no at the time it was miked up amp to a snake - mixing board with 1 band para and a filter to get rid of low end or high end , monitors and house speakers, systems are much better today sound guys hated them , crank the 412 over the sound mans control is what happen , and he would blame the lack of controlled compression like the black album on the metal zone
It's just a parametric EQ, I don't know why it would make any pedal sound worse unless you don't know how to use it. It simply boosts/cuts the frequencies that you choose to boost/cut, unless it doesn't work properly. It's really not much different from how Boss GE7 works, other than the GE7 has sliders that affect certain fixed frequencies whereas on the PQ you can choose which frequencies the knobs affect (for example if there's a nasty sounding frequency, you can find it by using the mid frequency knob and then cut that frequency, or if there's a frequency that you really like, you can find that frequency and give it a boost). If it's a good pedal, it doesn't affect the tone in any way (or it affects it so little that the difference between bypass and controls set at noon is barely noticeable) - it just boosts/cuts the frequencies of your choice. That's how EQ pedals work. Sure, you can make it sound bad if you can't use it, but if you know how to use it properly, it does exactly what it's supposed to do. It sounds like in this video Phillip was trying to make the other pedals sound like the Metal Zone, which is why they sounded like crap. But you can do a lot of things with a parametric EQ. It's simply an EQ pedal and gives you a lot of control over your tone - you can also use it to ruin your tone if you decide to boost/cut the frequencies that you are not supposed to boost/cut.
@@RJsCave I saw it it might have something to do with the fx loop. The signal isn't being boosted by the amps bass, mid, treble and gain it's just the metal zones eq it sounds good that way.
Round 1 B, round 2 A, round 3 A, round 4 B, round 5 B, so metal zone. To be fair, there is some weird "compression" or volume drop on all the others, so the EQ pedal might be to blame...
Lp Giroux I think some of that might have been from how it was being recorded, etc. I’ve noticed mic clipping issues when Phil’s only used a room mic and I’d lump this in with that.
I think it was the compressor for his recording setup. He'll use it to balance his voice and playing usually. When he hit full cords especially it would attenuate making it sound weird with the sudden volume changes. He should've maybe either turned off the compressor for the guitar recording part, or direct recorded the guitar parts. I don't remember hearing this in other videos of his, so maybe he forgot this time, or was playing louder than usual, so it became an issue when it normally isn't.
Obviously the metal zone was the clear winner. But the parametric eq sounded like it made everything fizzy...giving the pedals paired with it a severe handicap. I'd be willing to bet that if you took the eq out of the equation, then it would be a fair fight resulting in a far different outcome.
I would love to see Phillip do a comparison of each pedal against the Metal Zone. I’m sure that it sounds better than what you expect. The problem is that most people don’t know how to properly use the Metal Zone. I got rid of a TS9, a Plimsoul, a WAZA OD1 & countless other pedals because they weren’t capable of sounding better than the Metal Zone.
I 've been playing metal for 29 years and I guessed correctly each time as to which was which. I'm blown away that seemingly all who commented prefer the Metal zone. I personally prefer the PQ-4 sound + any of the pedals used over the Metal Zone all day long (at least for playing alone as opposed to with a band).
You know, you can make some really good, chunky tones with the metal zone joined with a clean tube amp...just have to dial the middle knobs almost milimetric
EXACTLY 1000% ! Can also use a EQ pedal to take out some of the high end and add mids and wow, I ran mine though a Blackstar Metal 100 Full stack and it sounded incredible!
I liked the Metal Core better in the store, but it does not have a mids control so when I want that kind of massive gain I just eq it with a GE-7. But honestly, a guitar with high output humbuckers and a decent amount of gain will sound way better.
I know it's become trendy to hate on the Metal Zone pedal but I believe the reason so many people think it sounds bad is because of all the controls on it. You really have to noodle around with it to find a sweet sound. I find these settings sound quite good... LEVEL: 12 o'clock HIGH: 3 o'clock LOW: 5 o'clock MID-FREQ: 1 o'clock MID: 7 o'clock DIST: 5 o'clock
the Mids were a bit too scooped on the Parametric EQ settings. I could tell which is which, but I think the pedals on the side with the Parametric EQ are best by themselves, but I know that isn't the point of the video! MAybe put the paraEQ in an effects loop or before an amp, or a lower gain pedal?
Well, this is a clear example of one of two things. Either the Metal Zone sounds a lot better than we remember and were told... or, more likely, running a parametric EQ in line with the distortion pedals just wrecks their sounds.
