I happen to have both a Boss Metal Zone and a Revv G3. I've had the Metal zone for about 10 years. I've had the Revv for a couple of months. The Revv G3 easily won with me. I used the Boss Metal Zone for a span of 10 years as my sole distortion as my amp's distortion channel isn't very good. The Metal Zone is a great pedal. I'm not knocking it as it has served me well. However, the metal zone lacks a certain kind of musicality to it. It's extremely saturated and sterile. You can recreate the sounds from Metallica ....And justice for all with ease with that pedal. It's EQ is extremely touchy and is exactly why so many people knock it down. It's ability to get BAD sounds is incomparable. You can easily make a Metal zone sound bad with it's EQ and Gain. You can make it sound good though. Calling the Metal Zone "The worst pedal ever" is not even remotely accurate. It should be "The easiest pedal to get shit sounds out of". That doesn't mean that it can't sound good! The Revv G3 is essentially a better quality Metal Zone that is less saturated and Sterile. Although you CAN get a lot of saturation in that pedal. It has this musicality to it that I cannot get in a Metal Zone no matter how much I change the EQ and Gain. It very easily won me over. One last point that people do not realize: Any youtube video that you watch concerning how a pedal sounds regardless of pedal is not true or accurate. Filming the video itself, uploading to youtube adds Compression and a variety of other factors that WILL distort the sound regardless of what you or anyone does. I'm telling you that the Revv G3 wins from an in person perspective.
My least favorite part about the metal zone is that it’s so sensitive. I’ll get it to a sound I really like, then I’ll pull out a different guitar and it’s totally wrong... though I can get it to sound good with that guitar after some adjustment.
Describing the G3 as a better quality Metal Zone hits the nail on the head I think. The MT-2 came out in 1991. The G3 is made nearly 3 decades later. The sound of metal has evolved, expectations of what a metal distortion pedal should sound like have changed, and manufacturers have had time to advance their designs. Of course most people are going to think the G3 sounds better, but Boss deserves some credit for what they achieved in 1991.
The metal zone gets a bad rap. It's seems like it's the pedal everybody loves to make fun of. Well, it's not so bad. Turn down the gain some and roll off the highs. Then tune the mids to taste. Voila! There is some tone in there. There are a few simple mods as well that can really make this pedal sound good over a wider range of control settings. Greatest pedal ever? Nope, but better than the haters would have you believe.
The MT2 is as capable as the user dialing it in. Therein lies the rub. The haters problem is a general lack of ability regarding dialing in anything with more than a single tone knob, a semi parametric eq is just too much to deal with. It takes effort to dial in a Mesa Boogie amp as well, but when you finally get it right, ohhhhh man, is it right. Same animal.
The whole 'Metal Zone lol' thing is just an easy meme that people on guitar forums loved to jump on. I would bet that most of them probably haven't used one or really heard it in action, it's just a joke that people without any thoughts of their own can make.
@@wakanakapisihello5655 - " The MT2 is as capable as the user dialing it in." - that right there says it all......A guitar magazine should use this statement for a future review of the MT2 ....
@@ssdravidian if folks would dial with thier ears instead of thier eyes a lot of this would be a non issue. When it released there wasn't enough gain in the world if you weren't playing a Boogie, and along cones this insane little box that has all you want and more...you don't HAVE to dime it out just because it's there...
CatPick Studios I'm not sure what the brand names were. I just recently started seeing g4 and g3 clones on reverb. I search clone once or twice a week and saw a few in the past couple weeks. One had a video and it sounded really great and was 70$. All the drives I'm using are good clones different people have built that I've found used. A rattle, prince of tone and an EP booster clones. I've found that clones built with high quality parts are usually as good or better than original versions. I'm sure some builders probably aren't as good but all the ones I have bought I'm still using and love them. Prince of tone one was used and 40$ and it's my second favorite pedal.
@Chris E. I said they're making clones of the revv pedals. People clone all pedals. And that the clones I use are good. That I like clones. There's nothing in those statements that needs proof. Not sure what planet you're on.
Yes dude. I can't even remember exactly when I got the MT-2, but it was among my first pedals. Ive had it for years and have ALWAYS found that it freakin SLAMS! I've found amazing tone, I've played in bands with it, I've fine tuned it as I've matured, and one day I heard it was the joke of the pedal/metal world. I was like why? That sh*t wails! I only recently learned how to use FX loops, so it has ALWAYS been in the front of my amp! I personally love it. Was gonna get a Revv G3 to kind of replace or interchange it, and I'm still going to get it to diversify my tone, but the MT-2 is awesome!!
