Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes

I bought this pedal at Music123 for around 170 euros (that's also 170 dollar). I bought it via internet because the price i had to pay in regular stores was to high for me (269 and up). You may think Fuck! Internet??!! I'm gonna get robbed but so far nothing went wrong.

I tried out shitloads of pedals, a small summary

- Boss DS1 pretty good, a little too much treble but nice
- Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS9)I've heard a lot about it but I was a little disappointed, the crunch was only really there when you played chords with all the strings, not with single notes whitch I found important
- Big Muff, cool, nice crunch but not versitile enough.
-Boss DS2 Turbo Distortion, It was cool with the double functions (cool detail, when you play Red Hot Chili Peppers the distortion is exactly perfect, because John has the same unit)
-Carl Martin Rock Zone, it was okay, but the (revolutionary) Wave Guide was a bit complicated to figure out in the time given.
-Carl Martin FUZZ, It was not wat I was looking for, to...well...fuzzy.
- The Brat (or whatever), strange and had really irritating design (the knobs had names like Balls or Crunch, the thing should burn in hell

Well what's good about the hot tubes is that it's extremely versatile and you can create a lot of sounds with one unit. The only ones that could do that too were the DS2 (turbo distortion) and probably the carl martin thing, but i didn't test that one a lot. Furthermore it's tube distortion that has a great effect. Elektro Harmonix rocks too

The power supply is a bit strange. But shouldn't be a problem.

Well a good steel casing and the knobs look strong and well attached. The tubes are mounted under a stong protection thing. Look at ehx.com for pictures and mp3s

Just the best out of what I tested, and thereby beating a lot of respected effects boxes (Big Muff, DS1, Tube Screamer). Just extremely versatile ranging from blues to metal.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Got this pedal at Guitar and Amp Centre for £160, which seemed like a lot but its not really for an all valve distortion. However they were brand new at the time so it could go down soon

The difference in the tones is immense. I used to have a Big Muff Pi and the tones were really designed for Smashing Pumpkins type distortion but on my amp was too bassy. However this new pedal has a treble and bass control which means i can pretty much get what i want. It can rasp a bit on cheaper amps but on a tube amp it rules

The only real problem, short of the lack of a UK power supply, is the fact that on a cheap amp it sounds bad and it's not y mates Ibanez Tube King but short of that it's added to the list of Electro Harmonix pedals that i have fallen in love with

Top notch, although the valves stiv out from the top there is a sturdy feel to the cover and so it doesn't feel dodgy at all, all the dials look nice and secure on there to.

Wicked pedal but only really for all valbe or hybrid amps. Lots of tones but an annoying power supply for UK users.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Pedal overdrive / distortion has excellent lighting comes with adapter in a wooden box.
it works like the blues driver, ie as a tube preamp, but with real lights.
jack input / output 6.35mm; direct feed 23 v! !!!!( we have here the same system as the EHX Electric Mistress ie a significant direct power transformer (it will take care not to lose as hard to find)) But ATTENTION! NO NOISE INTERFERENCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT !!!!!!!!!( unlike the electric mistress who do a little BUZZZZZZZ)
we forget the finish 'peinturequitientpasurvernis "as the big muff for example, by painting is attached directly to the metal, so no worry of premature wear of your pedal (like you bought an EHX pedal is barely a week and we say a vintage pedal 30 years of ages) the abscence of varnish gives a little more aggressive look like "mini power station mad max" the most beautiful effet.les lamps light up and that too not bad .

UTILIZATION

Then it is the top:
ease of use child (it works as an amplifier: master / gain / drive / bass / treble, we do saturate the pedal like a classic amp)
two LEDs: the first to see if the pedal is connected, the second for the channel full.
the bass is for me the more difficult as very sensitive (you turn the knobs slightly low and the sound changes at all to all)
the rest is super simple, 100 times more adjustable than a big muff

SOUND QUALITY

WWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW
you see the sound of Jack White on "dead lives and the dirty ground" or during the concert "Blackpool Lights", well .... that's exactly what's to say it most of the pedal in true gros.une disto a lamp, hot, faithful to the nuances of play and terribly bad. we move from the OD of a classic big muff through a Turbo distortion from home boss. sound "general" is comparable to a big crunch to marshall but better qualité.je the board all those who want a versatile big bad (this pedal replaces all my other pedals for distortion (my big muff and my turbo d is a ridiculous side, it is to say!))

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a week and I put an hour to find my sound.
the advantage of this pedal is that it is ultra strong (with an aluminum cover plate in a "gun-holes" in addition to protect the lamps)
The second point that I admire is the fact that it is silent for a direct power supply 23v pedal.
the price is 130 euros aproximation, which is not cheap I grant you, but that is well worth. I do it again this choice without hesitation.
is one of the rare pedal that I urge you to get, you'll be far from disappointed ................ a kind of machine back in time to the Doc Brown in "Back to the Future", lol ........

Pedal Analog Overdrive / Distortion tube.
Equipped with two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 (mine is equipped with lamps mesa boogie)
Input / output jack.
Switch on / off (True Bypass).
Led Power.
Led start-up of the pedal.
Metal frame.
12V power supply.
Wooden box.

UTILIZATION

Configuration is very simple: Level, Gain, Drive, Bass, Treble. It works as a channel to drive a tube amp, the sound quickly found that we want.
I have no manual, but honestly there is no need ...
I put a 9 because a small midle would have been welcome.

SOUND QUALITY

First let me say that mine is equipped with lamps mesa boogie so I do not know exactly what the original sound ...
I live in the branch entry Hi my amp B-52 St-100 (Mode Class A or Class A / B) on a 2x12 Celestion Vintage 30 speaker with a Framus Gibson SG Special (24 cases, a single micro double easel splitable singles).
Having a drive and a gain offers a wide range of sounds that range from bluesy crunch to saturation delivered through a Big Muff its type. A liver that is apprehended in the operation and the dosage of both, we can find the sounds you're looking.
The party Eq Bass / Treble functions as a bandpass filter with Q modifiable, meaning it's 0 in the direct sound of the guitar and as soon as we add up the knobs and dedicated frequencies according to the course of the knob changes the bandwidth. There is no midle so it will use an EQ pedal or after adjusting the eq on the amp.
The overall sound is versatile, very hot, with a beautiful vintage-style grain and a high velocity (as an amplifier lamp). A less typical is 60 'Français Muff'in that of the same brand but very close in sound. The nuances of playing the guitar is kept and it responded well to different microphones used. It is best to test it on his gear to fully appreciate its capabilities.
It will not fit easily with the metal but other musical styles.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it since yesterday. I especially like the versatility, the natural grain comparable to the channel drive a tube amp, the sound vintage ....
I regret only the absence of a midle, but it is easily split right on the amp.
In terms of distortion I have tried many transistor models (Boss Blues Driver, Boss DS, Boss Metal Zone, Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff ...) and of Gainiac Rocktron (tube) but none is comparable in typed natural grain.
This is a reprint of the pedal of the same name for 70 years, which was the transistor. It is no longer published by the mark but is still findable in a few stores or websites to around 200 euros, so the value for money is if you test it before and you're on it fits your needs, because it is a sacred budget.
For my part I bought 100 euros on ebay used, so the value for money is really good, especially since it was retubed with mesa boogie and it was the vintage sound I was looking for.
I would do without hesitation that choice or I would take the Français Muff'in the same brand.