# Best distortion pedal for death metal



## ExousRulez (Oct 23, 2011)

Ive grown to prefer my roland cube over my blackstar stage 60 and im wondering whats the best distorion pedals out there? price is not a concern really. this guy has some good pedals and my amp (hah go figure he must also hate it) http://www.youtube.com/user/MrExcane and the tight metal looks like the best one out there. Also im wondering how would a distortion pedal sound with a TS? and would it sound nice with a g major 2 for leads? (delay/reverb/chorus/harmonizer etc?


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## great_kthulu (Oct 24, 2011)

TightMetal Distortion by Amptweaker - Amptweaker.com - good tone comes from tweaking...

there is no doubt in my mind this is the best pedal for any kind of extreme metal out there.


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## Wookieslayer (Oct 24, 2011)

Amptweaker all the way man. 

Behold:



I raise the volume and mids as the vid progresses.

You won't need to boost one, that's what the tight knob is for.

I would still get your Blackstar checked out though if you said earlier that it sounds worse when you got the tubes changed.


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## USMarine75 (Oct 24, 2011)

^ that... or the Emma Pisdiyauwot:

PisdiYAUwot





(there are some good YouTube vids but I can't post them from work)


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## BabUShka (Oct 28, 2011)

Holy fuck, that Pisdiyauwot pedal sounds angry.. GAS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XscZPYKzXIQ


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## groph (Oct 28, 2011)

Holy shit, yeah that pisswad pedal sounds pretty wicked. Ridiculous name, it must be some crazy foreign moon language but it sounds metal as fuck. Totally unrefined clank in the tone, it literally sounds like metal. I'm not sold on the TightMetal but I'd need to hear it in person. 

The BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal is great for death metal if you like a really rough buzzsaw kind of tone. The Swedish bands like Entombed, Dismember and some of Bloodbath's older material have that tone and they use those pedals. It's also a great tone for grindcore, deathgrind, goregrind or whatever the hell else. They've been out of production for a long time now so you'll need to check the used market, and they might be a bit expensive for a BOSS pedal.

Stay away from the BOSS MT-2 Metalzone. It can produce a passable lo-fi black metal tone but that's about it. I'm sure someone can EQ one to sound good but you're almost definitely better off getting something else. I (and tons of other people) find them to be really thin and buzzy. However, they can be modded to function as awesome boost pedals. Cannibal Corpse have their Metalzones Keeley modded (no idea what mod) and they boost their Dual/Triple Rectifiers with them and of course their tone is fucking beastly.

Monte Allums offers a number of mods for Metalzones to make them function as better standalone distortion pedals and as clean boosts but still, you have to spend a bunch of extra money that way so it's really only a viable option if you already have a metalzone kicking around that you havent used in years, like me.


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## Larrikin666 (Oct 28, 2011)

I've always been a big fan of the Okko Dominator and Toneczar Openhaus.


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## cyril v (Oct 28, 2011)

groph said:


> Holy shit, yeah that pisswad pedal sounds pretty wicked. Ridiculous name, it must be some crazy foreign moon language but it sounds metal as fuck. Totally unrefined clank in the tone, it literally sounds like metal. I'm not sold on the TightMetal but I'd need to hear it in person.
> 
> The BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal is great for death metal if you like a really rough buzzsaw kind of tone. The Swedish bands like Entombed, Dismember and some of Bloodbath's older material have that tone and they use those pedals. It's also a great tone for grindcore, deathgrind, goregrind or whatever the hell else. They've been out of production for a long time now so you'll need to check the used market, and they might be a bit expensive for a BOSS pedal.
> 
> ...



Here are some MT-2 clips and to my ears it sounds pretty badass (unmodded).

http://www.lsd-tonstudio.de/sonstiges/metalschall
http://lsd-tonstudio.de/sounds/TheSkinner.mp3


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## Stealthdjentstic (Oct 28, 2011)

Wookieslayer said:


> Amptweaker all the way man.
> 
> Behold:
> 
> ...




Nobody can pay attention with your glorious mustache man!!!!


