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I’ve been keeping an eye out at Amazon for some good deals… and it’s been rough. Not a lot going on after the Christmas sales I imagine. I did find a good deal on the Line 6 Uber Metal pedal at Amazon though. The Uber Metal lists for $179.99 and you usually see it available in the $100 range, but is currently on sale for only $91.83. You save a few bucks, and the Uber Metal does ship with FREE super saver shipping. I wasn’t able to find any ‘good’ demos of this pedal on youtube (I’ll spare you), but it seems the Uber Metal is similar to the MXR M116 Fullbore Metal pedal (which is also on sale for $91.73). Has built in noise gate and EQ adjustments to get that super scooped mid metal tone.

Here is the official description on the Line 6 Uber Metal:

So much gain, so little time. The high-gain model in the ToneCore pedal line, Uber Metal brings you massive amounts of gain in one tiny, tough package. You can chose from some of the best Line 6 high-gain tones including Metal, Pulverize, and Insane. Also included with the Uber Metal is a built-in selectable noise gate, and scoop control for massive tonal contouring.

Again, the Line 6 Uber Metal pedal is currently on sale for only $91.83 at Amazon.com

Popularity: 3%

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Okay metal heads.. this one is for you! I came across this nice deal on the MXR M116 Fullbore Metal pedal. This is probably one of the best all around *metal* pedals out there. It’s a swiss army knife of metal guitar tones with built in EQ for scooping the mids. Insane gain and a built in noise gate to keep things tight. The MXR Fullbore Metal lists for $169.99, and you usually see it available for $100, but is currently on sale at Amazon for $80.56. This pedal also ships with FREE super saver shipping.

Here is the official description of the MXR M116 Fullbore Metal pedal:

Ultimate riff power is yours with the FullBore Metal Distortion pedal from MXR. This compact but powerful device is all you need to unleash the most devastating contemporary metal guitar tones ever heard. The FullBore pedal turbo-charges your guitar signal with lethal amounts of ultra high gain. This is combined with a built-in Noise Gate to knock out the noise associated with extreme gain levels while also adding definition and tightness to syncopated metal riffs.Extensive EQ controls, with Bass, Mid, sweepable Mid-Freq and Treble knobs let you sculpt your tone with fiendish precision. The additional Scoop switch provides an instant high and low frequency boost thatll rumble the room while also adding clarity. Available from MXR, the world leader in analog pedal technology.

So to get a taste of what this guy is all about, here is the official demo video by jimdunlopusa:

Again, the MXR M116 Fullbore Metal pedal is available for only $80.56 at Amazon.

Popularity: 3%

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The following is a guest review by Bart Raeke. If you are interested in guest posting or submitting a guest review, please contact me!

A few months ago one of my oldest friends posted a YouTube video on Facebook, a demo of the Amptweaker TightMetal pedal.  Mark Kloeppel of the band Misery Index, who had a major hand in the design phase, did the demo, and as I listened and watched, I was blown away.  So was my friend, who got his hands on one almost as soon as they were made available to the public.  I got a chance to play through it for a bit, and even in the brief time I had, the promise shown in the demo was fulfilled, and then some.

My very first impression is that, at its core, the TightMetal is what Boss was reaching for with the MT-2 Metal Zone.  Plenty of gain, with the ability to tweak the mid frequencies.  Now, this doesn’t have the sweepable mid pots, but along with the standard Tone control is a mid switch.  Standard and Thrash for that unmistakable scooped tone that still retains some punch so it doesn’t get lost in the mix.  Also along for the ride is an onboard gate with a switch, aptly called Chomp.  A quick decay and fast, percussive, stop filled riffing is now tight as a drum.

Speaking of tight, the Tight control is definitely something to be happy about.  Already a part of their TightDrive and TightBoost pedals, an individual pot for controlling your amps attack response through the pedal is amazingly simple in theory and wonderfully useful in practice.  As I played, my friend played with the Tight control, and the amount of response and tonal variety alone floored me.

Finally throw in an onboard FX loop, and the MSRP of $180 seems like chump change for what you’ve got.

Official description of the Amptweaker Tight Metal Distortion:

The new TightMetal™ distortion pedal takes the TightDrive™ and TightBoost™ overdrive platform to the next level by providing over-the-top metal and hardcore crunch tones with adjustable tightness thanks to the Tight control.  This issue came up early on when discussing various ideas with Mark Kloeppel, guitarist from the deathgrind band Misery Index.  Like many other metal players, Mark was looking for a particular guitar tone, one with a lot of harmonics but with the ability to stop the notes really fast to work with their music.  As on the original TightDrive, the Tight control varies the low end from smooth and thick to tight and aggressive so you get the attack that works with your guitar and picking style.

