times better


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## feraledge

Did a quick video to give a feel for it. Recorded on a Iphone, just room sound. 
ESP LTD H302 with Black Winter in the bridge tuned to Drop A. EVH 5153 50w with matching 2x12" cab, on the blue channel. TC Eyemaster is gain at zero and volume at 50%.


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## Blasphemer

Welp, my collection grew one more, today:












DOD Americal Metal



__ Blasphemer
__ May 12, 2018





Found this at GC today for a pretty good price. With the Presence knob dimed, it does the buzzsaw pretty well. Obviously derived from the HM-2. It's different, but equally cool in it's own right.

Not to detract from feraledge's NGD, but should we just make this an HM-2 thread?


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## feraledge

Blasphemer said:


> Not to detract from feraledge's NGD, but should we just make this an HM-2 thread?


Hi, OP here, and I approve of this message.


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## wakjob

Blasphemer said:


> Welp, my collection grew one more, today:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DOD Americal Metal
> 
> 
> 
> __ Blasphemer
> __ May 12, 2018
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Found this at GC today for a pretty good price. With the Presence knob dimed, it does the buzzsaw pretty well. Obviously derived from the HM-2. It's different, but equally cool in it's own right.
> 
> Not to detract from feraledge's NGD, but should we just make this an HM-2 thread?



Damn!

My first dirt box was the FX56-B
'Super American Metal' pedal. 

And that is an almost direct clone of the HM-2.


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## JD27

Just ordered one of these. The name is actually fitting since it’s made to get you that tone.


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## KnightBrolaire

Figured it'd be easier to post this here instead of making a separate thread, so here's some clips of my hm300 into a dual recto profile. settings are pretty much variations of the pic below but with varying levels of distortion or my volume knob on the guitar rolled off.





https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tfzwttd0xreiccw/AABeb7VSuXVQkOxXqo-QLPXWa?dl=0


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## DudeManBrother

KnightBrolaire said:


> Figured it'd be easier to post this here instead of making a separate thread, so here's some clips of my hm300 into a dual recto profile. settings are pretty much variations of the pic below but with varying levels of distortion or my volume knob on the guitar rolled off.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/w4g7ycdj9eakecn/rectohm300_drowned1.flac?dl=0
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/f41rfvb53ribon7/rectohm300_extra1.flac?dl=0
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/km1q7yw61x6840h/rectohm300_savage1.flac?dl=0


It wouldn’t let me listen in Dropbox for some reason. But have you tried running it in the loop of the Kemper and setting a STOMP slot for it? I love my various chainsaw pedals run like that because it’s footswitchable, and you can blend it into the profile; instead of an all or none sound, it’s nice to blend in a taste of it while retaining a tight modern distortion overall.


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## KnightBrolaire

DudeManBrother said:


> It wouldn’t let me listen in Dropbox for some reason. But have you tried running it in the loop of the Kemper and setting a STOMP slot for it? I love my various chainsaw pedals run like that because it’s footswitchable, and you can blend it into the profile; instead of an all or none sound, it’s nice to blend in a taste of it while retaining a tight modern distortion overall.


no I haven't tried that yet. I'll have to play around with that. anyways I changed the link, let me know if it works now.


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## DudeManBrother

KnightBrolaire said:


> no I haven't tried that yet. I'll have to play around with that. anyways I changed the link, let me know if it works now.


Still no go. It says it can’t be previewed.


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## KnightBrolaire

DudeManBrother said:


> Still no go. It says it can’t be previewed.


dammit. let me try re-uploading/making a new folder or something.
folder:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qzgi97igaeabdk0/AABbQ-EJSIVh1QO6u70VLv7ta?dl=0
individual clips
https://www.dropbox.com/s/15z0900s5s1cmcq/rectohm300_drowned1.flac?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8r0physclk854rq/rectohm300_extra1.flac?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rlbhyd3731w195p/rectohm300_savage1.flac?dl=0


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## Blasphemer

Because I really needed another one...












LWA LHW



__ Blasphemer
__ Jul 26, 2018






Got a Lone Wolf Audio Left Hand Wrath. This thing is awesome. Gave it a quick spin, and the presence control really helps dial in that harsh high-end that can be an issue with some amps/cabs. The Modern mode, at least to my ears, is pretty subtle. Not really sure if I'll want to keep it on Vintage or Modern more often. Clipping diode options are nice, but I'm not really digging the no clip mode. I prefer the silicon to the germanium, as well.

Here's a family photo, the Throne Torcher because is the one that sits on my board, but the LHW may take it's place 












HM-2 Collection (complete)



__ Blasphemer
__ Jul 26, 2018


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## LiveOVErdrive

I really love the one with no knobs. It's just so tongue-in-cheek and fantastic. Kind of like the big crunch amp with the one knob.


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## KnightBrolaire

Blasphemer said:


> Because I really needed another one...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LWA LHW
> 
> 
> 
> __ Blasphemer
> __ Jul 26, 2018
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Got a Lone Wolf Audio Left Hand Wrath. This thing is awesome. Gave it a quick spin, and the presence control really helps dial in that harsh high-end that can be an issue with some amps/cabs. The Modern mode, at least to my ears, is pretty subtle. Not really sure if I'll want to keep it on Vintage or Modern more often. Clipping diode options are nice, but I'm not really digging the no clip mode. I prefer the silicon to the germanium, as well.
> 
> Here's a family photo, the Throne Torcher because is the one that sits on my board, but the LHW may take it's place
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HM-2 Collection (complete)
> 
> 
> 
> __ Blasphemer
> __ Jul 26, 2018


which would you say gives you the classic chainsaw sound, but has the most clarity for power chords? my hm300 is fine for single note stuff but has pretty shit clarity for chords.


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## Blasphemer

Probably the LHW, but the TT helps itself out a lot in terms of clarity by using the LED clipping mode


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## Bearitone

KnightBrolaire said:


> which would you say gives you the classic chainsaw sound, but has the most clarity for power chords? my hm300 is fine for single note stuff but has pretty shit clarity for chords.


Watch demos of the Earthbound Audio Throat Locust.

Sounds pretty good on chords to me given that it’s an HM-2 with added clipping options, and EQ flexibility.


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## KnightBrolaire

kindsage said:


> Watch demos of the Earthbound Audio Throat Locust.
> 
> Sounds pretty good on chords to me given that it’s an HM-2 with added clipping options, and EQ flexibility.


 I've been looking into getting one of those or the throne torcher. I've been on a massive hm2 clone demo bender today


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## Bearitone

There’s also one by a pedal builder called Wren and Cuff that looks promising


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## KnightBrolaire

kindsage said:


> There’s also one by a pedal builder called Wren and Cuff that looks promising


yeah I was looking at that one too, but the throne torcher/throat locust seem a bit better suited to the br00tz.


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## Beheroth

if you want eq options check out the KMA Wurm http://kma-machines.com/m_wurm.html and the Dunwich HM2 https://dunwichamps.bigcartel.com/product/modded-hm2


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## KnightBrolaire

Beheroth said:


> if you want eq options check out the KMA Wurm http://kma-machines.com/m_wurm.html and the Dunwich HM2 https://dunwichamps.bigcartel.com/product/modded-hm2


nah, the wurm didn't impress me in any of the demos I've seen of it. The dunwich sounded good, but they're kind of hard to find..


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## KailM

KnightBrolaire said:


> nah, the wurm didn't impress me in any of the demos I've seen of it. The dunwich sounded good, but they're kind of hard to find..



You know, I'm not convinced the Wurm can't do the classic HM-2/Entombed-core thing -- despite how clueless the YT demo guys have been with it (the only demos I've heard of it are doom and stoner riffs.) I have a hunch you could play Left Hand Path riffs with it and it would smoke. But at almost $300, it's pretty expensive to find out.

I bought my HM-2 for around $75.


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## KnightBrolaire

KailM said:


> You know, I'm not convinced the Wurm can't do the classic HM-2/Entombed-core thing -- despite how clueless the YT demo guys have been with it (the only demos I've heard of it are doom and stoner riffs.) I have a hunch you could play Left Hand Path riffs with it and it would smoke. But at almost $300, it's pretty expensive to find out.
> 
> I bought my HM-2 for around $75.


the shootout i saw comparing the wurm, hm2, dunwich, left hand wrath, walrus red and some others made the wurm seem like one of the worst hm2 clones. 
the walrus red intrigued me since it was the clearest and had the most low end.


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## Beheroth

The shootout vid didn't show how any of the pedals were set, they all have differents EQ points, clipping ...
I actually find the walrus red to be least HM2 sounding pedal out the bunch, it's too "dry ish".
I think the wurm is the most versatile out of all them EQ wise. There's internal dipswitches to set the EQ into the the classic "double spiked hi knob 2 band EQ" or 4 band EQ and trimpots to set the freq for each band.
Unfortunately none of the demos really dig into the EQ.
Also if you're in EU it's the best option price wise if you want a boutique clone.


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## wakjob

The BYOC's that I've heard sound the closest/best to me.

I've probably mention this before, but run your HM-2's 
at 12vdc. I find it so much better.


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## KnightBrolaire

thought this would be funny as the face for my byoc hm2 I'm building


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## Blasphemer

Made a demo of the LHW in action. Guitars and bass are the LHW into my Helix. Everything at 10 except the gain and the presence, which are at 12 and 2 o clock, respectively. Amp model on the Helix is the Cartographer model, which is based on a Traynor YBA-1 with a lot of mods. IR is one of my own 2x12 with V30s. Bass is the SVT model and stock cab. Drums are an expansion kit to the stock Logic drum plugin. 

http://dinitrios.tumblr.com/post/176525707322


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## Blasphemer

#6
Found this one on FB marketplace for a pretty good price. I grabbed it and went to work, so by the time I got home, I couldn't really try it. First impressions of it through the Helix with headphones on are very "meh". The W&C site talks it up as being very accurate to the original HM-2, but I disagree. I even did a direct comparison to my MIJ, and the Boss wipes the floor with it. It does the buzzsaw, but not nearly as well as any of my other variants, and the EQ section seems off, especially with the highs. The Mod switch is pretty cool, but not cool enough to completely win me over.

So far, I'd rank the ones I have from best to worst as:

1986 MIJ Boss
Lone Wolf Audio Left Hand Wrath
Abominable Electronics Throne Torcher
Home made clone
DOD American Metal
Wren & Cuff Hangman-2D


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## Bearitone

Pick up a Throat Locust next


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Should get a mod to rename this thread. Like the Official Boss HM2/clone thread.


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## Blasphemer

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Should get a mod to rename this thread. Like the Official Boss HM2/clone thread.


Agreed. @MaxOfMetal

I also did a quick analysis of the Hangman VS the HM-2, and the results were quite interesting.
Here's the HM-2 with pink noise, everything dimed.



Here's the W&C on Vintage mode:



And on Mod:



The low peak is WAY too high, about 200hz higher than the original. I feel like this is part of why it sounds "off".

It's also worth noting that the Hangman has quite a bit more output than the Boss. When I put on the pad on my interface to stop the clipping with the Hangman, there was probably a 6-8 dB difference between the two pedals. This is something that Matt does call to attention on the Hangman page, as well as in the manual. He also says that the lows are a bit exaggerated to hit the amp a bit harder, but that doesn't explain the crazy frequency difference.


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## Necky379

You don’t happen to have a behringer hm-300 do you? I’d love to see that analyzed, they sound “off” in the low end to me as well. I just bought a 2nd one to try and mod this winter. When it showed up I plugged into it to make sure it works, I’ve been using my mij Boss and Left Hand Wrath deluxe for so long now the difference in sound is noticeable.


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## InCasinoOut

Well shit, hadn't read through this thread in a while. Found out Baest released their full album and it's really good, so after spinning that I listened to Black Breath. After pummeling my ears with the chainsaw I went on Reverb and ordered the Eyemaster!

Funny, I got a Mark V:35 as my super-versatile studio rig thinking I'd have all my bases covered tone-wise, but it's so refined and almost sounds _too_ good for when you want to play grimy old death metal. I think with the Mesa, my BE-OD, and the Eyemaster I have the whole range of tones I like.


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## InCasinoOut

https://soundcloud.com/incasinoout-1/black-breath-the-flame-tc-electronic-eyemaster-test-mix

Got the pedal in and recorded this quick and dirty mix to test it out! 

TBH, I'm not super well-versed and familiar with the original HM-2 either, but this pedal fills the void for when I want to play brutal and grimy stuff in this vein so I'm liking it so far!

My signal chain is: Ibanez RGA121 -> TC Eyemaster -> Mesa Mark V:35 -> Suhr Reactive Load -> Ownhammer Mesa straight 412 IR

I tried it first into the clean channel on the Mesa set to "Fat" mode with the gain on the pedal maxed, but ultimately I found that I liked it more with the Mesa set to Crunch mode and the gain on the pedal at 12 o'clock. Drums are Addictive Drums and the bass is Loki Bass.


----------



## Blasphemer

Picked up a used Eyemaster. Photos to follow, since I don't have my phone on my person.

Sounds pretty similar to my HM-2! It maybe has a little bit more chunk in the low end, which is cool. Definitely a pretty good and solid feeling copy for the price!


----------



## Moltar

Ive never actually owned an actual Boss HM2, but I've owned a Lone Wolf left hand wrath deluxe that was pretty cool(sold it though as the owner is just such a piece of trash that I couldn't stand having it on my pedalboard/using it), also a custom Dunwich HM2 with a blend knob, and a Wren and Cuff Hangman-2D. My favourite by far has been the Wren and Cuff(it's the only one I still own). Now I was using it with a separate blend pedal, similar to how I was using the blend knob on the Lone Wolf, and the one on the custom ordered Dunwich... I was never using it as a full on chainsaw gain pedal. 

I also would have the gain and volume at reasonable levels, and most importantly, I wasn't using the EQ knobs maxed out which is what gives these pedals their trademark sound. 

I was more using them for a crunchy buzzy distortion over an already distorted amp channel. 

I much preferred the distortion circuit for what I was using it for, to the insane comb filtering distortion sound of the maxed out EQ. Although that is really cool as well when done right. The big fat bass guitar seems to be the most important part of getting that insane recorded chainsaw sound.

I still would love to try the Walrus Red pedal, as it seems(possibly, hopefully) like a more harmonically active version of the circuit. That it why I don't use them anymore for my main sound, as the gain structures weren't harmonically active enough.


----------



## InCasinoOut

My Eyemaster is the only pedal I have that only works when it's the single pedal I have plugged in... Could it be that it's not receiving enough power when used in conjunction with the rest of the stuff on my pedal board? My pedal board has 4 mini pedals and a BE-OD on it powered by one of those cheap One Spot adapters, and it does the job fine, but I don't have any experience with other power supplies so that is the only thing I suspect. Could that be it?

Also, I realized my recording is WAY too bass heavy, since I recorded it late while my girlfriend was asleep, and didn't wait to test it at a louder volume and on other speakers. woops. Not a very good demo then, but I have another test recording I want to do.


----------



## Moltar

InCasinoOut said:


> My Eyemaster is the only pedal I have that only works when it's the single pedal I have plugged in... Could it be that it's not receiving enough power when used in conjunction with the rest of the stuff on my pedal board? My pedal board has 4 mini pedals and a BE-OD on it powered by one of those cheap One Spot adapters, and it does the job fine, but I don't have any experience with other power supplies so that is the only thing I suspect. Could that be it?
> 
> Also, I realized my recording is WAY too bass heavy, since I recorded it late while my girlfriend was asleep, and didn't wait to test it at a louder volume and on other speakers. woops. Not a very good demo then, but I have another test recording I want to do.




I guess the only way to find out would be to get a decent power supply and try it out. I've been lucky enough that I've always had high quality isolated power supplies for any multiple pedal setups I've ever used. So I've never really had any problems like what you are describing.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Moltar said:


> Ive never actually owned an actual Boss HM2, but I've owned a Lone Wolf left hand wrath deluxe that was pretty cool(sold it though as the owner is just such a piece of trash that I couldn't stand having it on my pedalboard/using it), also a custom Dunwich HM2 with a blend knob, and a Wren and Cuff Hangman-2D. My favourite by far has been the Wren and Cuff(it's the only one I still own). Now I was using it with a separate blend pedal, similar to how I was using the blend knob on the Lone Wolf, and the one on the custom ordered Dunwich... I was never using it as a full on chainsaw gain pedal.
> 
> I also would have the gain and volume at reasonable levels, and most importantly, I wasn't using the EQ knobs maxed out which is what gives these pedals their trademark sound.
> 
> I was more using them for a crunchy buzzy distortion over an already distorted amp channel.
> 
> I much preferred the distortion circuit for what I was using it for, to the insane comb filtering distortion sound of the maxed out EQ. Although that is really cool as well when done right. The big fat bass guitar seems to be the most important part of getting that insane recorded chainsaw sound.
> 
> I still would love to try the Walrus Red pedal, as it seems(possibly, hopefully) like a more harmonically active version of the circuit. That it why I don't use them anymore for my main sound, as the gain structures weren't harmonically active enough.


funny you mention the walrus red, I just got one today. Here's some clips of me messing around with it. 1st clip starts with everything at noon and bounces around with settings all the way to everything dimed, second clip is with much more conservative settings comparatively (nothing is dimed, vol at noon, gain at 1'o clock, bass at 3'o clock, mids start at near 7 then go up to around 11' o clock, treble goes from 3 to 1 o clock). I like this pedal a lot more than I like my hm300, it's way more usable across most of its range.
https://app.box.com/s/f2b8um1jrvxjs0iqssnpfco5up9xf34s
https://app.box.com/s/dbwg4oobchuqnem32n70ii5f2o8b1ejf


----------



## feraledge

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Should get a mod to rename this thread. Like the Official Boss HM2/clone thread.


FWIW, I'm fine with this. @MaxOfMetal @Randy @technomancer


----------



## technomancer

Done


----------



## dhgrind

Has anyone else tried the KMA Wurm yet? Still my favorite but I’m waiting to try to newer throne torcher with a clean blend. 

I’m so glad this thread exists. Was gonna suggest a megathread recently and y’all did it.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

dhgrind said:


> Has anyone else tried the KMA Wurm yet? Still my favorite but I’m waiting to try to newer throne torcher with a clean blend.
> 
> I’m so glad this thread exists. Was gonna suggest a megathread recently and y’all did it.


I really want to try the Wurm but I'm a bit wary dropping 200$+ on an hm2 type pedal


----------



## Vyn

KnightBrolaire said:


> I really want to try the Wurm but I'm a bit wary dropping 200$+ on an hm2 type pedal



This is why I ended up getting a HM-2. For the price of some of the boutique replicas you can just get a Japanese HM-2


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Vyn said:


> This is why I ended up getting a HM-2. For the price of some of the boutique replicas you can just get a Japanese HM-2


personally i'm plenty happy with my hm300 and taiwanese hm2, i don't think the price gap is worth it for the mij version. that being said the throne torcher and walrus red def improve on the core design and offer more flexibility than the base hm2 imo.


----------



## Vyn

KnightBrolaire said:


> personally i'm plenty happy with my hm300 and taiwanese hm2, i don't think the price gap is worth it for the mij version. that being said the throne torcher and walrus red def improve on the core design and offer more flexibility than the base hm2 imo.



Yeah, I got the MIT HM-2, the price of the MIJ isn't worth it IMO. If you can pick the sound difference you're a wizard.


----------



## KailM

Vyn said:


> Yeah, I got the MIT HM-2, the price of the MIJ isn't worth it IMO. If you can pick the sound difference you're a wizard.



Mine is a MIT as well, and it has always sounded spot-on to my ears. Any differences between the two can be EQ'd away either with the amp's controls or an EQ pedal. I've always wanted to try a MIJ along side it, but I can't justify the price. I'd like to try one of the clones that offers increased flexibility, as well, but there again, the price is so high on pedals like the Throne Torcher or Wurm that it's a very costly experiment.

Ultimately, even though I adore the HM-2 tone, it's not a tone that I've ever wanted to use as my core tone, because it's hard to write songs with it that don't sound like something that's been done 1000x before.


----------



## mnemonic

Man I wish Boss would just make a Waza HM2 already.


----------



## dhgrind

Had the Japanese hm2, noise was just insane. Sounded great but I do appreciate the modern boutique versions a bit more. 

I’m weird tho because I like the sound of shitty amps with expensive pedals.


----------



## Bentaycanada

mnemonic said:


> Man I wish Boss would just make a Waza HM2 already.



Seriously! It’d be the biggest pedal release of the year!


----------



## Great Satan

nobody's mentioned the Arion Metal Master yet, the Mayhem pedal!! (though Owen thinks it's just the hm-2)
I have one of these and a behr 300 to compare it to, the frequencies are different in the lows & i think the 300 is more accurate,
but you can get some nice 'searing-lead' chainsaw from the Arion version, sometimes it works better to cut through than the behringer.

Depends on what i'm using but both are really good as clean boosts into already distorting pedals/amps.
Just be mindful that you've got to back off the treble knob on the behr oh-so-slightly to get a more accurate hm-2 sound.


----------



## Gmork

I have an (HM too many clones) pedal in the mail on its way, Which is a modernized (ie low noise) clone. by pepers pedals in newzealand.
Hes a one man company and his stuff looks like the real deal! Super affordable too. Check out his youtube vids!


----------



## Turgon

best thread ever!
I've a HM2 MIJ, MIT, Arion Metal Master, Behringer HM300, KMA Wurm, LWA LHP, Anarchy Audio HM2, Dunwich HM2 and a TC Eyemaster. I'm planning to get the Airis clone as well as the pepers pedals clone and much more. Every pedal has its own flavour, but all of them can do the chainsaw!
I'll do some comparison vids in the near future, might be helpful for some of you!


----------



## axxessdenied

I've owned a bunch I think the original mij is the best lol. I got an '84. Currently I'm using the Airis Merciless Distortion in my FX Loop and boosting it with the original MIJ (dist off). Sounds heinous.


----------



## Blasphemer

Vyn said:


> This is why I ended up getting a HM-2. For the price of some of the boutique replicas you can just get a Japanese HM-2



That's totally true, and honestly a more cost efficient route to go for the best sound, but I still hesitate to step full force on a 30+ year old pedal which is only accruing value over time and becoming harder to get. Just my


----------



## bnzboy

Vyn said:


> Yeah, I got the MIT HM-2, the price of the MIJ isn't worth it IMO. If you can pick the sound difference you're a wizard.


Luckily I got it via local pawnshop for like 40-60 bucks. Honestly I wasn't even looking for one at the moment but thought I would just get it. I rarely use it but it sounds cool once in a while when I have the right setup dialed in. Really interested in trying out the new variations of it.


----------



## Gmork

My HM Too Many Clones (by pepers pedals) arrived yesterday and have had a bit of time with it. Id love to compare it to the original but dont own and have never played one surprizingly.

Either way im very happy with it. Sounds awesome. Its dead silent too which i like. 
smoother than i was expecting yet definitely chainsaw like, but more of a fuzz than distortion and not as much gain as i thought itd have.

Is this what first time hm2 users have experienced?
Do most people boost the original hm2? 

Either way like i said i do love it and it will definitely be stsying on my board. A+ customer service etc too.


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime

bnzboy said:


> Luckily I got it via local pawnshop for like 40-60 bucks. Honestly I wasn't even looking for one at the moment but thought I would just get it. I rarely use it but it sounds cool once in a while when I have the right setup dialed in. Really interested in trying out the new variations of it.



Same thing happened to me to get my MIJ one. Happened to walk into my local pawn shop on the right day and picked up the HM-2 and an OCD clone together for $75  

I barely use it and have thought of using it as trade bait for something more practical, but it's fun to have around.


----------



## Vyn

Blasphemer said:


> That's totally true, and honestly a more cost efficient route to go for the best sound, but I still hesitate to step full force on a 30+ year old pedal which is only accruing value over time and becoming harder to get. Just my



The trick is to get an effects controller and stomp the shit out of that instead


----------



## yellowv

Speaking of HM2 clones I got this chainsaw from Airis. It is his new Merciless Distortion in a rather funny theme.


----------



## axxessdenied

Blasphemer said:


> That's totally true, and honestly a more cost efficient route to go for the best sound, but I still hesitate to step full force on a 30+ year old pedal which is only accruing value over time and becoming harder to get. Just my


I bought an '84 from Japan for $100 usd. They aren't expensive if you know where to look.  Stomp it!


----------



## narad

yellowv said:


> Speaking of HM2 clones I got this chainsaw from Airis. It is his new Merciless Distortion in a rather funny theme.



Sacrilege!!


----------



## Turgon

yellowv said:


> Speaking of HM2 clones I got this chainsaw from Airis. It is his new Merciless Distortion in a rather funny theme.



How on earth did you get this pedal? I need this!


----------



## yellowv

It was a limited run done by Airis effects. They are all spoken for. He did them in a few different configurations. The Merciless, the Savage Drive and I believe his new preamp.


----------



## Turgon

You might be interested


----------



## ATRguitar91

I have an MIT version and all these boutique options are enticing, but I feel like they don't sound different enough to justify buying them.


----------



## DudeManBrother

ATRguitar91 said:


> I have an MIT version and all these boutique options are enticing, but I feel like they don't sound different enough to justify buying them.


Depending on how much you use it; having one nice (low noise floor) clone with LED clipping or blend options is totally worth it. I don’t know that anyone needs every clone in existence, but we can probably safely apply that to 90% of the unplayed gear we all have sitting around our houses


----------



## Shask

Turgon said:


> You might be interested



Maybe I am just not an HM-2 guy, cause those all sound awful to me, lol. The higher single notes sound cool, but the low chords are just static.

I do have a HM300 though, and I read somewhere once that you have to back the high knob back a bit from max to sound more authentic. I can hear in this clip that it does seem to have a bit too much mids/highs, and gets more cocked-wahish. I will have to play with it more with the highs at 8 instead of 10.

It seems like for me, the best use has been the EQ knobs about 2 oclock, with min gain, and volume at 3 oclock or so. A bit of buzzsaw, without the wall of static.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kinda confirms what I thought about the Eyemaster. Just a Behringer HM300 with the EQ knobs at max. They sound very similar.


----------



## mnemonic

I like my HM300 though it does oscillate pretty badly with the gain any higher than about 1. Probably something to do with an unshielded plastic enclosure. 

I can’t say I’m a fan of using it (or other HM2 style pedals) on top of a high gain amp. It just becomes a mess. I like how they sound on a clean amp or the right crunchy amp. My marshall valvestate set to a crunchy tone with the hm300 in front is insta-entombed. Strangely enough my more expensive amps don’t sound as good with the HM300 as the valvestate does. 

Also, boosted HM300 is great. I remember someone posting a while back, boosting an HM2 into some Art preamp, I think using a Fortin 33, and it was real good sounding.


----------



## KailM

Shask said:


> Maybe I am just not an HM-2 guy, cause those all sound awful to me, lol. The higher single notes sound cool, but the low chords are just static.
> 
> I do have a HM300 though, and I read somewhere once that you have to back the high knob back a bit from max to sound more authentic. I can hear in this clip that it does seem to have a bit too much mids/highs, and gets more cocked-wahish. I will have to play with it more with the highs at 8 instead of 10.
> 
> It seems like for me, the best use has been the EQ knobs about 2 oclock, with min gain, and volume at 3 oclock or so. A bit of buzzsaw, without the wall of static.




I agree, it's very easy to dial in uncontrollable noise if you're not careful. The "all knobs dimed" method has never worked for me, but I've always used my HM-2 into high gain tube amps like my 6505s/5150IIIs. I don't even leave mine in my pedal chain until I plan to use it -- and every time I plug it back in I have to monkey with it for a while to get the tone just right.

In front of a high gain amp used at a boost is the hardest scenario to deal with. You have to balance the gain just right or it'll only work for tremolo picking. Chords with palm mutes just sound like undefined/imprecise mush. On top of that, it's a sound that doesn't transfer well to recordings. Most of the time, what I hear in the room doesn't sound as good when recorded.

I've had the best luck running zero drive and into my effects loop more like a preamp. It's not as gnarly as it is up front but it sounds more massive and responds to more playing techniques faithfully. I'd like to try one of these boutique models essentially to see if I can get the tone easier and have it respond to my playing better.