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## Wookieslayer (Oct 28, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> Nobody can pay attention with your glorious mustache man!!!!



Don't worry there will be more stachetastic vids to come


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## orakle (Oct 28, 2011)

Maybe 2 years ago, I made a DIY stompbox modelling the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo head. Called the Dr. Boogie, I can tell you it's freakin' amazing, blows everything out of the water imo !

gaussmarkov: diy fx » Dr. Boogey


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## Atomshipped (Oct 28, 2011)

USMarine75 said:


> ^ that... or the Emma Pisdiyauwot:
> PisdiYAUwot


 That looks pretty sweet.


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## GuitaristOfHell (Oct 28, 2011)

Don't know if it's the best but I am speaking from experience. MXR Zak Wylde OD can really saturate your tone and push your amp and get it to cut. One to check out though that I have not used though is by Blackstar. Not sure but I remember Gus G was a part of it.


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## Wookieslayer (Oct 29, 2011)

just saw Nightrage play and Marios had the Blackstar Fire and Fury Gus G pedal through a Marshall JCM 900 boosting it I think; sounded bad ass.


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## col (Oct 29, 2011)

AMT P-Drive, it's the "in front of amp" distortion box version of this, the P1:


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## Inazone (Oct 29, 2011)

Last night at my drummers studio, we did a "shootout" between the Tight Metal and the MXR Fullbore, since they both have built-in noise gates and mid-scoop switches. I don't have clips (yet) but it really comes down to price and versatility. Playing each through a Randall tube power amp, the Tight Metal definitely sounds more like an amp, but I do find that having a true parametric EQ (both mid and mid-freq controls in addition to the Scoop button) makes it easier to fine-tune the Fullbore. That being said, I would spend the extra money on the Tight Metal if I wanted to built a pedal-based rig or to use at a gig where I'd be using someone else's amp, but for just adding some different tones to an existing amp, I think I'd just get the MXR.


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## groph (Oct 29, 2011)

cyril v said:


> Here are some MT-2 clips and to my ears it sounds pretty badass (unmodded).
> 
> http://www.lsd-tonstudio.de/sonstiges/metalschall
> http://lsd-tonstudio.de/sounds/TheSkinner.mp3










Wow. Well if you can get a Metalzone sounding like that, then get a fucking Metalzone. That's a full mix though and it's probably going through a nice poweramp so of course the pedal won't sound like that on it's own. That is by far the best tone I've ever heard that involves a Metalzone in some way, though.


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## cyril v (Oct 29, 2011)

groph said:


> Wow. Well if you can get a Metalzone sounding like that, then get a fucking Metalzone. That's a full mix though and it's probably going through a nice poweramp so of course the pedal won't sound like that on it's own. That is by far the best tone I've ever heard that involves a Metalzone in some way, though.



Nah, definitely not just on a clean channel, but used with a bit of amp distortion and using the pedal as a boost/od. The first clip is with an uberschall and the second is a dualrec, both recorded through a marshall cab.

Metalzone+Übershall+Marshall=taking the piss? - Ultimate Metal Forum
oldschool (modern?) Deathmeatal...untypical mix - Ultimate Metal Forum


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## ibanezRG1527 (Oct 29, 2011)

BEHOLD!!!

Greenhouse Effects

i fucking ADORE the nobrainer distortion pedal haha

but are you looking for a distortion to use on your clean channel or are you looking for a boost on your current distortion channel? because if your just looking for a boost then you need an overdrive


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## 0 Xero 0 (Oct 30, 2011)

@cyril v - Nice clips! I haven't tried a metalzone, but At the Gates used a metalzone and they have an amazing tone IMO. Of course, they used solidstate supreme amps which also helped shape their tone. Plus, most people loathe the metalzone so you can probably pick one up cheap


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## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 30, 2011)

Triple Wreck-an (almost) triple rec in a box

Metal Muff-not specifically death metal but can dial in a large range of tones, from thick fuzzy doom to lofi BM, not the tightest thing around, but loads better than many dirt boxes I've tried in that respect, since I'm so picky I run an eq pedal before any distortion and sometimes one after if its knobs don't fall on the right freqs.

