Boss ML-2 Metal Core

This pedal doesn't suck. I wouldn't say it is terrible but it is still a very lousy Metal distortion pedal. There are several pedal out there that do a decent metal tone for a pedal but this really isn't one of them. I do have to say that pedal is leaps and bounds over the Boss Heavy Metal pedal that was their first attempt and metal.
ML-2: Metal Core
Extreme Metal in a Compact Pedal
Features

With its extreme gain, the ML-2 is the most potent and heavy distortion pedal ever created by BOSS. It easily delivers massive distortion and gain with heavy lows for playing Nu Metal, Grind Core, Industrial, Hard Core, or any genre that requires crushing sound. The ML-2’s ferocious and biting tone will complement and cut through any blast beats your rhythm section can create.

* Ultra-heavy distortion with sharp-edged attack for crushing metal riffs
* LOW control for heavy, low frequency sound a la 7-string guitar or dropped tuning
* HIGH control for screaming, metallic tone
* Road-tough BOSS metal construction

Extreme Metal in a Compact Pedal
Specs

Nominal Input Level
-20 dBu
Input Impedance
1 M ohm
Nominal Output Level
-20 dBu
Output Impedance
1 k ohm
Recommended Load Impedance
10 k ohms or greater
Controls
Pedal switch, LEVEL knob, LOW knob, HIGH knob, DIST knob
Indicator
CHECK indicator (Serves also as battery check indicator)
Connectors
INPUT jack, OUTPUT jack, AC adaptor jack (DC 9 V)
Power Supply
DC 9 V, Dry battery 6F22 (9 V) type (carbon), Dry battery 6LR61 (9 V) type (alkaline), AC Adaptor (PSA series: optional)
Current Draw
36 mA (DC 9 V)
Expected battery life under continuous use
Carbon: 3 hours, Alkaline: 10 hours * These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use.
Accessories
Owner's Manual, Leaflet (USING THE UNIT SAFELY, IMPORTANT NOTES, and Information), Dry Battery 006P/9V (6LR61)
Options
AC Adaptor (PSA series)

UTILIZATION

Pretty easy pedal to master. It has four control knobs that interact withing the tonal range. The Level knob is going to control your volume output, the Low knob is going to control your low EQ frequencies, the High is going to control the high EQ frequencies, and the Dist knob is going to control the gain/distortion for the unit. The EQ knobs are a bit different than the Metal Zone in that they are more Mids focused I feel.

I am more pleased with the tonal dynamics of this pedal tremendously more than the Heavy Metal pedal they did years ago. This one isn't as thin or metallic sounding as the Heavy Metal but still sounds brittle overall which is hard to get away from with most Boss pedals.

SOUND QUALITY

Try to keep the Dist knob down or around the 12:00 position because there is a ton of gain on tap and the more you increase it the more is becomes muddy and messy. As a general rule with this pedal, keep all control knobs around the noon position. Everything else seems to go too far in one direction or another.

Try this pedal with a Les Paul and a Marshall JCM 800 and it will get a good boost in a clean type setting. The EQ boosting capabilities especially in the midrange part is great.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a pretty inexpensive pedal that will get you a decent starter metal tone. Your not going to get this pedal on any professional stage. This is for someone looking to get into the guitar and needs a cheap metal tone. For new they come in at around $90. Not going to break the bank but not going to be your final destination. If you can afford it and don't want to buy a metal amp then try out a Zvex Metal pedal. That pedal is pretty nice.

The Boss ML-2 Metal Core is a distortion pedal aimed for use with metal and heavy rock genres.  This is an analog unit that has both a standard 1/4 inch input and output and like all Boss pedals of this size is powered by either a nine volt power supply or battery.  This isn't a rack mountable unit as it is a foot pedal.

UTILIZATION

Using the Boss ML-2 Metal Core isn't hard at all as it only has some basic parameters.  This is the newer version of some of the older Metal related Boss pedals, so it has a very similar make up.  If you have used any type of distortion pedal I think you'll be able to understand how to use this pedal without any problems.  The pedal simply has four parameters - level, low, high, and distortion.  These are always the basic parameters found on overdrive and distortion pedals, so unless you are an absolute beginner I don't think you will need to study this one too hard or even look at a manual.


SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality of the Boss ML-2 Metal Core is sub par in my opinion.  While it does have a decent metal distortion, there is really only one sound that you can get with it.  Keep in mind that I'm not a huge fan of metal to begin with but tried out this pedal to see what types of tones I could get with it.  I've used the pedal with a Gibson SG and a '76 Fender Twin Reverb, so I think I'm getting a pretty accurate sound from this pedal.  If you are into metal and are looking to get a thick distortion sound for playing this type of music, I wouldn't pass this pedal by, but I can't say that I would recommend this pedal to anyone else based on the sound of it.


OVERALL OPINION

While this pedal is reasonably priced, the fact that I can really only get a single tone from the Boss ML-2 Metal Core makes it quite unappealing for me.  If you are trying to get a big metal sound, this pedal might do the trick for you but I would strongly encourage those interested to look into a variety of distortion pedals as there are a lot of them out there to choose from...