I have a metal zone on my pedalboard as a novelty. It was my first pedal. I later replaced it with a metal core. I actually got a sweet tone out of it with my tele and sd pickup booster. There’s a place for it in this world. Btw it sounded better than all 5 of those but you knew that already.
my original from 92ish has been missing for about 10 years so i picked one up on sale at my local music shop today at lunch . still a great metal distortion
Secret to using the Metal Zone: set the gain to between 9o'clock and 11o'clock, put all the EQs at 12o' clock except the volume, put that to say10o' clock, then start playing. When moving any EQ knob move it only by a very small amount till you get the sound you want.
The Metal Zone has a tighter sound, less muddy. I picked it every time. The MT-2 will always have a place on my board. I can dial in some sick sounds with it.
The Angry Driver was the only one that came close to the chewy sound of the Metal Zone. I actually now want a Metal Zone, there really is something about it!
Seems like most liked the Metal Zone more, and I agree. The PQ-4 was an “overdose” of high end, making everything fuzzy. Sometimes that’s part of the struggle with using an additional EQ on an already existing EQ. EQ pedals are generally better for dialing out frequencies, not in.
I'd pick the metal zone based on this video, however that's because of the tones you setup. I've heard the EVH on its own and in other videos and I'd pick the evh over the metal zone any day.
I'm purchasing a Harley Benton CST-24 Hollowbody. I'm certain it's going to need a full set up to sound as good as it can with the stock hardware. I'm totally willing to send it to you for a review of that guitar if you'd be willing to just do the basic setup (intonation, pick up heights, string height, neck relief and basic fret work) as I've only ever done that work myself on a strat... That way you don't have to be dependent on Harley Benton either okaying or disapproving a review... If not it's cool, just hoping to get your opinion and a decent setup on my new guitar lol. Great Channel Phillip.
This was fun Phil! I gravitated towards the metal zone for the most part. It would be very instructive to do a series of this type of blind tests with common pedals vs the expensive to cut most of the aura that surrounds boutique.
I’d like to hear the Friedman beside the angry driver. I like the Friedman pretty good. I kept thinking of the song Holy diver by Dio all through this video, for some reason. Great sound in your videos, btw. Time to find some Dio, lol.
Hi my name is Koen Leliveld and I’m from Sauble Beach Ontario in Canada. I liked the EVH 5150 the best. I had a Boss Metal Zone pedal but I got rid of it instantly as soon as I got my EVH 5150 Pedal
Honestly I preferred the Metal Zone in every single test. It just sounded more like an overdriven amp, all the others sounded fake. There is a reason why the Metal Zone has been around so long, folks.
Wow, this is like the oldschool "We're fooling Mrs. Smith! We replaced her ordinary coffee with Folgers crystals!" commercials, but for pedals. Awesome.
great video. I picked out the metal zone every time and liked the metal zone tone every time BUT in shootouts 1,3,and 4 I still prefered the competition
It's really all about the sensitive mid-range knobs. I'd say about 90% of the pedals out there sounding like garbage are set far too aggressively. Consider that as being the main reason people $#!& all over the MT-2. I own two of them; one modded, one stock and depending on the guitar, pre-amp(s), amp, effects channel availability I'll switch between them. Knobs are typically near 12 o'clock. Well worth the price of a used MT-2
I have a Keeley Modded Metal zone. I like it. I would never use it live but for low volume home play it is awesome. I liked the Metal zone on all but the Angry driver. I was surprised on some I thought was the Metal zone wasn't
I could identify the Metal Zone in all but one test, the EQ is more narrowed, which I don't prefer. I think you can dial in with PQ 4 whatever you want, no?
I personally chose the Metal Zone over all the other pedals except the Suhr Riot but it did not sound the same on that particular riff. Philip, were you changing the parameters for each riff or were they exactly the same? On the Riot comparison the Metal Zone just sounded a lot different than for the other comparisons and a lot less smooth than before! Going to have to have to play around a lot with both before choosing one.
The metal zone was one of my first pedals when I was 11. I'm 32 now, I could still make it as heavy as I wanted - all about adjustments, I remember almost golden spots to turn the dial to on the pedal. Also if you mix the stuff, the metal zone ends up with a bigger sound than most others... God, I sound like a spokesperson.. BOSS Where's my pedals? or specifically my GT-5723547
I am a fan of the metal zone but not through the Fender amp. It was the first decent (in my opinion) pedal I bought in the 90's and still have it. I like some of the other pedals normally as well but I am not sure if it was the combination of the EMG's through the Fender amp or what but it did them no justice at all. Maybe it was the EQ pedal, that's probably why it was discontinued!
on test 3 i definitely preferred the metal zone. for the other tests it wasn't so clear. it was a case of something more muffled and brooding vs something louder, but brighter. good sounds, just more of a "what sound do i want right now" kind of thing, A or B.