Metalzone is one of those "so bad it's good" kind of things, with some mods it's nice-mainly its filtering is at all the wrong freqs, and I'd wanna add a clean blend.


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Oct 30, 2011)

The MI Audio Tube Zone and upcoming Megalith Delta both deserve a mention here. The Tube Zone takes some work to dial in, but is nothing short of amazing once you get it there. The Megalith Delta is a pedal modelled on MI's Megalith Beta amplifier and is utterly brutal. They have an R & D blog where you can watch a demo for the Megalith Delta and there are lots of TZ demo vids up.


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## ExousRulez (Oct 30, 2011)

Wow guys thanks for all the replies! Really I just wanted a pedal to use for more brutal tones than my blackstar ht stage 60. I ordered a ts7 that should be here in 1-3 days so we will see how that goes. Ive been looking at the randall t2c combo and for the price it looks like a steal. Other than wookieslayer what are your opinions on this amp? And I might get the tight metal when I can because it sounds pretty good.


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Oct 31, 2011)

Here's a video you might find useful:



And another:


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## Atomshipped (Oct 31, 2011)

This obviously isn't my thread but that Triple Wreck looks amazing. Unfortunately it's $270 and the local music stores probably don't carry them


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## book_of_lies777 (Oct 31, 2011)

ExousRulez said:


> Ive grown to prefer my roland cube over my blackstar stage 60...






um... wow... really? 


Despite all the 15-year olds using it badly thru tiny practice amps on youtube, *Cannibal Corpse* uses a Metal Zone with their Double/Triple Rectifiers... not exactly sure HOW it's used, but that IS what they use. I heard it's one of those modded by Robert Keeley. Their guitar tone is BRUTAL in the best way possible for metal.


_"...since '97 I've been using Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers with a Boss Metal Zone. I've tried a couple of other amps here and there, but I'm content with the sound I have now."_
*- Rob Barrett*

_"...My main amp for the rhythm sound was a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with a Mesa Boogie 4 x 12 cabinet loaded with EV speakers. They&#8217;re [EV] clean sounding speakers so it definitely changed my guitar tone a little bit. I think it changed it for the better as it cleaned it up, without sacrificing any of the gain on the front end. As far as effect pedals go, there really wasn&#8217;t any effects except for a little bit of the Metal Zone on the front end to give it some edge. And that was my rhythm tone."_
*-Pat O'Brien*

source: Cannibal Corpse: 'We Are Always Pushing Ourselves To A New Level' | Interviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com


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## ExousRulez (Oct 31, 2011)

book_of_lies777 said:


> um... wow... really?
> 
> 
> Despite all the 15-year olds using it badly thru tiny practice amps on youtube, *Cannibal Corpse* uses a Metal Zone with their Double/Triple Rectifiers... not exactly sure HOW it's used, but that IS what they use. I heard it's one of those modded by Robert Keeley. Their guitar tone is BRUTAL in the best way possible for metal.
> ...


 Are you saying I should boost the recto model with a metal zone?  Ive tried boosting with a distortion pedal with gain on 0 and it still sounded like ass. (the hardwire distortion)


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Oct 31, 2011)

Maybe they are running it into the clean channel, or running the gain channel on the amp at edge of breakup? There is no way they are running a metalzone into a cranked Dual/Triple Rec and getting any kind of definition out of it. I'm unfamiliar with what the Keeley mods do the pedal though, and I am sure that is a big factor.

... and maybe CC were just trolling the interviewer.

The other thing, I guess, is that you don't want to be overloading the front end of a SS amp because it will clip in an ugly, ugly way... as opposed to slamming the preamp valves in the real thing, which will respond VERY differently.


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## BabUShka (Oct 31, 2011)

Seems like the HT-dual, DISTX-pedals gets some huuuge positiv respons nowdays.. 
I would live to try one. I ordered a Micro Metal Muff yesterday since it was damn cheap. 
If I dont like it, then I'll probably buy a HT-dual. 

