Boss MT-2 - Metal Zone Pedal

I've recently taken the leap forward into the pedal world after playing for a few years on modulation amps. I've tried some lesser known pedals and relative to my experience, BOSS is the way to go. I can see and hear why they've been such a reputable pedal all these years. American Musical Supply made my purchase simple and easy to place, free two day shipping, and the packaging was well done. Ill definitely keep purchasing more BOSS pedals from AMS and I highly recommend you do too.

Exactly what we wanted!I bought this item for my son. He is very pleased with the quality of the Boss distortion pedal. The sound is exactly what he was looking for. He’s wanted this for several months and your price was perfect for a Christmas present. Your prompt service, attention to the details, and shipping at no additional cost was spot on perfect. The package arrived in tact with no issues. I could not have asked for a better experience.My son’s review: The sound quality of the pedal is remarkable. I highly recommend this pedal to anyone in the market for a distortion pedal. It’s easy to operate. Boss is the go to pedal for most professional musicians. I’m just a teen that likes to jam and I highly recommend this pedal!

Metal Zone is one of the first stompboxes I bought when I was first learning to play guitar in 1990. The fact that they are still around today is fairly telling on its own. Given its relative antiquity, how does the Metal Zone hold up today?In my opinion, it holds up immaculately. You obviously have a fair degree of control with the 2 channel EQ, volume, and distortion knobs. This pedal won't match a lot of today's pedals as far as programmable diversity, but it continues to produce a rock solid sound. I personally use this pedal more as an overdrive than as a straight distortion these days, and it works perfectly in that regard. However, as a stand alone distortion, it still sounds good.Are there better distortion pedals out there? Yes. Are there any that are ... MoreMetal Zone is one of the first stompboxes I bought when I was first learning to play guitar in 1990. The fact that they are still around today is fairly telling on its own. Given its relative antiquity, how does the Metal Zone hold up today?In my opinion, it holds up immaculately. You obviously have a fair degree of control with the 2 channel EQ, volume, and distortion knobs. This pedal won't match a lot of today's pedals as far as programmable diversity, but it continues to produce a rock solid sound. I personally use this pedal more as an overdrive than as a straight distortion these days, and it works perfectly in that regard. However, as a stand alone distortion, it still sounds good.Are there better distortion pedals out there? Yes. Are there any that are more consistent and reliable? By my mind, not so much.

Get in the zoan

Every guitarist must make a choice in life. I choose to walk the Metal Zone path. I run the Metal Zone > Klon > front of amp. Many swear by guitar > Metal Zone > FX return for the typical metal high gain chug/shred. I use it more for a mid gain shoegaze type tone. The MT2 has a biting gain and I use the Klon to smooth it out and get a more articulate tone. But I also enjoy the 3 o clock distortion sound. Perfect for gettin the chugs and squealies out.Due to the insane amount of gain it has on tap, the EQ settings are very very potent and actually quite useful for tone shaping. The parametric mid knobs are critical to using this pedal. With that in mind, check out any number of demos on this thing. That really should be all you need to figure out if you need this ... MoreEvery guitarist must make a choice in life. I choose to walk the Metal Zone path. I run the Metal Zone > Klon > front of amp. Many swear by guitar > Metal Zone > FX return for the typical metal high gain chug/shred. I use it more for a mid gain shoegaze type tone. The MT2 has a biting gain and I use the Klon to smooth it out and get a more articulate tone. But I also enjoy the 3 o clock distortion sound. Perfect for gettin the chugs and squealies out.Due to the insane amount of gain it has on tap, the EQ settings are very very potent and actually quite useful for tone shaping. The parametric mid knobs are critical to using this pedal. With that in mind, check out any number of demos on this thing. That really should be all you need to figure out if you need this thing. Its tone is distinct, and kind of finicky in regards to where it goes in your signal chain. But you can easily get some great metal tones out of it. What more can you expect from the Metal Zone?

Good high gain sound!