I can't believe how many times I enjoyed the Metal Zone as much, and in a couple cases better than the big time pedals. I have the EVH, and love it. And now I want that last pedal demo'd... And I should probably get another one of those damn Metal Zones too... Just in case... :-)
Mr. McKnight, Although I do not use metal zone in my floorboards due to playing mainly Gospel lead guitar, I prefer the Metal Zone in all 5 A/B comparisons.
I always liked the Metal Zone MT2. I need to buy another one, im currently stuck with a Digitech Death Metal pedal that I modified a while back to sound less crappy.
The only pedal with the parametric eq I liked over the Metal Zone was the Angry Driver. I'm a huge fan of the BE-OD & the Suhr Riot, but maybe the eq works best with Boss pedals. I wonder how good they sound through a mix. This was fun. I never thought I'd choose the Metal Zone as much as I did
I owned the Metal Zone in the early 90s, and ran it through a small practice amp which had horrible distortion (it was a small Crate combo, which sounded like a garbage can). I had just quit my band to go back to school, and had sold most of my gear, and I needed something to fool around with. I have to say that I actually thought that for it's time it was pretty good, and I especially loved the ability to fine tune the mids frequency. That said, once I could afford it again, and went back to a real amp, I sold the Metal Zone and never looked back... I've always preferred the high gain tones that come directly from amps, versus pedals... but I do like overdrive/distortion pedals occasionally for adding a little extra gain/bite for leads :)
Do you honestly think that Ola Englund is waiting for a signal from PMK to be interested in High Gain pedals ? Despite his great knowledge in general, PMK is very uncomfortable with the Metal Zone. He plugs it into a Fender SuperSonic ! Before to the preamp ! showing that he doesn't know how to use this pedal. This is how some people come to think that the Metal Zone is worthless. Ola's video really teaches us how to use it, and that's what's interesting. On the contrary, I had the impression that PMK had to talk about a pedal that doesn't really interest him, because it's one of the biggest sales in the world, and that many people (including me) will clic on his video.
Too Late I thought Ola was married already? Don’t think he will be interested in you. Sorry. I am subbed to both. Clearly, he saw Phil do this video and he got excited about the MT-2 and did a video of his own. Watch this video then watch his. You’re telling me he never saw Phil’s video? Ha! Yeah right. No one is mad at him for it. I was just pointing out the very, very obvious.
I am disappointed to learn that Ola is already married. I was already picturing myself passing my hand through his blond hair ... I couldn't do that with Phil. I just wanted to emphasize that Ola Englund is more comfortable with the Metal Zone and extreme metal stuff than Phillip McKnight, who isn't exactly at home with Pantera's riffs...
@@davidmcgravey9858 had the hellraiser same time i had the exotic star both awesome ... Also got a sun valley super shredder 3 and a svss in seafoam green/satin forest??
Interesting, but not at all a fair comparison. Also highly indicative of how musicians look at things. Volume levels were different and eqs were vastly different. There was a mid range bass dip that made the metal zone sound fizzier, crisper and more focused than others that didn't have the dip. Adjust eqs and volumes going into and coming out of the distortion pedals to suit and they would have sounded pretty much the same if you ask me. Louder generally sounds better. Fletcher Munson curves remember?
I liked how u did this shoot out. I watched it 4 times lol all kick ass pedals and im including the metal zone... Umm I'd like to have all of those pedals whew!!!!!
That Hellraiser is pretty sweet! As far as the pedals, I'm about 50/50 for each round with the Metal Zone. Of all the expensive pedals, I would definitely vote for the LPD 87. 👍🏻
The Metal Zone isn't a "bad" pedal. I love mine. With the GE-7 and a clean solid state amp, the Metal Zone can sound huge, but it becomes completely useless if you dime everything out. Plus, it's BOSS. Built like a tank, excellent warranty, and cheaper than any of those "boutique" pedals by far.