The MXR Zakk W OD is just an od.. You probably need a cool crunch or distortion from the amp to make it sound good. Same with TS9, TS808 Boss SD-1 +++




orakle said:


> Maybe 2 years ago, I made a DIY stompbox modelling the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo head. Called the Dr. Boogie, I can tell you it's freakin' amazing, blows everything out of the water imo !
> 
> gaussmarkov: diy fx » Dr. Boogey




Cool, I might give it a try.. Just have to pass the exams and finish my other builds first.. So probably in a couple of months


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## Wookieslayer (Oct 31, 2011)

Cannibal Corpse does indeed boost their Mesa Rectos with Metalzones; they are modded however so it def sounds bad ass. I assume they're using it like you would a tube screamer.


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## ExousRulez (Oct 31, 2011)

Wookieslayer said:


> Cannibal Corpse does indeed boost their Mesa Rectos with Metalzones; they are modded however so it def sounds bad ass. I assume they're using it like you would a tube screamer.


 Just remembered, the actually crank the gain all the way on their dual/triple recs and then slam that thing in front on like 9 o clock (gain knob) I think their fucking insane! but they are fucking heavy


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## 0 Xero 0 (Oct 31, 2011)

ExousRulez said:


> Wow guys thanks for all the replies! Really I just wanted a pedal to use for more brutal tones than my blackstar ht stage 60. I ordered a ts7 that should be here in 1-3 days so we will see how that goes. Ive been looking at the randall t2c combo and for the price it looks like a steal. Other than wookieslayer what are your opinions on this amp? And I might get the tight metal when I can because it sounds pretty good.



Just so you know, there is a huge difference between distortion pedals and tube screamers. Tube screamers can act like a distortion pedal, but they're rather lousy at that. They're best used as a post-gain boost. Distortion pedals are made so that they can be used on clean channels as the sole source of gain. While you may or may not be aware of this info, I thought I'd tell you anyway. By the way, I use a TS-7 and it's great. It's only two capacitors away from being a TS-9/808. Before the naysayers argue, I have a good source: Tube Screamer FAQ Version 1 - Ultimate Metal Forum


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## ExousRulez (Oct 31, 2011)

0 Xero 0 said:


> Just so you know, there is a huge difference between distortion pedals and tube screamers. Tube screamers can act like a distortion pedal, but they're rather lousy at that. They're best used as a post-gain boost. Distortion pedals are made so that they can be used on clean channels as the sole source of gain. While you may or may not be aware of this info, I thought I'd tell you anyway. By the way, I use a TS-7 and it's great. It's only two capacitors away from being a TS-9/808. Before the naysayers argue, I have a good source: Tube Screamer FAQ Version 1 - Ultimate Metal Forum


 Yes I know that, thats why I bought the ts7 to BOOST my blackstar. Ive been on forums for over a year and have owned a ts9 and know its not for use with a clean channel but to tighten the sound on your distortion channel. And I know that distortion pedals are suppose to be used as the stand alone distortion BUT the guys up top are recommending I use it as boost Cannibal Corpse style. Learn to read bud.


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## 0 Xero 0 (Oct 31, 2011)

^ In your OP you said you wanted a distortion pedal. I can read just fine, thanks. Anyways, I hope you like your pedal.


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## ExousRulez (Oct 31, 2011)

0 Xero 0 said:


> ^ In your OP you said you wanted a distortion pedal. I can read just fine, thanks. Anyways, I hope you like your pedal.


 I ordered the ts7 like 4 days ago and that has nothing to do with this thread.


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## book_of_lies777 (Nov 1, 2011)

ExousRulez said:


> Are you saying I should boost the recto model with a metal zone?  Ive tried boosting with a distortion pedal with gain on 0 and it still sounded like ass. (the hardwire distortion)




You asked for a distortion pedal - we all gave you several choices, including how they are used. The fact that you're running a solid state amp that doesn't need any boosting is your thing(I am familiar with the Cube series of amps. The Cube 60 was the best of the bunch... then they quit making it. ). I'm *not* trying to sound like an ass, I promise.