The pedal looks and feel very robust, like all Boss pedals, the "waza" logo is nice and the knobs feel solid.The standard mode gives you a very aggressive sound with a very sensible mid-frequency eq; finding the right combination in the small concentric knob is quite a challenge, especially if plugged in front of the amp clean channel (I bet you know this already…).In the custom mode the sound becomes more “open” and dynamic, somehow responding better to your picking intensity. The equalization of the mid frequency is more subtle and I actually prefer plugging the pedal in front of the amp with this mode. Bear in mind though that you can still go overboard and completely mess your sound with a few turns, so go easy on that anyway.I was really surprised by the low ... MoreThe pedal looks and feel very robust, like all Boss pedals, the "waza" logo is nice and the knobs feel solid.The standard mode gives you a very aggressive sound with a very sensible mid-frequency eq; finding the right combination in the small concentric knob is quite a challenge, especially if plugged in front of the amp clean channel (I bet you know this already…).In the custom mode the sound becomes more “open” and dynamic, somehow responding better to your picking intensity. The equalization of the mid frequency is more subtle and I actually prefer plugging the pedal in front of the amp with this mode. Bear in mind though that you can still go overboard and completely mess your sound with a few turns, so go easy on that anyway.I was really surprised by the low noise floor, this is quite exceptional for a high gain pedal; it can work without a noise gate and stay quite tight during staccato riffs.In general, it sounds good, and the custom mode is quite “musical”. I think this pedal essentially gives you a good version of the “noise gate + tube screamer + high gain channel + eq” sound that many (maybe too many) of us use.

Highly recommended

Overall:I was surprised at what this little guy can do. Also it may look like there are only 4 knobs on this thing but there are actually 6 because the EQ knobs in the middle each have two separate controls one atop the other, this gives you more options and gives your sound a nearly infinite palate. I got mine second hand at a local music store and there are no problems. You might get some hum and feedback from this pedal but that can be easily adjusted with either the settings or a noise gate pedal if you own one. Sound wise you're looking at a lot of crunch, shred, from high smooth gains to fuzzy wails, and more depending on your personal tastes. Before you go with something like an Ibanez tube screaming you may want to consider this pedal instead. It's ... MoreOverall:I was surprised at what this little guy can do. Also it may look like there are only 4 knobs on this thing but there are actually 6 because the EQ knobs in the middle each have two separate controls one atop the other, this gives you more options and gives your sound a nearly infinite palate. I got mine second hand at a local music store and there are no problems. You might get some hum and feedback from this pedal but that can be easily adjusted with either the settings or a noise gate pedal if you own one. Sound wise you're looking at a lot of crunch, shred, from high smooth gains to fuzzy wails, and more depending on your personal tastes. Before you go with something like an Ibanez tube screaming you may want to consider this pedal instead. It's definitely built for old school metal players...everything from classic Metal, Thrash (old or new), and even Death Metal. There really is not a distortion style this pedal can't replicate. If you need a distortion pedal snatch this one up. You won't be disappointed. It's definitely become an essential pedal in my musical arsenal.

Legendary Standard in Metal Distortion

You can see by the amount of reviews and good reviews how popular this pedal is. If you ever felt that full blown metal distortion with depth and crunchy saturation was the sound you want, this was the start that all other pedal makers followed. There is a difference in types of distortion. There is Crunch Rock, there is Tube Distortion, there is Overdrive, there is Screamer style, there is Fuzz, there is Grunge, there is Classic Rock which is Plexi Rectified, there is Hi Gain Modern, there is Drop D style, each having a feel to the style you seek. This pedal can do a bit of most all of them, This is the versatility of this pedal. It has the flexibility to go almost completely clean to roaring metal. The parametric tone control knobs are more flexible than most any ... MoreYou can see by the amount of reviews and good reviews how popular this pedal is. If you ever felt that full blown metal distortion with depth and crunchy saturation was the sound you want, this was the start that all other pedal makers followed. There is a difference in types of distortion. There is Crunch Rock, there is Tube Distortion, there is Overdrive, there is Screamer style, there is Fuzz, there is Grunge, there is Classic Rock which is Plexi Rectified, there is Hi Gain Modern, there is Drop D style, each having a feel to the style you seek. This pedal can do a bit of most all of them, This is the versatility of this pedal. It has the flexibility to go almost completely clean to roaring metal. The parametric tone control knobs are more flexible than most any other pedals I have seen. I have done a lot of studio work and no studio is without this pedal. It is designed to be versatile but it's main use is of course, metal Marshall 4x12 speaker stack arena rock. It needs to be used thru an amp or multifx that has cab simulation. It has the habit of sounding great thru just about any amp. Some pedals that sound great in some amps do not cut it in other amps. This one usually works in most. Even amps like Mesa and Marshall this pedal gain goes down to just a tad of distortion that warms up your amp distortion. One of the very few pedals that blends with most other distortions. The most fabulous thing about this pedal is the parametric equalizer knobs that can fine tune to just about any tone you want. With most other pedals you are locked into their preset eq frequencies with no control over the eq frequencies. This is a great feature. I have other great distortions but none have the flexibility of tone that this one has for metal crunch. For all out heavy metal it cuts through the mix, no mudiness. At 9 o'clock gain it has great plexi tone. At center gain it has full Marshall Stack gain. For 80s metal this is no doubt my favorite pedal.