I dug the metal zone in almost every test except for the EVH that had a different mid cut. it's just funny to me that so many people hate on that pedal but it can be pretty versatile .. I've used it as a clean boost / eq not unlike a ts9 and a mxr 6 band eq. has a lot of tone shaping plus it's an easy way to get dimegag tones for days lol!
great video! i'm not sure phil knows about yt-guitar-people being so easily fooled by setting the midcontroll vom the metalzone right and going bathtub frequencies for the other pedals. but it was interesting to see that i identified the right one everytime exactly because of that edgy strange mid-thing the mt-2 does (the way you set it up at least). fun video nonetheless!
The metal zone does a certain sound really well. Too often people don't suggest something in the same vein, but a pedal with a different sound. The 5150 plus parametric EQ was the only time I felt there was something worthwhile going on. It was the one I got curious about:) Phil, if possible, adding some metal zone level pedals to the mix would be interesting. Can we get a better metal zone in one pedal?
I've got all metal zone hahahahaha but the riot almost got me hahahah I've got this pedal yesterday!! I loved it!!! hahahah I even tried on a simple strat... and it was fine!!
I think you effectively proved the point that a well setup MetalZone actually doesn't sound awful... And that any pedal can sound a bit pants if set wrong - even high-end boutique stuff 😂
Phil, I thought the Metal Zone sounded the best every time but the comparison between the Metal Zone and the LPD was very close with the Metal Zone edging out the LPD by a nose.
So it's safe to say then that the Boss PQ-4 was discontinued for making any pedal going through sound worse than a Metal Zone. Impressive.
After listening to the vid again I think you're right.
no at the time it was miked up amp to a snake - mixing board with 1 band para and a filter to get rid of low end or high end , monitors and house speakers, systems are much better today sound guys hated them , crank the 412 over the sound mans control is what happen , and he would blame the lack of controlled compression like the black album on the metal zone
It's just a parametric EQ, I don't know why it would make any pedal sound worse unless you don't know how to use it. It simply boosts/cuts the frequencies that you choose to boost/cut, unless it doesn't work properly. It's really not much different from how Boss GE7 works, other than the GE7 has sliders that affect certain fixed frequencies whereas on the PQ you can choose which frequencies the knobs affect (for example if there's a nasty sounding frequency, you can find it by using the mid frequency knob and then cut that frequency, or if there's a frequency that you really like, you can find that frequency and give it a boost).
If it's a good pedal, it doesn't affect the tone in any way (or it affects it so little that the difference between bypass and controls set at noon is barely noticeable) - it just boosts/cuts the frequencies of your choice. That's how EQ pedals work. Sure, you can make it sound bad if you can't use it, but if you know how to use it properly, it does exactly what it's supposed to do.
It sounds like in this video Phillip was trying to make the other pedals sound like the Metal Zone, which is why they sounded like crap. But you can do a lot of things with a parametric EQ. It's simply an EQ pedal and gives you a lot of control over your tone - you can also use it to ruin your tone if you decide to boost/cut the frequencies that you are not supposed to boost/cut.
That is extremely accurate lol.
I picked the Metal Zone every time. I can't believe it 🤜😵
Same here
Same here. Everything else was too scooped
yeah me too. dammmmnit
I got the same result...LOL!
Me too...and I’m just as shocked.
Headline: "Metal Zone sells have went through the roof! Phillip McKnight single handily resurrects a long-time hated pedal from the dead."
for me it's a tone I like as i'm hearing it until another tone comes along that has some mids. Then i'm like "oh, yeah right."
Dear God... I have HATED the metal zone for.. how many years? Lol. I was given one, I said I don't want it, trade it for some strings.
Ola Englund, CSGuitars, and many more channels have talked about the Swedish chainsaw and the metal zone years before this video came out.
spiderfan, have you seen CSGuitars latest metal zone video? He runs it as a pre amp and it actually sounds useable!
@@RJsCave I saw it it might have something to do with the fx loop. The signal isn't being boosted by the amps bass, mid, treble and gain it's just the metal zones eq it sounds good that way.
Not a metal guy, but I picked the metal zone 4/5. The Angry Driver was the only one I liked better.
Same
same!
Me too, Metal Zone 4/5. The Angry Driver was the only exception for me too.
I am totally NOT a Metal guy. Wonder if that makes any difference?
Yeah, same here. 😎
Maybe Boss pairs best with Boss. Either way, I think it's safe to say the Angry Driver kicks major tail.
Round 1 B, round 2 A, round 3 A, round 4 B, round 5 B, so metal zone. To be fair, there is some weird "compression" or volume drop on all the others, so the EQ pedal might be to blame...
Lp Giroux I think some of that might have been from how it was being recorded, etc. I’ve noticed mic clipping issues when Phil’s only used a room mic and I’d lump this in with that.
