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Lovepedal Hot 800 Honeymoon Review:
I was like a kid, when I first saw Barbie Benton in my friend’s father’s Playboy collection. I knew it was something bad to look at 9 years old, but damn, I wanted her. These days, it is the same, but I do it with TGP emporiums. I didn’t think I ‘needed' any more pedals. My tour box has been set for years and I have an amazing stand alone overdrive, which I have affiliations with, so it remains nameless. But the DeMartini clip. floored me. I had to have her, (the pedal, not Barbie). But, I couldn’t wait for the purple boxes to arrive. By luck, there was one on eBay in a cream housing, (which needs leopard spots) and I had to have it, (thanks Edward).
The best tonal description I can give it, is that it sounds like a cross between a vintage Rat, a Japanese Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive with the resonance peak of a green Furman PQ3 rack EQ, which is essential, I believe to get the, ‘Round and Round’ tone.
The characteristics really kick in at just above loud TV volume. It works best with your amp set to low gain, with a scooped EQ to let the filter really go to work. It has a tremendous sound stage, not as huge as Pete Cornishes Soft Sustain 3, but it has far more girth. There is also surprisingly no nasty hiss for the amount of gain that it delivers.
It cops the Cult’s, ‘Electric’, album tone with ease as well as Judas Priest’s classic sound. DeMartini comes in when the filter is set to about 2:45. With a little patience, one should be able to find most 80s metal tones out there. The volume and drive are very interactive. It isn’t a plug and stomp unit. It takes a little time to sculpt the tones you are after. I set my amp up with a vastly different EQ setting that usual to get the best results from the Hot 800. The only one I couldn’t nail was the totally dead tone from Celtic Frost’s, ‘Into the Pandemonium’, which an old stock RAT can do. Super mid heavy sounds such as Slayer’s, ‘Reign in Blood’, will take more patience and more amp volume than my neighbours may like, I imagine. Where the Hot 800 shines is 1984- ‘Nevermind’ era, L.A. glam metal tones. The only obvious shortcoming is that is does not come with a bottle of Aquanet Superhold.
I have tried virtually every metal pedal out there. Most sound like buzz boxes suited for angry new metal teens who never got enough attention from their fathers, or a harsh digital simulation. I also didn’t feel the need to use my MXR EQ. It just seemed to stand in the way. It gives my modded Marshall Studio 15 a very convincing half stack pushed to the limits sound. It truly is magical as there are very few components in the housing. This thing is the MILF’s panties.
I was like a kid, when I first saw Barbie Benton in my friend’s father’s Playboy collection. I knew it was something bad to look at 9 years old, but damn, I wanted her. These days, it is the same, but I do it with TGP emporiums. I didn’t think I ‘needed' any more pedals. My tour box has been set for years and I have an amazing stand alone overdrive, which I have affiliations with, so it remains nameless. But the DeMartini clip. floored me. I had to have her, (the pedal, not Barbie). But, I couldn’t wait for the purple boxes to arrive. By luck, there was one on eBay in a cream housing, (which needs leopard spots) and I had to have it, (thanks Edward).
The best tonal description I can give it, is that it sounds like a cross between a vintage Rat, a Japanese Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive with the resonance peak of a green Furman PQ3 rack EQ, which is essential, I believe to get the, ‘Round and Round’ tone.
The characteristics really kick in at just above loud TV volume. It works best with your amp set to low gain, with a scooped EQ to let the filter really go to work. It has a tremendous sound stage, not as huge as Pete Cornishes Soft Sustain 3, but it has far more girth. There is also surprisingly no nasty hiss for the amount of gain that it delivers.
It cops the Cult’s, ‘Electric’, album tone with ease as well as Judas Priest’s classic sound. DeMartini comes in when the filter is set to about 2:45. With a little patience, one should be able to find most 80s metal tones out there. The volume and drive are very interactive. It isn’t a plug and stomp unit. It takes a little time to sculpt the tones you are after. I set my amp up with a vastly different EQ setting that usual to get the best results from the Hot 800. The only one I couldn’t nail was the totally dead tone from Celtic Frost’s, ‘Into the Pandemonium’, which an old stock RAT can do. Super mid heavy sounds such as Slayer’s, ‘Reign in Blood’, will take more patience and more amp volume than my neighbours may like, I imagine. Where the Hot 800 shines is 1984- ‘Nevermind’ era, L.A. glam metal tones. The only obvious shortcoming is that is does not come with a bottle of Aquanet Superhold.
I have tried virtually every metal pedal out there. Most sound like buzz boxes suited for angry new metal teens who never got enough attention from their fathers, or a harsh digital simulation. I also didn’t feel the need to use my MXR EQ. It just seemed to stand in the way. It gives my modded Marshall Studio 15 a very convincing half stack pushed to the limits sound. It truly is magical as there are very few components in the housing. This thing is the MILF’s panties.
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