Best Metal Pedal

[TX6Strings]

So, yes, I know that the best distortion comes from your amp and yes I have two amps that can do metal great. My Splawn Nitro and channel 4 on my Egnater 4212.

The problem I'm having is that I've recently started a side project with a buddy of mine at the house and we jam a lot in the writing process and I can't get a decent metal sound out of the Splawn at a reasonable volume. I can get an interesting 80's metal sound out of the crunch box and OCD in front of the Splawn but nothing that's "modern".

I've been checking out metal pedals and the Box of Metal sounds good but the crazy fucks want $300 for it. So my question to you guys is...what's the best metal pedal in your experience without breaking the bank?

 

[CharFace]

FWIW, I bought a used Vamp Pro for $50 a few years ago and it sounds fine patched into an effects return, or even into the input if there is no loop on the practice amp. One major benefit is that you can don headphones for a late-night solo jam!

I know, I know, you asked for a pedal, but I never really found the "right" pedal either, and I stopped looking after I bought the Vamp

 

[TX6Strings]

FWIW, I bought a used Vamp Pro for $50 a few years ago and it sounds fine patched into an effects return, or even into the input if there is no loop on the practice amp. One major benefit is that you can don headphones for a late-night solo jam!

I know, I know, you asked for a pedal, but I never really found the "right" pedal either, and I stopped looking after I bought the Vamp

I'll look into it for sure. Thanks for the info! Anyone else?

How's the ML-2? Maybe a keely modded MT-2?

Thanks in advance for any tips guys.

 

[blackba]

Have you thought about getting an EQ pedal and running it behind the crunchbox? I found that the EQ was just the trick in the loop of my Marshall 2553 to getting some more modern metal tones. An EQ behind a Boss metalzone is not bad either. I won't use the metalzone/EQ combo in a band, but for practice it works fine....

 

[glpg80]

Have you thought about getting an EQ pedal and running it behind the crunchbox? I found that the EQ was just the trick in the loop of my Marshall 2553 to getting some more modern metal tones. An EQ behind a Boss metalzone is not bad either. I won't use the metalzone/EQ combo in a band, but for practice it works fine....

+1 the crunch box was what i was going to recommend, but he already had it in his arsenal.

run an EQ behind it and see what you can get. its what i would do.

with that said - i have heard a MT-2 sound absolutely kick ass. but it was ran through a 2x12 peavey tube amp wide the fuck open and through a $3,000 wolfgang. way loud. plus he had it dialed in perfectly..every other MT ive played sounded like balls for anything other than late-night jams.

EQ it up dude!

 

[CaseyCor]

EQ in the loop!

 

[Marshall Law]

Skull Crusher Toy Box, Jim Wigle makes them, he also builds the purplexing amps, He qouted me $200.00 about 3 months ago for one, but I haven't bought one yet,
from his web site,
Jimmy Wigle's new "Skull Crusher Toy Box".

If you are a heavy metal player that is looking to go "over the
top" this is your pedal!

Excuse the photography ... this is a highly chromed pedal and
the skull eyes light up (red LEDs) and it has all the gain and
articulation that can be expected at these gain levels.

 

[White_Van]

Landmine Ld-1.

Analog, cheap, and midly versatile, well as versatile as you can get without having a gain knob.

 

[glpg80]

Skull Crusher Toy Box, Jim Wigle makes them, he also builds the purplexing amps, He qouted me $200.00 about 3 months ago for one, but I haven't bought one yet,
from his web site,
Jimmy Wigle's new "Skull Crusher Toy Box".

If you are a heavy metal player that is looking to go "over the
top" this is your pedal!

Excuse the photography ... this is a highly chromed pedal and
the skull eyes light up (red LEDs) and it has all the gain and
articulation that can be expected at these gain levels.

after alot of research in the past, this is the same gentlemen that mods ALL.. of zakk's marshalls for 6550's.

hes got his own signature amp out but i had forgotten about him. nor, have i heard alot about his amps.

good to know he's still doing business. he can play his ass off too.

 

[JackBootedThug]

get something from lord of chaos. i dont play anymore but I loved my chaos modded ts pedal.

 

[VH4_BigRig]

Hey guys, I posted this in the Diezel forum already but I'm also curious about this question! Has anyone had any experience with some tube distortion pedals, such as the Blackstar HT series, Vox Cooltron series, Radial Tonebone series, Matchless Hotbox, Soldano Supercharger, Mesa V-Twin, etc?

 

[scredly]

I have a Radial Plexitube that I run into my Krank Rev Jr. I run the Krank pretty dirty -gain 2-3o'clock. The Plexitube sounds great and gives me two additional channels of OD/distortion to play with.

I like, what I consider, a classic heavy rock rhythm sound from the amp -some beef in the low-end, slight cut in the mids, controlled presence in the high end (no 4k daggers). (For reference think Judas Priest -Another Thing Coming or Whitesnake -Slide It In.) I use the Plexitube A channel to get me into classic metal rhythm (Skid Row, Mr. Big- pinched harmonics and the like) and B channel for lead sounds/boost.

I haven't tried it into a clean amp yet. I have a Crunch Box and DirectDrive. I love them both for what they do. I haven't compared them to the Plexitube yet.

I purchased the Plexitube to make a simple, small pedal board with the least amount of connections and pedals: Peterson Strobo II > Plexitube > Decimator (sometimes w/P-90's)>amp. Holy Grail Plus in the FX loop-set for a nice room sound. Great simple rock rig.

Just don't need the giant SKB PS-45 with 10-pedals all the time.