In the same way high gain tube amps are designed by cascading extra tube stages, the TightMetal was created by adding additional stages in front of a carefully modified TightDrive.  The resulting thicker and much heavier distortion is tweaked by a simple built-in output EQ curve, and can further be adjusted by the output Tone control, so it’s easy to get a stack sound even through a small combo amp’s clean channel.

Here is video featuring Mark Kloeppel of Misery Index demonstrating the Tight Metal Distortion. Video submitted by RockalotRecords

Here are the pedal used in the demo:
Korg Pitchblack Tuner
Amptweaker Tight Metal Distortion
Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Boss LS-2 Line Selector
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

About Bart Raeke:
I’ve been playing guitar for 18 years, and I became a pretty big gear/effect nut about 10 years ago after not understanding why I could never get close to replicating the sound in my head.  I’ve worked in the event production field for almost 15 years, including quite a bit of sound reinforcement for any number of applications.  A lot of my musician friends will come to me for gear advice or gear questions.  Even when they know I probably won’t know immediately, they know if I don’t know I’ll want to know and track down the answer.  I’ve played in various bands and projects over the years, but have been quiet for about 6 years, although I’m searching.

The Amptweaker Tight Metal Distortion is available $180 (includes FREE shipping within the United States). You can purchase the Amptweaker Tight Metal Distortion directly from Amptweaker’s site.

Popularity: 4%

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Today I came across another multi-pedal shootout. This time it’s the Ultimate Metal Pedal Shoot out by the Tone King where he demos 10  metal pedals. Giving each pedal about a minute each, and playing the same basic riff and includes a small lead line. If you’re looking for some metal tones, and looking for a pedal to help with that, this is a great place to start. The Tone King definitely has some great videos, so I would recommend following him on YouTube.

Below is the listing of pedals in the shoot out:

Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff
Arion SMM-1 Metal Master
DigiTech DDM Death Metal
DigiTech TL-2 Hardwire Metal Distortion
ZVex Box of Metal
MXR M116 Fullbore Metal
DigiTech XMM Metal Master
Boss MT-2 Metal Zone
Boss ML-2 Metal Core
Behringer HM300 Heavy Metal Distortion

Popularity: 5%

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First off.. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Still digesting the turkey and nodding on and off while bouncing around the net this evening. I found a pretty nice sale on the MXR M116 Fullbore Metal pedal at Amazon. If you’re into metal, this is a pretty great pedal to have. Low, Mid and High control with built in noise gate for some tight/heaviness.

Here is the official description of the pedal:

Super high-gain distortionThree band EQ with sweepable mid frequenciesTight, fast, switchable Noise Gate for syncopated metal riffageInternal Gate Trigger control lets you set the Noise Gate’s sensitivityScoop Switch boost the highs and lows while the EQ stays activeTrue Bypass with LEDAll analog circuit path

The MXR Fullbore Metal is currently on sale for $83.90 at Amazon. That’s 51% off of MSRP and ships with FREE super saver shipping. Musician’s Friend has this pedal listed at $99.00 so there is a decent savings there.

Here is a video by jimdulopusa for those interested in what this pedal can do:

Popularity: 3%

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Ok, metal dudes, this one is for you. It seems like I get asked often what pedals have a good metal tone. I usually recommend the MXR Fullbore metal pedal, but this one is definitely another option. The EHX Micro Metal Muff. This pedal definitely has the metal tone.. plus the demo video below really demonstrates that.

Here is the official description:

The Electro-Harmonix Micro Metal Muff Distortion Pedal is everything you love about the classic Metal Muff in a small, die-cast aluminum package with simplified controls. 15db boost and cut around a carefully selected mid frequency guarantees huge scoop possibilities. Selectable top boost ranges. 9V DC power jack, small and compact so it won’t take up valuable space on your pedalboard.

The Micro Metal Muff provides an awesome array of alloys ranging from slithering mercury to molten slag, lead belly to blast furnace dross. Push your pedal to the metal.

Here is a demo by EHX:

You can pick up the Electro-Harmonix XO Micro Metal Muff for only $66.75 at Musician’s Friend.

Remember, if you like reading about pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

Popularity: 5%

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Last week I brought up the MXR Fullbore Metal Distortion, but today I thought I’d bring up the ZVex Box of Metal. This is another high gain distortion pedal with noise gate built in specially designed for “metal”. Metal isn’t my thang, but I know a lot of people would eat this pedal up in a heartbeat!