I'm wondering if he was using some noise gate
I think it was the compressor for his recording setup. He'll use it to balance his voice and playing usually.
When he hit full cords especially it would attenuate making it sound weird with the sudden volume changes. He should've maybe either turned off the compressor for the guitar recording part, or direct recorded the guitar parts. I don't remember hearing this in other videos of his, so maybe he forgot this time, or was playing louder than usual, so it became an issue when it normally isn't.
Well... for each round, every single time, I liked the Metal Zone the best, I’m not kidding :)
Phil Smith same
Phil Smith My thoughts exactly. I am completely shocked!
Yup picked it every dam time lol
Obviously the metal zone was the clear winner. But the parametric eq sounded like it made everything fizzy...giving the pedals paired with it a severe handicap. I'd be willing to bet that if you took the eq out of the equation, then it would be a fair fight resulting in a far different outcome.
100% agree.
I would love to see Phillip do a comparison of each pedal against the Metal Zone. I’m sure that it sounds better than what you expect. The problem is that most people don’t know how to properly use the Metal Zone. I got rid of a TS9, a Plimsoul, a WAZA OD1 & countless other pedals because they weren’t capable of sounding better than the Metal Zone.
I 've been playing metal for 29 years and I guessed correctly each time as to which was which. I'm blown away that seemingly all who commented prefer the Metal zone. I personally prefer the PQ-4 sound + any of the pedals used over the Metal Zone all day long (at least for playing alone as opposed to with a band).
You know, you can make some really good, chunky tones with the metal zone joined with a clean tube amp...just have to dial the middle knobs almost milimetric
EXACTLY 1000% ! Can also use a EQ pedal to take out some of the high end and add mids and wow, I ran mine though a Blackstar Metal 100 Full stack and it sounded incredible!
LOVE your choice of “I’m Broken” for the opening comparison. Wonderful.
Am I weird for never owning a metalzone?
Damn! I picked the metal zone in every case!!!!
How about the metal zone against the metal core? What about my trusty old Proco Rat??
I liked the Metal Core better in the store, but it does not have a mids control so when I want that kind of massive gain I just eq it with a GE-7. But honestly, a guitar with high output humbuckers and a decent amount of gain will sound way better.
Video + comments = hilarity! Thx Phil for bringing the fun!
Phil I feel like you're messing with us haha
Phillip that's unbelievable! The Metalzone is in all 5 clips the winner..........why is this pedal so underrated?
Wow you made that metal zone sound good. Something I always thought was impossible. Awesome job Phil.
What's with the volume fluctuations in Sample A?
autobotsNdecepticons clipping maybe? Heard it in a few of the vids
I noticed that as well.
Ya there is some pumping and breathing like an incorrectly set compressor or gate possibly... It was extremely distracting.
You may have inadvertently demonstrated why that Parametric EQ pedal is no longer in production.
I know it's become trendy to hate on the Metal Zone pedal but I believe the reason so many people think it sounds bad is because of all the controls on it. You really have to noodle around with it to find a sweet sound. I find these settings sound quite good...
LEVEL: 12 o'clock
HIGH: 3 o'clock
LOW: 5 o'clock
MID-FREQ: 1 o'clock
MID: 7 o'clock
DIST: 5 o'clock
Really??? These are the worst settings ever
You're welcome. :)
What's supporting the necks of the guitars that are hanging at an angle in the beginning of the video?
the Mids were a bit too scooped on the Parametric EQ settings. I could tell which is which, but I think the pedals on the side with the Parametric EQ are best by themselves, but I know that isn't the point of the video! MAybe put the paraEQ in an effects loop or before an amp, or a lower gain pedal?
Well, this is a clear example of one of two things. Either the Metal Zone sounds a lot better than we remember and were told... or, more likely, running a parametric EQ in line with the distortion pedals just wrecks their sounds.
I only guessed the last two correctly and really liked the sounds from the Friedman and the Suhr.
I have a metal zone on my pedalboard as a novelty. It was my first pedal. I later replaced it with a metal core. I actually got a sweet tone out of it with my tele and sd pickup booster. There’s a place for it in this world. Btw it sounded better than all 5 of those but you knew that already.
my original from 92ish has been missing for about 10 years so i picked one up on sale at my local music shop today at lunch . still a great metal distortion
Yes, but can you use the Metal Zone as a parameteic EQ?
WOW!... The Metal Zone is STILL kicking ass all these years later!. lol Nice.
were the pedals in the effects loop? I am still learning about pedals and how to use them
I'm a simple man. I see the words "Metal Zone" and I click
That brown-burst SG in the back looks really good.