----------



## Cynicanal

Yeah, the "all knobs dimed" thing ONLY works on the kind of mid-gain solid state amp that people with bad gear were playing in the 80s and early 90s. It's still a feedback factory (you either need a gate after it, or you need to stomp it when you're not playing), and it's certainly not defined on power chords (but the chainsaw sound never was; listen to the second riff of "Overridde of the Overture" and tell me how many nuances you're hearing...), but it works way better. Also, an ugly solid-state clip from the input getting slammed is a critical part of that sound.

If you want to play around with that sound and only have good amps, hit up Craigslist and get an old Marshall MG on the cheap. Seriously, it'll work better than your 5150s or DRs or 2203s or whatever. Also, if you've got an original HM-2 (either MIJ or MIT), always run on batteries, not wall power! The wall power thingy on that pedal was misdesigned, and doesn't supply the amount of juice the pedal was designed for.


----------



## Bearitone

Damn i wish TC would have included all 4 controls on the eyemaster. I actually do change the EQ and find that when the high knob is dimed it’s downright annoying


----------



## Vyn

Cynicanal said:


> Also, if you've got an original HM-2 (either MIJ or MIT), always run on batteries, not wall power! The wall power thingy on that pedal was misdesigned, and doesn't supply the amount of juice the pedal was designed for.



Or do the 9V mod which can be done a few ways. I can't tell the difference between my MIT on a battery or wall power now.


----------



## Necky379

I thought a 12v power supply was fine? I’ve been running my mij on 12v for forever and a couple days now with no issues.


----------



## Vyn

Necky379 said:


> I thought a 12v power supply was fine? I’ve been running my mij on 12v for forever and a couple days now with no issues.



BOSS's way of making you buy their power supply was making the supply for the pedals 12 volts and shoving a power diode and a resistor inline to bring it down to 9v as the circuit actually runs off of 9 volts. Can either remove the diode-resistor and replace with a wire link or just create a short with a blob of solder (which is more easily reversible). They will run off of a 9v supply without the mod but i'll sound like shit as the circuit will be under-supplied.


----------



## Necky379

That makes sense, I ran it off 9 volts for awhile but found I preferred the 12v sound more.

Has anyone had luck stacking their HM-2 with a metal zone (At the Gates)? I can dial in some pretty great sounds with an HM-2 or HM-2 + overdrive combo but that Slaughter of the Soul sound has been eluding me for as long as I’ve been chasing it. I’ve read a bunch of threads about the guitar tracks on that album but I’ve never been able to get it. I’ve got plenty of HM-2 variants, an MT-2, eq’s, cabs and a bandit removed from its cabinet/Sheffield. I can get close but never quite close enough to satisfy.


----------



## KailM

^^^I have not bothered to nail the SOTS sound exactly, but I have gotten damn close with the HM2 into the effects loop of my 6505 and 5150III. No Metalzone necessary.

Running the pedal in front of the amp is too "gnarly " for that tone, and too messy and loose for those tight, fast riffs.

In the loop. I actually still use the amp's distortion, and run the HM's distortion at zero. EQ on the pedal is dimed, level set to unity gain, otherwise it'll slam your power tubes and be uncontrollably loud. Set the amp's gain and volume to taste.

Riffs are very tight and articulate, palm mutes are massive, and yet there's still a moderate chainsaw tone as well.


----------



## Necky379

I’ll have to try that with my 5150 just for kicks but I’d really like to get something close to SotS with my Randall. I’ve got the Bandit doing Entombed/Bloodbath type HM-2 sounds right now. I’d like to either kick on an MT-2 with the Bandit and be able to switch back and forth between what I have dialed in now or just switch over to the Randall dialed in for SotS with an HM-2 + MT-2. I’m thinking it’s the MT-2 eq section I’m not dialing in right or maybe I’m just way off altogether. In my mind there’s two different HM-2 based tones, the Entombed/Bloodbath/Dismember sound and then the At the Gates/pre Colony In Flames sound. I’m not saying the bands in each camp sound exactly the same to me but each camp sounds similar. I can get the over the top Entombed/Bloodbath/Dismember sound easily but the other stuff has me scratching my head.


----------



## InCasinoOut

https://soundcloud.com/incasinoout-1/baest-crosswhore-tc-electronic-eyemaster-test-mix

Did another test mix of the Eyemaster. I covered that BAEST song where they demonstrate the same pedal lol. Quad-tracked it this time. A lot more clarity.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

I did some comparisons of the abominable throne torcher and the walrus red, figured I'd share em. used my dc600 with the pedals going into the front of my mk3. throne torcher is first in all the clips, then walrus red. They're very different sounding throughout their range with the throne torcher being clearer overall, but the walrus has its own unique character. I like both, but prefer the throne torcher. 





dimed/random knob fiddling clip:
https://app.box.com/s/s6alz0zrpilkgvpzxvmqjy3wdedowprv
b/m/t set at 2'o clock, only playing with vol/distortion levels: 
https://app.box.com/s/hubn5om9q9ovbf1p9qa1klv2z098ww18


----------



## Turgon

KnightBrolaire said:


> I did some comparisons of the abominable throne torcher and the walrus red, figured I'd share em. used my dc600 with the pedals going into the front of my mk3. throne torcher is first in all the clips, then walrus red. They're very different sounding throughout their range with the throne torcher being clearer overall, but the walrus has its own unique character. I like both, but prefer the throne torcher.



Thanks for sharing, I think I have to try the Walrus Red, too!

I've uploaded another vid, in where I explain in the worst english known to men why the boss sounds as it does. Maybe there is something new for you.



Next vid will be a comparison with the Eyemaster, so stay tuned!


----------



## Necky379

KailM said:


> ^^^I have not bothered to nail the SOTS sound exactly, but I have gotten damn close with the HM2 into the effects loop of my 6505 and 5150III. No Metalzone necessary.
> 
> Running the pedal in front of the amp is too "gnarly " for that tone, and too messy and loose for those tight, fast riffs.
> 
> In the loop. I actually still use the amp's distortion, and run the HM's distortion at zero. EQ on the pedal is dimed, level set to unity gain, otherwise it'll slam your power tubes and be uncontrollably loud. Set the amp's gain and volume to taste.




I finally got around to trying this. I used a Throne Torcher in between an ADA MP-1 and a solid state Randall power amp. I was so skeptical of this advice but it really does sound cool. This is pretty much the sound I was looking for, the HM-2 eq curve without that extreme almost fuzz-like distortion. I put a DOD Milk Box after it to brighten things up a bit (dark sounding cab) and I’m thrilled. Thanks!


----------



## Necky379




----------



## KailM

Necky379 said:


> I finally got around to trying this. I used a Throne Torcher in between an ADA MP-1 and a solid state Randall power amp. I was so skeptical of this advice but it really does sound cool. This is pretty much the sound I was looking for, the HM-2 eq curve without that extreme almost fuzz-like distortion. I put a DOD Milk Box after it to brighten things up a bit (dark sounding cab) and I’m thrilled. Thanks!


----------



## Blasphemer

#8

Picked up an XIX Tech HMD-1. The focus knob on this thing is really cool. It decouples the mids from the highs and sweeps them down with the travel of the knob as it goes counter-clockwise, all the way to 400hz. There are some cool tones hiding in this thing!


----------



## Turgon

Blasphemer said:


> #8
> 
> Picked up an XIX Tech HMD-1. The focus knob on this thing is really cool. It decouples the mids from the highs and sweeps them down with the travel of the knob as it goes counter-clockwise, all the way to 400hz. There are some cool tones hiding in this thing!



Thanks for sharing, never heard of it. I need more money... gotta catch 'em all 

Anyways... I just released my review of the Eyemaster. conclusion: It's currently the best and least expensive way to get the chainsaw!


----------



## KailM

^^^Dang, that sounds pretty much identical. Gonna order one of these.


----------



## Blasphemer

#9




Traded for this for an old interface I had lying around. Did a serial number check, and it's a 1986, which is the same year as my other MIJ Boss. The only downside is that the screw that holds the stomp plate down has been replaced by a larger one, and it's too long. I need to find a saw I can use to cut this one down a bit so it doesn't scrape on the battery when screwed in all the way.


----------



## Necky379

Found myself bored, went SotS chasing again. The HM-2 in the effects loop thing was definitely fun to play with but when I tried micing it up the sound just wasn’t there. Anyway I’ve found the greatest solid state death metal tone I’ve come across yet and I’m done tweaking this rig, not exactly the SotS tone I was after but it’s close and I like this even better. Anyway I thought I’d share some pics for those that are interested, I keep coming back to this thread, here’s something new:

























I built a new cab for my Bandit, put a governor and a cv-75 in the open back Vox cab. The sound is amazingly brutal, playing a stock SC-607 all maple sunburst.


----------



## Beheroth

Necky379 said:


> Found myself bored, went SotS chasing again. The HM-2 in the effects loop thing was definitely fun to play with but when I tried micing it up the sound just wasn’t there. Anyway I’ve found the greatest solid state death metal tone I’ve come across yet and I’m done tweaking this rig, not exactly the SotS tone I was after but it’s close and I like this even better. Anyway I thought I’d share some pics for those that are interested, I keep coming back to this thread, here’s something new:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I built a new cab for my Bandit, put a governor and a cv-75 in the open back Vox cab. The sound is amazingly brutal, playing a stock SC-607 all maple sunburst.



stop teasing and give us some soundclips


----------



## Necky379

I know I know, maybe tonight I’ll move it all to my studio setup (a pro I am not but I have a recording setup). I figured I could just upload a phone recording to SoundCloud to post and call it a day but I guess they don’t allow you to upload from your phone. If I have to upload from a computer I may as well attempt to do it right. Is there any quick and easy SoundCloud alternative?


----------



## sylcfh

It's finally been miniaturized!

http://decibelics.com/angry-swede/


----------



## Bearitone

sylcfh said:


> It's finally been miniaturized!
> 
> http://decibelics.com/angry-swede/



Omfg yes!!!


----------



## prlgmnr

Let me grab my hatchet and open up a space on the mini board.


----------



## broj15

Necky379 said:


> Found myself bored, went SotS chasing again. The HM-2 in the effects loop thing was definitely fun to play with but when I tried micing it up the sound just wasn’t there. Anyway I’ve found the greatest solid state death metal tone I’ve come across yet and I’m done tweaking this rig, not exactly the SotS tone I was after but it’s close and I like this even better. Anyway I thought I’d share some pics for those that are interested, I keep coming back to this thread, here’s something new:
> 
> 
> I built a new cab for my Bandit, put a governor and a cv-75 in the open back Vox cab. The sound is amazingly brutal, playing a stock SC-607 all maple sunburst.



Absolutely love the rehoused bandit. Been thinking about picking up a bandit combo to use as a practice amp at home so I don't have to drive offer to my practice space to play plugged in. I bet it absolutely screams with the hm-2.


----------



## Necky379

Thank you! I’m using it just like that, as a practice setup. They’re definitely cool little practice amps, they do some pretty nasty bedroom death metal tones.


----------



## Luafcm

Man, I want one of the Ross Drives now

A little bench testing with the HM2!


----------



## Turgon

Hi guys,

over the past few months I did a bunch of comparison videos of the HM-2 and its clones. The most recent one hunts the myth, if Japan is better than Taiwan or not. Maybe you want to have a look: 

And here's the link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJyhVroQQFFpgWHf1sn8HLw
It's actually a lot of fun to compare those pedals. I'm still a few clones though, hope to add them to the collection


----------



## Aso

Finally picked up a KMA Wurm to add to the collection. That puts me at three or four HM2 clones


----------



## KailM

Aso said:


> Finally picked up a KMA Wurm to add to the collection. That puts me at three or four HM2 clones



Clips or it didn’t happen. 

I’d love to hear some actual death metal riffs out of the Wurm instead of the stoner rock I’ve heard on all of those its demos.


----------



## Turgon

KailM said:


> I’d love to hear some actual death metal riffs out of the Wurm instead of the stoner rock I’ve heard on all of those its demos.



*shamelessly advertising my own video* 


Might fit your needs!


----------



## Necky379

I finally got around to making a clip for whoever is interested in hearing my MT-2+HM-2 Bandit setup. I did a section with drums first and then just some random sloppy riffing. I put a mic on each speaker but I've never tried micing up an open back cab before, not sure how to really capture the bass that's reflecting off the wall but it's a first attempt. I'm going to leave it setup for a couple days if anyone has any suggestions. There's zero clean up, just my shitty one take on a maple SC-607 into Line 6 G10 wiresless -> Neewer Noise Gate -> MT-2 -> HM-2 -> Bandit -> Vox 2x12 CV-75/Governor mic'd up with an ATM41 on the Governor and an SM57 on the CV-75. Both are on the edge of the cone going straight into a PreSonus Audiobox USB going to Reaper on my laptop, panned center.

I know the playing is no good and I know the tone is anything but nice or polished but this really is the best bedroom death metal setup I've ever assembled or heard. I'm actually thinking about taking it out of the bedroom and trying it on real track. Let me know what you think, I can take it .

https://soundcloud.com/user-318243573/bandito


----------



## Asphyxia

Eyemaster on Amazon for $50 brand new.
Had two left after I just ordered one.


----------



## dhgrind

Anyone tried the new throne torcher with clean blend?


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

I made a quick jam a while ago with a Boss HM2 vst clone i found. Sounds meh, but then again I didn't really do much tweaking with eq etc.. Here is the link - https://frankenlineproductions.blogspot.com/2017/


----------



## Turgon

dhgrind said:


> Anyone tried the new throne torcher with clean blend?



Nope, but I have a Left Hand Wrath with clean blend. I think the blend is the most awesome feature an HM-2 can have, because with it you can easily combine chainsaw with clarity. In live situations I'll never play without a clean blend!


----------



## JD27

Turgon said:


> Nope, but I have a Left Hand Wrath with clean blend. I think the blend is the most awesome feature an HM-2 can have, because with it you can easily combine chainsaw with clarity. In live situations I'll never play without a clean blend!



Yup, really the best feature my LHW has. Really let’s you fine tune the amount of chainsaw in the mix and makes for a better definition. I was able to get some tones close to Enabler that way. I understand they blended several amps and a HM-2 in the studio, so this gave it a similar result.


----------



## dhgrind

I really didn’t gel with LHW or lone wolf audio. Plug for Gatecreeper I know Eric uses the LHW specifically since I got the chance to ask him back around August. 

I think when I do have the cash I’ll be doing a 5150 iii and updated throne torcher rig.


----------



## Asphyxia

Got an eyemaster because it was $50 brand new.
The feedback when it is dimed is horrible though. 
Chain is Guitar>Savage Drive>Eyemaster dimed>ISP Decimator>Tight metal pro zero gain>MXR Ten band EQ in effects loop of Tight Metal>straight into Quilter Mini Head101.
It is the eyemaster with all the feedback.
Right now I'm running a daisy chain non isolated power supply.
That's the only thing I can think of causing the feedback. 
I changed out all cables, ran the Decimator in every conceivable way.
Any ideas? It sounds great as long as I'm playing.
Stop playing and the feedback is horrid.
I've already ordered a isolated power supply earlier today.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Asphyxia said:


> Got an eyemaster because it was $50 brand new.
> The feedback when it is dimed is horrible though.
> Chain is Guitar>Savage Drive>Eyemaster dimed>ISP Decimator>Tight metal pro zero gain>MXR Ten band EQ in effects loop of Tight Metal>straight into Quilter Mini Head101.
> It is the eyemaster with all the feedback.
> Right now I'm running a daisy chain non isolated power supply.
> That's the only thing I can think of causing the feedback.
> I changed out all cables, ran the Decimator in every conceivable way.
> Any ideas? It sounds great as long as I'm playing.
> Stop playing and the feedback is horrid.
> I've already ordered a isolated power supply earlier today.


run less gain/volume through the other pedals.


----------



## ATRguitar91

@Asphyxia when I run the HM2 into my Tight Metal Pro, I keep the distortion off or very low on the hm2. But there's still a lot of noise. Just the nature of the beast.


----------



## Asphyxia

All gain is zeroed out on other pedals and amp.
If I run the eyemaster with no gain and lower volume, using gain from the tight metal, the feedback is manageable.
I get a better tone with the eyemaster dimed though.
I guess I will just have to find a happy medium.
Thanks for the replies.


----------



## Cynicanal

Feedback is part and parcel of this sound; when Dismember plays live, they have to stomp their pedals off between songs, or it'll feedback uncontrollably.


----------



## Turgon

Asphyxia said:


> All gain is zeroed out on other pedals and amp.
> If I run the eyemaster with no gain and lower volume, using gain from the tight metal, the feedback is manageable.
> I get a better tone with the eyemaster dimed though.
> I guess I will just have to find a happy medium.
> Thanks for the replies.



Savage Drive as low as possible (for your ears), Eyemaster Gain just a tad more than zero (You'll hear it) and more gain from the tight metal should do the trick!


----------



## wakjob

I might have passed this on already here but,
if someone requires a cleaner/tighter HM-2...

run it at higher voltages. I like 12v.

The pedal's internals aren't even running at 9v,
it gets stepped down to 4.5v very early on in the circuit.


----------



## Turgon

dhgrind said:


> Anyone tried the new throne torcher with clean blend?



Me again, I recently purchased a throne torcher with 6 knobs and 2 switches. I guess it's the one with the clean blend? Can anyone confirm? It's a strange pedal somehow... Knobs are not labelled and my ears can't really tell me what the knobs do


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

wakjob said:


> I might have passed this on already here but,
> if someone requires a cleaner/tighter HM-2...
> 
> run it at higher voltages. I like 12v.
> 
> The pedal's internals aren't even running at 9v,
> it gets stepped down to 4.5v very early on in the circuit.



That makes me wonder if that's the reason why the pedal sounds the way it does? Due to variacing and starving the pedal making that chainsaw fuzz effects.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> That makes me wonder if that's the reason why the pedal sounds the way it does? Due to variacing and starving the pedal making that chainsaw fuzz effects.


nah it's a certain mid frequency from what i can tell (somewhere around 2-4k though idk exactly where). i can replicate the chainsaw mids on my mt2 to an extent by tweaking the mid freq knob.


----------



## wakjob

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> That makes me wonder if that's the reason why the pedal sounds the way it does? Due to variacing and starving the pedal making that chainsaw fuzz effects.



Yes, it does.
Starved voltages make the gain texture fuzzier and the feel more saggy from my experiments. 

As for that particular mid frequency that kinda defines the HM2 sound...it _may_ be contributing just a whisker. Probably more the way it forces you to adjust your playing to compensate for it's 'gunky/clunky' nature.


----------



## mnemonic

Here is a good write up on the hm2 if you’re interested to know more about how it (particularly the eq) works 

http://atomiumamps.tumblr.com/post/139197356031/boss-hm-2-analysis


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

mnemonic said:


> Here is a good write up on the hm2 if you’re interested to know more about how it (particularly the eq) works
> 
> http://atomiumamps.tumblr.com/post/139197356031/boss-hm-2-analysis









I think I get it.  So basically the midrange knob is so extreme/loud that cranking it basically causes the EQ to go into distortion.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

mnemonic said:


> Here is a good write up on the hm2 if you’re interested to know more about how it (particularly the eq) works
> 
> http://atomiumamps.tumblr.com/post/139197356031/boss-hm-2-analysis


hmm I've seen that before but for whatever reason I thought the mid spike was higher than 900-1k range.


----------



## dhgrind

Turgon said:


> Me again, I recently purchased a throne torcher with 6 knobs and 2 switches. I guess it's the one with the clean blend? Can anyone confirm? It's a strange pedal somehow... Knobs are not labelled and my ears can't really tell me what the knobs do




Clean should be top left knob. Based off this image search


----------



## Necky379

Turgon said:


> Me again, I recently purchased a throne torcher with 6 knobs and 2 switches. I guess it's the one with the clean blend? Can anyone confirm? It's a strange pedal somehow... Knobs are not labelled and my ears can't really tell me what the knobs do



You may already be aware but as far as the switches go, if the led’s are blinking you’re in modern mode and if they aren’t you’re in standard HM-2 mode. On my torcher this is toggled by the right switch, left switch is on/off. I have the old version without the clean but I doubt that changed.


----------



## Turgon

such a strange pedal... I could swear that Clean is bottom left and volume is top left on mine...


----------



## dhgrind

Also what’s up with people posting outside the thread for hm2 stuff... did I miss a joke?


----------



## Werecow

Arnold's Eyemaster review. I'm not a fan of the tones he dials in on his videos usually. This is the first one i've liked of his, even if it doesn't exactly sound right to the album.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Holy fuck, I haven't seen a Washburn Vindicator in almost a decade. 

Also his hot-take at 3:37 is accurate. I'm perfecty fine with my shitty little HM300 and (recently acquired) MiJ HM2. 

Also interesting he loves it more than the Behringer, which I thought this pedal would be based on. Sounds like they made some improvements, which is good.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Holy fuck, I haven't seen a Washburn Vindicator in almost a decade.
> 
> Also his hot-take at 3:37 is accurate. I'm perfecty fine with my shitty little HM300 and (recently acquired) MiJ HM2.
> 
> Also interesting he loves it more than the Behringer, which I thought this pedal would be based on. Sounds like they made some improvements, which is good.


i played a pretty mint red sparkle vindicator at my local guitar center yesterday.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

KnightBrolaire said:


> i played a pretty mint red sparkle vindicator at my local guitar center yesterday.



Those things are so ugly and funky that I can't help but love them. It's like a Fisher Price Randy Rhoads. 

Also, like, yeah, I believe the hype with these babies now.


----------



## Necky379

I want to try a MIT to see if there really is s difference but out of all the versions I have, the MIJ Boss HM-2 is my favorite. Nice pedal HeHasTheJazzHands.


----------



## KailM

Quit talking about the Japanese version or I just might have to make an unwise financial decision.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

just go watch the godcity shootout, he tests the mit and the mij version back to back. That was the vid that convinced to me to just get a MIT


----------



## KailM

KnightBrolaire said:


> just go watch the godcity shootout, he tests the mit and the mij version back to back. That was the vid that convinced to me to just get a MIT



I mean, I’m perfectly happy with my MIT version, and have gotten some genuinely DISGUSTING tones out of it. And I’ve got a slough of tone shaping devices as well to further tweak my sound.

But at the end of the day I know there really is a difference between the two, and what if those differences CAN’T be EQ’d out???...


----------



## KnightBrolaire

KailM said:


> I mean, I’m perfectly happy with my MIT version, and have gotten some genuinely DISGUSTING tones out of it. And I’ve got a slough of tone shaping devices as well to further tweak my sound.
> 
> But at the end of the day I know there really is a difference between the two, and what if those differences CAN’T be EQ’d out???...


the tonal differences are pretty minute from what I can tell. the noise floor is a bit lower on the mij iirc.


----------



## Chiba666

Started doing some demo recordings with my BYOC The Swede. C Standard tuning. Using the clean channel of a dual rec and a mic 4x12 cab.

Short video clip can be found below, rough but I think it sounds pretty good. Any advice welcome

https://www.facebook.com/Bloodrust-...9sQOGeffihzIUOxTeuUyaR0VMpOOeX1KjqlIUynSFKU8N


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Chiba666 said:


> Started doing some demo recordings with my BYOC The Swede. C Standard tuning. Using the clean channel of a dual rec and a mic 4x12 cab.
> 
> Short video clip can be found below, rough but I think it sounds pretty good. Any advice welcome
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/Bloodrust-...9sQOGeffihzIUOxTeuUyaR0VMpOOeX1KjqlIUynSFKU8N



Got a different way to share? Facebook is fucking up right now ATM.


----------



## Turgon

Necky379 said:


> I want to try a MIT to see if there really is s difference but out of all the versions I have, the MIJ Boss HM-2 is my favorite. Nice pedal HeHasTheJazzHands.



I did a comparison between 3 HM2s, one from Japan and 2 from Taiwan. Every pedal sounds different. I think it's due to component tolerances. My late '88 MIT has a bit more gain and a bit more bass. The early '88 MIT has more gain, but less bass, and my '86 MIJ has less bass and less gain.


----------



## mnemonic

Given the age of these pedals, I’m sure many have dried out electrolytic caps at this point. Given the amount of gain and the general sound of the HM2 it might not be apparent when they start malfunctioning, it might just sound more or less distorted, more or less output, etc. 

That’s just gonna make every other pedal sound even more different.


----------



## kevdes93

Picked up a third MIJ for 100$ today from the original owner off craigslist, he said "this pedal sounded like shit 30 years ago and it sounds like shit now" 

Did a comparison with my behringer for funsies, the boss is way meatier and the behringer has more high mids and is noisier


----------



## Necky379

I hear the same thing between my Behringer and Boss. It's like the eq peaks are moved higher slightly and all the knobs go to 11, a bit more of everything when it's dimed.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

somehow I never saw this particular eyemaster comparison. Definitely nails the hm2 vibe imo


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Man for all of us that shit-talked that pedal at first, it looks like it's the best budget option.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Man for all of us that shit-talked that pedal at first, it looks like it's the best budget option.


hm300 is also quite good, plus it's even cheaper. Both are really good for the dimed chainsaw noises, but you can at least do something other than the dimed swedish sound with the hm300 if you want (which nobody who buys it ever wants to do for long  )


----------



## Werecow

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Man for all of us that shit-talked that pedal at first, it looks like it's the best budget option.



It was sort of TC's fault. Their first demo and "Official Product Video" was terrible and pushed the pedal into doing something it's plainly not designed for.


----------



## Bearitone

I found a cool trick using the hm300 (hm-2). I love it so much that the pedal is almost always on now.

First i set my high gain tone how i normally enjoy it.

Then I set the hm300 with the volume and bass dimed, treble at about 1:30 (45degrees), and gain at zero. I run this into an OD808x set as a boost (volume maxed, tone at noon, gain at zero). Then I roll back the volume knob on the guitar all the way down, strum a chord, then roll the volume back up until i hear the sound come back and the gain saturate at a reasonable level (the volume knob is basically barely on)

The result of this double boosting and rolled back volume (with the HM-2 first in be chain) is awesome. I can still “djent” and play big chords no problem but, there’s this grind in each chord and some chunky low end brought back to the sound. It’s like i get to keep my high gain tone and sprinkle in some chainsaw.

Really it’s awesome. The effect is less apparent on higher output pickups (in my experience) but still there.

Bonus. If you do roll the volume all the way back up you get a blistering chainsaw fuzz thing going on. So the volume knob lets you basically roll between tight/modern to huge/disgusting.

Try and let me hear if you guys get similar results!


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Bearitone said:


> I found a cool trick using the hm300 (hm-2). I love it so much that the pedal is almost always on now.
> 
> First i set my high gain tone how i normally enjoy it.
> 
> Then I set the hm300 with the volume and bass dimed, treble at about 1:30 (45degrees), and gain at zero. I run this into an OD808x set as a boost (volume maxed, tone at noon, gain at zero). Then I roll back the volume knob on the guitar all the way down, strum a chord, then roll the volume back up until i hear the sound come back and the gain saturate at a reasonable level (the volume knob is basically barely on)
> 
> The result of this double boosting and rolled back volume (with the HM-2 first in be chain) is awesome. I can still “djent” and play big chords no problem but, there’s this grind in each chord and some chunky low end brought back to the sound. It’s like i get to keep my high gain tone and sprinkle in some chainsaw.
> 
> Really it’s awesome. The effect is less apparent on higher output pickups (in my experience) but still there.
> 
> Bonus. If you do roll the volume all the way back up you get a blistering chainsaw fuzz thing going on. So the volume knob lets you basically roll between tight/modern to huge/disgusting.
> 
> Try and let me hear if you guys get similar results!


just tried this with the hm300 and my throne torcher into the front of my revv and it worked really well. 
Clip starts with base high gain sound, then hm300 engaged, and then testing the vol roll-off point. Throne torcher is engaged at 1:27 and then I flip between the regular sound and the LED clipping sound (thicker gnarlier sound than regular). I tested the vol roll-off point with the throne torcher as well.
https://app.box.com/s/z4r29o8l384smggon36zxvh4kwj1y0xh


----------



## NosralTserrof

I have a Throne Torcher.

It's awesome.

