ZVex Distortron

ManualsBrandsZ.Vex ManualsDistortion PedalsEffects PedalThe is a sub-heavy silicon fuzz with some special features. For example, the input impedance can be steplessly adjusted to line level.This allows active or passive pickups to be easily adjusted to the pedal

118 Guitarist Summer 2009

£99 each

effects

Photogr a Phy by dav e cau dre y

The Rivals

A great place to start your

fuzz affair is the BOSS FZ-5

(£89). It offers three models

of classic pedals. For a more

organic look try the Electro-

Harmonix Big Muff with

Wicker (£72): it’s versatile

and sounds great. DigiTech’s

SC-2 Valve Distortion (£99)

provides a warm and pliable

drive from two modes, while

the Vox Satchurator JS-DS

(£85), not only gives you Joe

Satriani’s tone in a box but is

also very useable across

many styles.

hese two new boxes are

part of ZVex’s Vextron

Series and include the

Distortron – an overdrive

designed, so says ZVex head

honcho Zachary Vex, to

“simulate the everything-on-10

sound of a classic Marshall

JTM45”, and the Mastotron – a

“heavy silicon fuzz design with

a couple of unusual features”.

A feature common to both is

the three-way Subs switch,

intended to offer increasingly

dense levels of low-end. The

Distortron is closely linked to

the Box Of Rock – ZVex’s first

real distortion pedal – and the

three Subs selections mirror

the tones available on that unit.

The operations of those on the

Mastotron, however, are more

straightforward, giving three

selections of frankly obscene

bass for you to play with.

The Distortron also has a

two-way gain switch, and

there’s a hint of ZVex’s

legendary humour associated

with the Drive pot: around the

circumference of the knob it

says ‘crackle okay’, indicating

that it’s alright if the pot makes

extraneous noise! The circuit is

based on the Super Hard-On, a

preamp pedal designed to

recreate the sound of a vintage

desk input being beaten to

death with a weapon fashioned

from purest crackle.

Features included with the

Mastotron comprise a Pulse

Width control that enables you

to regulate the expanse of the

fuzz and a Relax/Push pot,

which in effect acts as a

softening agent to the fuzz. The

further towards Push you go,

the more raw the signal and

therefore the fuzz.

Battery access for both is via

the baseplate, and each uses a

standard nine-volter.

Sounds

We follow ZVex’s advice and set

our stock Marshall 2 x 12

ZVex Distortron

& Mastotron

£99 each

Two very versatile distortion and fuzz stompboxes from

Minneapolis – it’s tone to the bone! by Simon Bradley

The Subs switch is a holdover from ZVex’s Box Of Rock pedal

GIT319.rev_zvex 118 15/7/09 4:49:41 pm

Summary of content (2 pages)

PAGE 1
PhotograPhy by dave caudrey ZVex Distortron & Mastotron £99 each effects ZVex Distortron & Mastotron £99 each Two very versatile distortion and fuzz stompboxes from Minneapolis – it’s tone to the bone! by Simon Bradley T hese two new boxes are part of ZVex’s Vextron Series and include the Distortron – an overdrive designed, so says ZVex head honcho Zachary Vex, to “simulate the everything-on-10 sound of a classic Marshall JTM45”, and the Mastotron – a “heavy silicon fuzz design with a couple of unusual
PAGE 2
ZVex Distortron & Mastotron £99 each effects The Distortron is better suited to the market at large… It provides many extremely useable levels of distortion combo to a warm, clean tone and dive in with the Distortron. Aside from sheer volume, the main thing you get from running a JTM45 at full blast is plenty of warm drive and a smooth sustain, something that this pedal recreates admirably.