Secret to using the Metal Zone: set the gain to between 9o'clock and 11o'clock, put all the EQs at 12o' clock except the volume, put that to say10o' clock, then start playing. When moving any EQ knob move it only by a very small amount till you get the sound you want.
Metal Zones still feel like that good and herd fuzz sound that I have always liked!
Believe it or not I guessed the Metal Zone Everytime. Of course I have been using one since the 90s. Hard to beat it!
What's the song in the comparison with Friedman? I wanna listen to it :D
The Metal Zone has a tighter sound, less muddy. I picked it every time. The MT-2 will always have a place on my board. I can dial in some sick sounds with it.
The Angry Driver was the only one that came close to the chewy sound of the Metal Zone. I actually now want a Metal Zone, there really is something about it!
Seems like most liked the Metal Zone more, and I agree. The PQ-4 was an “overdose” of high end, making everything fuzzy. Sometimes that’s part of the struggle with using an additional EQ on an already existing EQ. EQ pedals are generally better for dialing out frequencies, not in.
I had the 5150 pedal. Took it back and got a 100w katana. Best thing I could have done.
I'd pick the metal zone based on this video, however that's because of the tones you setup. I've heard the EVH on its own and in other videos and I'd pick the evh over the metal zone any day.
I'm purchasing a Harley Benton CST-24 Hollowbody. I'm certain it's going to need a full set up to sound as good as it can with the stock hardware. I'm totally willing to send it to you for a review of that guitar if you'd be willing to just do the basic setup (intonation, pick up heights, string height, neck relief and basic fret work) as I've only ever done that work myself on a strat... That way you don't have to be dependent on Harley Benton either okaying or disapproving a review... If not it's cool, just hoping to get your opinion and a decent setup on my new guitar lol. Great Channel Phillip.
This was fun Phil! I gravitated towards the metal zone for the most part. It would be very instructive to do a series of this type of blind tests with common pedals vs the expensive to cut most of the aura that surrounds boutique.
I have the 5150 pedal and don't use my metal zone anymore. However, you're making that metal zone sound good. What are the settings?
I’d like to hear the Friedman beside the angry driver. I like the Friedman pretty good. I kept thinking of the song Holy diver by Dio all through this video, for some reason. Great sound in your videos, btw. Time to find some Dio, lol.
Hi my name is Koen Leliveld and I’m from Sauble Beach Ontario in Canada. I liked the EVH 5150 the best. I had a Boss Metal Zone pedal but I got rid of it instantly as soon as I got my EVH 5150 Pedal
Honestly I preferred the Metal Zone in every single test. It just sounded more like an overdriven amp, all the others sounded fake. There is a reason why the Metal Zone has been around so long, folks.
So if one were to fix the crappy MT one would have to mess with the eq section of the board only? Interesting
The Para EQ compromised the other pedals, but the metal zone still sounds decent, wonder how in a full mix however
Wow, this is like the oldschool "We're fooling Mrs. Smith! We replaced her ordinary coffee with Folgers crystals!" commercials, but for pedals. Awesome.
great video. I picked out the metal zone every time and liked the metal zone tone every time BUT in shootouts 1,3,and 4 I still prefered the competition
really like that purple schecter!
I don’t know how many times I thought about buying the MZ, but I always went a different route. Gotta rethink this for sure. Great vid!
It's really all about the sensitive mid-range knobs. I'd say about 90% of the pedals out there sounding like garbage are set far too aggressively. Consider that as being the main reason people $#!& all over the MT-2. I own two of them; one modded, one stock and depending on the guitar, pre-amp(s), amp, effects channel availability I'll switch between them. Knobs are typically near 12 o'clock. Well worth the price of a used MT-2
I have a Keeley Modded Metal zone. I like it. I would never use it live but for low volume home play it is awesome. I liked the Metal zone on all but the Angry driver. I was surprised on some I thought was the Metal zone wasn't
I could identify the Metal Zone in all but one test, the EQ is more narrowed, which I don't prefer. I think you can dial in with PQ 4 whatever you want, no?
I really enjoyed hearing the JHS angry driver with the PQ-4. I know my dad owns a PQ-4, its an essential pedal with his rig
\m/!
Can you post the settings please! Great video!
What are all the riffs?
I only know the Dio song. Anyone got a minute to tell me what they are please? Pleeeeeeease🙂
Does anyone remember the American Metal Pedal from the 80’s? I can’t remember if it was Boss or DOD.
