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Last Saturday I was in a store just to intensively test Mesa Boogie pedals.
I am just regretting not having test the Tone Burst one, but I've tested the Grid Slammer, the Flux Drive and the Throttle Box.
I was highly impressed (so much that two of them are now in my pedalboard).
I've found my array of gain tones, from crunch to massive hi-gain.
A common denominator to those pedals is clarity. Notes stand distinguishable string to string, even with unharmonic chords.
Dynamics are really organic and they feel like an amp. They cut the mix straight, with tone controls at noon so, just small tweak is needed to fine tune them for your rig.
Worked flawless with single coils, paf-alike humbuckers and hi gain humbuckers.
And you can stack all them in a row and the sound is still defined and open!!!.
The Grid Slammer is a clean overdrive with a nice crunch. Really good to put your tubes in their sweet spot and, to control the amount of break up with the strength of your picking.
Differently to other clean overdrives I've checked, the sound doesn't goes thin or lacks sustain but, it's strong, very open and crunchy (think on SRV, if you like).
The Flux Drive is based on Mesa Boogie's Mark amp series and, has more gain on top than the Grid Slammer. Also, more tone control.
It's a distortion box and, has a nice foundational tone.
When the Grid Slammer is being stacked before, it's Hard Rock's heaven.
The Throttle Box is THE Recto-in-a-box (not just a recto-in-a-box).
The Mids Cut control works as the typical contour control and, allows you to get anything in hi gain distortion, from open and defined tones like in a Peavey 5150 to those dark and deep tones of the Recto.
Nice feedback on sound tails, controllable.
Well, I am not a kid fascinated with the brand name.
I've owned and loaded on my pedalboard lots of gain pedals before those.
And, I'm 100% positive MB's are keepers.
Pedals in this ballpark I've owned / used (maybe I am missing some):
Boss OD-2
Boss SD-1
Boss Metal Zone 2
MXR Distortion+
MXR Distortion III
ProCo The Rat 2
ProCo The Rat Whiteface
Ibanez TS 808
ISP Fetish
AMT California sound
Mad Professor Little Green Wonder
Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive
Mad Professor Mighty Red Distortion
Fulltone OCD v3
Fulltone Plimsoul
Xotic BB preamp
Xotic SL
Suhr Shiba Drive Reloaded
Suhr Riot Reloaded
Wampler 57 Tweed
Wampler 59 Blackface
Wampler Euphoria
Wampler Paisley
Wampler Pinnacle
Wampler Sovereign
Wampler Plexi Drive
Wampler Triple Wreck
Weehbo Plexdrive
Weehbo JCM Drive
Weehbo Bastard
Weehbo Dumbledore
Hermida Audio Zendrive
Hermida Audio Tiki drive
Jetter Gear Jetdrive
Jetter Gear 45/100 Gold
Jetter Gear Red square
Jetter Gear Dahrma
Well... that's why I am 100% sure they are keepers.
I am just regretting not having test the Tone Burst one, but I've tested the Grid Slammer, the Flux Drive and the Throttle Box.
I was highly impressed (so much that two of them are now in my pedalboard).
I've found my array of gain tones, from crunch to massive hi-gain.
A common denominator to those pedals is clarity. Notes stand distinguishable string to string, even with unharmonic chords.
Dynamics are really organic and they feel like an amp. They cut the mix straight, with tone controls at noon so, just small tweak is needed to fine tune them for your rig.
Worked flawless with single coils, paf-alike humbuckers and hi gain humbuckers.
And you can stack all them in a row and the sound is still defined and open!!!.
The Grid Slammer is a clean overdrive with a nice crunch. Really good to put your tubes in their sweet spot and, to control the amount of break up with the strength of your picking.
Differently to other clean overdrives I've checked, the sound doesn't goes thin or lacks sustain but, it's strong, very open and crunchy (think on SRV, if you like).
The Flux Drive is based on Mesa Boogie's Mark amp series and, has more gain on top than the Grid Slammer. Also, more tone control.
It's a distortion box and, has a nice foundational tone.
When the Grid Slammer is being stacked before, it's Hard Rock's heaven.
The Throttle Box is THE Recto-in-a-box (not just a recto-in-a-box).
The Mids Cut control works as the typical contour control and, allows you to get anything in hi gain distortion, from open and defined tones like in a Peavey 5150 to those dark and deep tones of the Recto.
Nice feedback on sound tails, controllable.
Well, I am not a kid fascinated with the brand name.
I've owned and loaded on my pedalboard lots of gain pedals before those.
And, I'm 100% positive MB's are keepers.
Pedals in this ballpark I've owned / used (maybe I am missing some):
Boss OD-2
Boss SD-1
Boss Metal Zone 2
MXR Distortion+
MXR Distortion III
ProCo The Rat 2
ProCo The Rat Whiteface
Ibanez TS 808
ISP Fetish
AMT California sound
Mad Professor Little Green Wonder
Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive
Mad Professor Mighty Red Distortion
Fulltone OCD v3
Fulltone Plimsoul
Xotic BB preamp
Xotic SL
Suhr Shiba Drive Reloaded
Suhr Riot Reloaded
Wampler 57 Tweed
Wampler 59 Blackface
Wampler Euphoria
Wampler Paisley
Wampler Pinnacle
Wampler Sovereign
Wampler Plexi Drive
Wampler Triple Wreck
Weehbo Plexdrive
Weehbo JCM Drive
Weehbo Bastard
Weehbo Dumbledore
Hermida Audio Zendrive
Hermida Audio Tiki drive
Jetter Gear Jetdrive
Jetter Gear 45/100 Gold
Jetter Gear Red square
Jetter Gear Dahrma
Well... that's why I am 100% sure they are keepers.
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