EDIT: 

That's a video that helped me to tame the HM2. Gain knob maxed doesn't really work for my sound but using the HM2 essentially as an EQ/booster/TS rules as hell


----------



## DudeManBrother

Bearitone said:


> I found a cool trick using the hm300 (hm-2). I love it so much that the pedal is almost always on now.
> 
> First i set my high gain tone how i normally enjoy it.
> 
> Then I set the hm300 with the volume and bass dimed, treble at about 1:30 (45degrees), and gain at zero. I run this into an OD808x set as a boost (volume maxed, tone at noon, gain at zero). Then I roll back the volume knob on the guitar all the way down, strum a chord, then roll the volume back up until i hear the sound come back and the gain saturate at a reasonable level (the volume knob is basically barely on)
> 
> The result of this double boosting and rolled back volume (with the HM-2 first in be chain) is awesome. I can still “djent” and play big chords no problem but, there’s this grind in each chord and some chunky low end brought back to the sound. It’s like i get to keep my high gain tone and sprinkle in some chainsaw.
> 
> Really it’s awesome. The effect is less apparent on higher output pickups (in my experience) but still there.
> 
> Bonus. If you do roll the volume all the way back up you get a blistering chainsaw fuzz thing going on. So the volume knob lets you basically roll between tight/modern to huge/disgusting.
> 
> Try and let me hear if you guys get similar results!


Sounds wicked! I tried it with my MIJ. I’ll have to grab my Throne Torcher and HM300 as well. I still like to pull the bass and level back a hair but you’re onto something


----------



## Vyn

HM-2/Clone into Audio interface then into amp sim of choice. Anyone had any luck? Di Box needed? I'm having a massive brain fart over this one.


----------



## NosralTserrof

Vyn said:


> HM-2/Clone into Audio interface then into amp sim of choice. Anyone had any luck? Di Box needed? I'm having a massive brain fart over this one.



Seems right to me, kinda like using a TS before hitting your DI box/interface/whatever. 

Maybe use your DI in front of the HM2 in case you wanna reamp?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The HM2 has a buffer, right? Would a DI box still be needed?


----------



## NosralTserrof

Assuming it's a clone, it could be true bypass, so in that case DI box would be ideal


----------



## Ethenmar

The Angry Swede. Possibly, the best HM2 clone.
Made in Spain by Decibelics.
Cooming soon.


----------



## Bearitone

Is the HM-2 true bypass? Or buffered?

It’s the first signal in my chain and if it’s not buffered I’d like to try a clone that is buffered


----------



## mnemonic

All boss pedals I know of are buffered bypass. 

General rule of thumb, if you unplug the power and it doesn’t pass signal when bypassed, it’s buffered bypass


----------



## Bearitone

mnemonic said:


> All boss pedals I know of are buffered bypass.
> 
> General rule of thumb, if you unplug the power and it doesn’t pass signal when bypassed, it’s buffered bypass



Nice! Thanks  I’ll have to try that trick when i get home

Hopefully that Decibelics one is buffered bypass too because i really want that mini form factor


----------



## buriedoutback

I bought the Eyemaster after watching Arnold-plays-guitar's review of it... and realizing its like $75 CAD.
My Behringer hm300 started glitching/cutting out, and before I smash it into 1000 pieces or blow it up with tannerite.... I decided to replace it and keep it as a backup.

To me, it sounds just like my hm300 (level/low/mid cranked and gain on 0) and is built 100X better. 
I like the simple gain/level setup on the eyemaster. Gain at 0 and level at max, or almost max. 
I run my 5150 amp gain at 2 and it sounds super gnarly!

I was just messing around with it and my two notes captor and randomly wrote a 3 song black metal EP. 

Super cool pedal. I have never tried an HM-2 ... but both the hm300 (when it works) and Eyemaster are sick.


----------



## Turgon

Anyone else owns a XIX HMD-1? Got mine yesterday and I'm really impressed by the Focus knob! Video is coming soon!


----------



## Blasphemer

Turgon said:


> Anyone else owns a XIX HMD-1? Got mine yesterday and I'm really impressed by the Focus knob! Video is coming soon!



I have one! Turning down the focus knob gives the most insane snarl, it's unlike anything else out there


----------



## kevdes93

Grabbed a MiT for 90$ on reverb tonight, stoked to add another to the collection


----------



## Necky379

I couldn’t decide if I should post this here or make a new thread. Yesterday I placed a pre-order for the latest from LWA. 
https://lonewolfaudio.bigcartel.com/product/the-bump-one-knob-chainsaw-eq-pre-sale
I’ve got a white on white version on reserve. It’s a simple concept but to test the idea I did some experimenting on my own. I ran my 5150 preamp out into a LHWD going into the power amp in on my Roadmaster. Since the LHWD has a blend knob I can essentially do the same thing the Bump was built for. I’m surprised I haven’t tried this sooner. Lately I just let the 5150 do it’s thing but years ago I always had an eq in the loop to remove some low mids and boost some high mids similar to an HM-2. I know other builders have HM-2 clones with a blend knob, has anyone else tried this? The sound I have with the two amps running together is eeevil. 5150->1960tv with no LHWD and 5150 preamp out->LHWD->Roadmaster in->Recto cab


----------



## Blasphemer

I was lucky enough to snag an Evil Ned from Abominable Electronics. It's a collab between him and God City which is a transparent overdrive with a slightly adjusted HM-2 EQ curve. They sold out in less than a minute, so I feel pretty lucky to have grabbed one. Can't wait for it to show up!


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Blasphemer said:


> I was lucky enough to snag an Evil Ned from Abominable Electronics. It's a collab between him and God City which is a transparent overdrive with a slightly adjusted HM-2 EQ curve. They sold out in less than a minute, so I feel pretty lucky to have grabbed one. Can't wait for it to show up!


jealous. I really wanted one but I guess I'll have to wait for the next run.


----------



## Emperor Guillotine

Blasphemer said:


> I was lucky enough to snag an Evil Ned from Abominable Electronics. It's a collab between him and God City which is a transparent overdrive with a slightly adjusted HM-2 EQ curve. They sold out in less than a minute, so I feel pretty lucky to have grabbed one. Can't wait for it to show up!


I mean this in the best possible way...but fuck you, man.  Literally, a ton of people were in the midst of checking out, and the pedals instantly sold out. PayPal was clearing my payment, glitched, and then booted me back to an empty cart. A ton of other folks reported the same thing happening to them. The fact that they sold out in like 30 seconds or less? Yeah...right... There is no way there were 100 of them. Some real bullshit behind that one.



KnightBrolaire said:


> jealous. I really wanted one but I guess I'll have to wait for the next run.


Next run will be in late May or June. So, not too far off.

It's a smart pedal design though. You take the transparent boost/drive and then use the second knob to add in as much of the "maxed out EQ setting" as you'd like to color your tone, but it's less buzzy, less greasy, and a bit less unbearably harsh than an original MIJ HM-2.

Using a classic HM-2 as an ever so slight tool (with the gain of the pedal itself set at zero while using the EQ knobs of the pedal to shape in some additional color) is a nice, little trick for getting the tone of any heavy bands that Kurt has recorded, getting that Knocked Loose guitar tone, or even getting a more aggressive tone for modern, noisy hardcore music. This Evil Ned pedal just condenses it all down into one, tiny stompbox.


----------



## Masoo2

Emperor Guillotine said:


> Using a classic HM-2 as an ever so slight tool (with the gain of the pedal itself set at zero while using the EQ knobs of the pedal to shape in some additional color) is a nice, little trick for getting the tone of any heavy bands that Kurt has recorded, getting that Knocked Loose guitar tone, or even getting a more aggressive tone for modern, noisy hardcore music.



For someone dissatisfied with plugins trying to basically nail these exact sounds (Ballou/GodCity sounds, KL/modern hardcore, noise/grindcore/powerviolence/etc) and not looking to spend a ton, where should I start? This is the HM2 thread after all

TC Electronic Eyemaster Metal Distortion? Behringer HM300?


----------



## Bearitone

Anyone get in on the first run of Angry Swedes from Decibelics?


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Masoo2 said:


> For someone dissatisfied with plugins trying to basically nail these exact sounds (Ballou/GodCity sounds, KL/modern hardcore, noise/grindcore/powerviolence/etc) and not looking to spend a ton, where should I start? This is the HM2 thread after all
> 
> TC Electronic Eyemaster Metal Distortion? Behringer HM300?


just grab an hm300, they're like 30$. They more than do the classic swedish tone if you want that, and if you spend some time tweaking you can get more modern hm2 sounds.


----------



## buriedoutback

KnightBrolaire said:


> just grab an hm300, they're like 30$. They more than do the classic swedish tone if you want that, and if you spend some time tweaking you can get more modern hm2 sounds.



Definitely recommend the Behringer for $30 or TC EyeMaster for $60.
To me, they sound about the same. 1 is built like a tank, the other is $30...


----------



## KnightBrolaire

buriedoutback said:


> Definitely recommend the Behringer for $30 or TC EyeMaster for $60.
> To me, they sound about the same. 1 is built like a tank, the other is $30...


They're both great at doing the swedish chainsaw sound, but the hm300 is a bit better suited to getting other sounds since you can actually dial in a different sound beside DIME EVERYTHANG.


----------



## Scordare

Bearitone said:


> Anyone get in on the first run of Angry Swedes from Decibelics?



I did.. Anxiously waiting..


----------



## Turgon

Scordare said:


> I did.. Anxiously waiting..



Congrats, expect nothing but awesomeness! Guillem is very passionate about his pedals and does an outstanding job. I have one of three prototypes and it really kicks ass and sounds identical!


----------



## Blasphemer

The Evil Ned has arrived!




This thing is pretty awesome. I'm loving how it sounds against an already gained up amp, and going into a clean amp is almost as good, honestly. I like that they changed it from a fuzzy type of distortion to a more neutral overdrive. The EQ curve is what you'd expect, but a little more clear (possibly because of the change in gain type).

Here's a quick demo I made using an older riff I wrote to test out the Eyemaster. The rig is my Strandy OS7 -> Pedalboard (only Evil Ned and NS-2 on) -> Mesa Roadster (Ch. 2 set to Fat) -> Mesa 2x12, all picked up with a sliiiiiightly off-axis 57.





https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuw43jf25cbjwes/EvilNedDemo.mp3?dl=0


----------



## MrWulf

Man this thread is giving me the GAS of these type of pedal. My Ceres is still doing well but i wonder if i can get an extra amount of grit via a Chainsaw boost.


----------



## Scordare

The Angry Swede arrived a few days ago and it’s incredible! Sooo quiet like it has a built in noise gate. Highly recommended! 





..and my recently completed Slaughter of the Soul rig.


----------



## Winspear

The new Dunwich modified heavy metal arrived with me recently! It's absolutely killer - I love the max switch and adjustable levels for main/max .



Blasphemer said:


> The Evil Ned has arrived!



Sounds mean!!! Absolutely off topic, but don't suppose you could tell me how the Mesa preamp sounds fed into the Model T return, compared to itself? I've been wondering about the viability of just owning a doomy head but running modern pres into its loop.


----------



## Bearitone

Scordare said:


> The Angry Swede arrived a few days ago and it’s incredible! Sooo quiet like it has a built in noise gate. Highly recommended!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ..and my recently completed Slaughter of the Soul rig.



Giving me gas for that Supreme 160. Now that i own a vh140c i want to know how the 2 compare


----------



## Scordare

Bearitone said:


> Giving me gas for that Supreme 160. Now that i own a vh140c i want to know how the 2 compare



The Supreme 160 was the last and newest puzzle piece for this rig.. It is heavy and loud as hell!! I am currently tweaking knobs and EQ trying to find the Slaughter magic..


----------



## KnightBrolaire

]
fuck I don't need any more Hm2 type pedals but this seems pretty cool


----------



## Bearitone

Got an Angry Swede. Dead quiet when it’s on. I haven’t tried it with all knobs on 10 yet so i won’t comment on that sound.

But as a boost (gain at zero), I greatly prefer the Behringner HM300.


----------



## wakjob

Scordare said:


> The Angry Swede arrived a few days ago and it’s incredible! Sooo quiet like it has a built in noise gate. Highly recommended!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ..and my recently completed Slaughter of the Soul rig.



I'm not seeing the 10" speakers mixed into that cab.


----------



## wakjob

Blasphemer said:


> The Evil Ned has arrived!
> 
> View attachment 69032
> 
> 
> This thing is pretty awesome. I'm loving how it sounds against an already gained up amp, and going into a clean amp is almost as good, honestly. I like that they changed it from a fuzzy type of distortion to a more neutral overdrive. The EQ curve is what you'd expect, but a little more clear (possibly because of the change in gain type).
> 
> Here's a quick demo I made using an older riff I wrote to test out the Eyemaster. The rig is my Strandy OS7 -> Pedalboard (only Evil Ned and NS-2 on) -> Mesa Roadster (Ch. 2 set to Fat) -> Mesa 2x12, all picked up with a sliiiiiightly off-axis 57.
> 
> View attachment 69030
> View attachment 69031
> 
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuw43jf25cbjwes/EvilNedDemo.mp3?dl=0



Man, everything on their site is sold out...even hoodies!


----------



## LeftOurEyes

wakjob said:


> Man, everything on their site is sold out...even hoodies!



Abominable builds pedals in batches and only makes like 3 different models with something like 15 of each at a time. The last release was like 2-3 weeks ago and he posted something about big changes coming soon and hasn't posted new stock since then. I used to check the site a lot to see what would pop up, but I got the pedals I was looking for and haven't checked much since.


----------



## Scordare

wakjob said:


> I'm not seeing the 10" speakers mixed into that cab.


Look a little closer...they are there!! The top two have Mojotone baffle converters.


----------



## wakjob

Scordare said:


> Look a little closer...they are there!! The top two have Mojotone baffle converters.



...I was looking at those baffle adapters for my combo amp, but thought they were over priced for what they are...figured I just make my own some day.


----------



## Ànar

Necky379 said:


> I finally got around to making a clip for whoever is interested in hearing my MT-2+HM-2 Bandit setup. I did a section with drums first and then just some random sloppy riffing. I put a mic on each speaker but I've never tried micing up an open back cab before, not sure how to really capture the bass that's reflecting off the wall but it's a first attempt. I'm going to leave it setup for a couple days if anyone has any suggestions. There's zero clean up, just my shitty one take on a maple SC-607 into Line 6 G10 wiresless -> Neewer Noise Gate -> MT-2 -> HM-2 -> Bandit -> Vox 2x12 CV-75/Governor mic'd up with an ATM41 on the Governor and an SM57 on the CV-75. Both are on the edge of the cone going straight into a PreSonus Audiobox USB going to Reaper on my laptop, panned center.
> 
> I know the playing is no good and I know the tone is anything but nice or polished but this really is the best bedroom death metal setup I've ever assembled or heard. I'm actually thinking about taking it out of the bedroom and trying it on real track. Let me know what you think, I can take it .



Hi, I'm new to the forum. I love the tone you managed to get out of the HM-2 and the MT-2. Do you happen to remember the settings on the pedals? Is it those in the photo in post #126?


----------



## Stealth7

Looks like Boss is teasing a re-release of the HM-2! Most likely will be a Waza craft HM-2.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4waSjAH2d/


----------



## ATRguitar91

Stealth7 said:


> Looks like Boss is teasing a re-release of the HM-2! Most likely will be a Waza craft HM-2.
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4waSjAH2d/


This seems cool, but what it will be able to offer that one of the many boutique clones doesn't already?


----------



## Seabeast2000

ATRguitar91 said:


> This seems cool, but what it will be able to offer that one of the many boutique clones doesn't already?



I'm not really sure but I don't have any boutique clones and I would def buy one of these, I don't know why.


----------



## b0nkersx

ATRguitar91 said:


> This seems cool, but what it will be able to offer that one of the many boutique clones doesn't already?


Probably a better pricepoint and more widespread availability. I doubt it will be as feature rich as some of the pricier boutique clones but I could see something like a custom mode bypassing the clipping stage, which I think some boutique clones do.


----------



## Bearitone

Stealth7 said:


> Looks like Boss is teasing a re-release of the HM-2! Most likely will be a Waza craft HM-2.
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4waSjAH2d/



Hmm not seeing anything about it being waza, or even if they’re doing anything at all


----------



## kevdes93

Yeah sadly nothing about that post really says teaser to me. IIRC Boss said straight up at one point that it wasn’t something they’d ever do


----------



## Scordare

Wow.. it is true!


----------



## Bearitone

Nvm


----------



## Scordare

maybe not.. I just noticed it says Fictional Pedals..


----------



## b0nkersx

Scordare said:


> maybe not.. I just noticed it says Fictional Pedals..


Yeah those are mockups done by a guy on Reddit.


----------



## wakjob

It's not really a very good sounding pedal if we're going to be honest with each other .

As a straight dirt box, it ranks pretty low for guitar.
The best I could get out of it was a half decent fuzz box for bass.

We only like it for that one weird frequency it gives us.

But that said, if Boss reissued it, of course I'd buy one.
Don't need another one either. I'd just buy it cuz HM2.


----------



## Necky379

Ànar said:


> Hi, I'm new to the forum. I love the tone you managed to get out of the HM-2 and the MT-2. Do you happen to remember the settings on the pedals? Is it those in the photo in post #126?



Sure, I haven’t changed anything on that setup since then, still my bedroom practice amp! 

Noise Gate -> MT-2 -> HM-2




The mid frequency knob is just off the lowest end of it’s range




The distortion isn’t totally off it’s barely on, right where you start hearing added noise




Amp settings








Lows aren’t maxed but close, mids aren’t on zero but close


----------



## Ànar

Now that's comprehensive Information. Thanks!


----------



## PunkBillCarson

So I just got a TC Electronics Eyemaster and even on the clean channel, with both knobs maxed it is noisy as all hell. Is that natural or?

It should be mentioned that I am relatively new to distortion pedals in general.


----------



## Cynicanal

The HM-2 is a noisy fucker, and I'd imagine the same is true of any clone. Stomp it off when you're not actively playing.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Cynicanal said:


> The HM-2 is a noisy fucker, and I'd imagine the same is true of any clone. Stomp it off when you're not actively playing.


some clones are quieter than others, and some are noisier than the hm2. The behringer hm300 is noisier than the hm2 for sure. the throne torcher isn't too noisy unless you're trying to run it maxed into a distorted channel imo. walrus red was pretty quiet as well. Godcity had a good comparison of a bunch of HM2s and clones showing the gain structure/noise floor.


----------



## Cynicanal

KnightBrolaire said:


> The behringer hm300 is noisier than the hm2 for sure.


I'm amazed such a thing is possible TBH. That said, running it maxed into a distorted channel is how Dismember runs it (pedal maxed into the dirty channel of a JCM 900 with all knobs on the amp maxed is how they run things live last I heard), and in that context, even a fairly "quiet" pedal is going to be noisy as hell.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Cynicanal said:


> I'm amazed such a thing is possible TBH. That said, running it maxed into a distorted channel is how Dismember runs it (pedal maxed into the dirty channel of a JCM 900 with all knobs on the amp maxed is how they run things live last I heard), and in that context, even a fairly "quiet" pedal is going to be noisy as hell.


if you watch the god city vid. they show that the hm300 is noisier. I own an hm2 and hm300, so I can confirm the vid is accurate in that regard. It's a very noisy pedal but it apes the hm2 sound really damn well for only costing like 20$


----------



## kevdes93

The boss Europe Instagram page just posted a teaser video prominently featuring a space echo and the HM-2 saying "new gear announced june 13th"


----------



## Chiba666

Waza HM-2, count me sold


----------



## Stealth7

Called it last page!


----------



## Seabeast2000

Chiba666 said:


> Waza HM-2, count me sold


These things will sell.


----------



## Chiba666

The906 said:


> These things will sell.


If its inline with the price of the rest then yes it sure will. Need the preorders to go up now


----------



## Werecow

I'm all in for a genuine HM-2. I'm curious what the "Waza switch" will do to the tone though. Will it give more Swedish or less Swedish?


----------



## KailM

If it's made with original MIJ specs I'm in. Otherwise my MIT is still going strong.


----------



## Seabeast2000

8AM CET 13 June.


----------



## mnemonic

In b4 it’s actually an HM3w


----------



## StevenC

Guys it's a wireless system...


----------



## Seabeast2000

Lol


----------



## nerdywhale

Also the 200 series...

https://www.boss.info/uk/products/od-200/

Hoping the “X-Metal” function is what we want.


----------



## Bearitone

nerdywhale said:


> Hoping the “X-Metal” function is what we want.



Doubt it.

I’m surprised boss hasn’t tried the whole pedal preamp and poweramp thing yet.


----------



## Blasphemer

nerdywhale said:


> Also the 200 series...
> 
> https://www.boss.info/uk/products/od-200/
> 
> Hoping the “X-Metal” function is what we want.



It's probably not. Boss had another drive unit pretty much exactly like this, the OD-20. That also had an HM-2 on it, and it was NOTHING like a real HM-2. Maybe they fixed it in this version, but I'm dubious from their previous efforts


----------



## kevdes93




----------



## Seabeast2000

kevdes93 said:


>



I'm gonna fill up a piss jug.


----------



## wakjob

"Friends of the road...friends of the road."


----------



## kleinenenten

Anybody have input on the Throat Locust? I’m in desperate need of more chainsaw, but hate high noise floors and don’t want to add extra gates to my board. I really liked the Angry Swede for that reason, and because it seemed to nail the HM-2 tone, but it’s prohibitively expensive. The vids I’ve seen of the Throat Locust sound good, but no clue on noise floor.

And thanks for the thread! This has been awesome to read through and learn!


----------



## Bearitone

kleinenenten said:


> Anybody have input on the Throat Locust? I’m in desperate need of more chainsaw, but hate high noise floors and don’t want to add extra gates to my board. I really liked the Angry Swede for that reason, and because it seemed to nail the HM-2 tone, but it’s prohibitively expensive. The vids I’ve seen of the Throat Locust sound good, but no clue on noise floor.
> 
> And thanks for the thread! This has been awesome to read through and learn!



I’ve had both the throat Locust and the angry Swede. The throat Locust is noisy. About as noisy as my HM300. No way around it.

The HM300 is still my favorite out of all 3 though. Even though it’s noisy, it’s savage and works great as a boost compared to the other two.


----------



## kleinenenten

Bearitone said:


> I’ve had both the throat Locust and the angry Swede. The throat Locust is noisy. About as noisy as my HM300. No way around it.
> 
> The HM300 is still my favorite out of all 3 though. Even though it’s noisy, it’s savage and works great as a boost compared to the other two.


I have no plans on boosting these pedals, so that’s not a big deal to me. What are your general thoughts on the Throat Locust besides noise level? I have a few HM-2s, so I’m really looking for something that keeps that tone, but is still a little flexible. I know I can get an HM-300 stupid cheap, and one of my buddies has one, but I still think I can get somewhere with another pedal.

Here are all the HM-2s I’ve either owned or tried:
MIT x2
Metal Master x2 (favorite on bass!)
BYOC Swede
Super American Metal x2
LWA Left Hand Wrath (not worth it IMO, sold it)
HM-300
Fab Tone (heard that was a clone, but not sure)

Of those, the MITs are my favorites, with the Super American Metals and BYOC close behind. However, for bass, the Metal Master just sounds meatier, maybe more low mids or something. I don’t really find a blend necessary, and all of my Earthbound Pedals have been the exact tweaks I needed on the circuits I like, so I was just hoping the Throat Locust was more of the same. If it comes down to it, I will buy gates for them, I’d just prefer not to, of course.

Thanks for the response!


----------



## Bearitone

If flexibility is what you want i say the throat Locust is the way to go. You get so much control with the 3 band EQ with parametric mids. Plus clipping options? Plus Earthbound Audio is small enough that he will probably add additional features (within reason) if you request them.

He once built me an Iron Pig after they were discontinued. Very accommodating guy


----------



## kleinenenten

Bearitone said:


> If flexibility is what you want i say the throat Locust is the way to go. You get so much control with the 3 band EQ with parametric mids. Plus clipping options? Plus Earthbound Audio is small enough that he will probably add additional features (within reason) if you request them.
> 
> He once built me an Iron Pig after they were discontinued. Very accommodating guy



The Iron Pig is actually why I’m looking into a Throat Locust. After trying what many consider to be “the Rat” for bass (Dunwich Volt Thrower, which is great, just not for me), I was left underwhelmed and felt I was always fighting it. The Iron Pig I got recently just felt right, had all the right tweaks, and was super easy to dial in, as is my Supercollider ‘71. With a great track record so far on my boards, I figured I should give the Throat Locust a go.

I did a quick “noise floor” test here too a minute ago. The noisiest HM-2 I have is my BYOC Swede, and it’s only necessitated its gate recently since I’ve upgraded my pickups to the Nazgûl and Pegasus. The increased gain makes my “fancier” dirt sound even better, but gives the Swede more feedback than the simple Smart Gate in my FX loop can handle without squashing all other dirt.

In other words, is the Throat Locust’s noise floor comparable to the MIT version or Super American Metal? I have no extra noise concerns with those pedals.


----------



## Bearitone

kleinenenten said:


> The Iron Pig is actually why I’m looking into a Throat Locust. After trying what many consider to be “the Rat” for bass (Dunwich Volt Thrower, which is great, just not for me), I was left underwhelmed and felt I was always fighting it. The Iron Pig I got recently just felt right, had all the right tweaks, and was super easy to dial in, as is my Supercollider ‘71. With a great track record so far on my boards, I figured I should give the Throat Locust a go.
> 
> I did a quick “noise floor” test here too a minute ago. The noisiest HM-2 I have is my BYOC Swede, and it’s only necessitated its gate recently since I’ve upgraded my pickups to the Nazgûl and Pegasus. The increased gain makes my “fancier” dirt sound even better, but gives the Swede more feedback than the simple Smart Gate in my FX loop can handle without squashing all other dirt.
> 
> In other words, is the Throat Locust’s noise floor comparable to the MIT version or Super American Metal? I have no extra noise concerns with those pedals.



I LOVED the iron pig for doom stuff. I totally see it working well for bass.

As far as noise goes, it was noisy. How noisy compared to the ones you mentioned, i couldn’t say to be honest. 

The way you describe the smart gate makes it seem like it behaves a little oddly. If you ever get sick of, try a decimator. There hasn’t been a pedal, or combination of pedals, the the decimator couldn’t silence and it never affects the gain structure in any way.


----------



## kleinenenten

Bearitone said:


> I LOVED the iron pig for doom stuff. I totally see it working well for bass.
> 
> As far as noise goes, it was noisy. How noisy compared to the ones you mentioned, i couldn’t say to be honest.
> 
> The way you describe the smart gate makes it seem like it behaves a little oddly. If you ever get sick of, try a decimator. There hasn’t been a pedal, or combination of pedals, the the decimator couldn’t silence and it never affects the gain structure in any way.


That’s precisely how I would describe my Smart Gate, actually, with my Decimator being #2... The only exceptions are really noisy pedals like HM-2s, but only when absolutely cranked. They generate enough noise that I have to set it high enough that the gate silences other pedals.

And of course, now that I try my Decimator, the switch goes wonky and won’t stay engaged...

After a quick temporary fix to my Decimator, it is better than my Smart Gate for this issue. It does however, clamp down “unnaturally” at times. Though if we’re talking HM-2 and “natural sounding” together, we must be confused... Gotta say, better than I recalled. May have to swap a Decimator and Smart Gate on a board to make this work.


----------



## Asphyxia

LeftOurEyes said:


> Abominable builds pedals in batches and only makes like 3 different models with something like 15 of each at a time. The last release was like 2-3 weeks ago and he posted something about big changes coming soon and hasn't posted new stock since then. I used to check the site a lot to see what would pop up, but I got the pedals I was looking for and haven't checked much since.


A pic they had on facebook said they had 500 Evil Neds in the works.
It seems to be exactly what I want.


----------



## kleinenenten

Throat Locust incoming. Should be here early next week. I’ll post my thoughts when I get a chance to give it a good run-through. It seems to be one of the few that hasn’t been mentioned here much.


----------



## kleinenenten

A few minutes in to jamming on the Throat Locust and I gotta say, this is the BEST HM-2 I’ve ever played. The 3 band EQ means I can keep the shrillest of highs out of my tone while keeping the grinding mids intact. The frequency control means I can tweak the exact tone of my mid-grind from low-mid punch on my bass to high-mid searing distortion on guitar, all while keeping the distinctive peaks of the circuit’s EQ close. The distortion knob adds noticeable gain throughout its run as does the volume knob, both improvements over the original. The noise floor is comparable to my MIJ and my Arion Metal Masters, which is to say it’s an HM-2, so not quiet, but manageable. The diode selector adds a slightly different flavor into the mix, and is likely the only tweak I don’t really care for, but it doesn’t hurt anything either. I imagine some people will quite like it.