Here is the official ZVex description:

The ZVex Box of Metal is an aggressive high-gain distortion pedal with a highly effective built-in switchable gate which dramatically reduces noise and unwanted feedback. Its gain and tonal characteristics are somewhat similar to high-gain tube amplifiers that have been the staple of hard rock and metal sounds since the 80′s. On the right, the guitar effects pedal has a true-bypass switch with an indicator LED to bypass the entire effect. On the left is a gate switch, that is only effective when the pedal is on (the gate cannot be used separately.) When the gate’s LED (on the left side of the pedal) is on, the gate will be active whenever the pedal is turned on. The gate is very useful for cleaning up any noise between palm-muted chords and lead phrases, but may be switched off to initiate feedback or to stretch out soloed notes that are fading into noise. Switching off and on the gate is silent so the gating action of the distortion pedal can instantly be changed during any part of the performance to fluidly integrate soloing and palm-muted chords.

I found a cool little video (by  bigcitymusic) showing what it can do:

I thought that was a little too short, so I found another by MusicPlayerNetwork:

You can pick up the ZVex Box of Metal for $219.00 at Musician’s Friend!

Remember, if you like reading about pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

Popularity: 4%

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Okay metalheads, it’s time for the MXR Fullbore Metal Distortion pedal. This highly anticipated pedal came out a couple of months ago, and I wanted to write a post about it. I’m not too much into metal these days, but I’d love to give this pedal a ride. This pedal has some nice features built in to maintain high level of metal-ness, mainly a 3 band EQ (with sweepbable mids) and noise gate built in. It definitely has classic metal tone right out of the box.

Here is the official product description:

This compact but powerful MXR guitar pedal is all you need to unleash the most devastating contemporary metal guitar tones ever heard. The FullBore distortion pedal turbo-charges your guitar signal with lethal amounts of ultra high gain. This is combined with a built-in Noise Gate to knock out the noise associated with extreme gain levels while also adding definition and tightness to syncopated metal riffs.

The effect pedal’s extensive EQ controls, with Bass, Mid, sweepable Mid-Freq and Treble knobs let you sculpt your tone with fiendish precision. The additional Scoop switch provides an instant high and low frequency boost that’ll rumble the room while also adding clarity. Available from MXR, the world leader in analog pedal technology.

MXR M116 Fullbore Metal Distortion Guitar Effects Pedal Features:

• Super high-gain distortion
• Three band EQ with sweepable mid frequencies
• Tight, fast, switchable Noise Gate for syncopated metal riffage
• Internal Gate Trigger control lets you set the Noise Gate’s sensitivity
• Scoop Switch boost the highs and lows while the EQ stays active
• True Bypass with LED
• All analog circuit path

Here is a great video that shows all the features of this pedal by ProGuitarShopDemos.

I also wanted to show a video from gearmandude on this pedal. Even though he claims to be lacking in the metal licks, I thought this video showed some important info (ie: noise gate handling).

You can pick up the MXR M116 Fullbore Metal Distortion for $99.99 at Musician’s Friend.

Remember, if you like reading about pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

Popularity: 7%

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Today while I was poking around the inter-webbie, I was thinking to myself that I need to look at other distortion tones that I normally do NOT use for the sake of the diverse readership here. One area that I was thinking was ‘metal’. I’m not much of a metal player (I definitely had my share of listening to it in the past, and I do like on occasion some choice metal riffage in my face at a show), but I came across a pretty cool pedal for getting that high gain and ‘tight’ distortion. The pedal I want to present is the Extreme Metal pedal by ModTone.

Here is the official description:

The ModTone Extreme Metal pedal is a true bypass boutique style pedal that delivers insane gain levels that go from subtle to over the top. Our specialized “scoop” knob covers plenty of metal territory while leaving all the articulate definition intact. Adjusting the “Low” knob gives any amp that ground shaking low end thump while the “High” knob lets you dial in just the right amount of top end sweetness. Our proprietary gain stage lets you sprinkle just a touch of dirt or crank it all the way for a molten metal meltdown!

Here is a great video demo of the pedal by gearmandude (I really appreciate this guy’s reviews on pedals. Shows what they can do and has some variety with guitars and amps).

You can pick this pedal up at TunnelVisionMusic.com and it’s currently on sale for $79.95.

Remember, if you like reading about these pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

Popularity: 2%

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