Reviews by ThaCoast

Build Quality
5.00 star(s)
Features
4.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Solid build
  • Tweakable tone
  • Good distortion
Cons
  • Hard to get subtle overdrive
  • Not the best balance on meat & bite
  • Clean blend volume is a weak link (explained below)
There's lots of praise for this pedal & collab. Am not entirely familiar with Fuzzrocious themselves, but heard great things. & I knew this was a take on the famous RAT circuit with its own distinction, however some of my own findings are based on the unit I own (not to be taken as a whole as i've no chance to compare multiples of the same effect).

While the distortion itself is very nice & rat esque, between both the SIL & LED modes (silicon has more oumph where LED is hairier). The one grippe i've got with the unit i own is; with the clean volume engaged makes the unit sound like two separate signals rather than one in unison. I've had experience with mxr's bass overdrive & it's what made me enjoy their blend capabilities for bass fx (over most where the blend is either clean, 50/50 or dirt on a single knob.)

Maybe it's my unit which has a defect in the clean blend signal not acting as one with the dirty side. However, if i just rate it on the distortion - it's pretty good. Kinda difficult to obtain that RAT overdrive tone sadly, it's much more geared towards distortion/fuzz, as opposed to the all aroundness of a RAT (again, am not ubber familiar hands on with any Fuzzrocious products, am going solely based on the proco rats i've played). There's an internal volume for the LED mode to balance out with the SIL mode. perhaps also differs from units, but if set as factory (clockwise to +7.5db), i did back mine off about half way to get a nice balance between both modes volume wise (even though LED was perceived a smidge louder, probably cause it cuts through more than SIL mode).

Overall distortion side of thing, pretty good. I'd recommend if you're more inclined to having a mid-heavy distortion. I'd suggest testing out the clean volume balance - maybe your unit won't have the problem i've experienced with mine.
Price Paid
130$ CAD Used
Build Quality
5.00 star(s)
Features
5.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Solid build, versatile EQ, good all around distortion
Cons
  • Sensitive controls, takes time to tweak the EQ/gain.
Despite it's ongoing reputation, I honestly don't believe it to be a terrible "high gain" distortion/fuzz pedal.

I guess, because it was never my first pedal, nor have i paid attention to it in my early gear years. & having only really fx gear acquired from 2016 onwards. Having studied my 10 band EQ (& others for that matter), rethinking my tweak of the MXR Bass DI+ because its EQ shelving is far appart from each frequency, & as of recent having sat down with my swollen pickle fuzz & tweaked it to deliver what i wanted for fuzz on bass.

I understand where the "bad" tones from the metal zone can pop from, however there's a simple format to follow on how to tweak it to sound its optimal. It's a touchy EQ system, i'll admit which if you're looking to get a good sound directly, should consider being patient with the unit & themselves. My approach was starting with everything at noon (aside from the mids freq & level), leave the mid level around 1 oclock & shift the mids freq knob to where are satisfied with (given on guitar or bass the freq i wanted was different), then given that freq range, i'd either have it cut, or boosted. A good rule is if its in the low mids spectrum i'd have it cut (from minimum to about 10 oclock), if its in the high mids i could either cut or boost slightly (anywhere from 10 oclock to 1 oclock). Then i would tweak the Gain: if i wanted full blown fuzz, noon & above, or semi controlled distortion; noon & below. Then set the bass & treble, however i view them as resonance & presence to the overall tone - which makes the most sense, considering the treble can add too much fizz, & the bass adds more woofiness. Less is more in this case, let the mid frequency/mid level dictate the overall character, & let bass & treble be your accents.

I think its name is its bigger downfall. Yes it has sold millions, but no "pro" actually uses this on their board. Cause owning actual high gain amps & using "proper" dirt pedals like a ds1, or tube screamer if you're inclined to boost in such ways. If the metal zone was named/marketed differently, it might've faired more positively than the hate it gets. I guess just like the JCM900 dual reverb, coming after something which is highly praised (jcm800 in its case, vs the HM2 for BOSS), people expect a lot from the new comer which is suppose to be the successor. If the metal zone wasn't part of the "metal" family, & more on the "FZ" family of BOSS pedals, it would've been in better light. Not competing with its predecessor, rather being it'sown unique voice.

Truth be told, the zone kicks on bass (& guitar) in comparison to the ODB-3. It's EQ gives it a better edge, & i feel if i had an octave pedal before it, i'd pull off some weird chaos. It could probably cop some overdrive dirtiness by keeping its gain knob lower than 9 oclock. With its power EQ, it can give anything you'd seek character tone wise.