This is the best HM-2 I’ve ever played by FAR.

To be fair, I’m only using it for chainsaw, so if that’s not your thing, this pedal might not be either, but wow - it rips!

I think Earthbound Audio has become my new favorite dirt company. All 3 of their boxes I have are incredibly easy to dial in and have fantastic tones. 2 of 3 are my favorite versions of that circuit, with the 3rd being just barely edged out by a pedal that has taken me years to master. Seriously, if you’re looking for dirt, I think they’re the way to go these days.


----------



## kleinenenten

Anybody ever use a Wounded Paw Black Wolf? Sounds pretty great in demos.

After a while with my Throat Locust, it’s still amazing. Not quite as compressed as my MIT, but more open. I think I prefer my MIT on guitar just a smidge, but not much. Maybe I’m a purist, or maybe I need to keep twiddling knobs. It is however, the best on bass, which is what I had really hoped to use it for anyway.


----------



## b0nkersx

kleinenenten said:


> Anybody ever use a Wounded Paw Black Wolf? Sounds pretty great in demos.
> 
> After a while with my Throat Locust, it’s still amazing. Not quite as compressed as my MIT, but more open. I think I prefer my MIT on guitar just a smidge, but not much. Maybe I’m a purist, or maybe I need to keep twiddling knobs. It is however, the best on bass, which is what I had really hoped to use it for anyway.


Nice man, I have one on order right now, should arrive some time next week. I have most of the clones right now, plus an MIJ. Looking forward to seeing how the Throat Locust compares.


----------



## kleinenenten

b0nkersx said:


> Nice man, I have one on order right now, should arrive some time next week. I have most of the clones right now, plus an MIJ. Looking forward to seeing how the Throat Locust compares.


Did you snag the one off of Reverb? I had thought about it, but have other gear necessities to fix first now that my bass is humming like crazy... Yay shielding issues!


----------



## Necky379

I figured i’d add to this thread instead of making a NPD. I was able to get a white on white preorder for this right before the first preorder sold out and it showed up yesterday. This is the new pedal from Lone Wolf Audio, The Bump. 





















My cables are a rats nest, I haven’t tidied up since it came and I changed things up. The signal chain splits from the Valvulator, one output going to the 5150 the other going to the Diezel VH-4 preamp running into the Roadmaster FX return. I’m boosting the VH-4 with the SD-1 into The Bump. 

If anyone is unfamiliar with it, it’s a single knob blendable EQ. There are internal trim pots to adjust lows, low mid, high mid, high. I haven’t touched them, no reason to. It’s curve recreates the eq from his Left Hand Wrath pedal. I’ve got the Deluxe LHW, it’s a great pedal and the most tweakable HM-2 clone I have. After playing with The Bump for a couple days I’ve decided I like it in front of the preamp. It can be used after the preamp as well but it absolutely dominates the tone there even with the blend knob low, much more subtle up front. I’ve had this Diezel preamp a long time and never really liked the sound. Not that it sounds bad, actually it’s the opposite. I always found it too smooth and liquidy. I prefer my 5150 over it every time but it’s come in handy for recording so I kept it for that. With this in mind I figured it’d be the perfect candidate to try out with The Bump and now I don’t think it’s going to leave my board. With The Bump out front and the SD-1 boosting it’s a match. I’ve been looking for something to compliment my 5150 in a dual amp rig, unexpectedly this might be it. I’m just waiting to hear it in a mix and also how this setup fares next to another guitarists rig. I think it’s going to do the trick. This is the 3rd LWA I’ve picked up and even though it’s the simplest I believe it’s going to get the most usage. It’s awesome, it really is.


----------



## kleinenenten

So it’s just the EQ curve of the HM-2 in a blend pedal? That seems to be gaining popularity. There’s another builder (Dunn, I think?). Who makes a “Death Knob” or something that seems to be the same, but makes no mention of internal trim pots. Wonder if it is the same.


----------



## mnemonic

The eq curve of the HM2 is where a lot of the sound happens. If you have an axe FX or are using a plugin to play guitar, you can make this curve with a parametric eq, it’s pretty cool 




Yellow line is both knobs on 10


----------



## Asphyxia

Got a Airis Merciless Distortion a few weeks back. 
It is perfect for what I wanted.
The high control takes you to instant death metal territory.
You can roll it back just slightly to not be overbearing HM2 grind.
If you are looking for a boost in HM2 style I highly recommend it.
It puts off very little noise. 
For people that want the dimed out HM2, just get a Eyemaster and save some money. 
TBH most people in this thread probably have multiple HM2 and clones.


----------



## Necky379

kleinenenten said:


> So it’s just the EQ curve of the HM-2 in a blend pedal? That seems to be gaining popularity. There’s another builder (Dunn, I think?). Who makes a “Death Knob” or something that seems to be the same, but makes no mention of internal trim pots. Wonder if it is the same.



Yes exactly! I’ve haven’t heard of any other builder making one but I’ll check that “Death Knob” out I’m curious if it’s the same thing. I can take a gut shot of the trim pots later if anyone is interested. I opened it up to see what kind of control was available with the trimpots and just closed it up without tweaking anything.


----------



## KailM

After messing around with my HM-2 for probably at least a decade now, and getting inconsistent but sometimes good results, I finally found THE sound the other day:

HM-2 > 6505 green channel, crunch OFF/Bright ON, gain DIMED > Boss GE-7 in the loop (actually, it's a little more detailed than that; I can share settings if you're interested)

I thought my house was going to fall apart. 

Gonna start working on a demo soon. Gents, I'd suggest you start working your neck muscles now so your heads don't fall off.


----------



## buriedoutback

shameless self promotion 
- start! 
I've started tracking guitars for my bands new 4 song EP.
RGA8 (D'activator) > TC EyeMaster > 5150 > 2notes captor (mesa and brownyback cabs).
Sounds pretty disgusting so far (in a good way!!). I have the 5150 gain down to 2 IIRC.
I have the free trial of parallax for bass atm and it sounds awesome too.
- end!


----------



## kleinenenten

Got some quality time in with the Throat Locust on guitar today. Definitely the best HM-2 I’ve tried. Tweaks the circuit in just the right ways to make it work for me (aka less shrill highs that are controllable). I love the mid frequency knob. That, combined with the separate 3 band EQ really make this work for me. I’m able to get a good amount of bass, then tailor the mids back a bit and the highs a good deal so that I get a bass heavy (relatively speaking) version of HM-2 that my MITs have, but no other clone has been quite able to nail. All the other clones have been shrieking treble, and when I adjust it starts to negatively affect the rest of the tone. The Throat Locust solves all that.

Still love it on bass, too, though I think that it’s still a bit extreme for me bass-wise. This thing has officially made it onto my guitar board, though.


----------



## dhgrind

Does anyone know what the cheapest and most expensive hm2 variants are?


----------



## Bearitone

dhgrind said:


> Does anyone know what the cheapest and most expensive hm2 variants are?



Cheapest is the behringer HM300.

An unopened MIJ HM2 might actually be the most expensive version.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Bearitone said:


> Cheapest is the behringer HM300.
> 
> An unopened MIJ HM2 might actually be the most expensive version.


most of the boutique options like the wurm/left hand wrath/xix are well over 200$, which is more than a lot of the MIJ hm2s out there.


----------



## axxessdenied

My favourite HM-2 clone so far has been the Dunwich Modified Heavy Metal.


----------



## dhgrind

New question is, smallest hm2? 
Does the evil ned count and does anyone have any opinions?


----------



## Necky379

Decibelics Angry Swede - The Mini HM2 Clone (Ships from US!)
https://reverb.com/item/28278321-de...s-from-us?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share

Smallest HM-2


----------



## pearl_07

I never realized how much I needed one of these until now. This through the Rhythm channel on my 5150 is something so simple, but effective. I feel myself not using the Modern (Presence) switch, and boosting it with my OD-808. I keep the clipping/diode switch to the left.


----------



## kleinenenten

pearl_07 said:


> I never realized how much I needed one of these until now. This through the Rhythm channel on my 5150 is something so simple, but effective. I feel myself not using the Modern (Presence) switch, and boosting it with my OD-808. I keep the clipping/diode switch to the left.


Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I found this clone to be lacking. It was more expensive than any other clone and offered nothing different. I got the exact same tones from this as any other clone, with no versatility. I found the highs needed to be pretty prominent or I lost definition quickly and the mids needed to be cranked to compensate. The “presence” was such a high frequency that it was just fizz for me. Combine this with the long wait time and general disdain I felt when I had to contact the builder (after having no contact whatsoever and being rather late on the build time) and I have no desire to purchase anything from this builder again.

This was great for chainsaw tones, but anything beyond “crank it all” left me wanting. It was also more expensive than pretty much everyone clone. I say go for the Throat Locust. It can do chainsaw no problem, as well as plenty of other stuff.


----------



## dhgrind

kleinenenten said:


> Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I found this clone to be lacking. It was more expensive than any other clone and offered nothing different. I got the exact same tones from this as any other clone, with no versatility. I found the highs needed to be pretty prominent or I lost definition quickly and the mids needed to be cranked to compensate. The “presence” was such a high frequency that it was just fizz for me. Combine this with the long wait time and general disdain I felt when I had to contact the builder (after having no contact whatsoever and being rather late on the build time) and I have no desire to purchase anything from this builder again.
> 
> This was great for chainsaw tones, but anything beyond “crank it all” left me wanting. It was also more expensive than pretty much everyone clone. I say go for the Throat Locust. It can do chainsaw no problem, as well as plenty of other stuff.



Earthbound audio stuff is great. Had a super collider for a while back in the day. I bet the throat locust is amazing.


----------



## dhgrind

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8fbN6pNREFD4AnKOslVEuw

Found this hm2 YouTube channel the other day


----------



## Werecow

dhgrind said:


> https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8fbN6pNREFD4AnKOslVEuw
> 
> Found this hm2 YouTube channel the other day



That's a very niche youtube channel haha.


----------



## vilk

There's a dude near my work selling a DOD American Metal for $35, but it's not a Super American Metal. It's only got one screw holding the bottom onto the pedal lol


----------



## dhgrind

Werecow said:


> That's a very niche youtube channel haha.


This is the very niche thread on a very niche forum


----------



## Necky379

vilk said:


> There's a dude near my work selling a DOD American Metal for $35, but it's not a Super American Metal. It's only got one screw holding the bottom onto the pedal lol


I’ve got one, it dooms like nobody’s business stacked with a Muff. It does some saw too. I don’t know that I’d pay 35$ for one in poor condition.


----------



## prlgmnr

dhgrind said:


> This is the very niche thread on a very niche forum


Now is the winter of our niche content.


----------



## dhgrind

prlgmnr said:


> Now is the winter of our niche content.


Deep cut ref


----------



## efiltsohg

Did Entombed use the HM2 on Uprising? That album has a bit different of a tone, almost sounds like a Rat


----------



## axxessdenied

Asphyxia said:


> Got a Airis Merciless Distortion a few weeks back.
> It is perfect for what I wanted.
> The high control takes you to instant death metal territory.
> You can roll it back just slightly to not be overbearing HM2 grind.
> If you are looking for a boost in HM2 style I highly recommend it.
> It puts off very little noise.
> For people that want the dimed out HM2, just get a Eyemaster and save some money.
> TBH most people in this thread probably have multiple HM2 and clones.


I liked the Merciless Distortion. It sounded really close to my '84 HM-2.


----------



## Asphyxia

Not an HM2 but this actually sounds good to me. For the love of god don't let me buy a second digitech death metal pedal.lol


----------



## dhgrind

Btw if anyone is looking to get an Evil Ned abominable is dropping 50 at 00:00 of Halloween. Of course you better have lightning reflexes to purchase one since there are apparently bots snatching these up


----------



## PunkBillCarson

I cannot attest to other HM-2 pedals/clones, but I can say that I love my Eyemaster. It does that tone really nastily and it's great when I need more grit. Thought about throwing a boss Metalzone in my signal as a boost and have them both running.


----------



## Asphyxia

PunkBillCarson said:


> I cannot attest to other HM-2 pedals/clones, but I can say that I love my Eyemaster. It does that tone really nastily and it's great when I need more grit. Thought about throwing a boss Metalzone in my signal as a boost and have them both running.


Didn't work for me. I am running a merciless distortion(HM2 clone)> Metalzone> power amp. 
You can probably get it to work. The Eyemaster is what it is. Not flexible enough for me to work in that situation. I was basically just fighting the eyemaster to take down some frequencies. 
Very good for what it is though. A dimed HM2.


----------



## Werecow

Asphyxia said:


> Not an HM2 but this actually sounds good to me. For the love of god don't let me buy a second digitech death metal pedal.lol




When i was young and almost penniless, i used to regularly go into a guitar shop just to stare at that pedal in a glass cabinet. I didn't even know what it sounded like but wanted it so badly for about a year.


----------



## Necky379

PunkBillCarson said:


> I cannot attest to other HM-2 pedals/clones, but I can say that I love my Eyemaster. It does that tone really nastily and it's great when I need more grit. Thought about throwing a boss Metalzone in my signal as a boost and have them both running.



I do this with my practice rig. Instant At The Gates/early In Flames. There’s pictures of it in the thread but photobucket blurred them out. As was already mentioned an Eyemaster is probably not ideal for being boosted by an MT-2. There’s no eq with the Eyemaster and you’re going to want to play with the mid knob once you introduce the MT-2 to your chain. I go guitar->MT-2->HM-2->low gain input Bandit distortion channel->2x12. It sounds pretty evil, maybe pickup a used HM300 if you already have an MT-2 to try the combo out with.


----------



## Asphyxia

Necky379 said:


> I do this with my practice rig. Instant At The Gates/early In Flames. There’s pictures of it in the thread but photobucket blurred them out. As was already mentioned an Eyemaster is probably not ideal for being boosted by an MT-2. There’s no eq with the Eyemaster and you’re going to want to play with the mid knob once you introduce the MT-2 to your chain. I go guitar->MT-2->HM-2->low gain input Bandit distortion channel->2x12. It sounds pretty evil, maybe pickup a used HM300 if you already have an MT-2 to try the combo out with.


I have to run the merciless(HM2) first. If I run it after the MT-2 it compresses it so much I can't get it to sound right. The combo of the two together is some death metal heaven for a bedroom player. I actually got the idea from your posts. So thanks for giving me the idea.


----------



## PunkBillCarson

I've got a Boss SD-1 and I actually use the Eyemaster to boost it and then my amp. For what it's worth, I never turn the gain up at all on the Eyemaster. I've already got instant chainsaw with the level all the way up. I tried using the SD-1 to boost the Eyemaster, but it didn't work as good as it does now.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

I bought an evil ned a few weeks ago and I've been dicking around with it. It's a neat pedal and I really like using it to boost my f30 and Archon. It gives me this gnarly grindy midrange that I'm really enjoying.
archon clips: 
https://www.mediafire.com/file/x5ag2jq5ksj7p93/evilned.zip/file


----------



## KnightBrolaire

KnightBrolaire said:


> I bought an evil ned a few weeks ago and I've been dicking around with it. It's a neat pedal and I really like using it to boost my f30 and Archon. It gives me this gnarly grindy midrange that I'm really enjoying.
> archon clips:
> https://www.mediafire.com/file/x5ag2jq5ksj7p93/evilned.zip/file


here's a quick shitty video with my f30:


----------



## dhgrind

KnightBrolaire said:


> here's a quick shitty video with my f30:




Patiently waiting on mine to come in, bought the weeping chaos too which I guess is the hold up on my order.


----------



## Backsnack

Necky379 said:


> Decibelics Angry Swede - The Mini HM2 Clone (Ships from US!)
> https://reverb.com/item/28278321-de...s-from-us?utm_source=ios-app&utm_medium=share
> 
> Smallest HM-2


I actually just picked one of these up recently. It's my first try of an HM-2 clone, and I love the the miniature size. Despite the tiny form factor, it still feels very high quality.

It definitely does the chainsaw thing, and the lowered noise floor is really impressive vs. the original HM-2s. If you want a high quality clone of the original, this is your jam.

However, I'm not sure how badly I need this tone for what I play for now, and how much I want it on my pedalboard permanently. I'll experiment with it for a little while longer and discover how badly I want to play the "original" Gothenburg sound with those riffs. 



dhgrind said:


> Does anyone know what the cheapest and most expensive hm2 variants are?



FWIW, there is a plugin version of the HM-2 that you can buy on BF sale right now for $10:
https://www.audiority.com/shop/heavy-pedal/



Not sure if it counts for your question as it's not a real pedal, but for $10 you can't really complain for how close it gets. So if all things are equal, this is now your cheapest HM-2 variant. 
You can also pick it up in the whole pack of distortion pedals they make for less than $40 right now. The fuzzes are actually better than I would have expected for plugins.


----------



## Bearitone

What is the name of that HM-2 style boost pedal that Airis used to make? Not the Murderous distortion. I could have sworn they made one with no gain. Just a boost with a chainsaw EQ


----------



## Necky379

@Backsnack

Not claiming “I know how they did it” or anything like that but if you’re experimenting with it trying to get the old Gothenburg sound I can steer you in the right direction. If you can post your amp and cab I can probably help you get even closer. I’ve posted my exact settings in this thread but if you’re using different gear (assuming you are) I’ll add my procedure for how I got there. Hopefully it’s helpful, I spent a lot of time figuring out how to get it.
I start by scooping the mids on my amp almost as far as the knob allows, I turn the knob to zero and turn it back up until I can hear the mids just start to be present again. You should be going through your amp’s distortion channel but set the distortion low, so that it’s getting fat but just breaking up. I go through the low gain input because I’m stacking pedals, using hot pickups and don’t want to drive the front end to the point of losing all clarity or adding noise. The HM-2 alone didn’t do it, I boost it with an MT-2. The HM-2 adds mids back in but don’t max out the mid/high knob. Turn the level above unity gain and the distortion knob off. Then turn that mid/high knob up until the pedal starts to chainsaw and stop. Now with the distortion knob do the same thing, bring it up right to where you hear it adding the slightest amount of distortion and stop. To set up the MT-2 set everything to 12 o’clock except the distortion knob, turn that off. Now bring the level up to the point it’s driving the HM-2, around 1-3 o’clock. The eq on the MT-2 should be set to work with whatever cab/speakers you’re using. I’m using an open back with a CV-75 and a Governor, similar to a nice’d out V30 and a throatier V30 if you’re not familiar with those. Start with the low/high pot, add lows until the sound has some balls. It won’t take a lot since the HM-2 has a bump in the lows and the frequency the MT-2 affects isn’t all that desirable IMO. Basically you’re just making that bump wider. Roll back the highs until you find a nice balance between too scratchy and too dull, you’re probably going to end up pretty low on the knob. I use the mid control on the MT-2 to pull out more low mids, the frequency portion of the pot is set low and the level portion of the pot is down to the point it starts getting hollow. If you’re using G12t’s for example your mid settings are going to be different. Last thing is to use the distortion knob on the MT-2 to add in the distortion that’s missing. It doesn’t take much but most of the pedal distortion is coming from the Metal Zone. You can add a little noise gate if needed. At low volume I don’t even use one since this isn’t an “all the gain” situation, it’s actually not out of control. You may want to go back and play with the HM-2 mid/high knob a bit after the MT-2 is set as the added gain can make the previous setting too high.


----------



## Necky379




----------



## Necky379

Bearitone said:


> What is the name of that HM-2 style boost pedal that Airis used to make? Not the Murderous distortion. I could have sworn they made one with no gain. Just a boost with a chainsaw EQ



I’d like to know too, I wasn’t aware they made one, just the Merciless which I thought was a standard HM-2 clone. I’ve got a LWA Bump that’s just the LHW eq on a clean blend knob. Reputations aside, I really like that pedal.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Necky379 said:


> I’d like to know too, I wasn’t aware they made one, just the Merciless which I thought was a standard HM-2 clone. I’ve got a LWA Bump that’s just the LHW eq on a clean blend knob. Reputations aside, I really like that pedal.


I've been tempted to buy some of LWA's stuff but he's an insufferable cunt. His bad reputation is pretty well deserved from what I've seen.


----------



## dhgrind

KnightBrolaire said:


> I've been tempted to buy some of LWA's stuff but he's an insufferable cunt. His bad reputation is pretty well deserved from what I've seen.


It’s true, and his build quality is very lacking. There’s a reason people bring multiples of his pedal on tour and it’s not because they wanna flex.


----------



## wakjob

New HM-2 related vid.


----------



## SlamLiguez

dhgrind said:


> It’s true, and his build quality is very lacking. There’s a reason people bring multiples of his pedal on tour and it’s not because they wanna flex.


Speaking of LWA, what other small pedal builders do you guys know of?


----------



## KnightBrolaire

SlamLiguez said:


> Speaking of LWA, what other small pedal builders do you guys know of?


dunwich, abominable, klirrton, earthbound.


----------



## dhgrind

SlamLiguez said:


> Speaking of LWA, what other small pedal builders do you guys know of?



jesus there are so many. Especially if you’re talking about hm2 builders. The most recommended I would say at least for build quality is Abominable electronics. His work is always super solid and he uses printed circuit boards that designs instead of just hastily soldering cheap components together. Overall though for any hm2 it’s all about what flavor you want. I would say the Wurm from KMA was the most was the most death metal sounding while all of Abominable pedals are geared towards hardcore and other genres.


----------



## SlamLiguez

dhgrind said:


> jesus there are so many. Especially if you’re talking about hm2 builders. The most recommended I would say at least for build quality is Abominable electronics. His work is always super solid and he uses printed circuit boards that designs instead of just hastily soldering cheap components together. Overall though for any hm2 it’s all about what flavor you want. I would say the Wurm from KMA was the most was the most death metal sounding while all of Abominable pedals are geared towards hardcore and other genres.


Yeah I'd like to stay away from the HC tones, wasn't crazy about the Bullet Belt I got either but to each his own. All of Abominables stuff is sold out so that's a good sign right? And the Grindstein looks insane, I wonder how it fares compared to something similarly priced like the Ceres


----------



## KnightBrolaire

dhgrind said:


> jesus there are so many. Especially if you’re talking about hm2 builders. The most recommended I would say at least for build quality is Abominable electronics. His work is always super solid and he uses printed circuit boards that designs instead of just hastily soldering cheap components together. Overall though for any hm2 it’s all about what flavor you want. I would say the Wurm from KMA was the most was the most death metal sounding while all of Abominable pedals are geared towards hardcore and other genres.


I mean I like using Abominable's stuff for DM and they most definitely can do that. My throne torcher nailed the Gothenburg chainsaw tone and so does my evil ned, they just have a lot more options if you feel like dialing in something other than pure chainsaw. The only pedal I didn't like from Abominable was the hate stomper boost. Just didn't mesh well with my setup. 


SlamLiguez said:


> Yeah I'd like to stay away from the HC tones, wasn't crazy about the Bullet Belt I got either but to each his own. All of Abominables stuff is sold out so that's a good sign right?


Abominable makes great stuff. Very durable and high quality for pretty reasonable prices compared to other builders.


----------



## Necky379

I’ve got an Abominable Throne Torcher, it’s fantastic. Both modes are very usable, it sounds absolutely sinister and the build quality is great. I’ve got/had lots of different HM-2 variants, the Throne Torcher is among the best, tied with my MIJ and LHWD. One I haven’t tried that I’d like to is the Dunwich offering, Nick’s a really cool dude and people seems to like that pedal a lot.


----------



## dhgrind

Bout to finally get my evil Ned, had to wait for the weeping chaos run to finish. So anxious to plug it in.


----------



## Blytheryn

Had an abominable electronics throne torcher with the glow in the dark burning church... had to sell it though, boy do I miss it.


----------



## NoodleFace

HM-2 you say


----------



## Asphyxia

Wasn't happy with my tone so I just started stacking different distortions. I picked up my Fullbore metal. It was covered in dust and I highly doubted I would ever use it again. Put my Merciless Distortion(HM2) clone in front of it directly into the return of my quilter.
It has a good amount of chainsaw. The odd thing was it sounds distinctly Tube like. I am absolutely in love with the tone I got. Anyway here are some pics if anyone wants the settings. I imagine most everyone has a HM2 or clone and probably at some point bought a FullBore and played it once and never touched it again. Sound I was going for on video. Pretty close to my ear. Lows are a little more present in a good way.


----------



## NoodleFace

Maybe already answered here but is there a quality hm2 vst?


----------



## Blytheryn

NoodleFace said:


> Maybe already answered here but is there a quality hm2 vst?



there’s a pretty decent one included in TSE X50.


----------



## Blasphemer

NoodleFace said:


> Maybe already answered here but is there a quality hm2 vst?



https://audio-assault.com/heavymezcal.php

It's _ok_


----------



## Necky379

Found this today locally for 50$


----------



## PunkBillCarson

Necky379 said:


> Found this today locally for 50$




Not sure if you've noticed, but there's something wrong with the knobs on it. I'm normally a "the glass is half-full" kind of guy, but in this case, the glass needs to be ALL the way full, if you know what I mean.


----------



## Bearitone

Lol took me a second to understand that one ^^^


----------



## Necky379

PunkBillCarson said:


> Not sure if you've noticed, but there's something wrong with the knobs on it. I'm normally a "the glass is half-full" kind of guy, but in this case, the glass needs to be ALL the way full, if you know what I mean.



Hahaha!!! Fixed it


----------



## KailM

All kidding aside, I have never been happy with the sound I get with all the knobs dimed. At least on my various 5150s that has always yielded way too much gain. I run the pedal gain at zero and it’s still gnarly as hell — but you can actually hear what notes I’m playing.


----------



## Bearitone

KailM said:


> All kidding aside, I have never been happy with the sound I get with all the knobs dimed. At least on my various 5150s that has always yielded way too much gain. I run the pedal gain at zero and it’s still gnarly as hell — but you can actually hear what notes I’m playing.


Fuck yeah. I turn down the bass a tad too but, that’s just me


----------



## pearl_07

I don't usually have my gain knob above 11/noon on my LHW. I run an OD-808 in front of it into the rhythm channel of my 5150.


----------



## ofu

Recently bought KMA Wurm and tested it with my MIJ HM-2. Have to say that I'm really impressed and probably will use the Wurm with my main guitar rig. It's more tamed and the knobs give wider options. I also prefer the sound of it - it's just tighter and punchier imho. While playing bass it;s the opposite, the HM-2 is rabid and gnarly and loud. Totally nailing the sound I seek with a few twists. I mostly play punk/crust/grindcore though, noise is a plus.

Bad thing is, I started eyeing some more stompboxes. Next will be the Angry swede, I guess. Recently I also saw some videos of the Grindstein, anyone heard or tried one?


----------



## Necky379

@ofu


----------



## kleinenenten

KnightBrolaire said:


> I've been tempted to buy some of LWA's stuff but he's an insufferable cunt. His bad reputation is pretty well deserved from what I've seen.


Thank you this reminder. Been looking at adding another HM-2 to the stable, and the LHW was nearly going to be given another go, even though I was aware of his reputation. I’ve had some recent interactions with him, and it would appear he has not changed. No need to go into details.

Anyway, what are the current thoughts on HM-2 clones? Been a while since I’ve posted, but I still love my Throat Locust. Got the bug for another HM-2, though. Anybody have input on the Dunn offerings? Any decent ones with a blend for bass? I love my Iron Pig on bass after having sworn off Rats, but that blend and attack combo makes it phenomenal for my bass rig. Anything like that?

For reference, my go-to guitar tone on a 4 knob HM-2 is gain at noon, bass maxed, highs just under max. For my Throat Locust, it’s gain about 2ish (recently upped to there, previously 12), mids at 3 and treble at 1, with mid frequency anywhere from 10 to 2 depending on how much cut I want. I basically want a Dismember style tone but with less hiss and grating treble. I did not like the “presence” control on my LHW as it was nothing but bees, and when I took it low enough to reduce bees, it muffled everything else. So extreme highs aren’t my thing, but I want definition.


----------



## kleinenenten

Werecow said:


> When i was young and almost penniless, i used to regularly go into a guitar shop just to stare at that pedal in a glass cabinet. I didn't even know what it sounded like but wanted it so badly for about a year.


The Digitech version is Okayama, but I actually love my DODs. The originals, not the B version. Used for all sorts of metal, but currently for Iommi-esque doom. Bass and mids at 3, treble at 10, and it sounds pretty great. Add treble to get heavier and more grindy, but a great pedal when you get to know it.