Metal Zone + Spider IV = Shitsprinkles tone. I replaced my metal zone with a MXR Fullbore Metal going into an FX loop of a PEAVY 6505MH and I am pretty happy.
Hey man! Original walk the moon's engineer here.. indeed! I'm 47 and in the early 90's I played with some gents who were about 10 yrs older. The other guitarist in that band showed me that exact setup with the boss pedal. I ended up using that in the studio on many records with an ampeg vh-140c head-cabinet until about 04 when I got into major label stuff. 🤘🤘 Looking heavily at buying the revv3. Great stuff man! Rock on!
Throughout the song at the end of the video, I actually enjoyed the Metal Zone more than the Revv G3, but I guess that's just due to the settings (a bit brighter and more reverb with the G3). I'm sure the G3 offers more range in general.
Neither sound tight the way you have it set up. FWIW, I think you need a more cranked sound (and compressed) with reverb added. From my memory of the Metal Zone and my recent use of the G3, I think that the G3 lacks emphasis in the midrange that the MT-2 can achieve easily. If you want that thrash/death metal sound, you will need a noise gate regardless. I think you will require additional EQ in your chain however with the G3. Now if there were a pedal that could EQ the mids like MT-2, contain a noise gate -AND- do an ST-9 PRO Plus/OD-808 sound, then I think we would have a pedal that nearly does it all.... or, maybe just add EQ to a pedal like the Horizon Devices OD; don't know, haven't tried it. Check this out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c3YrjSD-Ldo.html
Effects loop, front of amp, it doesn't really matter. It's amazing the sounds you can get from "bad gear" if you take the time and just try stuff. A friend of mine who's an audio engineer reintroduced me to the MT-2 10 years ago. I had always thought it was crap and was amazed by the tones he could get out of it... going into the front of an amp. I still maintain that it's the mid-controls that trip up most users, it's just easier to dial it in through an effects-loop because you don't need to touch the amp's tone knobs.
Hi Vlad, thanks for sharing! Along the years I've been thru all the overdrives and distortions from Boss (and other brands as well) until I got the Metal Zone (still use mine) and it was a plus compared to previous types of saturation (sustain, tone, versatility,etc) of any brand out there for me (tried them all!). Several things: Depends on the amp...I've always used it with my 'all tubes' amp (front of the amp) and it worked great in a lot of different situations.You can really dial it to taste in any kind of situation, rock , blues, hard-core, trash, etc, and yes the way you dial the mids is crucial. I've played with it in front of 50.000 people, no one said it sounded small or mosquito like, quiet the opposite. You also need to take in account the age of the MT. By the time it appeared, it was mostly the only pedal that could blast that way and on the side serve you as the Dist/OD you needed for any particular situation. I still think that it's versatility is a must. By the way, just got the G4 and don't feel it's as versatile as the MT, or that you can achieve such different types of sound with it. Already mention it but the way you dial the mids is paramount in the MT. Last but not least, the place it takes in your pedal board. By the 80's/90's we had less pedals in our boards, and I was used to Boss pedals because sometimes needed to switch several at the time or alternating a few of them. The format and possibilities was just right for it's time. Since, there are 100's of pedals you can choose from, but the MT was a precursor. When you know how to use it, it's like the old swiss knife. Since, there are a lot of knifes to choose from, not by that time. Sorry for the lenghty reply, but just think people have bad time admiting an affordable pedal ('democratic') can do the job without beeing 'boutique' priced. Different times, different tools, different trends. Use the best for you. Cheers!
same set-up when we opened for Marilyn Manson at the Coliseum (Lisbon). Btw, I do own A Revv G4, a Wampler 'Triple Wreck', a Rocktron 'metal Planet and a Line 6 'Uber Metal'.
@@pedroleal7118 I looked up Blasted Mechanism... Wow man , that band is insane! Did you get to write some of the arrangenents? Just curious because there is some powerful creativity there. Either way, what an awesome band to be apart of !
What is a "Good sounding tone"? Sound is subjective. What some love ,others hate and that's ok . As long as its good to your ears thats all that matters. If it allows you to write some heavy music that makes you wanna beat more then just your dick. Ride it til the wheels fall off and make some bad ass metal. Merry Xmas Every1! KEEP THAT SHIT METAL!!!!!! it looks good on ya.
years ago Dan and Mick from that Pedal show made a vid about the Metal Zone...they made it sound absolute Killer...just in front of an Amp....and Brian Wampler did that Distortion Pedal into FX return in 2015 or so..
