# Best Thrash Metal Pedal



## reptillion (Sep 27, 2008)

I recently had a blackstar hd-distx filth pedal, and it got great maideneque tones, but i returned it because im looking for a serious thrash/death pedal that kicks some ass.

My amp is a raven rg60 with a 12 incher
Im using a gibson faded sg with stock pickups and 12-56 strings

the amp has good hard rock tones but just cant do metal.

So i was thinking either

Damage Control Solid Metal
Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem
Electroharmonics metal muff

My teacher recommended the solid metal because it has 12ax7, but i have heard bad about it

My budget is about 250$ max

Im looking for a early metallica/anthrax super tight but still natural sounding tone.

Thanks for your help
Ryan


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## Duraesu (Sep 27, 2008)

METAL MUFF ! you cant go wrong =)


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## eegor (Sep 27, 2008)

I had that same pedal (HT-DISTX), and I thought that it was a pretty good-sounding pedal, but yeah, it didn't have a whole lotta gain to it. I have heard good things about the Damage Control Solid Metal though. There's also the DC Demonizer, but apparently it doesn't have as much gain, but it's a preamp pedal as opposed to a straight-up distortion pedal.


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## daniboy (Sep 27, 2008)

just a suggestion, use a compressor before your dirt pedals for a tight low end and some extra gain.


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## budda (Sep 27, 2008)

get a better amp.

as long as your amp is only half-decent, you're going to struggle (and spend needless money) to get a tone you find "decent".

get a better amp. and its not all about gain


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## Daemoniac (Sep 28, 2008)

TREX Bloody Mary, or Pro-Tone Body Rot II.... some seriously fucking MASSIVE distortion. I had a huge obsession with distortion and distortion pedals for aaages (kinda slowed down a little now) but those 2 were at the top of my list... seriously amazing lol.

the body rot II probably has a slightly drier/thicker sound than the bloody mary, its a little more compressed.


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## JBroll (Sep 28, 2008)

POD maybe?

Jeff


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## Thrashmanzac (Sep 28, 2008)

my metal muff was great for thrash, but i sold it as soon as i got my 5150. with a good amp, you wont need a dist pedal. the only thing is the metal muff can sound a bit sterile imo.


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## Solstafir (Sep 28, 2008)

What if you combine an overdrive like the TubeScreamer with sth like the MT-2, od's before high gain distortion pedals usually warm things up


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## playstopause (Sep 28, 2008)

I'll say it again, just like Budda :

If you have a great amp, pedals up front are useless. Sorry, but a Raven amp ain't gonna cut it, so save yourself some trouble and just buy a better amp.


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## Metal Ken (Sep 28, 2008)

playstopause said:


> I'll say it again, just like Budda :
> 
> If you have a great amp, pedals up front are useless. Sorry, but a Raven amp ain't gonna cut it, so save yourself some trouble and just buy a better amp.



Good amps = No distortion pedals unless you're using it for a slight boost. 

Distortion pedals are bandaids for cheap amps.


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## reptillion (Sep 28, 2008)

I know what everones saying about my amp, but as a player of about 9 months its not really practical for me to get a new amp. (though I still stare at the dual rectifiers every time i walk into guitar center) So right now im looking for something that will give me a decent thrash tone for a while


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## hairychris (Sep 28, 2008)

If you can find a used Marshall Shredmaster... Instant nasty thrash.


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## ibznorange (Sep 28, 2008)

You can pick up a used JTM60 for under 200 sometimes dude


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## playstopause (Sep 28, 2008)

reptillion said:


> I know what everones saying about my amp, but as a player of about 9 months its not really practical for me to get a new amp. (though I still stare at the dual rectifiers every time i walk into guitar center) So right now im looking for something that will give me a decent thrash tone for a while



It's not like there's nothing between what you have and a dual Rec, you know. You should search amps out.
If you want to go for the bandaid, well, that's up to you. But it's far from beeing a good long-term investment.


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## Jason (Sep 28, 2008)

Instead of spending $250 on a pedal get a used Peavey 5150 for like $400-600 and it will be LOADS better than your amp and any pedla you could put in front of it.


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## HamBungler (Sep 28, 2008)

I'd say get a Marshall Valvestate 8100 or 8200 amp (instant death metal in a box! haha) then sell your Raven to fund a cab of some sort, then you'll have an awesome rig for cheap. Those Marshalls can be found in the $200-300 range usually, sometimes less if you're lucky.