----------



## Asphyxia

Left Hand Wrath on the way. Dick or not the guy made a great pedal.


----------



## kleinenenten

Asphyxia said:


> Left Hand Wrath on the way. Dick or not the guy made a great pedal.



Good luck with it! As much as I wanted to like it, I found it to be no better than others at far cheaper price points. Hopefully it works for you! I know that I have a strong dislike of fizz, which is a hard thing to deal with for someone who also loves the HM-2, and I found this one to be a bad offender fizz-wise. Regardless, it is highly regarded by most, including Dismember, so maybe it’s a rig specific issue. I’ve toyed with the idea of trying it again, but I think I’m gonna try out some others first.


----------



## pearl_07

kleinenenten said:


> Good luck with it! As much as I wanted to like it, I found it to be no better than others at far cheaper price points. Hopefully it works for you! I know that I have a strong dislike of fizz, which is a hard thing to deal with for someone who also loves the HM-2, and I found this one to be a bad offender fizz-wise. Regardless, it is highly regarded by most, including Dismember, so maybe it’s a rig specific issue. I’ve toyed with the idea of trying it again, but I think I’m gonna try out some others first.


I find my LHW to be pretty picky when it comes to the amp it's going into. It does not jive with my Mark V, but it sounds amazing with the 5150 rhythm channel.


----------



## Asphyxia

kleinenenten said:


> Good luck with it! As much as I wanted to like it, I found it to be no better than others at far cheaper price points. Hopefully it works for you! I know that I have a strong dislike of fizz, which is a hard thing to deal with for someone who also loves the HM-2, and I found this one to be a bad offender fizz-wise. Regardless, it is highly regarded by most, including Dismember, so maybe it’s a rig specific issue. I’ve toyed with the idea of trying it again, but I think I’m gonna try out some others first.


I'm using a PLX FX Spirytus(VH140C)preamp. So a little fizz is what my situation calls for. I'm pretty picky and it has a lot of options for tweaking. I like to be just into chainsaw territory without going overboard.
Also at this point I'm just going after every HM2 like a collector.


----------



## kleinenenten

Wish I had the cash to collect these things! And plenty of others...


----------



## Necky379

Asphyxia said:


> I'm using a PLX FX Spirytus(VH140C)preamp. So a little fizz is what my situation calls for. I'm pretty picky and it has a lot of options for tweaking. I like to be just into chainsaw territory without going overboard.
> Also at this point I'm just going after every HM2 like a collector.



I’ve used that exact combo and they sound great together. I’ve got a rackmount Spirytus and a LHWD. The 6 Hammer EQ matches well with the Spirytus too.


----------



## Asphyxia

Necky379 said:


> I’ve used that exact combo and they sound great together. I’ve got a rackmount Spirytus and a LHWD. The 6 Hammer EQ matches well with the Spirytus too.


 Yeah I was tempted ask for a rack mount myself. Looks pretty damn nice. Also looked at the 6 hammer. The low end on the Spirytus is massive. I went with the LHW because the mids are controllable. Without the mid and high decouple like on all my clones with them coupled its hard to set up just right. I have to sacrifice one or the other. I figure the presence and blend should also compliment it.


----------



## Necky379

The mids too on that thing. When I first set it up I threw all the eq knobs to 12 o’clock thinking it’d be a good starting point. After spending time dialing it in the low and mid knobs stay 1/4 way up or less most of the time, highs are cranked pretty high always. The settings look crazy but I’ve never owned an actual VH-140C.


----------



## Asphyxia

Necky379 said:


> The mids too on that thing. When I first set it up I threw all the eq knobs to 12 o’clock thinking it’d be a good starting point. After spending time dialing it in the low and mid knobs stay 1/4 way up or less most of the time, highs are cranked pretty high always. The settings look crazy but I’ve never owned an actual VH-140C.


 Yeah I got the low barely on and the mids at 1/4. The lows are crazy on it. I want to try it with a fuzz pedal. Not really into Doom but it sounds like it was made for it.


----------



## Necky379

I’ve used it for that too, and yup. My favorite combination for doom with it was guitar ->Big Muff I modified for more low end—>Throne Torcher->Spirytus. Definitely try it out if you’ve got a Muff around.


----------



## Asphyxia

Necky379 said:


> I’ve used it for that too, and yup. My favorite combination for doom with it was guitar ->Big Muff I modified for more low end—>Throne Torcher->Spirytus. Definitely try it out if you’ve got a Muff around.


 I think my next purchase might be the PLX FX FUM Fuzz. The Spirytus made me a convert.


----------



## ATRguitar91

What do y'all think is the best added feature on an HM2 clone? I'm debating between the Throne Torcher, Left Hand Wrath, and Throat Locust. 

The TT has added LED clipping and a clean blend. The LHW has basically everything, and the Throat Locust has added clipping options and a parametric mid adjustment.

The clean blend is the function I most want, but the extra clipping options on the LHW are intriguing. Not sure they justify the added cost though.


----------



## kleinenenten

ATRguitar91 said:


> What do y'all think is the best added feature on an HM2 clone? I'm debating between the Throne Torcher, Left Hand Wrath, and Throat Locust.
> 
> The TT has added LED clipping and a clean blend. The LHW has basically everything, and the Throat Locust has added clipping options and a parametric mid adjustment.
> 
> The clean blend is the function I most want, but the extra clipping options on the LHW are intriguing. Not sure they justify the added cost though.


For me, it’s the adjustable mids. I have had 2 of 3 of those mentioned. Here’s my take:

Left Hand Wrath - Not worth it. Lots of fizz in my rig (I hear that’s rig-specific, however - I have a Peavey Transtube Supreme). It does the chainsaw no problem, but so do pretty much all the other clones, and this costs almost 2-3 times more than many other quality builds. I found the highs too shrill, but when I backed them off, I lost too much definition, even with mids cranked to compensate. The presence was nothing but bees, and similar to the the highs killed definition when set to a tolerable level for me. The blend was functional, but not necessary. The circuit has plenty of low end. I am interested in a blend for bass, however. The extra footswitch was kinda cool, though not tons different from the standard tone. The other clipping diodes were useful, but ultimately I found the standard diodes to be the best. Add all of this to the excessive cost, the owner’s general disdain for customers/interested parties/competition, and the long wait time (if bought direct), it just wasn’t worth it. To put it simply, I was very underwhelmed with this pedal. I found it good for straight up chainsaw and nothing else, with anything not the exact duplication of that tone lacking. I opted to pass mine along. It sounds fantastic in demos and is endorsed by plenty of artists and other guitarists, which is why I purchased it, but it didn’t live up to anywhere near the hype for me. That being said, others love it, and he must be doing something right as Dismember, Bloodbath, and others in the genre swear by his pedal.

Throat Locust - My favorite HM-2 thus far, and by a wide margin. Hard to find reviews of this for some reason. Very functional tweaks to the circuit, and still retains the HM-2 tone if you want it. Easy to get great sounding variations of the chainsaw with the mid frequency options. The highs and mids are both very tweakable and usable, and able to get chainsaw tones without tons of fizz. To me, that makes this pedal. I can easily go from low mid punch to hi mid cut on my guitar with a single mids frequency knob. I found the diodes more usable on this one, but settled on A (which I believe is stock). B makes a convincing argument, though, and I could see many people preferring that. Overall, the only thing I think may (and I stress may) improve this pedal is a blend. I love this thing on guitar, and it is my go-to HM-2 for that, but wonder about my bass rig. It is still my favorite on bass, too, though since I don’t need/want the searing chainsaw tones on bass but still want something in that ballpark, I wonder about the blend. There is plenty of bass in the circuit, so the blend isn’t absolutely necessary, but you never know until you try.

The Throne Torcher is on my shortlist to add to my collection only because of the blend. If it had adjustable mids... Still on the hunt for a bass HM-2, and may or may not get a second Throat Locust. Again, blend intrigues me.

Hope that helps!


----------



## Asphyxia

ATRguitar91 said:


> What do y'all think is the best added feature on an HM2 clone? I'm debating between the Throne Torcher, Left Hand Wrath, and Throat Locust.
> 
> The TT has added LED clipping and a clean blend. The LHW has basically everything, and the Throat Locust has added clipping options and a parametric mid adjustment.
> 
> The clean blend is the function I most want, but the extra clipping options on the LHW are intriguing. Not sure they justify the added cost though.


Throat Locust is next on my list. I've not heard a bad word about it. Never seen anything to make me pick a throne torcher over the other two.


----------



## kleinenenten

Asphyxia said:


> Throat Locust is next on my list. I've not heard a bad word about it. Never seen anything to make me pick a throne torcher over the other two.


Can’t remember where (May have been here!), but I remember reading somewhere that the Throne Torcher is more friendly to hardcore style guitars, but that it is also rather capable of chainsaw. Basically, a bit more friendly to more sounds than just chainsaw tones. Which seems like it might be my ticket for bass, as straight up chainsaw is probably too much for my bass tastes.


----------



## Asphyxia

Lefthand Wrath arrived. Ehhh, I am underwhelmed. 
Played around with it for an hour or so. Give it another try this weekend. 
For now the Aris Merciless is still on the board.


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## axxessdenied

i liked the airis effects merciless distortion a lot. ultimately I sold off all my HM-2s and kept the dunwich modified heavy metal as it has the MAX button which is apex.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

lmao I like how asphyxia was talking up the LHW before he had even tried it.


----------



## LeftOurEyes

KnightBrolaire said:


> lmao I like how asphyxia was talking up the LHW before he had even tried it.



That happens a lot on here with people. I'll see something like an amp just get announced and people are already recommending it to others talking about how awsome it is...6 months before it's even out.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

LeftOurEyes said:


> That happens a lot on here with people. I'll see something like an amp just get announced and people are already recommending it to others talking about how awsome it is...6 months before it's even out.


Nothing fucking triggers me more than people recommending gear they haven't personally tried. It's just the blind leading the blind and it happens all the time in fb music groups. Last time I saw it here was when Arshu became enamored with elysian pickups and said they were his favorite pickups blah blah and had never tried them. Or in another pickup thread where someone who's never used Ragnaroks is recommending them...


----------



## Asphyxia

My recommendation was that I didn't see anything to make me choose the Throne Torcher over the other two.
So far, I don't personally like the pedal. Doesn't make it a bad pedal. It is considered great by some of the bands who made the HM2 famous.
I also said I am collecting HM2 clones. 
You filled in a lot of blanks in that too get triggered.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Asphyxia said:


> Left Hand Wrath on the way. Dick or not the guy made a great pedal.





Asphyxia said:


> Lefthand Wrath arrived. Ehhh, I am underwhelmed.
> Played around with it for an hour or so. Give it another try this weekend.
> For now the Aris Merciless is still on the board.





Asphyxia said:


> My recommendation was that I didn't see anything to make me choose the Throne Torcher over the other two.
> So far, I don't personally like the pedal. Doesn't make it a bad pedal. It is considered great by some of the bands who made the HM2 famous.
> I also said I am collecting HM2 clones.
> You filled in a lot of blanks in that too get triggered.


I never said it was a bad pedal, I was merely commenting on how it bothers me when people recommend products or endorse products they've never even used.
You literally said "guy made a great pedal" when you hadn't tried it yet. 
But please, continue with your mental gymnastics when there's literal text showing what you said.


----------



## Asphyxia

Anyway.
Will be giving the LHW a second try this weekend.


----------



## Necky379

@Asphyxia If you’re still playing with that LHW try it stacked with an OD. I really like my LHWD by itself but I usually boost it with a Reaper OD, it’s just a tweaked OCD. I’ve seen guys boost HM-2’s with Tubescreamers a lot too, I know Earth Rot does. Those things are so tweakable, I’m surprised there aren’t any sounds you’re finding with it that you like.

The 6 Hammer after it also gives you more flexibility with the mid range but instead of spending more maybe try an eq pedal in that spot? I have a 6 Hammer, I like it but I definitely don’t think it’s necessary the thing sounds brutal without it. I’ve been the 6 Hammer for other things lately.


----------



## kleinenenten

I am glad to hear an honest review of the LHW. I don’t feel that I see many. It’s almost all 100% positive, which just isn’t likely for gear. I’d rather know all the good and bad about any product before spending cash on it.

To be totally honest, I’m partially happy for the honest review because it supports my take on the pedal. I debated for a year or more before buying mine, and was totally underwhelmed. One of the main reasons I bought it was all the hype. Wonder how many of those people had actually played it? 

As always, if it (or any piece of your rig) works for you, rock it. Do your thing. Thus far, the Throat Locust is my thing for HM-2s, and the LHW is decidedly not. Sure plenty of people are in the opposite boat.


----------



## Asphyxia

@Necky379 Played with it more last night. I can get good sounds out of it i like.
It genuinely sounds very good. 
It is a victim of circumstances in my case. 
I have tweaked and tweaked my sound all around the merciless into a sound I love.
So any pedal I try now has to compete with what I am now accepting as my sound. As a gear junkie its hard to accept that I might not need more gear lol.
I'm using the merciless as a boost, it excels at that. The LHW doesn't fit in as a boost IMO as good. It still sounds very good. It just doesn't give me the same chainsaw EQ in that place in my chain. With the LHW I have to turn the gain up to get it into chainsaw territory when using as a boost, which brings tons of noise. With my merciless I just crank the high. Virtually no noise with the merciless. 
I will try it with my 805 into it use it as an entirely different chain with the LHW as my main gain source.


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## Necky379

I can definitely get behind that. I would never use it as a boost, the Throne Torcher is better as a boost IMO.


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## Asphyxia

Last LHW post. I got it dialed in. I use a quilter SS power amp. Was running my setup out front because it really didn't sound different in the loop. The LHW does. It now lives up to every expectation I had for it and will probably be a permanent fixture on my board. It does everything my Merciless did except I tweaked out some of the stuff I didn't like. Probably going to stop with HM2s after this one. When I said earlier that LWA made a great pedal which I based off tons of videos and people who had played the pedal. Now proved to be true(this is my personal opinion). Its a great pedal!


----------



## ATRguitar91

Regarding the Left Hand Wrath, do you really need to use an isolated power supply? For my home jam rig I just a One Spot and Daisy chain.

Will that damage the pedal or will it just produce a ton of noise?


----------



## pearl_07

ATRguitar91 said:


> Regarding the Left Hand Wrath, do you really need to use an isolated power supply? For my home jam rig I just a One Spot and Daisy chain.
> 
> Will that damage the pedal or will it just produce a ton of noise?


I run mine off an output that is shared with another pedal on my ISO 5 and have no issues. Not sure what the current draw is though.


----------



## axxessdenied

the main problem with the LHW is that the builder is a massive chode.


----------



## kleinenenten

Anybody try the Rocktek Metal Worker? Supposedly an HM-2, but never heard of it until yesterday. May try and track one down.


----------



## Necky379

Had a Metal Worker and sold it recently. I only sold it because I have a lot of HM-2 type pedals and I’ve been selling off gear I don’t use. It’s a good copy, it doesn’t sound particularly unique or anything it just sounds like what it is. It didn’t have that brightness/presence I hear from the Behringer clone. The MIJ’s I have are darker sounding than the Behringers too so I would say as a budget minded pedal it’s even closer sounding to the originals than the Behringers. I’m talking about very minor variations in sound though, they all sound very similar. No added features like a LHWD or Throne Torcher. The enclosure is plastic but it seemed sturdy.


----------



## kleinenenten

Necky379 said:


> Had a Metal Worker and sold it recently. I only sold it because I have a lot of HM-2 type pedals and I’ve been selling off gear I don’t use. It’s a good copy, it doesn’t sound particularly unique or anything it just sounds like what it is. It didn’t have that brightness/presence I hear from the Behringer clone. The MIJ’s I have are darker sounding than the Behringers too so I would say as a budget minded pedal it’s even closer sounding to the originals than the Behringers. I’m talking about very minor variations in sound though, they all sound very similar. No added features like a LHWD or Throne Torcher. The enclosure is plastic but it seemed sturdy.


Regarding brightness, I’ve always wondered if part of that is component drift on the originals and clones of that era. I’ve had a few modern clones, and each one was brighter than the MITs I have. The Rockteks are the same era as the HM-2s I believe, so that could be why they sound closer to the originals, since the Behringers are made more recently.


----------



## yellowv

axxessdenied said:


> the main problem with the LHW is that the builder is a massive chode.



That’s a major understatement. LOL


----------



## kleinenenten

Spent some time A/B’ing my MIT and Throat Locust. All the talk of the EQ being the selling point of the pedal and the limited scope of the gain knob got me thinking about trying to get the chainsaw tone with slightly less high end fizz (my main concern with the traditional chainsaw tone). Gotta say, I think the MIT won out, which very much surprised me because I love the Throat Locust.

Here’s what I did:
Reduced gain knob to about 10:00. Still plenty of distortion into my clean channel, but more manageable fizz and usable with a gate (that can share settings to quiet ALL my pedals instead of needing its own gate). Lows are still cranked, highs are about 4:00 to 4:30, volume to taste. It gives me just the right amount of grind and compression, but without being overbearing.

And, as an added bonus, this frees my Throat Locust up for bass duty. It is most certainly the best HM-2 for bass I’ve tried. Saves me from having to buy a second one!


----------



## Vez

This is relative new HM2 inspired pedal. Really dig the sound:


----------



## cyb

I'm new to the chainsaw thing (even though I've been listening to Entombed for years, go figure...) I decided to start out cheap with an HM300. I received it today and I've gotten some really nice tones running it in front of my Kemper. I'm already contemplating getting one of the "boutique" clones or even tracking down an actual hm-2. It would seem I'm already addicted to this tone. 

The pedal is noisy as hell though, but I thought I read somewhere that the HM300 is noisier than other clones? Considering the price, I guess that's to be expected...


----------



## BrutalRob

Just went through this thread a bit as i love that good old swedish chainsaw sound. I saw that klirrton and the grindstein had been mentioned briefly.
I got one since early december but unfortunately did not have that much time with it yet ( pre-holiday madness and, yeah, holiday madness  ). What i can say so far is that I like it.
Basically, it has two channels named chainsaw, which is the top row of knobs, and bottomshaker, which are the lower knobs. These basically fill in the missing frequencies. That fat knob in the middle is used to blend these two. That's when you use it as a preamp.
The way i love to used it even more is in front of my amp, using the fx send and return of the pedal. This way, the bottomshaker knobs are turned off and you basically blend the chainsaw with the amps preamp. Doing this with my driftwood purple nightmare puts a nasty grin on my face.

Recently there has been a video up on youtube by one of the cytotoxin guys where he demos it a bit with a less chainsawish sound, showing what a tight distortion it is capable of when the blend knob is turned rather towards the bottomshaker channel.


----------



## kleinenenten

Got a Rocktek Metal Worker the other day. Initial impressions are positive. Definitely an HM-2 clone, but a little looser sounding and slightly more low mids. Kinda halfway between the MITs I have and the Arion Metal Masters I have. Certainly usable if you like HM-2s.

Also got another Throat Locust since my first one is now dedicated to bass duty. I keep going back and forth as to whether I prefer the TL or the MIT. Both are amazing. Guess if I had to nitpick, the TL is a little clearer, but really, they would both do anybody good if you want these tones.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

I got some earthbound hm2 prototype a few weeks ago and it's alright. Definitely does the swedish chainsaw just fine but I'm not noticing anything exceptional soundwise about it so far (though I do appreciate the addition of a 3 band eq like some other modern HM2s have). I'll report back once I've played around with it more.


cyb said:


> I'm new to the chainsaw thing (even though I've been listening to Entombed for years, go figure...) I decided to start out cheap with an HM300. I received it today and I've gotten some really nice tones running it in front of my Kemper. I'm already contemplating getting one of the "boutique" clones or even tracking down an actual hm-2. It would seem I'm already addicted to this tone.
> 
> The pedal is noisy as hell though, but I thought I read somewhere that the HM300 is noisier than other clones? Considering the price, I guess that's to be expected...


yup, HM300 is pretty noisy compared to other clones or even the og HM2. It's a great little pedal for dipping your toes into the hm2 world but the build quality just isn't as good as other hm2 esque pedals.


----------



## kleinenenten

KnightBrolaire said:


> I got some earthbound hm2 prototype a few weeks ago and it's alright. Definitely does the swedish chainsaw just fine but I'm not noticing anything exceptional soundwise about it so far (though I do appreciate the addition of a 3 band eq like some other modern HM2s have). I'll report back once I've played around with it more.
> 
> yup, HM300 is pretty noisy compared to other clones or even the og HM2. It's a great little pedal for dipping your toes into the hm2 world but the build quality just isn't as good as other hm2 esque pedals.


A new prototype? Or their Throat Locust prototype? It’s my favorite HM-2 so far for its variations on the chainsaw tone. Nothing huge or unexpected, but just well done and thought out. I feel if you like the HM-2, but can’t quite get it to sound like you want, the Throat Locust will get you there with its options.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

kleinenenten said:


> A new prototype? Or their Throat Locust prototype? It’s my favorite HM-2 so far for its variations on the chainsaw tone. Nothing huge or unexpected, but just well done and thought out. I feel if you like the HM-2, but can’t quite get it to sound like you want, the Throat Locust will get you there with its options.


It's basically a stripped down version of the throat locust called the audio butcher.


----------



## works0fheart

Turgon said:


> Anyone else owns a XIX HMD-1? Got mine yesterday and I'm really impressed by the Focus knob! Video is coming soon!



Looking into getting one of these. How's it sound and how does it compare to the other clones mentioned in this thread?


----------



## Rex

I've joined the chainsaw club officially with a second hand Eyemaster and only for 20 bucks shipped!!


----------



## kleinenenten

Any thoughts on the Walrus Audio Red? All 5e demos I’ve very heard either sound terrible and fizzy or absolutely fantastic for seriously heavy stuff, but not really HM-2ish, even though it’s touted as a clone of sorts of the HM-2. Any reason to get one? Or will it be redundant to my other HM-2s and Rivera Metal Shaman (my favorite non-HM-2 for high gain tones)?


----------



## KnightBrolaire

kleinenenten said:


> Any thoughts on the Walrus Audio Red? All 5e demos I’ve very heard either sound terrible and fizzy or absolutely fantastic for seriously heavy stuff, but not really HM-2ish, even though it’s touted as a clone of sorts of the HM-2. Any reason to get one? Or will it be redundant to my other HM-2s and Rivera Metal Shaman (my favorite non-HM-2 for high gain tones)?


The red can do the HM2 tone, but I found it worked way better for a thick almost sludgy distortion or as more of a doomy fuzz. I have a bunch of clips of it earlier in this thread.


----------



## kleinenenten

KnightBrolaire said:


> The red can do the HM2 tone, but I found it worked way better for a thick almost sludgy distortion or as more of a doomy fuzz. I have a bunch of clips of it earlier in this thread.


Just went back and found your clips. Not for me. Good to know before dropping the cash.

Side note - how many of you prefer your HM-2s into distorted amps? I can’t seem to do that. Gets way too harsh for me. I always run mine into clean SS Peaveys and love it. But plenty of these vids sound like they’re run into distorted amps.


----------



## Bearitone

KnightBrolaire said:


> The red can do the HM2 tone, but I found it worked way better for a thick almost sludgy distortion or as more of a doomy fuzz. I have a bunch of clips of it earlier in this thread.



wait. You’re saying the Red can legit imitate an HM2? That’s dope


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Bearitone said:


> wait. You’re saying the Red can legit imitate an HM2? That’s dope


ehh kind of.


----------



## Necky379

kleinenenten said:


> Side note - how many of you prefer your HM-2s into distorted amps? I can’t seem to do that.  Gets way too harsh for me. I always run mine into clean SS Peaveys and love it. But plenty of these vids sound like they’re run into distorted amps.



Either way sounds good to me but usually I run them in front of a slightly distorted amp. The reason this works for me, I believe, is because I don’t crank the gain on the pedal or amp. The amp provides just bit of distortion, the pedal provides some more. I don’t crank everything and then dial in the amp around that, I try to get everything working together. Also I like boosting (or stacking same thing) with another pedal, especially if I’m going through a clean channel. Putting a Tube Screamer or Metal Zone or OCD in front usually sounds better to me and allows for much more control/options.


----------



## kleinenenten

Necky379 said:


> Either way sounds good to me but usually I run them in front of a slightly distorted amp. The reason this works for me, I believe, is because I don’t crank the gain on the pedal or amp. The amp provides just bit of distortion, the pedal provides some more. I don’t crank everything and then dial in the amp around that, I try to get everything working together. Also I like boosting (or stacking same thing) with another pedal, especially if I’m going through a clean channel. Putting a Tube Screamer or Metal Zone or OCD in front usually sounds better to me and allows for much more control/options.


I’m planning on revisiting the amp distortion - I’ve recently lowered the gain on my HM-2s so maybe it will work better for me now. Always experimenting...


----------



## ATRguitar91

kleinenenten said:


> Side note - how many of you prefer your HM-2s into distorted amps?


I always use mine into a distorted signal and roll the gain back on the amp until it's reasonable. I also usually run the HM2 with no gain or just barely on, and depending on what it's going into, I don't usually have the low maxed. 
There are times where it works, but if you want any kind of definition keeping the gain low and rolling back the lows helps a lot and still gives you plenty of chainsaw.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

kleinenenten said:


> Just went back and found your clips. Not for me. Good to know before dropping the cash.
> 
> Side note - how many of you prefer your HM-2s into distorted amps? I can’t seem to do that. Gets way too harsh for me. I always run mine into clean SS Peaveys and love it. But plenty of these vids sound like they’re run into distorted amps.


It depends on my mood. The evil ned works well with distorted amps or clean, but I mostly use it as a more of a chainsawy boost than anything. The audio butcher works way better with a clean amp if I dime it. I don't like it or my hm300 dimed into a distorted amp unless I seriously dial back the gain on the pedal.


----------



## kleinenenten

ATRguitar91 said:


> I always use mine into a distorted signal and roll the gain back on the amp until it's reasonable. I also usually run the HM2 with no gain or just barely on, and depending on what it's going into, I don't usually have the low maxed.
> There are times where it works, but if you want any kind of definition keeping the gain low and rolling back the lows helps a lot and still gives you plenty of chainsaw.


My quick session here a minute ago confirms I don’t much like the HM-2 into distorted amps - did almost exactly what you said and it just squished my tone into nothing good. On the plus side, I found I loved my OD Glove (OCD clone) pushed all of my drive pedals into something else even more beautiful for when I need a touch more gain or saturation. Old news, I know, but I never really stack drives. So now I have a dirty boost (OD Glove) and a clean boost (BiFET) for my boards. For those interested, my OD Glove is set to what I think is about halfway between AC/DC and Sabbath.


----------



## KailM

kleinenenten said:


> My quick session here a minute ago confirms I don’t much like the HM-2 into distorted amps - did almost exactly what you said and it just squished my tone into nothing good. On the plus side, I found I loved my OD Glove (OCD clone) pushed all of my drive pedals into something else even more beautiful for when I need a touch more gain or saturation. Old news, I know, but I never really stack drives. So now I have a dirty boost (OD Glove) and a clean boost (BiFET) for my boards. For those interested, my OD Glove is set to what I think is about halfway between AC/DC and Sabbath.



I think it’s a pedal (referring to the original HM-2 here; I’ve not played/owned anything else) that is very particular about both the signal going into it (pickups or other pedals, hell, even the tuning) and the amp into which it’s fed.

I have only liked my results with it out of one amp — my 6505. I cannot get good results out of my 5150 III, which is surprising, as they are pretty similar amps without that pedal.

Additionally, I don’t like how it sounds with my Nazgul-equipped guitar, but love it with my Black Winter guitars. I love both pickups without the HM-2.

Generally, it sounds best to me when boosting an already distorted gain channel, but not heavily distorted. Red channel on a 6505 has too much gain no matter what. Pedal gain has to be at zero too; it’s a little dull that way, but you can add plenty of treble elsewhere in your chain. Lo and Hi knobs need to be dimed. If it’s got too much bass turn your amp bass down.

I finally found the holy grail of HM-2 tones on my 6505 green channel, with the crunch turned off, but its gain dimed. On its own it’s already venturing into hard rock/thrash territory, and with the HM-2 boosting it is instant Ressurection Through Carnage tone. Only even more brutal.


