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MountAnDewMe « Lives up to its name »
Published on 01/15/13 at 09:22 This pedal is part of the Akai Analog Custom Shop line. I took a chance on it due to an insanely low price and I am happy that I did. It is an analog distortion unit with many unique and useful tools available. The six rotary knobs control level, low, mid frequency, mid, high, and distortion. In addition to these controlls the unit also has four switches that control Direct recording, EQ mode, High cut, and a Drive 3 switch. The Direct record switch toggles a cabinet simulator. The EQ mode afects the overall characteristic of the tone knobs and has choices for Classic, Normal, and Modern. The High cut offers a reduction in treble over 3khz. The Drive 3 controll however is one of the coolest varients on this unit. The pedal is actually about the size of two pedals and rightly so as this switch controls the signal path. There are two discrete clipping sections available, diode and LED, that this switch allows the users to select or use simultaneously. It has a true bypass switch, a qurter inch input and a quarter inch output jack as well as an option to run the system on nine volt or with an AC adapter.
UTILIZATION
The manual is about as spartan as can be but is to the point. There are a slew of options available on this unit and it is capable of many diferent distortion types. If you have used any amp in the past then this pedal should not pose a usage problem other than the fact that there are an extreme amount of tones capable of being produced. While the unit is not generally hard to make sound good there is a bit of a learning curve you will need to get through to fully apreciate the value of this piece.
SOUND QUALITY
I have only used this unit with my guitars and it seems to compliment the variety very well. My different guitars seem to retain there characteristics very well and even though the effect of distortion can be extremely coloring I can still feel the general nature of each instruments unique character. I have found this unit to be versitle in front of an amp also. By using the clean channel or the return of the effects loop in tandem with the direct recording feature the overall nature of the pedal changes drastically, in a good way. I find that the sound has a high level of clarity and definition but can seem abrasive under certain extreme settings. The Akai Deluxe Distorion covers an extreme range of tones and is suitable for practically any musical situation requiring distortion. I always highly appreciate any unit that can cover a large area of tones and the more I use it the more I am enjoying it. The only thing I can think that I would have wanted to add would be to replace the Drive 3 switch with three stomp switches for better live useabilities. This to me is not an issue but I can see how that would be a bonus.
OVERALL OPINION
This unit originally listed for $300 so to get it for almost 90% off is to extreme a value to pass up. I have no idea why this line did not catch on but good for my budget and setup. I see this unit to be well constructed and versitle, something any musician can appriciate. The overall sound that it produces is very high quality as well. I always like to add pedals and preamps into my set up to offer variations but this was definitaly a spur of the moment purchace I am glad I made. I do not know if I would have paid full price for it because it is a bit out of the toy price range but I would not want anything to happen to it and if it is being discontinued I do not know how I would replace it. I would always like to see this pedal around for me to enjoy.
UTILIZATION
The manual is about as spartan as can be but is to the point. There are a slew of options available on this unit and it is capable of many diferent distortion types. If you have used any amp in the past then this pedal should not pose a usage problem other than the fact that there are an extreme amount of tones capable of being produced. While the unit is not generally hard to make sound good there is a bit of a learning curve you will need to get through to fully apreciate the value of this piece.
SOUND QUALITY
I have only used this unit with my guitars and it seems to compliment the variety very well. My different guitars seem to retain there characteristics very well and even though the effect of distortion can be extremely coloring I can still feel the general nature of each instruments unique character. I have found this unit to be versitle in front of an amp also. By using the clean channel or the return of the effects loop in tandem with the direct recording feature the overall nature of the pedal changes drastically, in a good way. I find that the sound has a high level of clarity and definition but can seem abrasive under certain extreme settings. The Akai Deluxe Distorion covers an extreme range of tones and is suitable for practically any musical situation requiring distortion. I always highly appreciate any unit that can cover a large area of tones and the more I use it the more I am enjoying it. The only thing I can think that I would have wanted to add would be to replace the Drive 3 switch with three stomp switches for better live useabilities. This to me is not an issue but I can see how that would be a bonus.
OVERALL OPINION
This unit originally listed for $300 so to get it for almost 90% off is to extreme a value to pass up. I have no idea why this line did not catch on but good for my budget and setup. I see this unit to be well constructed and versitle, something any musician can appriciate. The overall sound that it produces is very high quality as well. I always like to add pedals and preamps into my set up to offer variations but this was definitaly a spur of the moment purchace I am glad I made. I do not know if I would have paid full price for it because it is a bit out of the toy price range but I would not want anything to happen to it and if it is being discontinued I do not know how I would replace it. I would always like to see this pedal around for me to enjoy.