If you clip the inputs of a solid state amp, the distortion is NOT the same as tubes. Tubes clip in a curve that is pleasing to the ear(to us guitarists)... solid state clips like stepping off a cliff into an abyss of electrical buzz. (and I'm no tube snob - in fact, I use an amp modeling rack system.)

If you take that Metal Zone, run it into your Blackstar dialed in with a slight crunch(if you still have it), then use the Metal Zone to tighten it up, using mainly the level knob, with a slight bit of gain to taste, you'd probably be surprised at what it can do. 

I'd show you how to scoop the mids with the mid frequency knob(the KEY to that pedal) and NOT disappear in the mix, but this is getting waaaay too long already...




We're really are trying to help.


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## ExousRulez (Nov 1, 2011)

book_of_lies777 said:


> You asked for a distortion pedal - we all gave you several choices, including how they are used. The fact that you're running a solid state amp that doesn't need any boosting is your thing(I am familiar with the Cube series of amps. The Cube 60 was the best of the bunch... then they quit making it. ). I'm *not* trying to sound like an ass, I promise.
> 
> If you clip the inputs of a solid state amp, the distortion is NOT the same as tubes. Tubes clip in a curve that is pleasing to the ear(to us guitarists)... solid state clips like stepping off a cliff into an abyss of electrical buzz. (and I'm no tube snob - in fact, I use an amp modeling rack system.)
> 
> ...


 Ok let me put it this way I prefer the cube when im in my room practicing but If I go outside and want to crank it it sounds boring but when I crank the blackstar the brutal noise of death makes it sound pretty damn good (duh right?) when I boost it with a distortion pedal the hardwire metal distortion pedal with the gain on zero its makes the amp turn into fizzy crap and makes SOOO much noise. Im gonna boost with the ibanez ts7 when I get it and see how it goes but I really love the old school death metal sound - basically boosted marshalls I guess idk and Id like to try a metal zone, a heavy metal hm-2 or something like that too. Like does anyone know what gear most old school bands used back in the day? like possessed, sodom, kreator, necrophagia etc? I like THAT sound.


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## great_kthulu (Nov 1, 2011)

paul of hail of bullets and asphyx uses the tight metal, so does jon from dying fetus, and a bunch of other guys, i stand firm in my belief it is the best pedal on the market.


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Nov 1, 2011)

You're talking about two *completely* different applications here.

For the cube, you want a distortion sound that the amp model is not getting you. Best way to achieve this is probably using a distortion pedal that you like the sound of into a clean amp model.

For the Blackstar you want a boost to hit the pre harder for more gain. A clean boost or TS at a low gain hi vol setting will get you this - especially since you already like the sound of the amp. The noise you describe is pretty much what happens when you put gain on top of gain, and the higher the gain, the worse it is. 

Adding more gain is never going to "tighten" your sound. TS pedals achieve this by way of a very midrange heavy sound, which cuts the low end significantly. It's an EQ thing, definitely not a gain thing. Although the sound of the metal zone cranked up into the blackstar running at or around edge of breakup use certainly worth exploring.

I reckon the Keeley mods to the MZ have probably changed the way it works quite a bit and you're not likely to be able to do the same thing with the stock pedal and expect the same (or even similar) results.


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## ExousRulez (Nov 1, 2011)

Go To Bed Jessica said:


> You're talking about two *completely* different applications here.
> 
> For the cube, you want a distortion sound that the amp model is not getting you. Best way to achieve this is probably using a distortion pedal that you like the sound of into a clean amp model.
> 
> ...


 Exactly I want a distortion pedal to use with the cube in my room and I want a boost for the blackstar. Now doesnt rob barret use a stock metal zone? I know pat uses the keely one but idk if what the difference is. And I found a setting on my hardwire distortion that makes the blackstar sound a little better. I crank the mid knobs and treble knobs and keep the low knob all the way down. Gain all the way down and level up to were its at the volume the amp goes without the pedal. Still there should be a better pedal to boost with. I want more than a ts too for variety. Like if you guys think the metal zone would sound good then I guess ill go to my music store (sam ash) and try one with their stock blackstars.