----------



## Necky379

@KailM This may have come up in previous posts but have you tried boosting the HM-2? I know what you mean about it being picky with guitars and amps but putting another pedal in front of it definitely adds some flexibility.


----------



## KailM

Necky379 said:


> @KailM This may have come up in previous posts but have you tried boosting the HM-2? I know what you mean about it being picky with guitars and amps but putting another pedal in front of it definitely adds some flexibility.



I have boosted it, but it’s been a while. I’ve actually got my OD AFTER it right now, and it sounds amazing. I need to try it again the other way around, through the green channel.


----------



## Necky379

I’d be interested to hear how that goes for you. I’ve tried it both ways myself and prefer the HM-2 boosted instead of boosting.


----------



## DudeManBrother

I tried a handful of boosts into my throne torcher today. The Maxon OD808 was by far my favorite of the bunch. I tried my Port City, SD Forza, TS9, BYOC 27v boost, and a ParaEQ. 

I sent the 808 > TT into an MXR 10 band to control some nastiness, and finally into a Decimator II. All of this was into the front of my Fender 140 (think Mesa Mark IIb) with the gain maxed out (tight percussive punchy classic rock gain) and it was glorious. Usually I prefer my HM2 pedals into a Solid State amp, but this setup is beyond awesome. 

It needed a good amount of volume to overcome the fizzy top end, but man it sounds good once it does. I imagine it’d work well on a fully clean amp as well. Boost the HM2, and EQ the harshness right afterwards, all before hitting the front of the amp, then adjust the amp for any boom and fizz. I might have to make some Kemper profiles of this setup. I played it at practice tonight and couldn’t get enough.


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

I'm fairly torn between the Throne Torcher and Throat Locust - anybody have both that would care to weigh in? I'm partial towards the TT - a clean knob is pretty critical for me.


----------



## kleinenenten

Crash Dandicoot said:


> I'm fairly torn between the Throne Torcher and Throat Locust - anybody have both that would care to weigh in? I'm partial towards the TT - a clean knob is pretty critical for me.


I had to make that choice recently and went the other way - no regrets. Still, interested in other people’s takes. What little I found was that some people said the TT wasn’t as much for straight up chainsaw, but could do it. It was better for hardcore it said. I find no reason the TL couldn’t do that either, it’s the most versatile HM-2 I’ve played to date. However, I too am still interested in the Throne Torcher.


----------



## Necky379

kleinenenten said:


> What little I found was that some people said the TT wasn’t as much for straight up chainsaw, but could do it. It was better for hardcore it said.



Who are these people, I’d like to have a talk with them. The Throne Torcher can most definitely chainsaw. It sounds like a slightly exaggerated HM-2. I don’t have the clean blend on mine and I don’t miss it. I’ve got a LHWD with the clean knob.


----------



## kleinenenten

Necky379 said:


> Who are these people, I’d like to have a talk with them. The Throne Torcher can most definitely chainsaw. It sounds like a slightly exaggerated HM-2. I don’t have the clean blend on mine and I don’t miss it. I’ve got a LHWD with the clean knob.


I don’t know who they are, just remember reading something about that. Honestly, I found it tough to find much solid info on most of these pedals, except in this forum. Your opinion is exactly why I am still curious about the Throne Torcher - the demos I have seen seem plenty fine to me, but I have no experience. On the other end of the spectrum, the LHW demos sounded absolutely phenomenal to me, but the pedal itself was underwhelming in my opinion. Different strokes and all that.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

kleinenenten said:


> I had to make that choice recently and went the other way - no regrets. Still, interested in other people’s takes. What little I found was that some people said the TT wasn’t as much for straight up chainsaw, but could do it. It was better for hardcore it said. I find no reason the TL couldn’t do that either, it’s the most versatile HM-2 I’ve played to date. However, I too am still interested in the Throne Torcher.


TT can easily do classic chainsaw tones. I have clips of it earlier in the thread. The alternate clipping mode on it is great imo.


----------



## DudeManBrother

LED clipping of the TT is where it’s at. It’s definitely a modern take on the classic sound, but you can easily hit the foot switch and get the original tone. 

I sometimes like to add tracks with the OG HM2 and lightly bring them into a mix, but I can gig with the TT in LED clipping mode and just blend it into my normal amp gain. I can’t do that with the HM2; way too noisy/uncontrollable.


----------



## Beheroth

the only reason people associate the TT with hardcore is because IIRC it was designed for one of the guitarist of harms way


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

Thanks for the assistance, guys! I'm looking forward to... _torching_ some chainsaws? Yeah, that.


----------



## Necky379

You’re going to love it, as mentioned before the LED side is the bee’s knees and the OG side IS that sound. I’ve got a bunch of HM-2’s, the Throne Torcher, LHWD and one of my MIJ’s are tied for first place in my rankings. Different flavors of the same thing. If you’re leaning towards the TT don’t think twice.


----------



## død

Just recently got a TT, and it absolutely gets that chainsaw sound. Easily. It also sounds great acting as a more straight forward distortion pedal or a boost. I love mine, and that clean blend is a god send!


----------



## kleinenenten

Anybody use any HM-2s that have 4 band EQs? I swear I’ve seen some with Low, Low Mid, Hi Mid, and Highs, but can’t remember what they are. How are they? I love my Throat Locust with its mid frequency selector, so I thought maybe another mid control on a different HM-2 might be pretty great too. Thoughts?


----------



## Bearitone

kleinenenten said:


> Anybody use any HM-2s that have 4 band EQs? I swear I’ve seen some with Low, Low Mid, Hi Mid, and Highs, but can’t remember what they are. How are they? I love my Throat Locust with its mid frequency selector, so I thought maybe another mid control on a different HM-2 might be pretty great too. Thoughts?


https://kma-machines.com/m_wurm.html

You’re looking for the Wurm


----------



## kleinenenten

Bearitone said:


> https://kma-machines.com/m_wurm.html
> 
> You’re looking for the Wurm


Thanks! If only I could afford that one...

Thought there as another one too, maybe one of the Dunwich or LWA offerings?


----------



## olejason

Dunwich did make one but he's now out of business and the secondary market went a little nuts.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

kleinenenten said:


> Thanks! If only I could afford that one...
> 
> Thought there as another one too, maybe one of the Dunwich or LWA offerings?


pssh good luck finding a Dunwich HM2. They rarely popped up even when he was still building and now they're even harder to find. Avoid LWA as the owner is a douchebag of the highest order with a serious ego. He constantly shit talks other HM2 builders and their products.


----------



## kleinenenten

KnightBrolaire said:


> pssh good luck finding a Dunwich HM2. They rarely popped up even when he was still building and now they're even harder to find. Avoid LWA as the owner is a douchebag of the highest order with a serious ego. He constantly shit talks other HM2 builders and their products.


Right, I’m aware of the LWA situation, just not sure if the second mids frequency is a good thing or not. And if I recall correctly, Dunwich designs can now be ordered through Magic Pedals, so while he’s done making them, they’re not unobtainable. How much it would cost, wait time, etc., has yet to be determined, but certainly those would all be better than LWA...


----------



## kleinenenten

olejason said:


> Dunwich did make one but he's now out of business and the secondary market went a little nuts.


Yeah, saw that recently. Didn’t he make a bunch (or at least a couple) types of HM-2s, though? I did a quick search and found mention of a Tyrant as well as his modded HM-2.


----------



## KailM

Put an EQ in your loop and call it a day.


----------



## Crash Dandicoot

Throne Torcher is fucking fantastic. I don't think I've ever bonded with a pedal so fast. It does the chainsaw, no question, but so much more.

Great suggestion guys, thanks.


----------



## cwhitey2

I have been using a Lone Wolf Audio - Left Hand Wrath on and off in my rig for a little bit (recorded several songs on my bands first ep with it). Never really found a sound I truly liked like using it with my sig:x.

Well I snagged a Pittbull cl100 and tried using it on that. HOLY WALL OF CRUSHING SOUND. I'm using it into the 'clean' channel with the more gain switch active, so there is already a dirt to it...but this takes it over the top. It sounds insane. We practiced this past weekend and I was messing with it. After the first song using it as stated above, my drummer look sat me and started laughing and smiled and said "that's it...you found it". All members were blown away by the tone. It will now be my 2nd tone option for the less note for note 'riffy' stuff we have.

My settings for the pedal are:

Level - maxed
High - 3-4 o'clock
Presence - 1-2 o'clock
Gain - 3 o'clock
Low - around 12-1 o'clock
Mids - pretty much maxed

I only use the vintage switch and the toggle is all the way to the right.


----------



## Bearitone

Pssssst...

https://www.airiseffects.com/store/p174/hmeq.html


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Bearitone said:


> Pssssst...
> 
> https://www.airiseffects.com/store/p174/hmeq.html


so it's basically an Evil Ned clone.


----------



## Bearitone

Same concept but i doubt its an exact clone.


----------



## DudeManBrother

I was playing my Marshall Origin 50 with a clean boost into my Throne Torcher this morning. It was by far the best combo I’ve found for a “modern metal meets useable chainsaw” tone. I typically only have good luck into Solid State amps, but the Origin takes gain pedals like a boss.


----------



## kleinenenten

DudeManBrother said:


> I was playing my Marshall Origin 50 with a clean boost into my Throne Torcher this morning. It was by far the best combo I’ve found for a “modern metal meets useable chainsaw” tone. I typically only have good luck into Solid State amps, but the Origin takes gain pedals like a boss.


This is actually a legitimate concern I have for getting a tube amp. I love my HM-2 tones, and don’t want to sacrifice them. I figured since the original tones I’m after used solid state, I’ll do the same. Also, you know, I’m cheap. But in all seriousness, buddy of mine has a decent tube amp. Sounds terrible with an HM-2 compared to my old solid state Peaveys.


----------



## DudeManBrother

kleinenenten said:


> This is actually a legitimate concern I have for getting a tube amp. I love my HM-2 tones, and don’t want to sacrifice them. I figured since the original tones I’m after used solid state, I’ll do the same. Also, you know, I’m cheap. But in all seriousness, buddy of mine has a decent tube amp. Sounds terrible with an HM-2 compared to my old solid state Peaveys.


I probably have around 15 tube amps and can confirm that very few of them sound okay at best with HM2’s. Most are noisy, squealy, and unusable. I’m actually able to get a tight low end and it’s quiet too. 

Hopefully you can keep your SS amp/HM2 setup and just add a tube amp down the road.


----------



## Necky379

God that’s weird, I’ve definitely noticed the same thing but after the last few posts I’m realizing the tube/solid state thing. I guess I also don’t particularly care for HM-2 in front of tube.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

most of my tube amps get along fine with my hm2 type pedals


----------



## KailM

Mine sounds fine with my 6505, but I can't get a decent sound out of it into my 5150 III.

And actually, with my 6505 it sounds amaaaaazing. It took me a long, long time to figure out how to use it with that amp though. I do agree that with a lot of solid state amps, it's just plug and play, and you immediately get the Swedish death metal tone.


----------



## Necky379

How do you use it with the 6505? Weren’t you putting it in the loop?


----------



## KailM

Necky379 said:


> How do you use it with the 6505? Weren’t you putting it in the loop?



I do sometimes still use it that way. The chainsaw is much more subdued that way but palm mutes are much tighter, so I can play faster riffs without everything mushing out.

But what I discovered more recently is running it up front, on the green channel/crunch off, but the amp gain dimed. So the clean channel, but not really clean at all. In fact, if you pick hard it’s in Recto territory. It’s still low enough gain that the HM-2 boosting it doesn’t completely wash out the sound with gain.

The result sounds massive, reasonably tight, with chainsaw grind just like Bloodbath’s Ressurection Through Carnage album.


----------



## Necky379

I’ll have to check that configuration out.


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

https://lonewolfaudio.bigcartel.com/product/dismember-signature-lhw-v3-pre-sale

preordered the second it dropped.

Just read thru the entire thread and I am glad to read all the input. I’ve used the HM-2 sound on and off over the years loving it’s manifestations. The drove of good bands now using it peeked my interest a few years ago so I grabbed an OG HM-2 and later the Merciless Distortion. The Airis a really good pedal and I’ve used it dimed and integrated into other pedal chains. It’s more polite than the original, so pretty useful.

A while back I borrowed the LHW because of Bloodbath and was floored. In short, it works with several of my amps and setups, and I loved the tweak-ability. I have been meaning to buy one for a while and the V3 just released was a no brainer. FYI I absolutely don’t care about the forum drama, spats, and personal opinions on the builder. For me, his stuff works, what I bought is built flawlessly, performs better than I expected, and I’ve never had a problem. A lot of sounds I’ve been chasing have been obtained By me with his stuff. It’s been worth it. If I get a legit suckass product or experience something shitty I will be transparent. So! In regards to this pedal, the combo idea is too rad for me to pass up. I own a Caveman and love it. It’s made for OSDM and does it well. It gets some awesomely gnarly DM and BM sounds, like Asphyx, Gorguts, Obituary, Death, and a slew of modern old school bands. It’s close to a do-it-all late ‘80s/early ‘90s pedal. Each amp I run it through gives off a different flavor. Bright switches and resonance on the amps really respond to it, and it’s been an endless cycle of dialing the amps and pedal in various ways to nail tones I want. No formula, just dialing back and forth, or one into the other. It broke me out of keeping the same favorite setting rut I’ve had in most of my amps. So overall it does what it’s advertised to, makes some disgustingly cool OSDM tones, and is super tweak-able to whatever amp you use. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been with an OD/distortion/preamp pedal.

Combining the Caveman with the LHW stripped to the 4 original HM-2 knobs has me totally fucking excited! I’ll give a fair judgement upon review. The write up on the page explains all the details, and I dig it. I think it’ll sound great. We’ll see.


----------



## Necky379

That thing looks crazy, definitely going to need some pics and clips when you get it.


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

I don’t remember seeing them mentioned here, and searches turn up nothing, but has anyone tried Inverted Cross Audio’s HM-2 clone? Or tried any ICA pedals? His stuff appears to sound good (and looks rad!) but there is little info out there, just a few YouTube reviews:


I’m actually really interested in his Rat clones plus the 5150 & JCM 800 preamp clones. He has a Reverb shop and offers free custom black & white etching. Very nice touch. There will be a Morbid Angel inspired Rat clone coming my way. The HM-2 clone seems worth a try too, and shit it’s hard to argue with those prices! All the Euro market folks, this might be a brand worth checking out.


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

Well damnit I just stumbled upon Dirt Monger Instruments too, and they have a nasty HM-2 eq and clone. Anyone try this out yet?


I NEED!!! This will put some lead in your pencil. HHHHNNNNGGGG:


----------



## mp3357

MAJ Meadows SF said:


> Well damnit I just stumbled upon Dirt Monger Instruments too, and they have a nasty HM-2 eq and clone. Anyone try this out yet?


I just ordered their EQ...excited to try it with a RAT and some other stuff.. Didn't want to order the LWA 8-ball because I've had two bad experiences with build quality on the LHW deluxe..damn shame


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

mp3357 said:


> I just ordered their EQ...excited to try it with a RAT and some other stuff.. Didn't want to order the LWA 8-ball because I've had two bad experiences with build quality on the LHW deluxe..damn shame



Yeah that’s understandable. I guess I’ve been lucky, and I’m only interested in tonal successes. But there are a crap load of options out there and a lot listed here. Dirt Monger has some interesting stuff for sure, and I am really keen on engaging IAC because besides having some really cool art, the designs are very intriguing and sound good to my ears. I guess IAC is pretty new because there is barely any info about them (him).


----------



## metaljohn

Got in on the most recent run of Evil Neds from Abominable. I have to say that this is the most useable HM-2 that I've ever used. I like being able to have the chainsaw tone without it completely taking over my base tone. Sounds absolutely crushing through my Peavey Invective.


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

metaljohn said:


> Got in on the most recent run of Evil Neds from Abominable. I have to say that this is the most useable HM-2 that I've ever used. I like being able to have the chainsaw tone without it completely taking over my base tone. Sounds absolutely crushing through my Peavey Invective.



I saw one posted that was packaged in action figure plastic. That is the coolest thing of all time.


----------



## Seabeast2000

Clone kit i came across. Not sure if mentioned yet.


----------



## Stealth7

Petition to have BOSS release a HM-2w is making the rounds. Do you think they will consider it if enough people sign it?

https://www.change.org/p/boss-have-boss-make-a-waza-hm-2?source_location=topic_page


----------



## Crundles

kleinenenten said:


> And if I recall correctly, Dunwich designs can now be ordered through Magic Pedals, so while he’s done making them, they’re not unobtainable.



Post is from a while ago, but is this the case? The Dunwich version was my favourite flavour of HM-2 clones (based on youtube vids, at least), and I was kind of bummed out when I learned Dunwich left the market.


----------



## metaljohn

Crundles said:


> Post is from a while ago, but is this the case? The Dunwich version was my favourite flavour of HM-2 clones (based on youtube vids, at least), and I was kind of bummed out when I learned Dunwich left the market.


Magic Pedals is now the sole builder of Dunwich designs. I think he said he'll build pretty much every design except for the Tyrant(Nails signature HM-2)


----------



## broj15

Stealth7 said:


> Petition to have BOSS release a HM-2w is making the rounds. Do you think they will consider it if enough people sign it?
> 
> https://www.change.org/p/boss-have-boss-make-a-waza-hm-2?source_location=topic_page



Saw this getting passed around the other day and honestly I wouldn't get your hopes up. The demand for used hm2's and the hype surrounding them definitely isn't lost on Boss. I'd say they probably haven't thrown thier hat into the ring yet (or ever) because the competition is just to stiff. Just look at this thread for example. Pages of clones, reissues, reinterpretations, simplified versions, deluxe versions, etc. Unless you just HAVE to have the original then there's any number of clones out there with over twice as many options at the same price if not cheaper. Don't have $200+ to spend & don't care about having an original either? That market is over saturated too with cheap simplified clones, kits to build your own, and pretty faithful reissues that sound damn close to the original for well under $150. For Boss to put out an actual competitor in the HM2 market they'd have to add on some really unique features and (probably) use a different enclosure than the standard boss style to fit all of those features in. And at the price it would probably come in at ($200-$250) then why buy that when you could get a clone or reworking of the original with all the same features & probably more. And let's say they do a true reissue of the original. It'll probably run about $150, and at that price I'd either build my own for a third of that or find a cheap clone from a smaller un-hyped builder for probably ~$100. It's the same reason fender won't ever bring back Sunn amplifiers despite still insisting on hanging onto the licensing.

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade or anything. It's a cool idea and if it happens then hell yeah, more chainsaw for everyone, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.


----------



## 0rimus

I agree but I'd actually like a current production Boss HM-2 just for the Boss style enclosure lol

When I first got into guitar I actually kinda hated Boss style enclosures. Now I'm almost 30 and I really like being able to throw my pedals at walls and vomit directly on them and they still work. Survive direct nuclear bombings etc.

Shit, I have a 1987 MIJ HM-2, but I could see myself rolling out up to about $200 for a new Boss HM-2. 

Even if the only upgrade was a standard 9v power input, as opposed to the goofy ass one the classic hm-2's have.

Granted, I'm also stupid


----------



## 0rimus

With news of the Waza Boss HM-2 just wanted to bump this thread back up to the main page; but also to share this:



I've wanted one of these since they were announced. Admittedly a bit rich for my blood, but I do like the classic orange/black as opposed to the old black/white color scheme.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I guess I'll chime in and show off the pedal I just bought a few days ago. 







Considering how much these are going for these days, jesus that's a fucking steal.

Also checked out clips and... I think I prefer it?  It's got a deeper bass and more bright midrange than the standard HM2. It's slightly more scooped and kinda reminds me of a HM2 meets a Big Muff.

Also if the housing is as bad as they say, I'm probably gonna attempt my first pedal re-housing job.


----------



## maliciousteve

Those Metal Master pedals were surprisingly awesome. The singer in my old band had one to run his telecaster into a cheap solid state amp. It was brutal. Shit for anything else but for straight up heavy riffing it was cool


----------



## Werecow

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I guess I'll chime in and show off the pedal I just bought a few days ago.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Considering how much these are going for these days, jesus that's a fucking steal.
> 
> Also checked out clips and... I think I prefer it?  It's got a deeper bass and more bright midrange than the standard HM2. It's slightly more scooped and kinda reminds me of a HM2 meets a Big Muff.
> 
> Also if the housing is as bad as they say, I'm probably gonna attempt my first pedal re-housing job.



It does look like it'd fall apart from breathing on it  My behringer HM300 is the same.

Is the direct/soft switch a midrange toggle?


----------



## BigViolin

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I guess I'll chime in and show off the pedal I just bought a few days ago.
> 
> Considering how much these are going for these days, jesus that's a fucking steal.
> 
> Also checked out clips and... I think I prefer it?  It's got a deeper bass and more bright midrange than the standard HM2. It's slightly more scooped and kinda reminds me of a HM2 meets a Big Muff.
> 
> Also if the housing is as bad as they say, I'm probably gonna attempt my first pedal re-housing job.



Haven't tried that one but after reading forever about how revered their chorus was/is I picked one up. The hype is real, holy shit what a great sounding chorus and does the leslie thing really well. But, everytime I pick it up or even look at it I feel like I should be one of those ancient art curator dudes, wearing special gloves and being all patient and careful.


----------



## kleinenenten

The Arion Metal Master is AWESOME. I have two. Outside of the Throat Locust, they are my favorite HM-2 on bass. They seem to have a bit more low mids or something. The extra switch on top only affects "Output 2". It pretty much just tames the tone for going direct to a mixer. Never used it, but I don't want this thing tame.

On guitar, I find I prefer other clones. Again, Throat Locust is #1, the BYOC Swede is #2, and after that probably the OG Boss. Then, the criminally underrated DOD Super American Metal, the Metal Master, and Rocktek Metal Worker (sounded a bit loose and fuzzy for me). Lastly, for me at least, is the LWA Left Hand Wrath. For my uses, it didn't do anything I wanted a straight clone couldn't do, but this thing cost way too much. One of my quickest flips.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Werecow said:


> It does look like it'd fall apart from breathing on it  My behringer HM300 is the same.
> 
> Is the direct/soft switch a midrange toggle?



Owning both the HM300 and now the Arion, the Arion actually feels a bit sturdier. Doesn't have the cheapness of the HM300. But I have a MiJ model so I guess it's better?  

Plus it effects the output of Out 2. Direct completely kills the wet signal, so I'm guessing it's just a dry buffered DI out? Soft turns on the effect but with a pretty strong LPF, which appears to be a cab sim. Just gives you another sound. 

But yeah I dig the sound a lot. It's a different kind of gnarly that would blend well if you multitrack it with a more authentic HM2 or clone. More focus in the low and high mids rather than the extreme mids of the OG. 

Be aware I'm comparing it to an HM300, but in my brief time owning a MiJ hm2, the sonic footprint of the HM300 is close enough.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Also to add to above, the Metal Master works great as a """"""clean"""""" boost to get the chainsaw. Get a good bit of dirt on your amp, dime all the knobs except the gain, which you'll leave between 0 - 9:00 and goose the front end of your dirty amp. Probably my favorite method to use this pedal.


----------



## Zender

Own a mij HM2, an old throne torched, and a custom dunwich tyrant with added mid and blend.... and I have all three on my board. And if it ever gets released, I'd love an HM2w.


----------



## Scordare

0rimus said:


> With news of the Waza Boss HM-2 just wanted to bump this thread back up to the main page; but also to share this:
> View attachment 87487
> 
> 
> I've wanted one of these since they were announced. Admittedly a bit rich for my blood, but I do like the classic orange/black as opposed to the old black/white color scheme.



Thanks for posting this, I just ordered one! I have been curious & wanting this pedal...so this version pushed me over the edge! Not sure what I want more..the pedal or the T-shirt!..Ha!

I will probably also get the Boss Waza HM2..but the Decibelics Angry Swede has already filled that void..such a great pedal and in compact form!


----------



## Scordare




----------



## 0rimus

If I can pull some magic Imma try and pick up both the Wurhm AND a Throat Locust.

Try and swoop the Wurhm first since it's limited run yadda yadda. But yeah, think I want the shirt as much as the pedal. Lort knows I wear my Rotten Sound shirt all the damn time.

But if somebody has tried a Throat Locust it's their favorite HM-2 based pedals of all the ones they've tried 100% percent of the time, so that speaks alot even with the lack of youtube demos.

And for almost $100 less than the Wurhm...


----------



## Eyelessfiend

0rimus said:


> If I can pull some magic Imma try and pick up both the Wurhm AND a Throat Locust.
> 
> Try and swoop the Wurhm first since it's limited run yadda yadda. But yeah, think I want the shirt as much as the pedal. Lort knows I wear my Rotten Sound shirt all the damn time.
> 
> But if somebody has tried a Throat Locust it's their favorite HM-2 based pedals of all the ones they've tried 100% percent of the time, so that speaks alot even with the lack of youtube demos.
> 
> And for almost $100 less than the Wurhm...



The Throat Locust has been my main HM2 for a little while now and I just ordered one of the limited Wurhms. I'll probably end up keeping both (sold the other countless clones I had) so I have a HM2 for each board. Really curious to know how they stack up against each other.


----------



## kleinenenten

0rimus said:


> If I can pull some magic Imma try and pick up both the Wurhm AND a Throat Locust.
> 
> Try and swoop the Wurhm first since it's limited run yadda yadda. But yeah, think I want the shirt as much as the pedal. Lort knows I wear my Rotten Sound shirt all the damn time.
> 
> But if somebody has tried a Throat Locust it's their favorite HM-2 based pedals of all the ones they've tried 100% percent of the time, so that speaks alot even with the lack of youtube demos.
> 
> And for almost $100 less than the Wurhm...


The Throat Locus is my favorite clone, hands-down. I can get all sorts of flavors of HM-2 with it and it dominates on bass as well. The mid frequency knob is key to me. That being said, I'm currently using a BYOC Swede for its simplicity, and am expecting a Peper's Pedals HM-Too Many Clones tomorrow. It has the Dismember "Like An Ever-Flowing Stream" art on it and I couldn't resist.

In regards to the Arion, I'll say this - it seems to have better low mids instead of the crazy high mid peak of the original. Not my favorite on guitar, but certainly usable, but wow - this thing slays on bass. The low mids really make the bass punch through. As you've probably noticed by my responses, I'm primarily a bassist.

After receiving my clone tomorrow, I'll have 6 different HM-2 circuits. Overall, I typically go for something similar to the all on 11 tone, but manageable. On a straight clone it's usually level just above unity, bass maxed, treble slightly under max, and distortion about 10:00. I find that the distortion being lower doesn't really affect the tone, but does help the noise floor. On bass, I'll reduce treble more. On the Throat Locust, I typically accentuate high mids with the mid frequency knob, and low mids for my bass. That thing simply kills.


----------



## Scordare

The Wurhm has surfaced! The extra eq control is awesome...especially the low mids. 

The chainsaw family.. MIJ, Angry Swede V1 & Wurhm LE.


----------



## kleinenenten

That Wurm is smaller than I thought. I recently picked up a Peper's Pedals HM-Too Many Clones. To my surprise, it unseated my Throat Locust. Just ballsier, and easier to dial in. Also smaller, so more space on the board. Not getting rid of the Throat Locust, because it's still the best overall HM-2 I've ever played, but for my simple needs at the moment the Peper's Pedals clone works perfectly, and is slightly better than my other straight clone, the BYOC Swede.


----------



## Necky379

So this is pretty awesome, just subscribed. Before I left for work I started playing around with the configuration, I can’t wait to get out of here and get back to it. Also, he’s talking about running the HM-2 through the 5150 “clean channel”. I don’t remember who it was and I’m not going to scroll through 24 pages to find it but I remember someone else suggesting running an HM-2 through the green channel with the crunch button off and the amp gain dimed. That’s how I set up my 6505+ this morning with a LHWD (amp pre on 9 not 10 for me) and it is way better that way if you’re using the pedal distortion. I’ve got my 5150 set up normally, with a boost on the red channel. The combination is very very good, Euge gave us the In Flames recipe.


----------



## KailM

Necky379 said:


> So this is pretty awesome, just subscribed. Before I left for work I started playing around with the configuration, I can’t wait to get out of here and get back to it. Also, he’s talking about running the HM-2 through the 5150 “clean channel”. I don’t remember who it was and I’m not going to scroll through 24 pages to find it but I remember someone else suggesting running an HM-2 through the green channel with the crunch button off and the amp gain dimed. That’s how I set up my 6505+ this morning with a LHWD (amp pre on 9 not 10 for me) and it is way better that way if you’re using the pedal distortion. I’ve got my 5150 set up normally, with a boost on the red channel. The combination is very very good, Euge gave us the In Flames recipe.