THE KING OF DISTORTION!!!

I LOVE THIS PEDAL!!! I adjust the four graphic equalizer setting controls and the distortion level and it produces a massive array of distortion tones. Once I dialed in the searing distortion sound I was looking for I was in HEAVY METAL HEAVEN! I leave my amp settings at 12 on clean and use my pedal to adjust my distortion tone. Also, if you don't know where to start, the pedal comes with diagram setting for different types of music to get you started. As always, start the controls at 12 o' clock and move them. There are hundreds of distortion pedals out there, mostly with 2 or 3 knob controls, this pedal has 6. Four of those knob controls are stacked on top of each other. The guitar players who don't like this pedal are the ones who don't want to take the time to ... MoreI LOVE THIS PEDAL!!! I adjust the four graphic equalizer setting controls and the distortion level and it produces a massive array of distortion tones. Once I dialed in the searing distortion sound I was looking for I was in HEAVY METAL HEAVEN! I leave my amp settings at 12 on clean and use my pedal to adjust my distortion tone. Also, if you don't know where to start, the pedal comes with diagram setting for different types of music to get you started. As always, start the controls at 12 o' clock and move them. There are hundreds of distortion pedals out there, mostly with 2 or 3 knob controls, this pedal has 6. Four of those knob controls are stacked on top of each other. The guitar players who don't like this pedal are the ones who don't want to take the time to learn how to use this pedal properly and they give up, blaming the pedal, when in fact the guitarist needs to learn how to adjust the pedal. If you buy this pedal as I did, it gives tons of different distortion tones and you'll never have to buy another distortion pedal.

Terrible distortion pedal

The reviews here are really high so I assumed it was good. When I got it and plugged it in, I was shocked. It sounds terrible. There are 4 equalizer knobs for your bass/mid/treb that can be fine tuned, but no amount of tweaking could pull it out of the tone hell I was in. It certainly has crazy levels of distortion but its extremely loud and has a LOT of feedback. This is to be expected of course, but even running through the effects loop of my amp and with a noise gate its still excessively loud. Confused by its exceedingly low quality yet high reviews, I took to google to find out if I was just crazy. Turns out this pedal has a really bad reputation, its the frequent victim of ridicule and jokes on forums and by popular youtube players. Definitely NOT the kind of ... MoreThe reviews here are really high so I assumed it was good. When I got it and plugged it in, I was shocked. It sounds terrible. There are 4 equalizer knobs for your bass/mid/treb that can be fine tuned, but no amount of tweaking could pull it out of the tone hell I was in. It certainly has crazy levels of distortion but its extremely loud and has a LOT of feedback. This is to be expected of course, but even running through the effects loop of my amp and with a noise gate its still excessively loud. Confused by its exceedingly low quality yet high reviews, I took to google to find out if I was just crazy. Turns out this pedal has a really bad reputation, its the frequent victim of ridicule and jokes on forums and by popular youtube players. Definitely NOT the kind of product to buy without playing on it first, and even then make sure to test it on an amp you own or a similar model in a GC store. Dont just go by the reviews and assume itll be good.

Versatile, powerful distortion!

Shipped fast, well packed. Pedal looks pristine. The sound is powerful, cutting distortion. The volume is high, I kept it a 10 o clock to stay slightly higher than clean. Ignore the name, this pedal is useful for all genres. There are knobs for low, low midrange, high midrange, and treble so you can carve your ideal distortion for any purpose. You can highly adjust the sound from a scooped heavy metal buzzsaw, or crank up the midrange to get a nice Marshall sound. With the distortion at 12 o clock you get a heavy chunk, and a little further for huge sustain for solos. If you turn it down below 9 o clock you can use it for a lighter crunch or just a little heat for a boost like a solo if you move the level up. It's built like a tank and could survive most conceivable ... MoreShipped fast, well packed. Pedal looks pristine. The sound is powerful, cutting distortion. The volume is high, I kept it a 10 o clock to stay slightly higher than clean. Ignore the name, this pedal is useful for all genres. There are knobs for low, low midrange, high midrange, and treble so you can carve your ideal distortion for any purpose. You can highly adjust the sound from a scooped heavy metal buzzsaw, or crank up the midrange to get a nice Marshall sound. With the distortion at 12 o clock you get a heavy chunk, and a little further for huge sustain for solos. If you turn it down below 9 o clock you can use it for a lighter crunch or just a little heat for a boost like a solo if you move the level up. It's built like a tank and could survive most conceivable damage, I wouldn't be surprised if you could run a car over it. Great prices on the secondary market, and an all-in-one distortion to fit your needs. If you like distortion, add this to your pedal board, I'm sure you can find a use for it.