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Disclaimer: It is really hard to do a review of drums, because so many different variables affect their sound. For reference, I use Vic Firth hickory sticks, an Iron Cobra double pedal, and Sabian cymbals. I record with pretty lovely equipment, but it still sounds good - I can only imagine that it would sound great if the equipment were of higher quality. My preferred snare head is Evan's PowerHit for a tight, sharp sound. Tama Rockstar DX 8-piece - 10",12",13",14" rack toms; 16", 18" floor toms; 22" bass, and of course the snare (formerly 9, dropped a bass and got a double pedal for sound consistancy and more importantly portability) Price: 525$ off of ebay, originally listed at a hellaciously higher amount.) Year: 1987 Sound 8/10 Well, it's hard to describe the sound of just the drums themselves; I've got Aquarian heads on them, and before that I had Evans hydraulics. The Aquarians mic better, but the Evans definitely had a more "powerful" sound. Bass drum is an Aquarian batter head and an Evans resonant. However, one thing that has been very consistant between both sets is a deep resonance and power - without being "twangy." These are definitely rock hulls; they've got a heavy, wet sound. But, unlike some cheaper drum sets I've owned, they don't have an unpleasant ring to go with them. To sum it up, it is a powerful, but balanced sound. The bass sounds especially nice, heavy, wet, and powerful. Instrument Quality 10/10 All of the components to this set are of the highest quality. Sturdy construction, solid mounting equipment, all-in-all just outstandingly well put-together. The finish is a beautiful candy-apple red, and has withstood the years remarkably unblemished. The hardware did need replacing when it was purchased due to the previous owner applying twice as much force as necessary to secure the toms, but that was a blessing in disguise as it offered a chance to upgrade to the newer style of mounting hardware which is of a much better design. This doesn't detract from the quality score because I hate to blame the equipment for the owner's mistreatment. Playability N/A Your ability to play the drums is not usually restricted by the drums. This is the case with this set as well. The better you are, the easier it is to play them. Value 10/10 500 bucks for this set complete with hardware, three cymbals, and a 14" hi-hat? Count me in! loving steal. Overall Value 10/10 As you can probably tell, I am extremely pleased with these drums, and if I had the decision to make when they were new I would be glad to purchase them. Worth every penny. Edit: Mini-plug for the review below. I also use Wuhan chinas, and they are absolutely fantastic for the price. Agreed fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Sep 18, 2004 |
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Sep 18, 2004 06:39
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Edit: Removed review, no longer applicable. Reposting new review.
Agreed fucked around with this message at 07:17 on Oct 18, 2006 |
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Aug 24, 2005 04:59
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Revised opinion April 28, 2008/b] Ibanez Smashbox SM-7 Distortion Stomp Box Price Paid/New $36.89(Clearance, but at that time it was new)/~$80 at a brick-and-morter, ~$50 online Year Still being sold Features: 3.5/5 Very sturdy cast aluminium casing houses a solid distortion unit. There are four knobs: Drive, which controls the level of distortion; Lo and Hi EQ; and level. It has a VOID noise gate with two levels of control. The entire Tone-Lok line of pedals (anything with a 7 in it from Ibanez) has a full body with knobs that click down into it, preventing you from losing your settings during equipment moves. Sounds gimmicky, but is really quite handy if you don't like transporting your stuff in the box it came in. Still, not exactly a must-have. The VOID setting sounds gimmicky, but it works well enough if you've got the gain cranked and don't want a lot of hiss. Sound: 0/5 This sounds terrible. I don't know what I was thinking. Stay away, it's an awful mess and it will kill your tone completely. The best use of the VOID noise gate is to turn it up as high as it will go and turn your guitar's volume down so that no sound can ever escape this awful piece of poo poo. Overall Value: 0/5 It's cheap for a reason. I felt good to get $12 for it when I got rid of mine. I will not seek another. In fact, if someone offered me $50 and this pedal, I'd turn them down. It is a curse and you shouldn't have to sell yourself that short. [b]THE BOTTOM LINE: Playing this pedal, to quote the Angry Nintendo Nerd, is like puking on a pile of poo poo. There's nothing good about this. It isn't even bad enough to gain a cult following. It's mediocre no matter which direction you're coming from. The original review recommended the Metal Zone as a potential choice if you wanted a better pedal. Technically, yes, the MT-2 is a better pedal than this. But so is an empty box with no wire between the output and the input. Don't buy the MT-2 either, it's also a harsh, muddy beast at anything over bedroom volumes. There are plenty of great distortion pedals, but neither this unit nor the Metalzone are worth a drat. Agreed fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Apr 28, 2008 |