If you insist on a pedal though, try out the Rocktron Metal Planet, its cheap, sounds freakin' awesome, especially for thrash might I add (it was my main pedal I put in front of my shitty Crate in my old Prog-Thrash band, back before I got my GNX3 and Peavey, made is sound more than adequate for a long time) and they're also built like tanks! You can usually find em' on E-bay for about $50, or we could maybe work out a deal as I need to sell mine actually!


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## thedownside (Sep 28, 2008)

the digitech black 13 or the line6 uber metal, both great for a beginning guitarist on a budget.


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## Ishan (Sep 28, 2008)

I found a great thrash tone the other day : my bloody murder boosting a DOD250. I guess it could be done on the cheap with a Behringer TO800 and a DOD 250 reissue, very clear punchy trash tone right there


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## reptillion (Sep 28, 2008)

you know what, im not gunna waste my money on this, im just gunna get a metal muff for cheap until a little later, then ill get myself a used marshall or peavy. Besides, my friend is still suffering with a boss metalcore


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## budda (Sep 28, 2008)

playstopause said:


> I'll say it again, just like Budda :
> 
> If you have a great amp, pedals up front are useless. Sorry, but a Raven amp ain't gonna cut it, so save yourself some trouble and just buy a better amp.



if you have a great amp, pedals still have their use: a different flavour. im pretty sure that some tones that are amazing happen to be a clean amp with a dirtbox of some sort out front - and that clean amp + distortion pedal would be the only way to get that tone.

so i wouldnt say they're usless, just not needed unless you want that type of distortion - which can sound quite good.


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## playstopause (Sep 28, 2008)

Well, I still think they're useless if you have a great amp.

Do you know anybody that uses a disto pedal in the clean channel of a VHT, a Mesa, A Diezel or an Engl? If so, that's a waste.

Beside boosts, do you seriously think there is beyond 2&#37; of pro guitar players that use a distorsion pedal as their main tone? I still think it's a bandaid for a poor amp. Anyway, just my opinion.


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## budda (Sep 28, 2008)

pretty sure buddy from Muse doesnt get allll his sounds from his amp - then again, muse isnt a band i know much about 

i know its not common to use a distortion pedal in front of a clean amp - the amps you listed arent normally used for cleans. there's guys who run fender twins/devilles and run distortion pedals into 'em for the dirty sounds.

i dont think a distortion pedal is useless - as darren, aaron, brian, scott, and art can attest - my TSovChaos into my JSX clean channel provides a pretty ballin' crunch sound that the amp just naturally wont produce.

it all depends on the application 

that said i dont need any other pedals then my TSovChaos cuz it does everything i need it to - boost and awesome crunch.


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## playstopause (Sep 28, 2008)

budda said:


> pretty sure buddy from Muse doesnt get allll his sounds from his amp - then again, muse isnt a band i know much about
> 
> i know its not common to use a distortion pedal in front of a clean amp - the amps you listed arent normally used for cleans. there's guys who run fender twins/devilles and run distortion pedals into 'em for the dirty sounds.
> 
> ...



FWIW, I don't consider a TS a distorsion pedal. To me, it's like a "boost" / an "overdrive". As an example, a Metal Muff or a Boss Metal Zone are distorsion pedals to me.

And as far as putting a pedal before a clean channel... I do the same with my Bloody Murder trough my VHT. But that's not using it for (death metal) distorsion. It just gives your clean channel an added crunch and that's it. Anyway... To each their own. 

If someone feels like putting a 200$ disto pedal in front of a 200$ amp, more power to them. That's the situation the OP is in, and to me, it's a waste of money.


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## budda (Sep 28, 2008)

i think we're agreed that a distortion pedal in front of a good amp has its uses, death metal/metal not being one of them...

and buddy needs to get a new amp.

ya dig it? lol


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## Panterica (Feb 2, 2009)

budda said:


> get a better amp.
> 
> as long as your amp is only half-decent, you're going to struggle (and spend needless money) to get a tone you find "decent".
> 
> get a better amp. and its not all about gain





sell your shit, save your 250 and buy a 5150 or something.
you'll thank me in the long run



budda said:


> if you have a great amp, pedals still have their use: a different flavour. im pretty sure that some tones that are amazing happen to be a clean amp with a dirtbox of some sort out front - and that clean amp + distortion pedal would be the only way to get that tone.
> 
> so i wouldnt say they're usless, just not needed unless you want that type of distortion - which can sound quite good.



an added tool, flavour was a good word 
I argue _anyone_ who says to buy an amp and just run pedals through it for your tones. they can have their daisy chain 250 square foot pedal board all day long, they're still gonna hate themselves when they hear my Engl


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## Spinedriver (Feb 2, 2009)

The only problem with getting a 5150 is that if the OP is only playing in a basement/bedroom, a 100 watt tube amp is way too big. 