It's not a bad pedal, just very sensitive to how you adjust it. It's very easy to make Metal Zone to sound bad but once you set it up right, it sounds good.
I don't think the issue was ever if it was in the front of the input or in the effects loop, I think the issue was that all you would have to do is sneeze and the mid frequency got messed up....
It must be understood that: it's not completely how it sounds, but how it feels. A different dynamic in touch response can definitely effect your playing. That's why I like the Revv, it has a happy balance of being forgiving and exacting. It is very saturated without coming across as overtly grainy. Not that grainy can't be a good thing, as shown here. Either way, everyone has their preference.
my Boss metalzone crushed the g3 I just bough big time so it will be for sale. even tweeking both pedals for a good while with my cousin playing amazing riffs with my other cousin there listening. I got a perfect just perfect beefy smooth and tight distortion that just gives you eargasm they both felt the same way. the metalzone is just the best and soooo versatile too. to bad but the revv is crap and when I have time it's getting sold. just trying to help. I had the metalzone way back when but got into tube amps and mods but now I want both so the metalzone is back. glad they didnt triple in price lol they certainly could have because they are the best because the 6 buttons that drastictly changes the type of dist you get and that just amazing. smooth round gritty perfect distortion at least 5 types too boot. Why waste 4 times the money what used metalzone are cheap and 10 times better.
Thanks a lot, mate, because of those guys I was worried about buying a metal zone because my amp doesn't have an fx loop, but now I think I can give it a try
Got the waza and its great; mostly to play like 90's metal (the o.g. metalzone is just fine as well u def dont need a waza) but it is hard to fine tune without reference as a newer player. Got the g3 last week and it's killer. Gotta say I prefer the adjustments for g3 and took less time to dial in. Enjoy both
Im a proud owner of the Metal Zone... But if we are comparing, the Revv G3 is one of the best on the market for its price in my opinion... But the Metal Zone is way under-rated...
I've used metal zone, And I'm good with the tone. I think people hate the Metal Zone, Because the internet told them to 🤣. However, The G3 is much better than the metal zone. But if you're on a tight Budget. Metal Zone is not bad, You just need to tweak the knobs properly and you're good to go.
das problem bei dem vergleich der beiden geräte ist, dass sie völlig verschieden sind und eigentlich garnicht für dieselben musik-richtungen gedacht sind...revv g3 ist meiner meinung nach eher für richtig harten metal mit viel verzerrung gut geeignet und das metal-zone (was ich selber besitze) ist für mich eher um niedrigeren gain-bereich gut aufgehoben. das mt-2 fängt bei hohem gain einfach zu sehr an zu kratzen und fühlt sich in den hohen gefilden nicht mehr wirklich wohl =D aber das ist nur meine meinung
Same here. It’s like I love to hear someone ELSE play one , but when I get it into my own hands , I feel like I want something else. Best I’ve found as far as metal zone goes, I boosted one with a joyo ultimate drive and it did what I needed. So if that’s helps !!
The Revv is just... more. More mids, more clarity, more raw awesome tone. The Metal zone sounds thin and lacks depth. The Revv is too expensive though...
"Too expensive" is very subjective. I think Revv G3 gives you the sound of the Generator series amp for 10th of the price of the actual amp. No other amp or pedal I know can give you that sound. If the sound that pedal produces is something you really like, it's well worth the money.
Thanks for presenting this! The gain on the MZ was at 2oc while the Revv was at 10oc, AND the Revv was set for Blue. I'm not sure it was an apples for apples comparison. Also, the MZ loses all definition and texture when playing single notes/leads at that gain level. I don't believe anyone really busted any myths, but it was interesting nonetheless! :)
It sounds very good in front of the amp. Test it with jcm900 and laney gh100l. But, I'm playing on drop B tuning, which might sound different with other tuning.
@@CatPickStudios now you need to try it with a daft metal guitar and prove that it's down to guitar choice - as this whole "the pedal was made to be put into the fx return" idea is nonsense - surely Boss might have mentioned that at least once over the past 27 years!?
Haha yeah might be. On the other hand effects loop were less common those days. Anyway, I think you CAN use the Metal Zone into the front end of the amp, it will be just super sensitive to how you set the controls.
The new waza metal zone sounds pretty awesome. In Ola's new video with the waza pedal, I thought the old one had a very thrashy sound like you said, but the new one actually sounds a lot more modern and almost makes me want to buy one lol.
I think it depends on what amp you are using, I have a boss FZ-5 and when I heard the review on youtube I was like "it sounds killer" but on my amp it sound like shit, some amp just won't work with some pedal
Yep, I agree completely. I've had several pedals that didn't work with my setup, but when selling that pedal to a friend, it suddenly became almost magically good.
