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Le Taz
Published on 12/05/07 at 03:50
Small overdrive/distortion pedal (it's truly somewhere in between), with a very "boutique" tone. Gain, level, tone, warp (which controls the type of harmonics, solid-state/tube, progressively).
UTILIZATION
It's easy to dial in if you have a good pair of ears, and even if you don't. The distortion rate is not very high (average for metal), and it's a bit noisy.
SOUND QUALITY
I struggle to find good distortions, with a guitar that sometimes makes my life pretty hard (mid-scooped sound with a lot of output power, so the sound is muddled or fuzzy-yuck sometimes). This one is one of the few that respects the sound of my guitar. Its tone is not very shapeable, so you'll need to work with it. I'd say it has a '70s rock sound, without being a fuzz, it's perfect to play Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple. It's neutral in a way, so it will leave you enough room to create your own sound depending on your amp.
The warp control is not a gimmick, it will allow you to define the modernity of the tone. This is one of the rare distortion pedals that allows me to turn down the volume pot on the guitar and get an almost clean sound, which means it respects the sound of the guitar!
OVERALL OPINION
I use it with a Delta Blues, when I need a more rock or more modern sound than with the built-in overdrive.
The noise is a drawback. The first finish in brushed aluminum was nice, but you'll find it in a more discreet black casing, but it's the same pedal.
I tested quite a few other models, I won't tell you what I think about the DS1, Rat, because it's a matter of taste, but they don't convince me, like many other "new" products (mxr-cae, visual route 66, bbe, etc.). The small marshalls, which are really flexible (sometimes in excess, like the jackhammer, which can really turn into a Rube Goldberg machine) don't have any personality. The Blackstars don't really offer results on a par with their technology (and their price tag), but they are certainly more "classy" in terms of sound than the Vox, which are more biting.
No, for the time being, I haven't found a better solid-state pedal than the XXL. Xotic is the only brand I haven't tried yet.
UTILIZATION
It's easy to dial in if you have a good pair of ears, and even if you don't. The distortion rate is not very high (average for metal), and it's a bit noisy.
SOUND QUALITY
I struggle to find good distortions, with a guitar that sometimes makes my life pretty hard (mid-scooped sound with a lot of output power, so the sound is muddled or fuzzy-yuck sometimes). This one is one of the few that respects the sound of my guitar. Its tone is not very shapeable, so you'll need to work with it. I'd say it has a '70s rock sound, without being a fuzz, it's perfect to play Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple. It's neutral in a way, so it will leave you enough room to create your own sound depending on your amp.
The warp control is not a gimmick, it will allow you to define the modernity of the tone. This is one of the rare distortion pedals that allows me to turn down the volume pot on the guitar and get an almost clean sound, which means it respects the sound of the guitar!
OVERALL OPINION
I use it with a Delta Blues, when I need a more rock or more modern sound than with the built-in overdrive.
The noise is a drawback. The first finish in brushed aluminum was nice, but you'll find it in a more discreet black casing, but it's the same pedal.
I tested quite a few other models, I won't tell you what I think about the DS1, Rat, because it's a matter of taste, but they don't convince me, like many other "new" products (mxr-cae, visual route 66, bbe, etc.). The small marshalls, which are really flexible (sometimes in excess, like the jackhammer, which can really turn into a Rube Goldberg machine) don't have any personality. The Blackstars don't really offer results on a par with their technology (and their price tag), but they are certainly more "classy" in terms of sound than the Vox, which are more biting.
No, for the time being, I haven't found a better solid-state pedal than the XXL. Xotic is the only brand I haven't tried yet.