BOSS MT-2 –Metal Zone Effects Pedal for Guitar and Bass. Legendary High-Gain Distortion Pedal with over 1 Million Sold. BOSS 5-Year Warranty.

Product Information

So what is a buffer pedal? Buffer pedals aim to reinforce your signal to prevent loss of volume or clarity. They prevent AC (alternating current) from entering a circuit, thus preventing your signal from being interrupted or affected. A stronger, clearer signal means better sound – it’s as simple as that. Boss pedals all have buffered bypass circuitry built-in, meaning that when they’re bypassed, they still act as buffers. Under appreciated, misunderstood, whatever; 30 years on, the MT-2 Metal Zone remains in production and is an evergreen pedalboard choice. In 2018, Boss released a Waza Craft version of the Metal Zone, with an enhanced Standard mode joined by a Custom mode voiced for contemporary metal styles. Boss hasn’t left the development of the MT-2’s tone there, as every section of the pedal has been meticulously tuned to provide its tight and well-defined signature sound.

We have seen tons of videos, comments, discussion, [and] even memes. I feel this is a bit of evidence that shows the MT-2 is loved by a lot of players,” he says. “[Its] unique characteristics and features make the MT-2 a high-gain icon that has continued to capture the hearts of many guitarists for three decades.” Become Part of the Metal Zone Legend No matter where you stand, with BOSS recently introducing a celebratory 30th-anniversary iteration, it’s the perfect time to reset the MT-2’s polarizing impact and formidable legacy. 1991: The Metal Zone Makes Its Debut Like all Waza Craft pedals, the MT-2W infuses an original BOSS analog design with artful refinements for enhanced performance and versatility. The dual-stage gain circuit features a discrete design with carefully selected components, providing premium tones with increased clarity. The EQ has been refined as well, with a smoother midrange tone and unique Q values specially tuned for the pedal’s Standard and Custom modes. Standard Mode: Enhanced Metal Zone This cookie stores user-like settings for the chat system provider, which are required for our online chat service. Trusted ShopsThe MT-2W reflects the progressive changes to the 21st century metal scene. Guitarists are now after tighter lows, punchier mids, dynamic gain and articulate highs, which is exactly what the MT-2W provides. AC adaptor (PSA series: sold separately) Current Draw 30 mA Expected battery life under continuous use Carbon: Approx. 12.5 hours The Metal Zone has been used on Prince’s The Undertaker. Many believe that this is what Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter used on Daft Punk’s debut to make their Juno synth sound like it does on Rollin' and Scratchin’. I tried every distortion pedal on the market and every time I heard the sound that excited me, it was the Metal Zone! Simon Neil, Biffy Clyro The Boss MT-2 Metal Zone has been part of the legendary Japanese effects manufacturer's fixed program since 1991 and since then has helped to turn even the weakest guitar amplifier into a fire-breathing metal monster. The analogue dual-stage gain circuit promises massive distortion sounds with long sustain, while the active 3-band EQ allows precise adjustment of the tone.

Kurt Ballou is a man who knows a thing or two about metal tone, first from his band Converge, but also as the owner of God City Studios. He's a fan of flattening the MT-2’s EQ, turning down the gain and using the level control to smash a tube amp into saturation. From there, you can adjust the EQ on the Metal Zone to your taste, making it a very powerful dirty boost. Even then it’s far from transparent,” he explained to Boss. “There’s some pre-emphasis EQ that’s always present which adds clarity and harmonics even at low gain.” Note that I also included the Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive Keeley Ge (Germanium) 5-Star Mod as a Bonus Round - it’s still right up there, but not quite of the status of the other 3 - and I could not readily find any kind of obvious or even vaguely matching mini alternative - I could have maybe gone with the new MXR Mini Timmy (also with asymmetrical clipping) - but I feel that it is its own thing really - and I don’t feel it entirely fair to associate obviously branded pedals with each other unless they are intentional clones or alternatives. Ikegami believes that this flurry of YouTube content, not to mention the endless online chatter, has cemented the MT-2’s standing.

Engaging the MT-2W’s Custom mode voices the pedal for a huge, wide-ranging sound, making it ideal for nearly any current heavy style. The tone is natural and open, with increased dynamics and rounder lower mids than Standard mode. Even at the highest gain settings, the low end remains full yet tight, focused, and well-defined, perfect for chugging out low-tuned riffs. The sound also cleans up very nicely when reducing your guitar’s volume, putting an extremely balanced range of tones under your fingers. Waza Craft: The Art of Superior Tone

So, how does a guitar noise gate pedal work? It’s actually a lot simpler than you might think. A noise gate works by “opening” and letting sound through when your guitar/amp signal goes above a certain threshold (which you can manually set on most noise gate pedals). It then “closes” to eradicate the hiss when its level falls below that threshold. Many of us are die-hard metal enthusiasts, so we understand the importance of achieving the crushingly heavy guitar tone. We leverage our extensive experience using guitar pedals in live performances, studio recordings, and rehearsals to identify the best products for our guides. The key magic was focusing and boosting midrange in the first gain stage to enhance the sweet spot for guitar sound Yoshi Ikegami, president of Boss So often, when we have new ideas and we put them in front of an audience, you can really tell right away if the song is the right tempo, [and] the riffs are where they need to be... It's a testing ground,” he said. Dan Donegan, Disturbed – another example of great use of the Metal Zone’s powerful EQ. Donegan rolls off the low end and tweaks the mids for a lo-fi radio sound, perfect for song intros and instrumental breaks.

Metal Zone

Not everyone enjoys the Metal Zone’s over-the-edge quality. The Metal Zone divided opinion upon its launch. It divides opinion now. Just Google “Boss MT-2 Metal Zone” and the first suggested link that comes up under ‘People also asked’ reads, “Is the Boss Metal Zone that bad?” But its flexible EQ and gnarliness when provoked are what attract players such as Neil.

Overdrive vs Distortion vs Fuzz: What's The Difference?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj53Q-pisbw&t=1s More recently, tech metal bands have leaned on modelling units like the Axe-FX series. Even so, many of the models used, like the FAS Modern, are simply hot-rodded emulations of classic metal amps, often with a boost in front.The Metal Zone is almost always a key ingredient to the mix. The reason we’ve used it so often in the studio is because it just sounds so evil. And it’s very flexible Nathan Weaver, Wolves in the Throne Room For over 25 years, the MT-2 Metal Zone has been one of the most popular and influential compact pedals in the BOSS lineup, with overall sales that are second only to the venerable DS-1 Distortion. Made in Japan and infused with Waza Craft mojo, the MT-2W takes the iconic stomp to new levels of tonal range and versatility. Standard mode delivers an evolved version of the original mid-focused Metal Zone tone, while Custom mode introduces a fresh, wide-ranging voice that’s perfectly suited for today’s diverse high-gain styles. But perhaps the Metal Zone’s greatest cultural impact can be observed in the generations of guitar players it has weaned on high-gain. For many metal players, the MT-2 was a rite of passage, a crucial staging post en route to finding the sound they’d take on the road. Spend some time with the EQ controls! Boss have always had a thing for powerful EQ. The Metal Zone is no exception. Using their handy double-knob configuration, two controls become four. This means you have a detailed 3-band EQ – low, high & mid (with a mid-frequency control from 200Hz to 5kHz). There’s a mighty 15dB of range on tap – try using the Metal Zone as a low-gain boost & EQ pedal!