Also picked the metal zone every time. The third one came the closest to matching the sound.
I personally chose the Metal Zone over all the other pedals except the Suhr Riot but it did not sound the same on that particular riff. Philip, were you changing the parameters for each riff or were they exactly the same? On the Riot comparison the Metal Zone just sounded a lot different than for the other comparisons and a lot less smooth than before! Going to have to have to play around a lot with both before choosing one.
The metal zone was one of my first pedals when I was 11. I'm 32 now, I could still make it as heavy as I wanted - all about adjustments, I remember almost golden spots to turn the dial to on the pedal. Also if you mix the stuff, the metal zone ends up with a bigger sound than most others... God, I sound like a spokesperson.. BOSS Where's my pedals? or specifically my GT-5723547
I am a fan of the metal zone but not through the Fender amp. It was the first decent (in my opinion) pedal I bought in the 90's and still have it. I like some of the other pedals normally as well but I am not sure if it was the combination of the EMG's through the Fender amp or what but it did them no justice at all. Maybe it was the EQ pedal, that's probably why it was discontinued!
1. B = Metal Zone 2. A = Metal Zone 3. B = Boss PQ 4 + Angry Driver 4. B = Metal Zone 5. A = Boss PQ 4 + Lawrence Petross Eighty 7
on test 3 i definitely preferred the metal zone. for the other tests it wasn't so clear. it was a case of something more muffled and brooding vs something louder, but brighter. good sounds, just more of a "what sound do i want right now" kind of thing, A or B.
I can't believe how many times I enjoyed the Metal Zone as much, and in a couple cases better than the big time pedals. I have the EVH, and love it. And now I want that last pedal demo'd... And I should probably get another one of those damn Metal Zones too... Just in case... :-)
I liked the Metal Zone in every single round. Sounded great
Mr. McKnight,
Although I do not use metal zone in my floorboards due to playing mainly Gospel lead guitar, I prefer the Metal Zone in all 5 A/B comparisons.
I always liked the Metal Zone MT2. I need to buy another one, im currently stuck with a Digitech Death Metal pedal that I modified a while back to sound less crappy.
I liked the Metal Zone most every time. 😱The LPD pedal sounded the best otherwise, to my ears.
Classic video Phil. Trolling us hard on this one. And like many others in the comments I mostly picked the MZ as the better sound. Probably 4/5 times.
Metal Zone for me too. It was always a great pedal if set up correctly. Off to eBay to find a used one.......
The only pedal with the parametric eq I liked over the Metal Zone was the Angry Driver. I'm a huge fan of the BE-OD & the Suhr Riot, but maybe the eq works best with Boss pedals. I wonder how good they sound through a mix. This was fun. I never thought I'd choose the Metal Zone as much as I did
This was super cool. Each time the Metal Zone sounded infinitely better. But I do wonder what the settings were.
I owned the Metal Zone in the early 90s, and ran it through a small practice amp which had horrible distortion (it was a small Crate combo, which sounded like a garbage can). I had just quit my band to go back to school, and had sold most of my gear, and I needed something to fool around with. I have to say that I actually thought that for it's time it was pretty good, and I especially loved the ability to fine tune the mids frequency. That said, once I could afford it again, and went back to a real amp, I sold the Metal Zone and never looked back... I've always preferred the high gain tones that come directly from amps, versus pedals... but I do like overdrive/distortion pedals occasionally for adding a little extra gain/bite for leads :)
MT-2 video just popped up on OLA Englunds page. Wonder why? Lol
Do you honestly think that Ola Englund is waiting for a signal from PMK to be interested in High Gain pedals ?
Despite his great knowledge in general, PMK is very uncomfortable with the Metal Zone. He plugs it into a Fender SuperSonic ! Before to the preamp ! showing that he doesn't know how to use this pedal. This is how some people come to think that the Metal Zone is worthless. Ola's video really teaches us how to use it, and that's what's interesting.
On the contrary, I had the impression that PMK had to talk about a pedal that doesn't really interest him, because it's one of the biggest sales in the world, and that many people (including me) will clic on his video.
Too Late I thought Ola was married already? Don’t think he will be interested in you. Sorry. I am subbed to both. Clearly, he saw Phil do this video and he got excited about the MT-2 and did a video of his own. Watch this video then watch his. You’re telling me he never saw Phil’s video? Ha! Yeah right. No one is mad at him for it. I was just pointing out the very, very obvious.
I am disappointed to learn that Ola is already married. I was already picturing myself passing my hand through his blond hair ... I couldn't do that with Phil.