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Nov 1, 2011)

In all honesty, I think a clean boost would do the trick for the Blackstar. I'm using an MI Audio Boost N Buff, which has 35dB of boost available and runs as either clean, mid or treble boost depending on where you set the gain control. I play in drop A# and use lots of high gain sounds. I don't play in a death metal band, but I listen to a fair amount of it and my guitar sound is definitely influenced by some of those tones. 

There are loads of other clean boosts around, and an EQ pedal is another option for doing the same thing.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Nov 1, 2011)

Eq pedal booster here. Boss GE 7.


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## ExousRulez (Nov 1, 2011)

All_¥our_Bass;2727170 said:


> Eq pedal booster here. Boss GE 7.


 Recommended settings? I have one and it always give my amps a digital yucky sound.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Nov 2, 2011)

Kill the 100hz slider, 1.6k and 3.2k all the way up. You can try having 800,1.6 and 3.2 all the way up but 800 sounds kinda weird on some setups, same goes for the 6.4 slider, I crank it up for dirty sounds on an amp set kinda dark, which allows the transient sounds from the strings to come through distortion.

Also after trying different settings on the ge7 you usually need to re-eq the amp.
The 100hz cut allows you to turn the bass up without mud, just adding thickness and the mid/high boost adds clarity to distortion, and I recommend running a mild scoop on the mids on your amp, and you might need to turn the treble/presence down if you boosted the 6.4 range.


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## DraggAmps (Nov 3, 2011)

I've been through a ton of distortion pedals including the Triple Wreck, Dr. Boogie, Emma Pisdiyauwot, OKKO Dominator, Mi Audio Tube Zone, and even the $400 Toneczar Openhaus (which has a year-long wait list), and not mentioning the tons and tons of Marshall in a box type pedals because those are a different category to me. I still haven't picked up the Tight Metal, but the best by far that I've found is one called the Morbid Drive by Weehbo Effekte. It's a European builder but you can buy them from a couple dealers in the US and they're $280. It's the most versatile/tweakable and most amp-like by far. Definitely the closest to a Mesa in a box and is versatile enough to get Peavery, Engl, Fryette, and even Marshall tones. The low end is very tweak able and it stays very tight. Like the best of these pedals, and amps as well, it can benefit from being boosted by a Tubescreamer type pedal for extra saturation and low end tightness. When they're truly amp-like, they don't have that insane fizzy saturation like a Fullbore Metal or Metal Zone. 

With a TS, I can get some very "djenty" tones from it. It's very tight and does not leave me wanting like all the rest did. It actually helped cure my Axe-Fx gas. For jamming at home and even using with a band when a good amp isn't available, it's totally satisfying for getting some of my favorite tones that were usually recorded with Axe Fx. So it can get that kind of borderline solid-state but still very organic and tubey sound, just extremely tight and defined with amazing clarity. But it can also do pure amp-like, more saggy tones. If you just want extremely saturated, solid state sounding tones, the Pisdiyauwot does that. That tone can get pretty fatiguing an boring and make you want something a little less overly tight and compressed, but it does do that sound. Kind of like what a Metal Zone or Fullbore should be. I'm hoping the Tight Metal will be somewhere between that sound and the organic Morbid Drive tone, just for something a little different, more on the extreme side, even thought the MD can do that stuff just perfectly for me. I'm hoping the Tight Metal will be more all-in-one, though, since it shouldn't need a boost or a noise-gate or anything since the noise-gate is built in (the Morbid is very quiet though for a high gain pedal, and the internal voltage doubler for 18 volts is great for extra dynamics and headroom but still quiet). I also just want to see how the tight metal sounds through a power amp section since it's sort of made for going straight into a power amp. 

