Members WWW Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 Sorry. I was going to post this in the Monsterpiece appreciation thread, but I can't even find the search button, lol. So instead, here's a copy/paste from my TGP thread. (I did start with sorry) The Mk II Dlx is the NPD in question, but I thought I would include the PNP I got a short time ago. Both are excellent pedals, and if you are familiar with Monsterpiece, you know you're getting both a quality original build, and excellent tone! TL;DR short version: Both excellent fuzzes with great builds/finishes, versatile tweakability and options, and amazing tone. Played them through strat/LP/Tele/ES-339 into Peavey Classic 30 and 76 Fender Champ. Long reviews after the pic... First the Mk II. This thing is simply amazing. I don't know what else to say about it. It features an exceptional build and stunning finish, but more importantly, has a lot of features to get a huge range of sounds. Top mount jacks Battery on/off toggle Vol/Fuzz/B1/B2/B3 (B_ = bias control for each of the 3 trannies) 5/10 Cap toggles I've never played a vintage tonebender, but this one nails all of the old classic rock stuff from the 60's and 70's. It can get hairy, raspy, sputtery and has plenty of gain (huge understatement). It can also get very, very smooth. My favorite thing about it though, is when set right, it has this singing quality that you don't hear from fuzzes too often, similar to what you hear from the box of war muff, but the fuzz/muff characteristics are obviously very different. Vol knob cleanup is about as good as it gets. The Basic Audio Scarab Deluxe is the only pedal I currently own in the same ballpark as the Mk II, and running them side by side, they're pretty similar. I love the scarab to death, but the Mk II edges it out with more versatility. The scarab was a bit darker and deeper, while the Mk II was crisp and more in your face. Next up: PNP. This one is pretty much a copy/paste from the Mk II as far as build/finish and features. This one, I believe is a hybrid fuzz face variant. Top mount jacks Battery on/off toggle Vol/Fuzz/I-Bias (input bias)/T-bias (transistor bias) Voice switch I've owned a few fuzz faces, and kept a few of my favorites. This one is very, very good and deserves a fair chance for anyone on the hunt. It also does much more than your typical fuzz face with it's versatile controls. The tranny bias messes with the fuzz, getting you from smooth to splatty and everywhere in between. There is a very good amount of gain available (I think this is a trend with MP pedals...) The magical qualities for this pedal though, are the input bias and voice controls. We all like riding the vol knob for great fuzz face tones. Well, this pedal features and external control that allows you to keep your guitar vol control static and just rock out. The voice control adds or subtracts bass frequencies from the signal for cutting through or adding to a mix of other frequencies. I think these two features are genius. I've had this pedal up against a Foxrox CC and a Jam Fuzz Phrase for a few months now. I can't decide which one is best. For those who made it past all that jibberish ^^ here's some gut shots: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted July 30, 2014 Members Share Posted July 30, 2014 Awesome, that was a great review - thanks for taking the time to post it. HNPDs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Great post - liked! By the way, for the record, here's the link to the Ultimate Monsterpiece Appreciation Thread. Search is in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. It works pretty well - it's Google based - and I used it to find the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WWW Posted July 31, 2014 Author Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 Thanks guys. I really want to do more reviews. I have a ton of awesome pedals that I'd like to share my thoughts on. I'd really like to do some YT demos too, but I have to get a decent mic for my iPhone. I don't even know where to start looking for something budget priced but with decent quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members goodhonk Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 have you tried recording with the iphone without a mic? i find it's suitable for youtube vids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MesaMonster Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 The search isn't always reliable. I have tried to search for topics that I know have existed before. Kind of hit or miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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