I agree with others that perhaps something like a Marshall 8080 (combo version of the 8100) or maybe a Randall RG75 would be a bit more adequate.

Otherwise, if all you want to spend is $100 or so, the Uber Metal is quite possibly one of the heaviest pedals out there. AMT has the Du Hast and a couple of others that are pretty heavy too.


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## elrrek (Feb 2, 2009)

Surely the best thing our friend can do here is get on ebay and get a second hand Boss Metal Zone MT-2? If you can't get a decent thrash sound out of that then you aren't trying hard enough.

Considering reptillion's current gear it's the most cost effective way of getting a usable tone out of what (s)he's got. The pedal is so ham-fisted in it's approach it'll even make an SG sound thrash with that mid-scoop.


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## Groff (Feb 2, 2009)

The Black 13 (the one that mimicks Anthrax's various tones) pedal is a pretty sweet little box. You're sure to find a useable tone out of that, and than some. I had luck with that in front of my little Fender combo.


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## sepherus (Feb 2, 2009)

Personally I DONOT believe that you cannot get good death/thrash metal sounds with out amp distortion. Nothing that At The Gates recorded was ever done with amp distortion and I think they sound sick. I know Dissection is black metal but their tone on Storm of Lights Bane was useable for death metal, and they put MT-2s infront of Marshall half stacks. 

If you go with the Boss MT-2 you are going to need an EQ end of story, its controls are too narrow banded. Or you could send it to LordOvChaos and have him mod it. 

The Krank Distortus Maximus does really sick old school Metalica sounds. I've gotten really good sounds out of it in front of a Roland Micro Cube, 5150, XXX, VHT and my Triple Rectifier. If you want death metal territory,out of it, it will need a slight boost.

I personally wouldn't get a Metal Muff as it still has a very big fuzz pedal sound.

Oddly enough, the Grunge pedal can get really heavy if you really wanna keep your budget down.

A really really good option would be a Tech 21 Sansamp or Tri-A.C. as they sound amazing and are quite versatile.


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## elrrek (Feb 2, 2009)

sepherus said:


> A really really good option would be a Tech 21 Sansamp or Tri-A.C. as they sound amazing and are quite versatile.



Also a sound investment for the future when your tastes change!


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 2, 2009)

My Marshall can get a pretty hefty distortion, but I prefer to run it clean and have my Line 6 Uber Metal up front, which has the perfect distortion for me which I can't quite quite get out of my amp (its close). I use the built in chorus though.

Its a matter of preference, but I'd get a better amp first.


Btw I have 666 posts


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## 7 Dying Trees (Feb 2, 2009)

Someone is/was selling a marshall 8100 on here in the classifieds. Spend your money on that. Very good amp, and will give you the thrash tone you want, good distortion, sounds ace. Really good amps, pretty much the only marshall valvestates worth having imho.

ALso, I think it was 2-300$, well within your budget.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...shall-valvestate-8100-w-footswitch-200-a.html


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## mustang-monk (Feb 3, 2009)

TBF after 9 months i dont think a great deal of people are gonna be going out and buying fantastic expensive amps, i spent years on a cheap 15w amp and a cheap S/H dist pedal (DOD Heavy Metal) it served its purpose of practising etc. A tube half stack might be overkill.

If youve got the budget for something really good go for it, but i wouldnt be rushing to get all my pennies together.


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## 7StringedBeast (Feb 3, 2009)

I love my Hobbertt Simulamp, it's a handmade pedal, almost the same as a Sansamp GT-2 but with a few improvements (circuit improvements, less noise than the original, etc). I will post a pic of my pedalboard as soon as my new case arrives and you will see it (cause the old one got small recently hehehe).

And yes, I use my pedal as main distortion. The Orange Rockerverb 50w that I use to rehearse doesn't sound good for me, but it sounds  when I turn it's gain down and use the Mesa simulation on the pedal.