Lots of these pedals are good but for pretty much every use except the totally over the top compressed and solid state sounding tones, the Morbid Drive just takes the cake by a long shot. It's the only pedal that still sounds very amp-like at band volumes too. High volumes are when most pedals sound very pedal-y and just can't rival a real, good amp, but the Morbid can totally go there and it's a lot more versatile than most amps. Plus, the main reason for me to use a pedal like this is because a high gain amp generally sound like shit at low volumes and pedals sound consistent. The Morbid Drive is how I get a killer metal tone even at whisper volumes.


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## Jzbass25 (Nov 3, 2011)

DraggAmps said:


> I've been through a ton of distortion pedals including the Triple Wreck, Dr. Boogie, Emma Pisdiyauwot, OKKO Dominator, Mi Audio Tube Zone, and even the $400 Toneczar Openhaus (which has a year-long wait list), and not mentioning the tons and tons of Marshall in a box type pedals because those are a different category to me. I still haven't picked up the Tight Metal, but the best by far that I've found is one called the Morbid Drive by Weehbo Effekte.



Would you say it does petrucci tone as well, those smooth leads and the mesa rhythm tone?


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## ShadyDavey (Nov 3, 2011)

Never heard of the Morbid Drive but naturally I checked it out...

WEEHBO Effekte || Modern Technology meets Vintage



Very cool indeed.


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## DraggAmps (Nov 3, 2011)

Jzbass25 said:


> Would you say it does petrucci tone as well, those smooth leads and the mesa rhythm tone?



I've never tried to replicate his tone with it and I honestly don't even "know" his tone too well to be able to say "oh yeah, that sounds like JP", but it does sound the closest to a Mesa high gain tone and all kinds of modern non-Marshally high gain tones that I've heard. You have a very versatile and powerful EQ, a switch that selects high, low, or mid mids, and a 9/18 volt switch for more or less headroom and more or less sag, plus extra low end tweak ability with the depth knob, AND a boost switch which makes the tone thicker, fatter, more saturated, and smoother (great for liquidy lead tones). So with all of that, it's pretty easy to get most of the tones you would likely be looking for, as long as it's high gain, modern, and generally not Marshally/British, for the most part. I have a Crunch Lab in my RGD Prestige and based on what I think of as a Petrucci tone, I think I get pretty close, but take that with a grain of salt. And I do use either an Empress Compressor or (usually) a Tubescreamer to boost it, not that it really needs it. It just helps for tons of attack and tightness in drop A.


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## DraggAmps (Nov 3, 2011)

ShadyDavey said:


> Never heard of the Morbid Drive but naturally I checked it out...
> 
> WEEHBO Effekte || Modern Technology meets Vintage
> 
> ...




All three of those pedals sound so much more different from each other in person. YouTube plus video cams always make pedals sound fairly similar to each other, but if you listen close, you can kinda hear how the MD is fuller, warmer, and more amp-like. Demo vids never do any gear justice, IMO, but to my ears, it's easy to hear that the Morbid is the winner in person. I really want to try the Tight Metal, though. I expect it to be a more over-the-top AxeFx/POD type tone (which the Morbid Drive sort of needs a boost to achieve), but I really doubt it will have a more high gain tube amp type tone. The Morbid Drive is definitely the most convincing modern/American style high gain tone I've heard. Most pedals just get buzzy, fizzy, and (bad) solid state sounding for that kind of tone. But for some reason Marshall tones are much easier to nail with a pedal. Wampler makes some killer pedals for JCM and Plexi high gain rock and metal tones.

Of course, it always depends a lot of the guitar and amp being used. FWIW, the Morbid Drive works great for my on my Fender amps, a Sunn amp, Tweaker, Mesa Transatlantic, and Fryette amps. The Fryette has an outstanding NMV clean channel and just a very neutral (EQ-wise) and warm tone, and it's my main amp, partly because the MD just sounds so amazing through it.


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## ShadyDavey (Nov 4, 2011)

Sonically they were closer on that video but of course YT Compression and recording foibles being what they are I'm quite happy to believe that the MD comes out ahead. They're 269 Euros over here but I have added one to the rather short GAS list


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