Awesome video Vlad as always, The revv G3 is amazing I'm thinking I need a generator 7 40 some time soon, plus I love my boss me80 metal core drive pedal into my marshall tsl 60 jcm 2000 clean channel!!
Hand down the best distortion pedal I owned. I now want the amp version. The structure of the gain is perfection in my conception. Firm and endless possibility with few tweaks on your guitar.
Here's the thing with the Metal Zone... it's not bad or cheap sounding, it's just hard to find a great tone with the knobs to pair it up with the right guitar and amp but that's it. I'd say with the right rig and settings, it delivers better than the Revv G3. The Revv G3 isn't necessarily a better sound, the interface is just much easier to utilise to find a tone that sounds good
I run my mt2 into the front of a 1974 single chanel traynor 18 watt amp . It sounds fucking killer!!! How many awesome tracks have been recorded with this thi g?? Haters obviously have no idea what they're doing
The problem people have with the metal zone is they don't control the EQ in the amp by removing presence or treble. Using the FX loop skips the front of the amp with a probably shitty EQed with too much presence, thus giving the bees and hizz. That's why the fx loop method works for some, usually for these kind of people. I use my Metal Zone in front of the amp and it sucks when I press the presence button, and it is awesome when I depress the presence button on my amp.
After watching this video (again !!!!), and in my humble opinion, the Metal Zone sounds much better in the mix of the song in the end than the Revv......sounds much darker and powerful, jsut the way i like it...i have both pedals and the Revv has replaced the metal zone and the AMT R2......but now i am missing my metal zone and i will put it back on my board......The metal zone sounds like a pissed off Darth Vader chomping through a field of Jedi(s) getting closer to you to kick your ass....the Revv sounds (brilliant) like the metal zone shaved off the dreadlocks but still brutal...
The REVV tone that Ola gets is nothing like the REVV tone you got, because the Ola demo tone was absolutely awesome, these are just made similar sounding to each other, seemingly for the purpose of the vid. But, the Ola vid sold me on the REVV bigtime. The Rabea vid too. And you didn't even go into the Agression switch which totally is half the reason why that pedal has the HYPE you mentioned. It's just my opinion, but I felt the Metal Zone doesn't even measure up to the REVV G3.
@@CatPickStudios A 13 minute vid that is meant to be a joke? Really? With all the work and explanation, comparison and editing...this is humor? Watched it again and still I missed the joke.
I just got the MT-2WAZA and have it in the front of my amp and have the same effect. I have an older Kustom solid state amp. That honestly, I'm not sure it has an FX loop to it...however it does have some sort of "input" in the back, but doesn't specify if its an actual FX loop. Either way, I'm still getting amazing results from the pedal.
Well i think mt2 is one the most versatile pedal ever made for it’s price. Because it’s control are way too sensitive for the noobs. Ultra wide band equaliser and shit loads of gain.
I just tried the MT-2 for the first time a couple days ago, and it sounds great! i can't believe people keep talking so bad about this pedal, it has such a classic trash sound
I used to own the the Boss Metal Zone MT-2. Depending on a few different factors; like the type of amp, type of guitar, what other pedals you are running in your chain, this pedal when run on the front of the amp sounds ok when you have a noise gate pedal in the chain. At the time I first got mine, it was when they first came out with it. I had an Ibanez Tube Screamer but it wasn't working for me as far as the sound I wanted to get. Also... when you don't know what you are doing (as was the case in my youth when it came to this stuff), and you have champagne tastes and a ten cents to your name, you tend to make a lot of mistakes which can lead you to do stupid things like sell your pedals for cheap and never look back. I worked for the money to buy the pedals and such, but I was a beginner then. I think a lot of beginners bought that Boss pedal when it first came out. It was pricy, and it wasn't always available in my area. The fact that metal was all the rage in those days is why it sold at all. People wanted to get that metal sound (Metallica come to mind) so they bought the Metal Zone before they knew how to use it properly. Today, I don't have one, nor do I plan on getting one, but if I want a particular sound, and the Metal Zone is the only way to achieve it, I would probably get one because I know now what I didn't know then. Today I have the Empress Heavy. Now that is a killer distortion stomp box.
I actualy like my Metal Zone through clean Fenders and JC-120s. And yes, I max out the gain and pair it with a SD-1 for brutal death metal. With the patch cable I use* I can place them close together so I can play with clean tones, switching them both off at once. *Not one of those stupid metal ones that break jacks, no thanks. I'll admit, the G3 does sound a lot smoother for sure...