Oh just found a pic:


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## reptillion (Feb 3, 2009)

Just wanna let you guys know I settled on a metal muff a long time ago, but thanks for all the response. I want an 8100, but im not sure if i want to buy that or a 7 string first. So much crap to buy, so much recession. Ill probably end up getting a 7 first, as my amp is enough for now, then get an 8100 and a orange 2x12.

And Chuck Schuldiner is somewhere on my top 5, so the 8100 would be sick.



elrrek said:


> Surely the best thing our friend can do here is get on ebay and get a second hand Boss Metal Zone MT-2? If you can't get a decent thrash sound out of that then you aren't trying hard enough.
> 
> Considering reptillion's current gear it's the most cost effective way of getting a usable tone out of what (s)he's got. The pedal is so ham-fisted in it's approach it'll even make an SG sound thrash with that mid-scoop.



I find this highly offensive
SG's fucking rock
I traded my ibanez for an SG, because the paperneck just didnt do it or early thrash riffing. Plus I dont like strat shape guitars. If i get an 8100 i might get an x2n though, to prove my chuck fanboyism


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 3, 2009)

The amp vs. Dist. Pedal debate isn't entirely false. As there are many bad/lackluster/thin/muddy dist. pedals out there, but there are also a few good ones.

This is also reminding me to get a metal muff. Those things sound SICK!!


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## reptillion (Feb 3, 2009)

That they do, the only problem is I have to bend down on my knees for half an hour and play with a total of 11 knobs to find a good tone.
Any cab recommendations for a 8100 in the future. Im liking orange 2x12, but they seem a bit pricy


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## JBroll (Feb 3, 2009)

Avatar or used big-name cabs, with V30s.

Jeff


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## theglue_aka_me (Feb 4, 2009)

do hi-gain amp footswitches count?


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## tr4c3 (Feb 4, 2009)

Boss DS-1 is where it's at haha. The only distortion pedal you will ever need.


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## otaniel (Feb 4, 2009)

ok... ok


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## season_of_ages (Jun 14, 2009)

I really digg the Moen Violent Metal!!
I had an active collection of distortion pedals n this came closest to what I liked.


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## budda (Jun 14, 2009)

why the hell did you bump this?!?!?!


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## Xk6m6m5X (Jun 16, 2009)

its deffinatly not all about gain...you need a good amp and proper eq'ing


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## anthoKnee (Oct 14, 2009)

I am posting this in case someone else fancies to get a thrash metal sound out of an "inexpensive" amp.
I believe, that even a less than real quality amp can sound 93% better using the right pedal.
I've heard, that the Death Metal pedal can be used (with the proper settings) for an "excellent" thrash tone (even better for that, than the Death Metal tone it is intended for). 
The Grunge pedal, is better for Metal than it is for Grunge!
People seem to only be waking up to this fact now.

Some people really do have to make do with what they can afford, though I really do not believe one should compromise when it comes to the musical instruments/amps one "has to have" or "knows one needs".
And to put things in perspective, the other day I heard a chap playing a Messa something or other (big silver face plate on the head with a lot of knobs) and it sounded "exactly" like Metallica!


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## DSilence (Oct 14, 2009)

To be honest when I borrowed a mates Grunge pedal a long time ago I thought it was really good, didnt sound harsh & over the top. That was with a practice amp though.


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## yellowv (Oct 14, 2009)

Okay another bump to this thread for no reason at all. You made no point whatsoever.


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## DSilence (Oct 14, 2009)

I did give an opinion on a distortion pedal which was the point of my post. but I didnt realise he had already bought one. Sorry bout that mate


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## yellowv (Oct 14, 2009)

DSilence said:


> I did give an opinion on a distortion pedal which was the point of my post. but I didnt realise he had already bought one. Sorry bout that mate



It wasn't you I was referring to. You didn't ressurect the thread.


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## Doomcreeper (Oct 15, 2009)

Groff said:


> The Black 13 (the one that mimicks Anthrax's various tones) pedal is a pretty sweet little box. You're sure to find a useable tone out of that, and than some. I had luck with that in front of my little Fender combo.



I agree, I got one for $20 and used it with my old Laney until I got my mesa. It actually sounded pretty good as far as solid state amps and distortion pedals go, also lots of options with it.

edit I'm sorry I read the first few pages and didnt know it was an old when I posted


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## JaxoBuzzo (Oct 21, 2009)

Buy Boss TU-2 Chromatic Stompbox Tuner | Tuners | Musician's Friend


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