Never judge a book by its cover or its price.
Here is the Arion Bass Distortion MDI-2. I had been intrigued by this pedal for a while. Online videos were good so I took the plunge.
I don't believe this pedal is still manufactured but there is some new old stock on it. It regularly pops up for sell used under $40. So this one is beyond value.
Arion in general has made great pedals. Their bass flanger is very good and they are noted for the quality of their chorus pedals. You even seen this brand pop up in Juan Alderete's collection (OK his collection is so broad).
If you can get passed the plastic housing of this one, there is a lot to like about this pedal. First you have a blend and a blend that works well. Secondly you have a distortion channel and the tone only affects the distortion channel, leaving the clean alone.
Talking about tone, it's got a very nice eq curve going from bassy to crisp and high. Distortion goes from really mild overdrive, just a bit of hair to wild and dirty. The quality of distortion reminds me of a tube screamer but it has its own flavor, it's not quite the same and tends to be warmer and more natural sounding. Everything is made of plastic but it seems to be pretty robust. It has a 9 volt adapter plug and the battery compartment is on the top. That's probably the weakest part of this pedal.
I was able to easily dial in a variety of super nice, super usable tones. The blend in particular worked well. Blends have grown on me. They are really useful on overdrive/distortion pedals. So, there you have it. Yes, it's a cheap thrill and it won't make other bass players go ooh haah looking at a $359 distortion pedal (you know the one) but it delivers great tones and the value is unbeatable.
Here is the Arion Bass Distortion MDI-2. I had been intrigued by this pedal for a while. Online videos were good so I took the plunge.
I don't believe this pedal is still manufactured but there is some new old stock on it. It regularly pops up for sell used under $40. So this one is beyond value.
Arion in general has made great pedals. Their bass flanger is very good and they are noted for the quality of their chorus pedals. You even seen this brand pop up in Juan Alderete's collection (OK his collection is so broad).
If you can get passed the plastic housing of this one, there is a lot to like about this pedal. First you have a blend and a blend that works well. Secondly you have a distortion channel and the tone only affects the distortion channel, leaving the clean alone.
Talking about tone, it's got a very nice eq curve going from bassy to crisp and high. Distortion goes from really mild overdrive, just a bit of hair to wild and dirty. The quality of distortion reminds me of a tube screamer but it has its own flavor, it's not quite the same and tends to be warmer and more natural sounding. Everything is made of plastic but it seems to be pretty robust. It has a 9 volt adapter plug and the battery compartment is on the top. That's probably the weakest part of this pedal.
I was able to easily dial in a variety of super nice, super usable tones. The blend in particular worked well. Blends have grown on me. They are really useful on overdrive/distortion pedals. So, there you have it. Yes, it's a cheap thrill and it won't make other bass players go ooh haah looking at a $359 distortion pedal (you know the one) but it delivers great tones and the value is unbeatable.