I just wanted to emphasize that Ola Englund is more comfortable with the Metal Zone and extreme metal stuff than Phillip McKnight, who isn't exactly at home with Pantera's riffs...
Yaah schecter. I just bought a exotic star saturday. Any schecter fans out there???????????😀
Yeah!! Have the same Hellraiser C1 like the one Phillip's playing but in black cherry.
@@MrNicoPela nice
Yup. I have 3 Schecters currently with one more on it's way. I love this brand of guitars.
@@davidmcgravey9858 had the hellraiser same time i had the exotic star both awesome ... Also got a sun valley super shredder 3 and a svss in seafoam green/satin forest??
Yep, KM-7 and Banshee 6 Passive.
Did you try to make both pedals sound the same in every round or what you feel is the best sound for each?
Interesting, but not at all a fair comparison. Also highly indicative of how musicians look at things. Volume levels were different and eqs were vastly different. There was a mid range bass dip that made the metal zone sound fizzier, crisper and more focused than others that didn't have the dip. Adjust eqs and volumes going into and coming out of the distortion pedals to suit and they would have sounded pretty much the same if you ask me. Louder generally sounds better. Fletcher Munson curves remember?
I liked how u did this shoot out. I watched it 4 times lol all kick ass pedals and im including the metal zone... Umm I'd like to have all of those pedals whew!!!!!
That Hellraiser is pretty sweet! As far as the pedals, I'm about 50/50 for each round with the Metal Zone. Of all the expensive pedals, I would definitely vote for the LPD 87. 👍🏻
what about the HM-2? do you have that pedal?
The Metal Zone isn't a "bad" pedal. I love mine. With the GE-7 and a clean solid state amp, the Metal Zone can sound huge, but it becomes completely useless if you dime everything out.
Plus, it's BOSS. Built like a tank, excellent warranty, and cheaper than any of those "boutique" pedals by far.
I dug the metal zone in almost every test except for the EVH that had a different mid cut. it's just funny to me that so many people hate on that pedal but it can be pretty versatile .. I've used it as a clean boost / eq not unlike a ts9 and a mxr 6 band eq. has a lot of tone shaping plus it's an easy way to get dimegag tones for days lol!
i like how the theme song is High school Blink 183 - pink guy
well, that was interesting but did anyone notice the weird compression on the metal sone during palm muted parts?
I need to play out of the Friedman next time I'm at gc. I was like no just want to hear the rat. But seeing you demo the Friedman got me thinking lol
great video! i'm not sure phil knows about yt-guitar-people being so easily fooled by setting the midcontroll vom the metalzone right and going bathtub frequencies for the other pedals.
but it was interesting to see that i identified the right one everytime exactly because of that edgy strange mid-thing the mt-2 does (the way you set it up at least).
fun video nonetheless!
Is it already April 1st again???
Yay Schecter!
I actually liked the EVH 5150 and the Eighty 7 over the MT-2, but the Metal Zone versus every other.
I’ve never used a metal zone, so I honestly had no opinion on it. But I was surprised at how good it sounded.
The metal zone does a certain sound really well. Too often people don't suggest something in the same vein, but a pedal with a different sound.
The 5150 plus parametric EQ was the only time I felt there was something worthwhile going on. It was the one I got curious about:)
Phil, if possible, adding some metal zone level pedals to the mix would be interesting. Can we get a better metal zone in one pedal?
I picked all 5 for the metal zone, I am shocked and amazed lol
Your guitar was tuned up a half step from standard. Accident or on purpose?
The Metal Zone isn’t an inherently bad pedal...it’s just that a lot of people don’t take the time to find the sweet spot with the EQ.
I've got all metal zone hahahahaha
but the riot almost got me hahahah
I've got this pedal yesterday!! I loved it!!! hahahah
I even tried on a simple strat... and it was fine!!
I think you effectively proved the point that a well setup MetalZone actually doesn't sound awful... And that any pedal can sound a bit pants if set wrong - even high-end boutique stuff 😂
Glad I picked up my Metal Zone for $30!
i think the metal zone sounds much better,you just have to get everything right.I plug mine in the effects loop and it sounds great
Phil, I thought the Metal Zone sounded the best every time but the comparison between the Metal Zone and the LPD was very close with the Metal Zone edging out the LPD by a nose.
Picked the Metal Zone 3/5 times, not sure what to feel
Um... Yea... All but one I liked the combination of pedals over the metal zone. And the one I did like mz better shocked me. It was round 2.