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James... « Mesa in a box »
Published on 01/08/12 at 14:59Standard distortion box layout. Bass middle treble. Boost, volume, gain. Pedal is digital and I don't believe it's true bypass judging from my ears. Seems solid though. I actually had one of these years ago and recently bought one to see if I still liked it. Neither have had issues. Although they guzzle batteries quickly. I suggest getting line power.
UTILIZATION
First thing is first. The boost isn't really that usable to me. It changes the volume but also the tone, very drastically. It changes the tone so much that it's like you turned on another pedal or something. So I really never use it. You would think EHX would fix this. The knobs also have some odd tolerances and sometimes turning something just a notch can have a dramatic effect on the sound. I have to duct tape my knobs once I get the settings right or I'll bump them and ruin the sound. Overall it's not a perfect design in utility.
SOUND QUALITY
Here's what's good. If you feed this into a Fender or Fender style clean channel, it turns the amp into a mesa rectifier for all intents and purposes. Everyone is always looking for that high gain in a box pedal that doesn't sound like a bunch of flies buzzing around. This is that pedal. It's very defined and chunky gain. Probably one of the best recto simulators I've ever played. It isn't to be confused as a fuzz though. While the gain does have a fuzzy quality this is not a fuzz pedal.
OVERALL OPINION
It does have its functional flaws and the boost changing the tone is a big let down. Some players might not be as bothered by this. The sound is next to amazing and I'm chocked at how this can turn a very sterile clean channel into a full on high gain mesa lead channel. I'm not a fan of distortion pedals over overdrives but this one has impressed me continually.
UTILIZATION
First thing is first. The boost isn't really that usable to me. It changes the volume but also the tone, very drastically. It changes the tone so much that it's like you turned on another pedal or something. So I really never use it. You would think EHX would fix this. The knobs also have some odd tolerances and sometimes turning something just a notch can have a dramatic effect on the sound. I have to duct tape my knobs once I get the settings right or I'll bump them and ruin the sound. Overall it's not a perfect design in utility.
SOUND QUALITY
Here's what's good. If you feed this into a Fender or Fender style clean channel, it turns the amp into a mesa rectifier for all intents and purposes. Everyone is always looking for that high gain in a box pedal that doesn't sound like a bunch of flies buzzing around. This is that pedal. It's very defined and chunky gain. Probably one of the best recto simulators I've ever played. It isn't to be confused as a fuzz though. While the gain does have a fuzzy quality this is not a fuzz pedal.
OVERALL OPINION
It does have its functional flaws and the boost changing the tone is a big let down. Some players might not be as bothered by this. The sound is next to amazing and I'm chocked at how this can turn a very sterile clean channel into a full on high gain mesa lead channel. I'm not a fan of distortion pedals over overdrives but this one has impressed me continually.