Hal Leonard The Boss Book
|
|
|
Hal Leonard The Boss Book
|
This scan came from the eBay listing for my XT-2 - why re-invent the wheel? Sadly, this pedal was recently discontinued. Now the MD-2 (Mega Distortion) wears the red paint job. By the way, if any one has an XT-2, feel free to drop me a line about your experiences with the Red Demon. Actually, that holds true if you have the MD-2, as well.  |
After winning it uncontested in an eBay auction (a victory I partly attribute to the fact that another auction was going on at the same time - and I had bids in on both!) the XT-2 arrived in my eager little paws on November 25. I've waited over a month to write a review not because I haven't used the pedal, but because I was unsure as to my feelings. Now I know. Under the right circumstances, the Xtortion is one hot pedal, fully deserving of its fire engine red paint job. Keep in mind that this is a pedal I've long lusted for, solely on the basis of its write-up in the BOSS GUITAR EFFECTS GUIDE BOOK (Vol. 15). I never tested one. In fact, I was hard pressed to ever see one in a shop. I simply liked the fact that it had controls for "Contour" and "Punch". Anytime I see controls that seem to differ from the norm, my interest is captured. Note that I said this pedal needs the right circumstances. When I first got it, I plugged it into my Park amp and grabbed the Strat. The XT-2 was great fun, producing a nice variety of nasty distortion tones as I messed with the PUNCH and CONTOUR controls. When I say "nasty", I mean that in a good way and to differentiate from what I consider to be the "smooth" tones of pedals like the Blues Driver, DS-1, or even the Ibanez Metal Charger (MS-10). The XT-2 had a somewhat nasal edge that made it stand out from my other pedals. I noticed that the CONTOUR made quite a difference. BOSS says this control "cuts highs or boosts highs and lows". In practice, this control does some strange things to the overall tone. After an hour of ear drum battering, I decided I made a great buy, and put the pedal away. When I took it out to use with POD, I was disappointed. I could not get a decent tone with my Strat until I turned every control down and cranked the LEVEL full up. This produced a nice overdrive which was enhanced if I added only slight amounts of the other controls. It seemed like an odd way to use the pedal, and I decided to hold off writing my review. |
March 20, 2003 UpdateThe XT-2 continues to surprise me! A few weeks ago, I went to jam with a bassist and drummer. On a whim, I put the XT-2 in my pedal case. My Strat was plugged into a Peavey TKO bass amp (50 watts). Running clean, my guitar was lost under the combined aural assault of the bass and drums. When time came for my solo, I stepped on the XT-2. AMAZING! The notes cut through with tons of singing sustain. Imagine a Santana type of sound, only with a bit more edge. And this was produced from a Strat and a solid state bass amp! Why did BOSS discontinue this red demon? |
Until a few days ago. Without getting into details (in other words, until I get a photo taken), I was playing a guitar with active pickups. On a whim, I pulled out the XT-2 and POD for some home recording. To quote Peggy Hill, "Oooh Yeah!" The combination was just incredible. The XT-2 provided loads of stinging sustain. I compared it with the BD-2, and the Red Demon simply puts out out a sharper tone. My guitar seemed to jump out of the speakers upon playback. I only wished I had more tracks to record! The question is whether I can duplicate this result with my own guitars and POD. I will give it my best shot, because I really like what the XT-2 gives me. |
|