Easy to find on the used market for way less, if you're inclined, take your time with this pedal, & give it a chance to speak beyond the bashed hate it gets.
Price Paid
70$ cad used
Build Quality
5.00 star(s)
Features
5.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Large tonal Palette, Solid construction, top mount jacks,
Cons
  • Takes time to tweak/set up, finicky with certain pedals in chain (tone wise)
I had bought this pedal a little over a year back & have just recently taken the time to sit down, tweak, & utilize it within my bass rig/fx.

I've never been much a fan for big muff circuit on bass. Having had the OP amp version built for me (mainly for guitar) it sounds alright on bass, but not what i would go for entirely. Played various types of fuzz & nothing really sounded right (again, am more overdrive/distortion than fuzz on bass). Found this at a small local shop for next to nothing & had to swipe it up, & once back, playing my girlfriend's active squier dimension bass it sounded good. I was able to tweak the internal controls to give a more open tone. Fast forward to now, while building/reconfiguring my new bigger bass board, i felt i wanted to try to utilize the pickle & i spent more time tweaking the internal controls (Clip & Voice) to my liking, & then set the filter & sustain, followed by the scoop & crunch controls. The key to having this pedal work on bass is determined where you set the internal controls (& with which fx before/after it affect it). I run mine after an MXR 10 band EQ (which is set with a low mid cut & mid boost to cut through while not boosting/bloating gain), & right before an mxr bass d.i.+ (which serves as my low gain drive). Since my clean bass tone is pretty midrange heavy (Old school punk oriented music with some hints of other genres), i wanted the swollen pickle to retain that midrange but have its nice fuzzy tone. It has significant volume on tap, & personal taste - i keep the sustain low around 9 oclock. Its just enough fuzz to rumble.

It's built solid, works like a charm, i give it 4.5 due to it needing more time spent to find a usuable tone for ones sound because every control is very interactive. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking for a green/black russian muff variant, with a little more flexibility - this is a good alternative.
Price Paid
125$ CAD (used)
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Build Quality
5.00 star(s)
Features
5.00 star(s)
Value
5.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Simple , effective & versatile
Cons
  • Some might find the lacking tone control a Con.
I hadn't heard about this pedal until sometime in the last 4 months when i was watching some JHS pedal videos & Josh was talking about preamp pedals. After much extensive research & also coming across an older model back in Ottawa, i bit the bullet on the reissue of recent years with the LED & 9v BOSS barrel adapter input type. So my review is of this one, not the original late 70's gray box, or 80's yellow box issues.

Build quality is great, switch is sturdy, great gold flake colour. The few key differences between this & the older models are: Blue LED light, BOSS barrel adapter rather than the 1/8" of old, & aluminium box which makes it lightweight compared to the Zinc/steel? of the older generations.

This reissue model, now discontinued for a while, is according to some, a recreation of the first Grey box DOD 250 using the same LM741 Op-amp chip, though giving it fundamental updates such as the LED light. It's a pretty straight forward pedal with a Gain & Level Controls. It can be used anything from a nice clean boost to a dirty crunch to full on driven rage. At first, i did think the lack of tone would be noticeable, but this pedal doesn't need a tone control. & as i run an MXR 10 band EQ before it, & an MXR Bass D.I. + after it, they become the DOD's tone control, albeit very elaborate. I use it mainly as a boost with my Bass D.I.'s distortion which is set to a low end grunt, the DOD kicks it up a notch, tightening a little of each frequency at hand. It's also a nice stand alone pedal, & it's an always On effect in my rig. This has promptly replaced my MXR Distortion III in my rig.

It's very responsive to pick attack intensity, Depending on it's gain is set. Anything from noon & below, if you play light, it won't distort & stays relatively clean. As you start digging into your instrument, it breaks up nicely, giving an almost Tube-esque vibe, which i was certainly after in some regards.

Definitely recommend at least trying this pedal out. It's a classic for a reason, & i think i hear why. Works great on guitar, as it does on bass. It's versatile, simple, effective, & as blunt as it can be.
Price Paid
100
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Last edited:
Build Quality
5.00 star(s)
Features
4.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Dual Channel, built like a tank, Flexible tone shaping.
Cons
  • Colour switch engaged automatically in distortion channel
I've owned, recorded, & gigged with this pedal for the last decade. It's been the foundation of my bass tone & even if i do some recording straight into amp, this pedal is never far to reach if needed.

