slopeshoulder
Senior Member
- Messages
- 7,860
Executive Summary: It's TRULY GREAT, and very different from a Zendrive, while maintaining that Hermida sonic mojo.
Background: I've owned or played a zillion pedals. All the usual suspects. I've wanted a higher gain pedal, but I really needed to maintain an open sound. I love live cream and government mule and bonnamassa tone. I don't want a creamy fuzzy top, a loss of dynamics, hyped mids, or a loss of low end. I also didn't need Nigel Tufnel/GC shred buzz (rectum fryer scooped metal). I guess I wanted easier sustain (e,g santana europa), more hair (rock!!), and taking it from Robben Ford and SRV up to Warren Haynes and Joe Bonnamassa. I've owned 2 Mosferatu's in the past and, while they were good, they weren't magic, and I replaced them with various things.
The Distortion delivers in spades. It is louder than the zen, has more low end, more hair, more gain, and more sustain. It has less mid hump (or to be fair, a less mid forward voicing). It's a bit grunty without being hyped in the lows, and hairy without being harsh in the highs.(It goes great with chicken kiev). All the openness and dynamics are there, but there's enough compression to sing longer. It's extremely musical; I could listen to it all night. Doesn't sound like a pedal; even less than the zen does. Assuming Alf can deliver in a short timeframe like he has been, this is a great pedal at a very fair price. If not, it'll go up to $500 on ebay. It might be even better than the zendrive (more versatile, even more toneful).
I used it on its own: GREAT. It's all there. Turned volume and gain down and fed it into Howie and Kar Krash set to dirty clean (omigod). Then hit it with a Klon, a treble booster, a clean boost, and even stacked it with the Zendrive (adding those zen mids is the fast lane to bonnamassa 2 amp tone!). Great googly moogly. Many shades from clear and articulate medium gain to infinite sustain madness, while still articulate. All the wood and magnet of the guitar comes through. BTW I used a Collings CL (LP), a Ransom tele with Lollar vintage T pickups, and an alder Ransom tele with FAT Lollar/GVGC pickups into a clean Bruno Cowtipper 45/212. Can't vouch for tone via a blues junior.
I can't say enough. Hello velcro.
If you want infinite sustain or scooped shred, look elsewhere, but for thumping, hairy, clear, musical and open distortion, it can't be beat IMO. It doesn't look very rock, but it rocks for sure! Like a plexi easily up to metalfront and beyond. Not buzzy like an 800. Imagine a fat 800. It has that present marshall upper mid thing going on..
(I haven't tried low gain sounds with it). Burn your BB.
Hope that helps. (PLEASE, no clips! I'll just say that the clips currently online do not do it justice at all!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Collings/Menatone/Hermida/Bruno =
Background: I've owned or played a zillion pedals. All the usual suspects. I've wanted a higher gain pedal, but I really needed to maintain an open sound. I love live cream and government mule and bonnamassa tone. I don't want a creamy fuzzy top, a loss of dynamics, hyped mids, or a loss of low end. I also didn't need Nigel Tufnel/GC shred buzz (rectum fryer scooped metal). I guess I wanted easier sustain (e,g santana europa), more hair (rock!!), and taking it from Robben Ford and SRV up to Warren Haynes and Joe Bonnamassa. I've owned 2 Mosferatu's in the past and, while they were good, they weren't magic, and I replaced them with various things.
The Distortion delivers in spades. It is louder than the zen, has more low end, more hair, more gain, and more sustain. It has less mid hump (or to be fair, a less mid forward voicing). It's a bit grunty without being hyped in the lows, and hairy without being harsh in the highs.(It goes great with chicken kiev). All the openness and dynamics are there, but there's enough compression to sing longer. It's extremely musical; I could listen to it all night. Doesn't sound like a pedal; even less than the zen does. Assuming Alf can deliver in a short timeframe like he has been, this is a great pedal at a very fair price. If not, it'll go up to $500 on ebay. It might be even better than the zendrive (more versatile, even more toneful).
I used it on its own: GREAT. It's all there. Turned volume and gain down and fed it into Howie and Kar Krash set to dirty clean (omigod). Then hit it with a Klon, a treble booster, a clean boost, and even stacked it with the Zendrive (adding those zen mids is the fast lane to bonnamassa 2 amp tone!). Great googly moogly. Many shades from clear and articulate medium gain to infinite sustain madness, while still articulate. All the wood and magnet of the guitar comes through. BTW I used a Collings CL (LP), a Ransom tele with Lollar vintage T pickups, and an alder Ransom tele with FAT Lollar/GVGC pickups into a clean Bruno Cowtipper 45/212. Can't vouch for tone via a blues junior.
I can't say enough. Hello velcro.
If you want infinite sustain or scooped shred, look elsewhere, but for thumping, hairy, clear, musical and open distortion, it can't be beat IMO. It doesn't look very rock, but it rocks for sure! Like a plexi easily up to metalfront and beyond. Not buzzy like an 800. Imagine a fat 800. It has that present marshall upper mid thing going on..
(I haven't tried low gain sounds with it). Burn your BB.
Hope that helps. (PLEASE, no clips! I'll just say that the clips currently online do not do it justice at all!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Collings/Menatone/Hermida/Bruno =
Please get back with us when youve stomped on it some more. 
