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SOUNDCHECK* THE GEAR IN REVIEW
FULL
THROTTLE
MXR Fullbore Metal Distortion pedal
NEW EQ
WHAT’S NEW & COOL
THE LOAR
BY CHRIS GILL
A
LH-200 ACOUSTIC
NUMBER OF metal distortion pedals have debuted
this year, which suggests
that either metal is the next big
trend or players aren’t satisfied with
the plethora of stomp boxes already
crowding the market. My guess
would be the latter, as most existing
metal pedals seem content to just
dish out excessive gain.
True metal connoisseurs know
that there’s much more to brootal
metal tones than distortion. EQ controls are essential, and they must be
able to control an extended range of
frequencies, from earth-shaking bass
to razor-sharp highs, with surgical
precision. A gate is also a necessity
for tightening up machine-gun riffs
and eliminating high-gain hum and
buzz. MXR’s new Fullbore Metal
distortion pedal delivers all these
features, making it a true singlepedal solution.
The Loar LH-200 is modeled
after classic small-bodied
flat top acoustic guitars from
the Thirties, with a vintage
sunburst finish and open-geared
butterbean tuners. The guitar
features a solid spruce top,
mahogany back and sides,
a mahogany neck, grained
ivoroid body binding and a
rosewood fretboard. The
LH-200’s smaller body size
is designed for songwriters
and touring musicians who
want an acoustic guitar that
travels easily and has
the warmth and
projection typical
of a much larger
guitar. Its tone
is reminiscent
of the historic
blues boxes of
the Twenties
and Thirties,
making the
LH-200 ideal
for acoustic
blues players
who want an
authentic
vintage
sound.
FEATURES
LIST PRICE:
$699.99
THE
MUSIC LINK,
THEMUSICLINK.NET
EVEN THOUGH the Fullbore Metal is
158
GU I TA R WOR L D
THE BOTTOM LINE
MXR’S FULLBORE METAL pedal is an
affordable, true all-in-one solution for
players seeking studio-quality metal
tones. SC
+PRO
LOW PRICE
VERSATILE EQ
STUDIO-QUALITY
GATE
-CON
SCOOP FUNCTION
LACKS IDEAL
MIDRANGE FOR
SOLOS
DG
ORL OL
W
GUITAR
ARD
AW
PERFORMANCE
THE FULLBORE METAL sounds best
when the amp’s power tubes perform the heavy lifting and the amp’s
passive EQ controls are cranked all
the way up, allowing the pedal to do
most of the overall tone and preamp
gain shaping. The pedal’s extended
frequency range is stunning, and
with careful tweaking a wide variety
of modern and classic metal tones
emerge. The gate function tightens
and cleans up the sound considerably, producing polished, studioquality tones that bring out the best
of your playing. The scoop function
produces massive rhythm tones, but
the midrange deficiency means solos
can get lost in the mix. Solution: buy
two pedals and use a scoop setting for
rhythm while the other pedal handles
lead tones.
D
jam-packed with six rotary controls,
two switches and a footswitch, it’s
housed in a compact box that’s the
same size as MXR’s Phase 90. Controls include the requisite volume
and gain knobs, and the EQ section
consists of controls for low, mid,
sweepable mid and high frenquencies. A scoop switch instantly boosts
low and high frequencies (confirmed
by a red LED), and the gate switch
kicks in a noise gate (confirmed by a
green LED) that has a preset decay
setting and adjustable sensitivity that
you can tweak via an internal trim
pot. Other features include a heavyduty footswitch, a blue LED on/off
indicator and true-hardwire bypass.
OVERALL VALUE
SPECS
LIST PRICE: $169.99
MANUFACTURER:
MXR, jimdunlop.com
CONTROLS: Volume,
frequency, gain, low,
mid and high knobs;
gate and scoop
buttons; on/off switch
ROCKTRON
PATCHMATE LOOP 8 FLOOR
The PatchMate Loop 8 Floor provides eight
discrete loops (each with true bypass
and buffered/nonbuffered signal paths),
128 programmable presets and nine highquality metal footswitches for real-time
control. The eight loops can be configured
for multiple purposes, including channel
switching, effect loops, guitar routing
and more. The Loop 8 Floor also adds
preset programmability and true-bypass
capability to any standard pedal board, and
has real-time user controls that make it
easy to set up and program.
LIST PRICE: $449.00
ROCKTRON, ROCKTRON.COM