Ultra high gain and great tone aren't two phrases that are often used to describe a single unit of any description, be it amps or pedals. But we have a little stomper here that challenges that preconception, or perhaps it's better to say completely pummels that preconception into the ground.
I've always been a big fan of the simple BOSS DS-1. The original distortion pedal that is still the industry standard for hard rockers the world over. Its only recently that there have been a couple of contenders to the DS-1 including the Suhr Riot and Tone Freak Severe, but the number of really fantastic sounding distortion pedals pales into comparison when looking at overdrive pedals, of which there are many hundreds that anyone would be proud to have on their boad. You can achieve a great OD tone with a very simple circuit, but distortion is different and it takes a lot more effort to get it screaming but still sounding harmonically rich. The Lehan Lab Dynamic D 2CH is a wonderful example of just how great a heavy distortion can sound, and when I say heavy I mean pound you down and grind you into the floor heavy, with a tone so fat it should have kankles.
Metal on Metal
The pedal has the standard Vol, Drive and Tone knobs, the tone knob being worthy of a mention as it's a lot more than just a simple high frequency roll off knob. It's an active tone control so sweeps through warm to bright e.q. while retaining key frequencies. The 2 footswitches on the Dynamic D 2CH are on/off, and a mid scoop switch which for the metal players is a fantastic feature. The Dynamic D has so much gain on tap it makes it a great choice for metal players but the midrange of most distortion devices is simply too much for evilest of tones. Just kick in the mid scoop and you're there. But it is by no means limited to metal. The pedal has three small pots inside that allow you to alter the character of the gain so you can achieve a fairly wide rand of good drive tones, but there's no doubt that heavy rock is this stompers forte.
How much should I pay?
As yet there really isn't a second hand market for these, but you can pick one up new for €210 which at the moment is about £185 from Loopers Paradise in Germany.
This pedal has so much going for it, it looks great, it's flexible, small, and sonically it goes where many others fear to tread.
click here to go the Loopers Paradise website... |
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 "Lehan Labs 2CH Dynamic Distortion")