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Oct 18, 2006 07:18
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Boss MD-2 "Mega Distortion" Price Paid ~$90 new Year I don't know when it came out, maybe 2002? Features: 4/5 Anyone who has used a stomp box knows what to expect, and it delivers. It has a level knob, inner/outer double ring Treble/Bass rotary knob, and two different gain control knobs (one is labeled Distortion, and to me sounds like the Boss DS-1 through its range of motion, while the other is "Drive Boost" and has a sound somewhat like the Boss BD-2). Tone and Bottom are easy knobs to fiddle with (Tone controls midrange and treble, mostly treble. Bottom controls bass. Duh.), but the two gain knobs take a bit of a learning curve - blending the two types of gain allows for a great degree of tonal versatility, but it also means you have to learn how they react to each other. The reason this gets a 4 instead of a 5 is because, drat it, I want a semi-parametric midrange EQ knob like the MT-2. That control allows the MD-2 to adjust to differences in cabs, amp EQ curves, and room sizes, apart from just letting you shape your sound how you want it. I wish there was one on every pedal, because different setups respond so differently that it's hard to say "get this pedal!" without knowing what they'll be playing it through. Sound: 5/5 It is a tragedy of marketing that this pedal is aimed at the "Nu-school metal" (to quote the Boss catalog) crowd, because it isn't a nu-metal or metalcore pedal at all (for that, try the Ibanez SM-7). It has very high amounts of gain available, no doubt about it, but dimeing the knobs doesn't get you the same sort of ultra-high distortion, pinch harmonic-inducing bite you'd want for playing metal leads (for that, try the Boss MT-2). Where this pedal shines is the in-betweens, giving access to a variety of sounds for blues, hard rock, punk, and higher gain sounds as well. Compared to most distortion pedals, it has gobs of bass available, though it allows you to control it well with the adjustment knob. It should have been marketed as a hard crunch versatility pedal, because that's what it is. I mentioned that it's not great for playing metal lead solos, and while that is true, it's awesome for playing metal rhythm and riffing. Palm mutes are heavier than a real heavy thing, and the thickness of the distortion doesn't ever give way to brittle or thin sound as you turn up the volume. Playability: 5/5 Stomp it, it turns on. Stomp it again, it turns off. Every time. Overall Value: 5/5 When I was shopping for a new pedal, I decided to take my guitar and amp with me and line a bunch of 'em up to see what I thought. I had my MT-2, an Ibanez TS-9, a Boss DS-1, a Boss OD-2, a Boss BD-2, and a Zoom Tri-Metal and played each of them one after another. I eliminated the Tri-Metal because I like my MT-2's metal sounds better. I eliminated the DS-1 and BD-2 because the MD-2 can get pretty much any sound either of them can. The TS-9 and the OD-2 didn't really have what I was looking for, gain-wise, and the MD-2 could get pretty drat close to the OD-2's sound (though the TS-9 has its own characteristics that are hard to match without a midrange control, not to mention the difference between asymmetric and symmetric clipping - if you want a TS-9 sound, get a TS-9!). The MD-2's range of gain and tonal variation encompasses a few good Boss pedals and can get close to some non-Boss ones, which to me makes it an excellent value. THE BOTTOM LINE: For me, this is a killer pedal. It has the capabilities I was looking for. I imagine it will hold up well over time (Boss Everlasting, right?), and it allows a great degree of control over your mid- to high-gain tones, from blues crunch to full-on metal distortion. For me, seeing as I play a lot of metal, it's The Answer to my rhythm question. I run it before my MD-2 and switch 'em when going from riffs to solos. Plus, since the MT-2 is black with orange lettering and the MD-2 is orange with black lettering, I'm fully prepared for Halloween. Agreed fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Jan 3, 2007 |
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Jan 3, 2007 17:22
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Here's a demo of a pedal I recorded for Tom at Fuzzhugger, as part of the Fuzzhugger Tourbox contest. The oscillation you hear in the beginning is his AB-Synth set to oscillation mode (flip of a switch and it goes from flexible fuzz to outrageous over-the-top, as you can hear, oscillating mayhem). It's just a guest appearance because I'm actually demoing the Great Wall fuzz. I used it on the bass with the tone control bypassed to get a fuzzy bass tone, into a Bassman 300 Pro (riff on the old Sunn 300W if I recall), and on the guitar with totally different settings to get the fuzz sound you hear (amp for the guitar, incidentally, is a '59 Bassman reissue). All one take through but I spent some time on it, I like how it came out. Makes me want to buy the pedal, haha. But then as TWB has pointed out I'm a sucker 
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Mar 30, 2009 16:43
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