That was probably me. I run my HM-2 into the clean channel of my 6505 with the crunch off but the gain dimed. Best configuration I’ve ever had with that amp and pedal combo. Ressurection Through Carnage tone.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

thats how I like to run my HM2 clones. Not with a gainy, gainy sound, but neither a pristine clean sound. It rounds off the harsh edge of the pedal and still lets the tone of the amp do it's thing, while the HM2 can still shine through.


----------



## Necky379

@KailM I thought it was you but I wasn’t sure. Didn’t want to take credit knowing someone else made the suggestion or do the leg work to find who it was haha.


----------



## kleinenenten

Necky379 said:


> So this is pretty awesome, just subscribed. Before I left for work I started playing around with the configuration, I can’t wait to get out of here and get back to it. Also, he’s talking about running the HM-2 through the 5150 “clean channel”. I don’t remember who it was and I’m not going to scroll through 24 pages to find it but I remember someone else suggesting running an HM-2 through the green channel with the crunch button off and the amp gain dimed. That’s how I set up my 6505+ this morning with a LHWD (amp pre on 9 not 10 for me) and it is way better that way if you’re using the pedal distortion. I’ve got my 5150 set up normally, with a boost on the red channel. The combination is very very good, Euge gave us the In Flames recipe.



Enlighten me - I don't have a 5150. Why is "clean channel" in parentheses? Is it not a clean channel in the traditional sense? I always run my HM-2s in the clean channels of my amps. Granted, nothing as good as a 5150, but I just don't gel with the HM-2 into a dirty amp.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

kleinenenten said:


> Enlighten me - I don't have a 5150. Why is "clean channel" in parentheses? Is it not a clean channel in the traditional sense? I always run my HM-2s in the clean channels of my amps. Granted, nothing as good as a 5150, but I just don't gel with the HM-2 into a dirty amp.



The 5150's clean channel isn't a good clean channel (technically not even a clean channel). With some tweaking and the right pickups, it can get clean, but it tends to be kinda dull sounding and breaks up very early. Hell, Peavey never even advertised/acknowledge it as a clean channel, since they always referred to the green channel as the "Rhythm" channel.


----------



## kleinenenten

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The 5150's clean channel isn't a good clean channel. With some tweaking and the right pickups, it can get clean, but it tends to be kinda dull sounding and breaks up very early. Hell, Peavey never even advertised/acknowledge it as a clean channel, since they always referred to the green channel as the "Rhythm" channel.


Gotcha. So a "bad" clean channel dimed may be good for old school In Flames? I can dig that. I also remember hearing that In Flames used to use an MT-2 into an HM-2 into a Peavey Supreme 160 for their tone. Anybody know if that's true? I've got a similar setup, minus the MT-2.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

kleinenenten said:


> Gotcha. So a "bad" clean channel dimed may be good for old school In Flames? I can dig that. I also remember hearing that In Flames used to use an MT-2 into an HM-2 into a Peavey Supreme 160 for their tone. Anybody know if that's true? I've got a similar setup, minus the MT-2.



I think the idea that the HM2 cascading into a gritty (not clean, but not distorted. Think malcolm young) sound can get some good results.


----------



## Necky379

kleinenenten said:


> Gotcha. So a "bad" clean channel dimed may be good for old school In Flames? I can dig that. I also remember hearing that In Flames used to use an MT-2 into an HM-2 into a Peavey Supreme 160 for their tone. Anybody know if that's true? I've got a similar setup, minus the MT-2.



That was At the Gates and that combination is pure evil. Just don’t set everything to 10.


----------



## edkaye

Did you see the HM-6 from Fuzzlord. He added a mid control and clean blend control.


----------



## kleinenenten

Necky379 said:


> That was At the Gates and that combination is pure evil. Just don’t set everything to 10.
> View attachment 90358


Duh. I knew that one... Also a big ATG fan! But I swear I heard something a while ago about In Flames boosting the HM-2 with something as well. I've been mulling it around in my head the last year or so to get some old Boss pedals and make an all-Swedish death metal board based on the HM-2. Throw in a DS-1, SD-1, MT-2, order them to get various HM-2 tones, and go from there.

Speaking of which, it may have been the SD-1 or DS-1 In Flames used. I've never owned either, and can never remember which is which. I know at least one of them has been used by various bands like Grave, Entombed, etc.


----------



## KailM

kleinenenten said:


> Duh. I knew that one... Also a big ATG fan! But I swear I heard something a while ago about In Flames boosting the HM-2 with something as well. I've been mulling it around in my head the last year or so to get some old Boss pedals and make an all-Swedish death metal board based on the HM-2. Throw in a DS-1, SD-1, MT-2, order them to get various HM-2 tones, and go from there.
> 
> Speaking of which, it may have been the SD-1 or DS-1 In Flames used. I've never owned either, and can never remember which is which. I know at least one of them has been used by various bands like Grave, Entombed, etc.



In Flames did use an HM-2 on Jester Race and Whoracle (their two best albums, in other words). Into a Peavey Bandit. I can’t remember what else was in the chain; possibly a Metalzone too. Those two albums have some of the best tones in metal history IMO.


----------



## Scordare

The Wurhm T-shirt arrived today.. I don’t usually go crazy over pedal artwork but this thing is fucking evil!


----------



## budda




----------



## Werecow

budda said:


> View attachment 90536


That just looks like you're supposed to always get in one side of the bed and out the other


----------



## Necky379

Scordare said:


> The Wurhm T-shirt arrived today.. I don’t usually go crazy over pedal artwork but this thing is fucking evil!



I spy an HM-2 —> MT-2 setup, I salute your good taste sir.


----------



## Scordare

Necky379 said:


> I spy an HM-2 —> MT-2 setup, I salute your good taste sir.


----------



## Necky379




----------



## Mathemagician

Scordare said:


>



Love the non-subtle chainsaw in the background.

Also this thread got me looking at my old non-infinium Bugera 6262 like “I could dust that off and if it turns on....maybe one pedal wouldn’t hurt.....”


----------



## Endnote

I managed to get in on this God City Instruments Jugendstil run. Converge has been one of my favorite bands for years, and guitarist Kurt's use of the HM2 has always been subtle and done to my liking. When he started releasing pedals I held off until he had some time in the game. But I couldn't hold back after he combined two styles of my favorite pedals - a fuzz that comes with an HM2-style EQ that's controlled by the "LOUD" knob. So far I've gotta say I love it as a fuzz, it's arguably the clearest fuzz I've owned so far, the others being the Frost Giant Massif, Black Arts Toneworks Rabid Mammal (my favorite fuzz), and the Blackhawk Amplifiers Gandalf/Valhalla combo. Compared to those it's also the quietest. Until you turn on the HM2 EQ, then that HM2 feedback begins on rips faces off. Only this time in the form of a fuzz face ripper? (no pun intended? Pun intended? Idk what that means anymore)

Anyhow, in comparison to my Angry Swede, which is the only HM2 pedal I have left, it definitely maintains the sound of a fuzz over a distortion. Kills it with active pickups just like the real thing. I'm an EMG enthusiast, and the 57 and 81 just make this thing sound ferocious with the EQ. Between the two sounds, I'll probably use it more as a fuzz because I tend to play more styles with fuzz. I think it would hold up playing songs that use an HM2, but anyone with guitar pedal knowledge would easily know that it's not an HM2, or even an HM2 clone. Still keeping the Swede for those Trap Them covers for sure. But now I can cover High on Fire and Trap Them, at the same time, with the same pedal.


----------



## Bearitone

How close is a Behringer HM300 to a MIJ HM2 as far as the actual circuit goes?

Ive yet to try an actual Boss HM2 but, the HM300 has beaten the crap out of every HM2 variant I’ve tried.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Bearitone said:


> How close is a Behringer HM300 to a MIJ HM2 as far as the actual circuit goes?
> 
> Ive yet to try an actual Boss HM2 but, the HM300 has beaten the crap out of every HM2 variant I’ve tried.


close enough tbh.


----------



## Bearitone

Well I’m asking because I use the HM300 as a boost, then turn down the volume knob on my guitar. The result is basically what sounds like a “clean boost” with that savage chainsaw EQ on it, but it’s also tight and articulate. When used like this the Low and High knobs are actually useable too and do a lot in tailoring the “boost” to the pickups of each guitar. If I crank the highs when using it like this I can even get a fucking deadringer copy of Vildhjartas tone. Then, I crank the volume knob in the guitar and wham! Full on grinding doom with a huge low end.

No other HM-2 clone I’ve tried can do everything the HM300 does, it’s insane.

If it is an exact copy of a MIJ hm2 then I’d like to try and find an actual Boss HM-2. It would be nice to have something more durable than the McDonalds toy that is the HM300


----------



## Necky379

*IMHO disclaimer*

@Bearitone To me the HM300 sounds like a MIJ but + 1 on everything. Now my MIJ is old, my HM300 is probably 2 years old, the age of their components may play a roll in why they sound different. To my ears, the HM300 has a little more on tap output wise and on the high knob. The low peak sounds like it’s at a slightly higher frequency or maybe narrower. Another thing I’ve noticed is that even MIJ’s don’t all sound the same. I bought one for a STEAL that was in pristine shape thinking I’d sell my beat up one with what I’m assuming is a kid’s band name carved into the side of it. Nope, the beat up one sounded better, it just had more balls, I sold the nice one. So it’s a hard comparison to make. Comparing my keeper and the HM300, the HM300 sounds brighter, more presence, more gain on tap. I prefer the sound of my beat up MIJ over the HM300 and the other clones. I love the HM300 though, among the pedals I have it’s the closest thing to an exact clone of the HM-2. The other pedals can be dialed in close but the HM300 comes the closest with minimal knob tweaking.


----------



## Bearitone

Necky379 said:


> *IMHO disclaimer*
> 
> @Bearitone To me the HM300 sounds like a MIJ but + 1 on everything. Now my MIJ is old, my HM300 is probably 2 years old, the age of their components may play a roll in why they sound different. To my ears, the HM300 has a little more on tap output wise and on the high knob. The low peak sounds like it’s at a slightly higher frequency or maybe narrower. Another thing I’ve noticed is that even MIJ’s don’t all sound the same. I bought one for a STEAL that was in pristine shape thinking I’d sell my beat up one with what I’m assuming is a kid’s band name carved into the side of it. Nope, the beat up one sounded better, it just had more balls, I sold the nice one. So it’s a hard comparison to make. Comparing my keeper and the HM300, the HM300 sounds brighter, more presence, more gain on tap. I prefer the sound of my beat up MIJ over the HM300 and the other clones. I love the HM300 though, among the pedals I have it’s the closest thing to an exact clone of the HM-2. The other pedals can be dialed in close but the HM300 comes the closest with minimal knob tweaking.



Dude thank you for the write up! Alright I’m just going to buy another HM-300 (maybe 2) to keep in case it goes down. You’re the man


----------



## DudeManBrother

I noticed the same thing with my hm300 vs my hm2. There is more high end at the top of the pot but over all they are very close.


----------



## Masoo2

Anyone here try out the new Taylor Young pack for STL Tonehub?

Haven't had the time to get around to downloading the demos for the plugin and pack yet, but this video makes the HM2 presets out to be probably the best sounding plugin recreation I've heard yet


----------



## kleinenenten

I find that nearly ANY modern clone of the HM-2 has more high end. I would wager component aging. I've got both HM-2 (MIT) and HM-300 and can get them pretty much identical, but with just a smidge lower treble on the HM-300. I always run my HM-2s with treble slightly shy of max. I find the same on my BYOC Swede, DODs, Throat Locust, and HM2MC.

In bass news, I recently made a "Motorhead" tone with my Throat Locust. Mids and gain nearly at their minimum, high at about 1:30, everything else cranked (volume to taste, I guess) and the switch on "B". I had been thinking of passing my Throat Locust along until I decided to just get a "good tone" out of it instead of aiming for an HM-2 tone. I find it amusing that a Lemmy-esque tone hides in a pedal renown for sonic destruction.


----------



## akinari

Not much to contribute here except man oh man did I get the gnarliest bass tone I've ever had using a P bass in drop G into a TC Eyemaster, a Crate Excalibur on the mid gain channel and a cab loaded with Swamp Thangs. Gonna try out my old Laney head instead and run my Peavey 1x15 along with it. I just know it's gonna be crushing.


----------



## olejason

The Boss Katana MK2 series has been updated with an HM-2 emulation.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

Got bored and recorded some wankery with my Abominable Evil ned into my F30 with my Charvel. I used the Ned as more of a clean boost here, but I also have an older vid showing the chainsaw vibes somewhere further back in the thread.


----------



## metaljohn

KnightBrolaire said:


> Got bored and recorded some wankery with my Abominable Evil ned into my F30 with my Charvel. I used the Ned as more of a clean boost here, but I also have an older vid showing the chainsaw vibes somewhere further back in the thread.




Yeah I've found I makes for a pretty decent boost if you keep the eq knob at 9:00 or under


----------



## KnightBrolaire

metaljohn said:


> Yeah I've found I makes for a pretty decent boost if you keep the eq knob at 9:00 or under


i had the eq basically off in the vid (like at 7 o'clock)


----------



## Scordare

Just learned about this blue stripe amp pedal.. sounds pretty f’n awesome! Might have to get one of these.. wish he had a HM2 on hand for the demo..

https://www.mastereffectspedals.com/marauder


----------



## Veldar

Anyone in here tried the Helix clone, seemed pretty bad on Helix native but I've heard that the VST and actual hardware sound different.


----------



## ATRguitar91

Veldar said:


> Anyone in here tried the Helix clone, seemed pretty bad on Helix native but I've heard that the VST and actual hardware sound different.


It's not an exact copy, but it gets close enough to my ears. It might be a bit less gnarly than the real thing; I've only compared it with my Throne Torcher which is a bit different than the original HM2 anyways.


----------



## Veldar

ATRguitar91 said:


> It's not an exact copy, but it gets close enough to my ears. It might be a bit less gnarly than the real thing; I've only compared it with my Throne Torcher which is a bit different than the original HM2 anyways.



Bugger, kinda wondering why Line 6 would bother if it's not a clone of it.

I'm still surprised how many clones of the HM-2 exist now, wish I never sold my japanese one


----------



## Scordare

So I have the Master Effects Marauder now..killer pedal! ..and putting together the ideas for a Swedish Death Metal pedalboard.. Can you smell the chainsaw fumes?


----------



## vilk

Veldar said:


> Bugger, kinda wondering why Line 6 would bother if it's not a clone of it.
> 
> I'm still surprised how many clones of the HM-2 exist now, wish I never sold my japanese one



you should check this dude’s tone using helix, I think it’s great.


----------



## USMarine75

So what's the latest and greatest, especially for boosting an amp?

Is it still Angry Swede and Throne Torcher? The HM300 still 90% as good as anything out there? MIJ HM2 or GTFO?


----------



## ATRguitar91

Veldar said:


> Bugger, kinda wondering why Line 6 would bother if it's not a clone of it.
> 
> I'm still surprised how many clones of the HM-2 exist now, wish I never sold my japanese one


I didn't mean to imply it's bad by any means. It probably gets you 90-95% of the way there. If I don't have my HM-2 or Throne Torcher hooked into the loop of my Stomp, I'll happily use the Line6 version to get chainsaw goodness.


----------



## ATRguitar91

USMarine75 said:


> So what's the latest and greatest, especially for boosting an amp?
> 
> Is it still Angry Swede and Throne Torcher? The HM300 still 90% as good as anything out there? MIJ HM2 or GTFO?


I absolutely love my Throne Torcher. It's not a carbon copy of my MIT HM-2, but I can get it nearly identical with some adjustment and it's entirely possible those differences just come down to component tolerances. The flexibility the TT has is great though. The LED mode is especially awesome, and the blend control is invaluable.


----------



## SamSam

I have a HM300 and an Eyemaster on the way solely because of this thread.


----------



## Bearitone

SamSam said:


> I have a HM300 and an Eyemaster on the way solely because of this thread.


If you end up not liking the HM300 I’ll buy it off you


----------



## SamSam

Bearitone said:


> If you end up not liking the HM300 I’ll buy it off you



Knowing me it'll take about 3 months to try it...

I think ordered it on gear4music about 15 months ago!


----------



## Scordare

Step 2 of the ultimate Swedish Death Metal Pedalboard..

Just got another Rockboard Quad 4.1.. A SD Powerstage 200 will be going in the top left corner. I am still deciding on a power supply but most likely a Truetone CS12. 

Choose your destruction!

Tuner > Wah > HM-2 MIJ > Angry Swede, V1 > KMA Wurm, LE “Wurhm” > Marauder > MT-2 MIT 1993 > Tech21 Boost DLA, V1 > Powerstage 200


----------



## metaljohn

USMarine75 said:


> So what's the latest and greatest, especially for boosting an amp?
> 
> Is it still Angry Swede and Throne Torcher? The HM300 still 90% as good as anything out there? MIJ HM2 or GTFO?



As a boost, I think the Evil Ned is the best. Super simple, and sounds great.


----------



## Chiba666

Just ordered the Angry Swede V2, my eye master just ain’t cutting it.


----------



## Electric Wizard




----------



## Bearitone

It’s going to be production right? Not a limited run?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Bearitone said:


> It’s going to be production right? Not a limited run?



Unless plans change, it seems like it'll be full production like the rest of the pedals. The only limited run pedal was the fuzz, which was due to parts being so scarce. 

And FWIW apparently they're going to be 159 - 169 GBP in the UK according to some guys calling about preorders. So yeah, will prooobably be around $169 - $199.


----------



## ATRguitar91

It still boggles my mind to this day, that I got my HM2 for like 30 bucks off Craigslist from some country guitar player in 2012. And now they're going for hundreds, and I paid $150 for a boutique clone.


----------



## MrWulf

Lone Wolf Audio bout to throw a fits with that price


----------



## NoodleFace

Oof $180 for this thing... that's MIJ used level pricing. Not really sure what they were thinking there.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Boss/H...U_CEL-rr9IDKvgRWV-L46R7_AiOTdEgtCCkLVLiFi_8SM


----------



## wakjob

Anyone using Kristian Kohle's 'Grindstein' pedal?


----------



## MrWulf

NoodleFace said:


> Oof $180 for this thing... that's MIJ used level pricing. Not really sure what they were thinking there.
> 
> https://www.guitarcenter.com/Boss/H...U_CEL-rr9IDKvgRWV-L46R7_AiOTdEgtCCkLVLiFi_8SM



Waza Craft is made in Japan so idk why you think that price is unreasonable.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

NoodleFace said:


> Oof $180 for this thing... that's MIJ used level pricing. Not really sure what they were thinking there.
> 
> https://www.guitarcenter.com/Boss/H...U_CEL-rr9IDKvgRWV-L46R7_AiOTdEgtCCkLVLiFi_8SM



That's the price everyone was expecting though. He'll some of us were expecting $199  the waza line ranges from $150 - $219.

Also the price of original HM2s have been skyrocketing. I've been seeing them more around $250+ lately


----------



## Seabeast2000

pre-ordered from SW.


----------



## gunshow86de

Seabeast2000 said:


> pre-ordered from SW.



Me too.


----------



## kevdes93

Pre-ordered, was hesitant because I ordered the tb-2w back in February and have gotten nothing but delays but I figured I'd be getting one of these for sure anyway


----------



## NoodleFace

MrWulf said:


> Waza Craft is made in Japan so idk why you think that price is unreasonable.


I guess, sort of makes me question buying it over a boutique clone but to each their own. I've modded a few MIJ HM2s, so I get the appeal.


----------



## Bearitone

I want it but, I’m not doing preorders anymore if it’s not limited run.


----------



## StevenC

I want one of these more for being _that _sound than because I want that sound, so not fussed on preorders or getting one soon. Does one have to preorder to get the silver screw though?


----------



## Steo

wakjob said:


> Anyone using Kristian Kohle's 'Grindstein' pedal?


Yeah, it's a cool pedal. I tend to not mix the hm2 in heavily, as I'm not a fan if the "everything at max" tone.


----------



## 0rimus

I might actually wait until they're out in the wild rather than preorder. I preordered like 3 things this month and I can't deal with the anxiety of making a purchase but the funds not being taken right away. And having the day the order is fulfilled and funds taken being just a random estimate.

I know not all retailers do it that way, but all the ones I did recently are.


----------



## crg123

Ended up sucking it up and doing the pre order for the waza hm2 this morning as well. 

Curious how It'll compare to my MIT modded with MIJ chip or my buddys MIJ. I also have a lefthand wrath which is sort of its own thing lol


----------



## olejason

I don't do preorders but I'll be getting one. I imagine they'll hit GC stores before anywhere else anyway.


----------



## BadSeed

Threw it on pre-order myself. What the hell, why not.


----------



## Werecow

Just pre-ordered mine as well


----------



## Scordare

I’m not gonna preorder, but I will get one of these Waza HM-2s. I have a MIJ and the Angry Swede V1..which has been my “Waza” for awhile now because it’s so awesome and quiet. It will be interesting to do a comparison! Still need to get the Waza Metal Zone too..


----------



## Seabeast2000

my SW rep said they are expecting the first batch to arrive mid July..but I wasn't on that one.....so who knows. I'm not dying for it, but I do want it. Already forgetting I ordered it through drugs and alcohol. LOL j/k.


----------



## Mechayoshi

Sweetwater just told me September the other day, so... I only bothered really because my Behringer version is a hunk of microphonic plastic junk and I almost never buy new so why not? I use mine as a type of boost in front of an already dirty amp.


----------



## olejason

Sweetwater typically has no clue when things will arrive, they just throw a date at you so you don't cancel, and they're rarely the first to get things in stock anyway.


----------



## Werecow

I pre-ordered from Andertons, and they're saying end of July for here.


----------



## Mathemagician

I want one because melodeath. But I play through an FM3. So really it’s about having knickknacks. Uggh. Not going to preorder anything though. Very cool of them to make these production runs.


----------



## USMarine75

Could be worse. I have about $3k in Prymaxe preorders from mid 2020 I'm still waiting on, one of which they just updated to Dec... so 2022 then?


----------



## SamSam

I received mine today from g4m! Perhaps a large batch has been sent out to all the shops with back orders?


----------



## Necky379




----------



## KailM

^^^Good video but I kept saying to myself "tune to B and start tremelo picking already!!!"


----------



## Dumple Stilzkin

KailM said:


> ^^^Good video but I kept saying to myself "tune to B and start tremelo picking already!!!"


Not tremolo picking was a mistake. But it sounded good, it would be a fun pedal to dink around with.


----------



## Mathemagician

USMarine75 said:


> Could be worse. I have about $3k in Prymaxe preorders from mid 2020 I'm still waiting on, one of which they just updated to Dec... so 2022 then?



Ho. Lee. Sheeeit. I know that place typically has good pricing but at that point I’d pay more to get it sooner.


----------



## USMarine75

Mathemagician said:


> Ho. Lee. Sheeeit. I know that place typically has good pricing but at that point I’d pay more to get it sooner.



Well I have another $4k in preorders from Sweetwater. At least the Prymaxe ones are paid for. Hoping the Sweetwater ones don't all come due the same month because ouch lol.


----------



## Scordare

USMarine75 said:


> Well I have another $4k in preorders from Sweetwater. At least the Prymaxe ones are paid for. Hoping the Sweetwater ones don't all come due the same month because ouch lol.



Man..You need to stop drunk preordering!


----------



## Werecow

A proper demo with tremolo picking, and even a direct comparison with a MIJ HM-2


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

It sounds a lot more different than I expected. There's more midrange grind with the original.


----------



## Steo

There's a comment in that Circle if tone video, basically saying that the Waza craft is a copy of a Chinese Hm2 pedal. The Xinsound Hm-18. I can't find any video of this pedal. Few of the Xinsound fuzz but that's it. Anyone any experience with one?


----------



## olejason

Interestingly they make a version of the HM-18 with a low/high gain switch. I can only find them for ~$90 shipped on AliExpress.


----------



## Steo

olejason said:


> Interestingly they make a version of the HM-18 with a low/high gain switch. I can only find them for ~$90 shipped on AliExpress.


Same, bit hesitant to fork out, just based on a YouTube comment. Anywho, back on track, got a Kma audio machines Wurm on the way.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

me likey. A pretty different flavor of chainsaw


----------



## 0rimus

My bass guitar rig consists of literally just my Boss HM-2 1987 MIJ and a cheap shitty 7-band EQ pedal straight into a PA or FoH. It's super gnarly but sometimes (understandably) does not cut too well in a mix. Just kinda grunting in the background making a fuckton of noise.

So this super appeals to me:


----------



## Eyelessfiend

0rimus said:


> My bass guitar rig consists of literally just my Boss HM-2 1987 MIJ and a cheap shitty 7-band EQ pedal straight into a PA or FoH. It's super gnarly but sometimes (understandably) does not cut too well in a mix. Just kinda grunting in the background making a fuckton of noise.
> 
> So this super appeals to me:
> View attachment 95611



I feel this hard. My bass board is an KMA Wurm into a MXR 10 band into a noise gate and a chorus. So this could definitely lighten the load but Idk, not sold on it entirely.


----------



## Bearitone

0rimus said:


> My bass guitar rig consists of literally just my Boss HM-2 1987 MIJ and a cheap shitty 7-band EQ pedal straight into a PA or FoH. It's super gnarly but sometimes (understandably) does not cut too well in a mix. Just kinda grunting in the background making a fuckton of noise.
> 
> So this super appeals to me:
> View attachment 95611


Add this to very long list of pedals I want almost exclusively for the artwork *chefs kiss*


----------



## BigViolin

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It sounds a lot more different than I expected. There's more midrange grind with the original.



Yeah that vid makes me less excited about the new one and makes me want to hunt down an original.


----------



## prlgmnr

On the one hand that seems like a lot of features for only 50% more than the original Wurm.

On the other hand the eyes don't light up anymore so.....


----------



## Seabeast2000

prlgmnr said:


> On the one hand that seems like a lot of features for only 50% more than the original Wurm.
> 
> On the other hand the eyes don't light up anymore so.....


This should be a 20 minute youtube monolog. Come on man.


----------



## Abominorg the Grotesque

Boss seem like they're a little late on releasing this thing. The HM-2 craze kinda peaked a few years back in the oh-so-hipster-iffic 2010s. Its still neat to have it available and there definitely are some HM-2 tones I love like Bloodbath's Resurrection Through Carnage, but for a while there was like this entire mini-subgenre of HM-2 bands that had a pretty "vest metal" vibe about it all. Kinda glad that scene's basically over honestly.


----------



## Veldar

Abominorg the Grotesque said:


> Boss seem like they're a little late on releasing this thing. The HM-2 craze kinda peaked a few years back in the oh-so-hipster-iffic 2010s. Its still neat to have it available and there definitely are some HM-2 tones I love like Bloodbath's Resurrection Through Carnage, but for a while there was like this entire mini-subgenre of HM-2 bands that had a pretty "vest metal" vibe about it all. Kinda glad that scene's basically over honestly.



Yeah HM-2 core had about 2 - 3 years of relivence and died hard. The closest you get to it now is some of the more modern hardcore bands using them mixed into the main guitar tone.


----------



## olejason

lol vest metal

I find myself using the HM-3 and DS-1 more than any other Boss pedal nowadays.


----------



## gunshow86de

Well so much for that mid-July estimated ship date.


----------



## 0rimus

I've seen a couple people on the official Boss HM-2W page get thiers already. Both were in the UK (I think)

Most online places I looked at were saying early August. I feel like even that is pretty optimistic.

I did order a KMA Guardian Wurm pedal though! Really excited to run my bass through it.


----------



## Werecow

Yeh i think there was a shipment to the UK in July. I got an email from Andertons saying i didn't get into the first shipment, and that they're hopeful i'll be in their August shipment, but Boss haven't confirmed how many they're shipping to them yet.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

By any chance, has any one dialed in a HM2 tone on the Fractal FM3 or AX8?


----------



## FancyFish

Breeding The Spawn said:


> By any chance, has any one dialed in a HM2 tone on the Fractal FM3 or AX8?


There's this video:


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

FancyFish said:


> There's this video:




Sweet! Thanks I'll check it out, wanted to see if it was possible before buying an actual HM2 or the Waza version.


