radial tonebone hot british

by Noel Ong

Ease of use: quite easy, if you've used an OD pedal before and you're not retarded, then you should be able to figure this out. Has the usual complement of knobs: Level, (for overall volume), high, low and contour (tone shaping n very sensitive, especially contour for that kid boost or scoop) and drive (for...well, drive lah)

It also has another row of slider switches: top end (for extra treble shaping - bright, flat or dark), voicing (for type of drive you want - fat, notch (for scoop) and out (flat)) and finally mid boost (for...well, it depends on what type of mid boost you want; it's divided into different decibel ranges - 12db, 7db or out (flat)). With the sliders, it sounds complicated but the controls are actually easy to use and reactive, PROVIDED YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. Or else you could actually dick around for a few hours exploring the different configurations. Oh, it also has true bypass if you're into that stuff.

Sound quality: This is where the damn thing shines. To my ears, it sounds better than the Marshall JCM800 Zakk Wylde thingamajigabob (which is what it's modeled on: a hot-rodded JCM800). If you're looking for true versatility, then this is not the pedal for you. It's really a 2 or 3 trick pony but what sweet ponies they are to ride!

It can't do - metal, old or nu, thrash, death, etc. It's not for really heavy music. It can't do fuzz. It's NOT a fuzz face and it doesn't saturate that way. Its gain is very clear.

It really sings at rock genres, Led Zep, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Mountain, etc. You name it; it's there. The sound is very punchy. It has lots of presence and can be very fat or very clear, depending on the settings. Depending on settings once again, it can also be very creamy/warm or aggressive. The low end is incredible; I had to back it off when running it thru a 4x12 cab! And it adds such complex and sweet harmonics to your tone. Oh, the sustain...the incredible roar...

Reliability: So far, not so good. It died on me after one and a half hours of tone that brought tears to my eyes. I've changed the tube but to no avail (and found out how fucking troublesome it was to dismantle the thing plus the scarily high component count). I guess that’s because I bought mine second hand on ebay (I’m cheap) and someone could have pissed on it before I got it. To be fair, the thing feels rock solid and I'm sure if you bought one from the local dealers, it should be reasonably reliable.

Overall: It's definitely one of the best overdrive pedals, tube or none that I’ve ever heard. If you like Marshalls but you're not a metal player, you won't go wrong buying this. It makes all those pitiful green things called tube screamers sit up and pay attention.