View other reviews for this product:
Audiofanzine FR
Published on 11/06/08 at 14:20
(Originally written by Dlz/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Two fully independent channels with their own bass and treble controls plus a mid filter (which is rare enough to deserve a mention on its own, especially given the importance of the mid frequency range in the guitar's overall tone).
Two Focus switches allow interesting sound modulations (especially on the high-gain channel).
Only weak points:
1. The electric power can only be supplied from a external PSU (no battery operation) and this is not always convenient for mobile guitarists.
2. The Focus switches are too small and can hardly be operated with your feet.
UTILIZATION
On/off switch and channel-select switch. It's simple and effective.
But it gets complicated when it comes to setting sounds with the knobs because they all seem to interact, like on the Fuzz Factory for those of you who know it. Something that can be really confusing when you are getting to know the unit is that when when you increase the lows you also increase the highs.
This flaw is not too obvious in the high-gain/metal channel but flagrant on the vintage channel.
So you'll need a certain time to get the sound you're looking for and I recommend you to write down your settings on a sheet of paper, otherwise you'll spend a lot of time trying to replicate that huge sound you got out of the beast once.
SOUND QUALITY
I agree with the other reviews posted on this site regarding the sound quality of the pedal. It's a mid/high end product. Taking this into consideration the price is more than justified.
In the beginning I found the high-gain/metal channel much better than the vintage channel but now, with an accurate setting of the second channel knobs and the pre-boost, I can really get the best out of this awfully interesting channel.
To give you an idea about the sound, I would say the high-gain channel evokes Metallica (without the Mesa character). It's really good for thrash metal but can be disappointing for death fans (gain and low-end are a bit too weak for this music style).
The second channel made me think immediately about Black Sabbath. It clearly has a vintage character (dirty and with less attack) and produces a huge low-end, perhaps a bit too big.
Maybe some will criticize the slightly twangy highs of the pedal (there is indeed no comparison to the ultra nasal sound of the MT-2) and not everybody will like the typical MXR sound. Although the twangy character is much more present in the vintage channel.
OVERALL OPINION
I've been using this pedal for one and a half years.
Both channels complement each other which is very interesting. You can simply switch from a fat vintage rock sound to a sharp and blunt modern sound. This possibility to toggle between the 70's and the 90's is a lot of fun.
I also purchased a Jeckyil & hyde pedal (V2). For me there is no comparison: the Double-shot sounds definitely better (only the overdrive channel of the J&H is interesting, the second channel has no character at all).
If this pedal ever gets lost or stolen, I'm pretty sure I'll buy it again. I don't know of any comparable product in terms of quality within this price range (although I must say that I haven't tested the Silver Dragon).
Two fully independent channels with their own bass and treble controls plus a mid filter (which is rare enough to deserve a mention on its own, especially given the importance of the mid frequency range in the guitar's overall tone).
Two Focus switches allow interesting sound modulations (especially on the high-gain channel).
Only weak points:
1. The electric power can only be supplied from a external PSU (no battery operation) and this is not always convenient for mobile guitarists.
2. The Focus switches are too small and can hardly be operated with your feet.
UTILIZATION
On/off switch and channel-select switch. It's simple and effective.
But it gets complicated when it comes to setting sounds with the knobs because they all seem to interact, like on the Fuzz Factory for those of you who know it. Something that can be really confusing when you are getting to know the unit is that when when you increase the lows you also increase the highs.
This flaw is not too obvious in the high-gain/metal channel but flagrant on the vintage channel.
So you'll need a certain time to get the sound you're looking for and I recommend you to write down your settings on a sheet of paper, otherwise you'll spend a lot of time trying to replicate that huge sound you got out of the beast once.
SOUND QUALITY
I agree with the other reviews posted on this site regarding the sound quality of the pedal. It's a mid/high end product. Taking this into consideration the price is more than justified.
In the beginning I found the high-gain/metal channel much better than the vintage channel but now, with an accurate setting of the second channel knobs and the pre-boost, I can really get the best out of this awfully interesting channel.
To give you an idea about the sound, I would say the high-gain channel evokes Metallica (without the Mesa character). It's really good for thrash metal but can be disappointing for death fans (gain and low-end are a bit too weak for this music style).
The second channel made me think immediately about Black Sabbath. It clearly has a vintage character (dirty and with less attack) and produces a huge low-end, perhaps a bit too big.
Maybe some will criticize the slightly twangy highs of the pedal (there is indeed no comparison to the ultra nasal sound of the MT-2) and not everybody will like the typical MXR sound. Although the twangy character is much more present in the vintage channel.
OVERALL OPINION
I've been using this pedal for one and a half years.
Both channels complement each other which is very interesting. You can simply switch from a fat vintage rock sound to a sharp and blunt modern sound. This possibility to toggle between the 70's and the 90's is a lot of fun.
I also purchased a Jeckyil & hyde pedal (V2). For me there is no comparison: the Double-shot sounds definitely better (only the overdrive channel of the J&H is interesting, the second channel has no character at all).
If this pedal ever gets lost or stolen, I'm pretty sure I'll buy it again. I don't know of any comparable product in terms of quality within this price range (although I must say that I haven't tested the Silver Dragon).