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Zvex Box of Metal
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iamqman iamqman
Published on 04/12/11 at 09:28
I want to first start by saying I am not a fan of distortion pedals to get any high gain sound. I don't find that they sound or feel like real amps. Some pedal sound more natural than others but they can never replicate the feeling of tube amps overdriving and pushing that wall of air though your speaker cabinet. This is one of the best sounding distortion pedals that I have ever heard. Though it might not feel like a real amp it will sound pretty much as close as you are going to get.

* Uses one 9V battery (preferably alkaline, but the unit is shipped with a carbon-zinc battery.)
* Current draw is approximately 10mA.
* A DC power jack (standard Boss configuration with center negative) is provided on the side of the pedal.
* Use a high-quality 9V adaptor for all high-gain effects.
* Warranty:
* Your ZVex Vexter Box of Metal is warranted for 1 year from date of purchase, or 2 years if you send in your warranty card.



UTILIZATION

Controls

Gate: Adjust for your playing style. When fully clockwise, palm-muting will create an audible thump and bumping the strings will open the gate. Turn down to make the gate tighter. Gate is unaffected by other controls.

Drive: Sets the amount of distortion. The Box of Metal does NOT clean up. This control goes from hard to very hard. It may crackle when turned—this is perfectly normal.

Treble: adjust for treble content. Use this in tandem with your amp's presence and treble controls to get the precise top-end texture—the presence control is very important on your amp, if you have one.

Midrange: Adjust to accentuate or scoop out mids.

Bass: Sets the bass/sub-bass level.

Volume: Sets the output volume of the pedal.

Note that the LED on the right is for the bypass switch and the LED on the left is for the gate. The Drive and control is based on the original ZVex Super Hard-On gain control, so it may crackle when turned. This is perfectly normal.

Operation:

Plug your guitar (or any effect's output) into the right hand input jack. Plug the output into an amp or other effect's input. Enjoy in moderation. Watch the output volume setting...with the gate turned on you may not notice just how loud the distortion pedal is going to be until you play! Set the clean sound on your amp for any level of pristine cleanliness to heavy crunch.

The Box of Metal should do very well driving any amount of nominal distortion. The presence control on your amp will have a strong influence on the top-end texture of your ZVex pedal.

SOUND QUALITY

You will want to use this pedal in a clean or lightly overdriven amp. If you own a high gain amp then this probably isn't a pedal for you. If you have a clean amp such as a Vox or a Fender than this will be perfect for you to replicate sweet metal tones.

My personal favorite is playing this with a Vox Ac30. I find the Vox's have the best circuit to throw pedals in front of and get a solid sound with your guitar.

Use a Les Paul or humbucking style guitar with this pedal. After all it is a metal pedal and generally you would use that kind of pickup. Or even an active pickup like a Seymour Duncan Blackout.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a great little pedal for those who got a clean amp one yer for Christmas and it can't do metal tones. At new these units com in at around $300. There are two other versions of this pedal at different price points but all have the same circuit inside.

I would recommend this pedal to anyone who wants to get a solid metal tone for cheap. The hand painted version has a lifetime warranty which sets it apart from the others. Great little unit!