MXR FullBore Metal

ManualsBrandsMXR ManualsDistortion PedalsM116 Fullbore Metal

125

Why should your hands have all

the fun? This month, TG stomps

on four of the hottest new

distortion pedals in fuzzland to

see which one belongs in your gigbag

ondon, England, 1964. A part-time inventor named

Roger Mayer gives a prototype fuzz pedal to an

up-and-coming session man called Jimmy Page,

and in doing so, transforms the sound of rock ’n’ roll

from twangy and twee to filthy and furious. Mayer’s fuzzbox

might not have been quite the first, but the prolific work of

his big-name clients – Page, Jeff Beck, Big Jim Sullivan –

ensured the sound got everywhere, and by the time Keith

Richards clattered through the 1965 smash (I Can’t Get No)

Satisfaction, the revolution was on.

Distortion is always the first effect on our shopping list

(aka ‘overdrive’, ‘fuzz’ or simply ‘filth’) and our love affair

with it shows no sign of cooling. But these days, it takes

different forms. Putting aside the fact that even basic amps

are capable of distortion, the rise of multi-fx and modelling

units like the Line 6 POD mean that a standalone stompbox

has to be bloody good to justify its relative expense. But

then, you only have to check out the pedalboards of the

stars to appreciate that dedicated pedals still very much

have a place.

Would you seriously consider buying a compression

pedal when you could blow the roof off with one of these?

First up is ProTone’s Skumstortion (£129), followed by the

bonkers Dr Freakenstein Fuzz (£249) from UK newcomers

Rainger. We’ve got the compact FullBore Metal (£149) from

effects guru MXR, and the long-awaited return of Mr FX

himself, with the new Roger Mayer Metalloid (£215). This

will get loud.

■

Flip the page to

 nd out which one

won our Group Test

head-to-head

WORDS HENRY YATES

“A STANDALONE DISTORTION

HAS TO BE BLOODY GOOD TO

JUSTIFY ITS EXPENSE”

ProTo n e

Skumstortion

Roger Mayer

Metalloid

TGR196.gear_test 125 4/11/09 12:58:46 pm