It's a dual channel D.I. Box that can run either in effects signal chain to the amp, or as its own amp into a P.A system. Controls are basic, 3 band EQ of Bass, Mids & treble. A volume for each channel, Blend, trigger, & gain controls on the distortion side. Colour switch on the clean channel to engage or disengage the mid scoop tone. I don't personally use it much on the clean channel, though it's great for slap, funk players for sure, or just someone who wants a fatter bass response. Dirt channel can be tricky to dial in at first, starting with everything at noon does help, as you should set the amount of Gain first, then dictate how much of it you want peeking through with the blend knob. Though i do wish the blend acted as a clean blend rather than deciding which channel you favour more on the dirt circuit, it's easy to overlook.

Another thing about the dirt channel is when active, the colour switch is automatically engaged. Given the distortion can be pretty wild if the blend & gain are at max, it's understandable. Though it would've been a good feature to have it selectable on/off as is on the clean channel.

The phantom/ground switch only works when using the XLR output, & this enables the pedal to be powered via the mix board - NOTE: the board itself must have a 48V phantom power switch for this to work. Otherwise, you need to use a 9v adapter, or 9v battery. There is a parallel output, & this is used in conjunction with the XLR output if ever you were running some effects after the D.I., or if you simply want to run into an amp that doesn't have a D.I. (such as my old 70's solid state heads). I've not yet used this feature, as i rarely use the XLR out. Mine is set into my fx board running the In & normal output of this pedal in the chain.

I would recommend this pedal if you're on a budget & would want something other than the classic sansamp Bass Driver (which although good, i favoured this MXR over it due to the switchable channels & better overall distortion tone). It's very reliable, efficient & straight to its point.

I never leave home without it, that's how good i find it, & how much i love this pedal.
Price Paid
180$ CAD
Tone
4.00 star(s)
Build Quality
4.00 star(s)
Feel
3.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Classic Thunderbird look, Good tone
Cons
  • Neck dive, tuning keys can slip overtime, wide string spacing
I've had this thunderbird for the last 5 years & it's been a really long time since i heard how it sounded stock since i've just been modifying it since.

It's a good bass, the inlay free fretboard is a unique look & is one that catches the eye. It did sound good stock & i took out the electronics to have a simple on/off switch like the Nikki Sixx blackbird - i always play with the tone wide open. Weight is decent, although the neck dive can be a downfall for someone starting out on bass (I hand the bass low so there isn't much dive especially with a leather strap).

Build is solid, no cracks in body or finish flaws. With the fat neck & wide spacing it can be a bit of a stretch for those who have smaller hands so you might want to go towards the thunderbird IV burst series as the neck is slimmer & nut width is narrower. I modified this on my goth bass to match the narrowness of my precision neck & string spacing. The bass had great tone through an svt rig: everything was balanced & you could distinguish the growl, but through a small combo it's kinda difficult to get a decent tone from the pickups (depends on the amp i'd guess).

All in all if you're starting out, this is the only thunderbird i wouldn't recommend having, but if you want a sleeker look & something different from the traditional birds, by all means.

I've modified mine countless times & fixed it as well over the last five years so it doesn't really resemble its factory self anymore hahaha.
Price Paid
380$ CAD
Tone
5.00 star(s)
Build Quality
4.00 star(s)
Feel
5.00 star(s)
Value
4.00 star(s)
Pros
  • Comfortable, Good output pickup, Stays tuned,
Cons
  • Weight (if you're used to playing something lightweight).
Bought this bass a few weeks ago & unfortunately discontinued in international sales, but man it plays great! I've read reviews elsewhere or just others sharing & saying it's lightweight: Far from it my friend. This bass, or mine at least is pretty heavy & i love weight in a bass giving me something to feel while i dig into it. Build quality is good no sharp frets, set up right out of the box pretty much just a little tweak on the truss rod & I was ready to go. Pickups are decent output, really loud considering it has mini pots (which i'm upgrading to full size pots & changing the 250K tone to a 500K to bring out the brightness even more). The mini pots are the only downfall in my eye really since they really restrict the pickups true nature. Fit & finish this was pretty good, no chips or factory faults on it. One down fall is that some of the bridge screw spin in the void but i'll be replacing the bridge later on in life with a high mass but it does the job well.

I would recommend this bass even if you're not a green day fan!
Price Paid
345$ CAD, (perks of discount while working in a music store)