----------



## metaljohn

Breeding The Spawn said:


> By any chance, has any one dialed in a HM2 tone on the Fractal FM3 or AX8?



Yeah. Pick your favorite high gain amp block, and put a drive block with the Master Fuzz model in front of it. Drive low, tone high and you're all set.


----------



## 0rimus

Out of curiosity where are you all placing your HM-2w preorders at?

I love zZounds but they seem to get new products in literally weeks after all the other big name retailers. I actually cancelled my MT-2 metalzone 30th anniversary pedal because they still haven't gotten it in yet. Don't want the charge to hit right when I'm broke af.

Like maybe better to lurk around smaller retailers?

I hope Boss sends the US like million of those orange fuckers to try and meet the demand here.


----------



## olejason

Guitar Center in-store is usually the first to get Boss releases. I picked up the anniversary SD-1 weeks ago in the store and they still haven't arrived at any online retailers as far as I've seen.


----------



## 0rimus

Part of the reason I cancelled my mt-2 30th preorder was that both GC and Musicians Friend have had them in stock for awhile.

Oddly I DID receive my 40th sd-1 preorder from zzounds a week or two ago.

The kma wurm guardian should keep me fixed for awhile until hm-2w's start showing up in the wild.


----------



## gunshow86de

Sweetwater rep told me Boss says late September shipping.


----------



## Seabeast2000

gunshow86de said:


> Sweetwater rep told me Boss says late September shipping.


Proper chsinsaw season.


----------



## youngthrasher9

Anyone here own a grindstein?


----------



## Veldar

This VST is killer https://www.audiority.com/shop/heavy-pedal/

Saved me $300 to $400 for a japanease HM-2 in Aus.

has a bunch of "mods" basically slight changes to the eq response & distortion character.

I got it for $10 bucks and got it setup as a dirty preamp for an isis meets meshuggah type tone


----------



## olejason

Agreed on the Audiority plugin. I always use the plugin if I'm doing the HM2 blended with 5150 thing.


----------



## Werecow

I just got an email from Andertons

"We are writing to notify you that our supplier has recently informed us of a delay to the Boss HM-2W Waza Craft Heavy Metal Distortion Pedal you have ordered. They have found that demand for this pedal has been far greater than anticipated and the next substantial delivery will not arrive in Europe until October."

They're still not sure how many they'll be getting till nearer the time either. Disappointing, but happy it's been a popular launch for Boss.


----------



## FancyFish

Been eyeing an Boss OD-20 on Reverb and noticed that it had an HM-2 mode on it. Has anyone here ever used it and if so does it chainsaw?


----------



## 0rimus

Got this yesterday! Unfortunately won't get a shot at trying it until the weekend. See how it stacks up against the OG HM-2 mij for bass.


----------



## Scordare

0rimus said:


> Got this yesterday! Unfortunately won't get a shot at trying it until the weekend. See how it stacks up against the OG HM-2 mij for bass.
> View attachment 97124
> View attachment 97125



Awesome! I love how they moved the frequency controls to the front instead of being trim pots inside. I really want one of these but have been spending to much on gear the past few months.. Have you tried the regular Wurm? The low mid control rules!


----------



## 0rimus

No, but I always wanted to! 

When they first released the original Wurm I emailed KMA trying to see if they could make me a custom one with yellow eyes (leds) and led clipping and making so the leds only lit when guitar signal was passed through etc.

They humored me and responded to all my dipshit emails. But I never ordered one. Not even the cool ass black and orange one.

So I kinda owed them a purchase after all that lol


----------



## Lozek

youngthrasher9 said:


> Anyone here own a grindstein?


Yeah, I've got one. Very cool pedal, the blend of Chainsaw and modern channel makes it really versatile.


----------



## Scordare

0rimus said:


> No, but I always wanted to!
> 
> When they first released the original Wurm I emailed KMA trying to see if they could make me a custom one with yellow eyes (leds) and led clipping and making so the leds only lit when guitar signal was passed through etc



I have the cool orange and black one! Just a heads up on the eq on the Wurm..the High Mids is equal to the H control on the HM-2. The Highs is a more like a presence and Low Mids is a mid control. I set the Low and High Mids like a normal HM-2, then add Low Mids to smooth things out, then add Highs to taste depending on how much gain you’re using. It’s a killer pedal..I haven’t really messed with the frequency centers because they sound great at 12 o’clock.


----------



## kleinenenten

0rimus said:


> Got this yesterday! Unfortunately won't get a shot at trying it until the weekend. See how it stacks up against the OG HM-2 mij for bass.
> View attachment 97124
> View attachment 97125


Definitely interested in a bass review!


----------



## Seabeast2000

Mine just shipped from SW.


----------



## gunshow86de

Seabeast2000 said:


> Mine just shipped from SW.


Me too. That was unexpected.


----------



## gunshow86de

It's real!


----------



## olejason

0rimus said:


> Got this yesterday! Unfortunately won't get a shot at trying it until the weekend. See how it stacks up against the OG HM-2 mij for bass.



Interested in your thoughts on this one. Looks perfect for HM-2 tones on bass.


----------



## 0rimus

Yeah, I've been dying to give it a run. Unfortunately my bass is under the knife right now and needed custom strings from Kalium. So I gotta wait a bit and revisit the OG hm-2 rig so the comparison is fair.

Good news is I also bought an HM-2W lol. Got the tracking # but no estimated ship date.

Most youtube reviews seem disappointed with the custom mode, but to me the custom mode sound samples sound the best.


----------



## 0rimus

I had a feeling a few smaller online retailers would get small batches. So I waited rather than preorder. The Music Den got 4 in. 3 sold in the shop over the weekend. The last one was listed on their site, and snagged by yours truly in Phoenix, Az, September 3rd. Super stoked.


----------



## kleinenenten

0rimus said:


> I had a feeling a few smaller online retailers would get small batches. So I waited rather than preorder. The Music Den got 4 in. 3 sold in the shop over the weekend. The last one was listed on their site, and snagged by yours truly in Phoenix, Az, September 3rd. Super stoked.
> View attachment 97374


I believe I saw this picture on the HM-2 FB page! Congrats! I haven't ordered one either, and am waiting a bit for the demand to lessen. A buddy of mine has one on order though, so I'm hoping to hear it when he gets it. What are your initial impressions?


----------



## 0rimus

Oh man. Idunno if it's the fact the OG HM-2 needs 12v (which I never once gave it), the fact that mine's old (1987) or what. But damn does the new one sound better!

I did a quick little 30 minute jam on my 7 string today since my bass is still in limbo. But yeah, for me it pretty much goes:

MIJ HM-2 > HM-2W in S mode > HM-2W in C mode

Once I put it in custom mode I almost couldn't bring myself to go back. Kinda surprised so many Youtubers are shitting on the Custom mode.

If I had to pick only one mode for it to be stuck on for eternity, Custom mode no doubt. But even in Standard mode it's noticeably less fizzy than the original.

I fucking love it.


----------



## DestroyMankind

My hm-2w just showed up today. Going to try it out tomorrow. Never had one of the old ones before so it should be fun.


----------



## Chiba666

On the fence as I’ve picked up a V2 Angry Swede, do I need another one?


----------



## kleinenenten

Chiba666 said:


> On the fence as I’ve picked up a V2 Angry Swede, do I need another one?


Yes.

I'm set for guitar HM-2s, but will likely get the HM-2w down the road. A buddy's got one on order, so I'll see what he thinks and likely give it a go. On the bass front, I'm looking at picking up a second Dunwich DIY HM-2. I wish I could build pedals as I know he's released the PCB etc.


----------



## MrWulf

If anyone wants a HM2 in plugin format for PC then Audiority just released the VST version of the Grindstein. It has additional pedals in the chain such as Klirrton's gate/boost and EQ pedal. I paid for that shit immediately and god does run it in front of a bass amp sounds godly


----------



## kleinenenten

Anybody have experience with the Bear Amps Heavier Metal? Seems amazing, but I can't find much info online. I'd love to give it a go on my bass.

https://bearamps.bigcartel.com/product/heavier-metal


----------



## Necky379

I’m told Bear does wonderful HM-2 mods to MT-2’s. That’s all I know. I almost bought one of his MT-2’s last year used but I had to back out due to unexpected expenses.


----------



## kleinenenten

Necky379 said:


> I’m told Bear does wonderful HM-2 mods to MT-2’s. That’s all I know. I almost bought one of his MT-2’s last year used but I had to back out due to unexpected expenses.


I think I may HAVE to get one. He's about as "local" as it gets for such a niche pedal (he's in the same US state as I am, tough still a few hours away). I may need to find a reason to get in that area and meet the man in person.


----------



## NoodleFace

Ordered a HM-2W, pretty excited. I'm also on a waitlist for the BYOC clone, but no idea when that'll be back in stock so I can build one.

I modded a bunch of MIJ HM-2s awhile back to be able to use 9V DC Jacks (one wire mod) and they still sounded pretty great. I'm interested to see how the Waza Craft one sounds. I've been listening to too much Gatecreeper..


----------



## kleinenenten

NoodleFace said:


> Ordered a HM-2W, pretty excited. I'm also on a waitlist for the BYOC clone, but no idea when that'll be back in stock so I can build one.
> 
> I modded a bunch of MIJ HM-2s awhile back to be able to use 9V DC Jacks (one wire mod) and they still sounded pretty great. I'm interested to see how the Waza Craft one sounds. I've been listening to too much Gatecreeper..


Is that a BYOC clone of the original, or the HM-2w? Because I rather like my BYOC Swede. It's my 2nd favorite HM-2 on guitar thus far, second only to the Peper's Pedals HM-TMC, but they're both incredibly close. As much as I like my modified HM-2s for bass, it seems I really just want a modern 4 knob clone for guitar. Gotta get the HM-2w one of these days.


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

I use a KMA Guardian of the Wurm and it’s awesome!! It so versatile but I use it for the chainsaw sound. 

I blend together a Crate GX130C boosted with a Savage Drive or a SD-1 and a Crate GX900H with the Guardian of the Wurm. It’s became my tone and I love it!!


----------



## NoodleFace

kleinenenten said:


> Is that a BYOC clone of the original, or the HM-2w? Because I rather like my BYOC Swede. It's my 2nd favorite HM-2 on guitar thus far, second only to the Peper's Pedals HM-TMC, but they're both incredibly close. As much as I like my modified HM-2s for bass, it seems I really just want a modern 4 knob clone for guitar. Gotta get the HM-2w one of these days.


I actually meant "BYOC Swede"!


----------



## DestroyMankind

Got this yesterday. The clean blend is awesome.


----------



## works0fheart

Now that it's been out for a bit, what's everyone's thoughts on the Waza-craft?


----------



## DestroyMankind

I like the fuzzlord hm-6 better. The clean blend is great. I compared them side by side and the boss has more low end but I don't like the whole "all knobs on 10" so I don't run either that way. If boss would've done a clean blend I'm sure it would've been amazing.


----------



## CanserDYI

Does anyone know if the parameters in the Swedish Chainsaw model react similarly to the real pedal? I wanted to give the dimed knobs as noted above a try, and suprise suprise, it sounds like shit.


----------



## Schweick

I've been using a KMA Wurm as a de facto preamp pedal into an MXR 10 band eq and then into some IRs, and am really digging the tones I've been getting with this combination. Not going for the classic chainsaw thing, rather just looking for something sonically different. The KMA does this it surprisingly well on account of all those internal DIP switches. Also, the build quality is excellent on mine. Feels like it's built like a proverbial panzer/StuG.


----------



## Gmork

I recently got The Shivver distortion by a small 1 man run company call Unsound Circuitry out of finland i believe. It has the hm2 eq circuit or something like that. Eitherway when you crank things its unmistakably chainsawville from there. It has a tight control as well as a mid sweep control that has a 3 way toggle to control whether its low mids, balanced mids or high mids.
So i WAS given this to do a demo but i can honestly say its super rad and i know a lot of you would be really into it!
..... And ill have a video up in a week or so


----------



## Necky379

CanserDYI said:


> Does anyone know if the parameters in the Swedish Chainsaw model react similarly to the real pedal? I wanted to give the dimed knobs as noted above a try, and suprise suprise, it sounds like shit.



Some HM-2’s sound better with low or high or both backed off slightly, not every amp needs the level knob dimed to get there, sometimes backing off the distortion knob and adding in amp dirt is better too.


----------



## works0fheart

Still haven't picked one of these up (an HM-2 or an offshoot). I might order a Waza craft one in a few days. Not sure I've decided on one that I've liked the sound of over another yet. The videos out there covering this stuff aren't usually good enough comparisons that one sounds decidedly better than the other, either.


----------



## Bearitone

RAT with HM2 eq and a clean blend? Sign me tf up:


----------



## BeyonThe7thSeal

Just received one of those Doomsaws. Haven’t had a chance to play with it just yet but from what I’ve seen, it’s a dimed out clone but it sounds gnarly in the videos I’ve seen.


----------



## kleinenenten

Bearitone said:


> RAT with HM2 eq and a clean blend? Sign me tf up:



Saw that a long time ago, but that was before my recent Rat collection began. May have to try it out if I ever start to get Rats for my guitar rigs. So far, I'm digging them as lower gain dirt pedals for my basses.


----------



## kleinenenten

Bought two more clones recently, the v3 of the LHW and the Bear Amps Heavier Metal. The TLDR; version is this - both are excellent HM-2s. They'll get you chainsawing in no time. But if you just want straight up chainsaw, they're both overkill. Since I just want standard, no nonsense chainsaw for my guitar tones, they're too much. But they are PHENOMENAL on bass!

Details for bass:

LHW: I found this one used at a local shop for a steal. I'd been debating getting a second one for a while, as my first run with the pedal was not as positive as I'd hoped, but I've learned a lot since then and changed my rig etc., so thought I should give it another go. Saw this at the store, and it looked different. Apparently, there's now a "v3", and it seemed to address one of my biggest concerns with my old pedal - the presence knob. So I gave it a shot. Glad I did! As I said, it's overkill for my guitar needs. But it instantly became a top bass HM-2. The presence knob is much more usable, so I can get a thick tone with HM-2 grit on top of my bass, but without the insane high end grit. It seems to very much compress and bring the bass to the forefront of the mix. The blend is useful for retaining enough natural bass tone. I also found that the clipping diodes have been changed, with a Schottky option. That's definitely my favorite. It's amazing so far. This one isn't going anywhere. It's in my top 3 bass HM-2s. It's pretty well known, so I won't go into more detail on this one.

Heavier Metal: This one is very similar in my guitar and bass experience to the LHW. Namely, overkill for straight guitar chainsaw, but amazing on bass. This one has a few new features, such as load and clip toggles (I prefer both on for the builder's tweaks). It's also got a "quench" control which seems to alter the amount of high end grit/presence. At higher settings, it drastically reduces volume, but there's plenty of travel on the volume knob to compensate. At those settings, it loses much of the chainsaw, so I'm not sure it's something many people would be interested in. What's most interesting is that the EQ on this is basically hardwired to chainsaw. The EQ knobs are set so that they only control the final 10% of the original Boss EQ knobs - so it's all about fine-tuning. It looks odd, but that means for my bass use, I have low maxed, mids at 9:00, and treble minimized. It would seem like it's nothing but bass, but in reality, that's basically everything nearly dimed on a traditional HM-2. It's an interesting concept, and lets you dial in all shades of HM-2 dirt. I'm amazed how flexible it can be for being such a focused circuit. There's also a loop feature, which I haven't used, as well as the ability to use only the EQ, which I also haven't used. The distortion knob, like most modern clones, works throughout the range of the knob unlike the original. Much like the LHW, it's got plenty of punch. In fact, this is the easiest to make stand out in the mix for bass. It's deceptive - at my original favorite settings, it sounds very aggressive solo, but in the mix just stands out and doesn't have much of the high end grit showing through. I tweaked it a bit, and am able to get that through the mix now, and really dig this thing.

All in all, these are now my top 2 bass HM-2s, with the Dunwich DIY HM-2 a close #3. So stoked that I have such great options now.


----------



## CanserDYI

Duuude never even thought about using an HM2 for bass.. hm...... think this will help "glue" the bass and guitar together?


----------



## Seabeast2000

kleinenenten said:


> Saw that a long time ago, but that was before my recent Rat collection began. May have to try it out if I ever start to get Rats for my guitar rigs. So far, I'm digging them as lower gain dirt pedals for my basses.


For whatever reason the Heavy Bat seems like an essential piece of gear to me. It has too much stuff.


----------



## 0rimus

CanserDYI said:


> Duuude never even thought about using an HM2 for bass.. hm...... think this will help "glue" the bass and guitar together?


Idunno about that. You ever heard of the band Godflesh?

As much as I adore Tool and Karnivool for bass writing, when it comes to ultimate bass tone, unequivocally gotta be Godflesh.

And it's almost all HM-2.


----------



## CanserDYI

0rimus said:


> Idunno about that. You ever heard of the band Godflesh?
> 
> As much as I adore Tool and Karnivool for bass writing, when it comes to ultimate bass tone, unequivocally gotta be Godflesh.
> 
> And it's almost all HM-2.


I'll check them out! Thanks

Also, I meant I use an HM2 sound in my guitar work, I was wondering if using it on bass tandem would glue them together but now I think it might add too much buzzsaw.


----------



## 0rimus

Actually, Godflesh uses HM-2 on both bass AND guitar now that I think about it lol. Jives together pretty well but admittedly the guitarist also does vocals and uses his guitar sometimes as more of a 'sound effect' ontop of the bass rhythm.

Also 90% they don't dime the settings on the HM-2's


----------



## kleinenenten

CanserDYI said:


> I'll check them out! Thanks
> 
> Also, I meant I use an HM2 sound in my guitar work, I was wondering if using it on bass tandem would glue them together but now I think it might add too much buzzsaw.


I think the standard "dime everything" would be too much chainsaw, unless you're going for some fancy clones on bass. Most straight HM-2 clones don't work as well on bass.

And if memory serves, Godflesh's bass tone has the HM-2's hi's drastically reduced. I know it's NOT everything dimed. But that's about all I know about Godflesh's tone, bass, guitar, or otherwise.


----------



## DestroyMankind

this kind of makes me want to try out a swollen pickle. That guitar tone is nasty!


----------



## kleinenenten

DestroyMankind said:


> this kind of makes me want to try out a swollen pickle. That guitar tone is nasty!



I LOVE my Swollen Pickle. Absolute best non-boutique fuzz on the market. Never thought of using it for HM-2 style stuff. I use it for heavy doom tones. Color me intrigued. Gotta check this band out to see how they sound.


----------



## metaljohn

kleinenenten said:


> I LOVE my Swollen Pickle. Absolute best non-boutique fuzz on the market. Never thought of using it for HM-2 style stuff. I use it for heavy doom tones. Color me intrigued. Gotta check this band out to see how they sound.


END rules. I was also surprised to see that they were using the Swollen Pickle


----------



## KnightBrolaire

that's pretty much the same setup that knocked loose uses (5150+ swollen pickle). They make it sound gnarly as fuck.


----------



## CanserDYI

DestroyMankind said:


> this kind of makes me want to try out a swollen pickle. That guitar tone is nasty!



Yes it is, I love ends tone so much.


----------



## kleinenenten

KnightBrolaire said:


> that's pretty much the same setup that knocked loose uses (5150+ swollen pickle). They make it sound gnarly as fuck.


Any idea how to set the internal trim knobs on a Pickle to get those tones? I have two Pickles around here (an actual one and a small clone) and would definitely keep them both if I can get these tones!


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## KnightBrolaire

kleinenenten said:


> Any idea how to set the internal trim knobs on a Pickle to get those tones? I have two Pickles around here (an actual one and a small clone) and would definitely keep them both if I can get these tones!


pretty sure they reference their settings in here around 15 mins 
:


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## epsylon

Haven't read all 30 pages of the thread, but I wanted to say I got a TC Electronic Eyemaster a while ago and I am extremely pleased with it. Having had a Taiwan HM-2 in the past, the Eyemaster compares very favorably: it's cheaper, and infinitely more usable. If you're on a budget, or if you're not but you can't be bothered shelling out $$$ for an HM-2 or a boutique clone, I would def recommend it.


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## KnightBrolaire

broke out my swollen pickle for some caveman riffage earlier today.


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## olejason

The Pickle is great on bass too. Especially if you pair it with guitars that aren't gobbling up all the low end space. Sounds massive!


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## kleinenenten

olejason said:


> The Pickle is great on bass too. Especially if you pair it with guitars that aren't gobbling up all the low end space. Sounds massive!


I'm going to assume you're the same "olejason" from TB... And you are 100% correct - the Swollen Pickle is by far my favorite non-boutique fuzz for bass. If I didn't know of boutique brands, it would definitely be my #1.


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## sirbuh

To keep this thread going added another Throne Torcher to the collection. 
Anything new out in the HM2 space or in the near term?


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## Soya

Never thought I would be posting in this thread since I'm definitely not an hm2 guy, but I recently picked up a wurm 2 out of curiosity and man it's so much fun to play through. Totally different sound than what I normally go for. Still need to mess with the internal pots to dial it in but I'm pretty happy with the super midrange and bass buzzsaw.


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## kleinenenten

Besides the "smoothing" adjustment of the 2, are there any functional differences between the Wurm and Wurm 2? I see that they moved the EQ options to the outside for the 2, but does it still have the EQ center adjustment inside the pedal? Or were those removed for the "smoothing" adjustment for the 2?


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## Soya

Yeah still has the trim pots inside to adjust the eq bands.


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## Bled4bathor1

Turgon said:


> best thread ever!
> I've a HM2 MIJ, MIT, Arion Metal Master, Behringer HM300, KMA Wurm, LWA LHP, Anarchy Audio HM2, Dunwich HM2 and a TC Eyemaster. I'm planning to get the Airis clone as well as the pepers pedals clone and much more. Every pedal has its own flavour, but all of them can do the chainsaw!
> I'll do some comparison vids in the near future, might be helpful for some of you!


I have the original TRANSMUTATION DEVICES CRUSTIFIXION HM2 CLONE.i think they became PEPERS PEDALS...don't quite me on that...I have the original DEATH KNOB too.


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## Mprinsje

Ok so I haven't read this whole thread but I just tried a maxon od808 into a ratt into the red channel of a 6505+. It's the best hm2 sound I've gotten yet, especially with not too much gain on the amp and ratt. It has much more definition than my regular hm2 but still has that chainsaw effect.


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## DestroyMankind

Mprinsje said:


> Ok so I haven't read this whole thread but I just tried a maxon od808 into a ratt into the red channel of a 6505+. It's the best hm2 sound I've gotten yet, especially with not too much gain on the amp and ratt. It has much more definition than my regular hm2 but still has that chainsaw effect.


What are your settings? I know I like to run my rat into my 6505+ red channel, but never thought to add another pedal in front of it. I'm definitely always looking for new ways to get that chainsaw tone.


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## kleinenenten

Just a quick update to say that if your Throat Locust can do 18v and you play bass, you should definitely give it a go. I confirmed with the builder that mine can do 18v (only says 9v on the pedal), and it's amazing. More dynamics, more natural bass, clearer articulation. Just better, and that's saying a lot as the Throat Locus was already a favorite of mine on bass!


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## Bled4bathor1

sirbuh said:


> To keep this thread going added another Throne Torcher to the collection.
> Anything new out in the HM2 space or in the near term?


There are all kinds of different hm2 pedal versions w cool options different from all others in ebay and reverb lately.check deep in the sites and you will run into all kinds of cool shit for real.


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## metaljohn

I recently bought one of the GCI Jugendstil and I love it. I have the Evil Ned mini as well, but I just leave the eq off and use it as a clean boost


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## broj15

Speaking of stuff from GCI, I just recently came across this when browsing the site:









God City Instruments


God City Instruments is a musical instrument equipment company owned and operated by Kurt Ballou from the band, Converge and God City Recording Studio. GCI designs, manufactures, and markets guitars, effects pedals, DIY PCBs and more.



www.godcityinstruments.com





Appears to be a pcb for the Dunwich modded HM2: 3 band eq, clean blend, and soft & hard clipping options. GCI is just selling the pcb & it looks like Musikding has a full parts kit including everything but the pcb with options for a pre-drilled enclosure. Obviously putting one of these together is super tempting, but I'm feeling apprehensive about getting the parts kit from Musikding. Mostly just worried about how good the quality of the components are (things such as knockoff IC's, caps & resistors with loose tolerances, etc.). I could source my own parts obviously, but that's a lot of time spent browsing on Mouser or Small Bear, especially when the option to just get it all in 1 click is right there and so tempting. I have literally no experience with Musikding so I was wondering if anyone on here had any experiences with them. How's thier reputation on stuff like this? Looks like this isn't the only DIY pedal parts kit they sell.


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## broj15

Just finished up this DIY kit and I think I'm finally satisfied for dirt pedals for a while now. It's a Sawzall DIY from Dead Air Studios and I added a clean blend from Mask Audio Electronics. I'm still working on making my off board wiring more tidy, as well as working on my method of applying artwork to the enclosure (using the laser printer on glossy paper + acrylic gel medium method) but this is the most ambitious pedal build I've taken on and I'm overall I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.

As far as the tone is concerned all I can say is that this pedal sounds brutal. It's a slightly modified distortion+/dod 250 style circuit (a couple film cap values changed and silicon diodes instead of germanium) and a 3 band parametric EQ with the center of the frequency sweeps at the stock HM2 EQ values. The sweep on the mids is surprisingly wide so it's capable of more than just HM2 style tones. The switch is to bypass the OD portion of the circuit and just use it as an EQ, so in theory you could put it in the effects loop of any overdriven amp or after any dirt pedal in your signal chain to add in some HM2 flavor, but I e not gotten a chance to experiment with that yet. So far I e been going into the clean channel of my peavey musician 400 (non master volume version) with the amp's EQ set totally flat and it rips. It has probably the tightest low end I've ever heard from an HM2 style pedal. It has the right balance of the nasal mid range grind you expect of an HM2, while the lows are tight and defined enough for chugs and more technical riffing, but still full and thick for sludge/doomy caveman riffs. If anyone is still looking for the right HM2 for them or just a cool OD I highly recommend putting this kit together, or if you're not into DIY stuff Will from Dead Air sells a pre built version with a fuzz circuit (based off the color sound 1 knob fuzz) as a separate clipping options instead of the OD bypass/EQ only option that you can get with the DIY version.


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## kleinenenten

broj15 said:


> Just finished up this DIY kit and I think I'm finally satisfied for dirt pedals for a while now. It's a Sawzall DIY from Dead Air Studios and I added a clean blend from Mask Audio Electronics. I'm still working on making my off board wiring more tidy, as well as working on my method of applying artwork to the enclosure (using the laser printer on glossy paper + acrylic gel medium method) but this is the most ambitious pedal build I've taken on and I'm overall I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.
> 
> As far as the tone is concerned all I can say is that this pedal sounds brutal. It's a slightly modified distortion+/dod 250 style circuit (a couple film cap values changed and silicon diodes instead of germanium) and a 3 band parametric EQ with the center of the frequency sweeps at the stock HM2 EQ values. The sweep on the mids is surprisingly wide so it's capable of more than just HM2 style tones. The switch is to bypass the OD portion of the circuit and just use it as an EQ, so in theory you could put it in the effects loop of any overdriven amp or after any dirt pedal in your signal chain to add in some HM2 flavor, but I e not gotten a chance to experiment with that yet. So far I e been going into the clean channel of my peavey musician 400 (non master volume version) with the amp's EQ set totally flat and it rips. It has probably the tightest low end I've ever heard from an HM2 style pedal. It has the right balance of the nasal mid range grind you expect of an HM2, while the lows are tight and defined enough for chugs and more technical riffing, but still full and thick for sludge/doomy caveman riffs. If anyone is still looking for the right HM2 for them or just a cool OD I highly recommend putting this kit together, or if you're not into DIY stuff Will from Dead Air sells a pre built version with a fuzz circuit (based off the color sound 1 knob fuzz) as a separate clipping options instead of the OD bypass/EQ only option that you can get with the DIY version.


Sounds pretty awesome. Any chance of clips in the future? I may be acquiring an Eyemaster in the near future, but we'll see. Nothing new on the HM-2 front here recently except that I confirmed with the builder that my Throat Locust can do 18v safely. It sounds absolutely beastly on bass now - even moreso than before.


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