ML-2 Metal Core Distortion Pedal Review

A Sleeper on your Board

This pedal does not get enough credit. Everyone raves about the Metal Zone(MT-2), or the Heavy Metal(HM-2) pedal boss makes, but IMO, the ML-2 Metal Core is an amazing pedal to have in your rig. I have owned my Metal Core for over 16 years now and it has been a staple on my board. Great sound and tone once you are able to dial it in well.

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The Metal Pedal to have if you're only having ONE!

This Boss ML-2 Metal Core pedal really hits the spot! While I can get a lot of decent distortion and overdrive sounds out of my Boss ME-50, what the ML-2 does (unfortunately) is NOT one of them. Fortunately, I did have enough room on my pedalboard for the ML, thanks to the standard (and appreciatively "compact") Boss stompbox package. What I especially like about the ML is that… read more all of the controls are dead-center with respect to the desired tone "window". That translates to incredible tonal flexibility! There are great tones to be had here...and none that are unnecessary for a Metal Pedal, as far as I'm concerned. As an added bonus, it's a bit less noisy than other (very good) Hi-Gain pedals I've tried. That can come in handy if you don't have room on yr. board for a separate Noise Reduction pedal.

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Surprisingly versatile

A friend gave me a like-new Metal Core pedal when it turned out not to be what he wanted. I've had it around for a few years, not really needing crushing metal tones for what I play. I have been looking at various fuzz and distortion pedals and on a whim I plugged in the Metal Core and turned all the controls down except the volume, which I left at about 12 o'clock. I got a very… read more usable, vintage-style distortion sound, reminiscent of my old MXR Distortion+ or other popular distortion pedals of that era. Adding a tiny bit of bass fills it out nicely. This will be added to my board as a compliment to the three overdrives I always have on there. It's nice to know if I ever want a heavier, more metal sound it's there with the turn of a couple knobs. Being a Boss pedal, it'll likely outlive me.

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Sounds great!

Got this as my first distortion pedal and I'm loving it so far. I usually just used the distortion on my practice amp in the past, but I was looking for a better metal tone and this pedal really delivered. I get a good thick, heavy tone that isn't muddy at all. Definitely will be a mainstay on my board.

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Super Heavy

It took a bit to dial this in, but once I did I got the sound I was looking for. First, the highs on this pedal are piercing, so I turned them down to around a quarter of what can be used. The highs are still very good, and the growl I am getting is straight nasty. This pedal chugs and sustains like no pedal I have ever owned. It isn't very versatile, but works as well as I need… read more it to. The distortion is heavy, and if brought down a bit can make playing blues sound sickening. Think Eyehategod or Bomgzilla without the fuzz. O suggest getting the AC adapter for the best performance of the pedal. If you are looking for a George Lynch type growl with an even heavier chug, this is the pedal.

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