Hi, I have Katana 50mk2, when on a clean channel to use Revv g3, how should i set the gain, treble...on the amp so the pedal sounds the best it can? I found that plugging the Revv g3 in front of amp sounds better... Any advice?
It's very hard to recommend any specific settings since it depends so much on your guitar and overall setup as well. Recently I've started to put the mid control around 11 o'clock for rhythm stuff, I feel it sits better in the mix. I also feel G3 sounds great on most settings, so just go with what you like best, there's no right or wrong here! Have fun!
The pedal is designed to go into the front end of a valve amplifier according to the circuit designer. Ask any pedal builder and they will all tell you, do not run distortion pedals in your effects return. The are designed to work in conjunction with the amps pre-amp.
@@CatPickStudios I tune to clean channel on the amp and I dial all bass, mid, treble as almost as on G3. Distortion on Katana 50 is minimal of course, then tune the G3 as well.
The Metal Zone has more range. You can make the Metal Zone sound like the Revv G3 or G4, but not the other way around. Another youtuber said it best, the tiny knobs are less forgiving and take some patience to dial in. The designers put that amount of range in the MT so that you can make even the weakest smallest amp sound brutal, to some extent.
Having played both I wouldn't go that far saying you could get Revv G3 or G4 sounds from Metal Zone. Gain structure is more than just EQ. While Metal Zone's EQ is super wide range it also means its easier to dial in a bad sound than a good one. I understand the philosophy behind it but I don't think it makes into a good user experience.
metalzone sucks, but it's easy to fix by removing a couple of capacitors. Doesn't even need any new parts, so it's free if you have a metalzone already. I removed C35, C24 and also removed the diodes and added a red LED on one side and a couple of 1N914 on the other side instead. Sounds better than a lot of tube amps I've played.
Placing a tubescreamer in front of the metal zone barely cracked open did it for me. Itll also turn the boss ds 1 into a monster as well. TS has a mid hump that tightens everything up. And you can still scoop the mids on your dist pedal.
I find it weird for anyone who doesn't know my guitar or my amp setup to tell what the pedal needs to be set at. There are other sounds available from Revv G3 than 7 string metal (which requires pretty specific sound).
I had the Metal Zone pedal for a couple of years and loved it. I think people who don't like it might be playing with the wrong kind of guitar/pickups or amp. It sounded bad through my BC Rich but awesome through my Jacksons. Just gotta play with the EQ to get the right level and it can sound good.
The same thing with my MB Caliber 50+ amp. I've read everywhere how fuzzy it is and how it can't he used at bedroom volumes. Yes it might be fuzzy but just use the bloody EQ and it sounds amazing even at low volumes.
Just purchased the Revv G3 and Revv G4. $229.00 each, best distortion pedal on the market today. No comparison. The Revv's have incredible rich harmonic overtones. Your pretty much getting the Revv's Generator 120 in a stomp box at $229.00
@Kaddy'sManKave personally I like the Revv G3 for my style and taste in playing. Anything from Alice in Chains, early Tool, Deftones, first Candlebox album, this pedal covers all those tones. The Revv 4 is an awesome and killer pedal as well. It has quite a bit more gain and high end.
i dont know how you can say the metal zone sound as good as the revv when obviously it lacks of punch, harmonics sounds so flat and is way to floppy to be taken seriously .
I don't think I said it sounds "as good" at any point. I think they sound very different, whether one sound is better or worse is up to the listener to decide.
I just got the G3. Everyone says it sounds great, but I plug it in and it doesnt hold a candle to my MXR Fullbore. Am i doing something wrong? Mind you I'm not a tech guy at all so I very well could be doing something wrong. All I did was plug it in exactly how my full bore was.
Mxr Fullbore sounds like a tin can of bees compared to the revv g3 run into the front of a jcm 800. It all depends on your amp and sound you're going for. The mxr was one pedal I gave away after playing for 2 days, it sounded like shrill shxt through a Marshall and a 6505, that's what I'm working with. The revv sounded awesome but anything it produced I could pull out of an EQD plumes. If you're looking for distortion from an amp look for aiab pedals. These pedals are designed to work in tandem with cooking power tubes. Run the revv into a cooking jcm 800 and you'll see what the pedal was designed to do. Running them into a digital amp or emulated out di box isn't going to give you the dynamics or definition a stage volume valve amp will produce. Analog distortion pedals are designed to be run into the front end of amplifiers, not in the effects loop. The designers of the circuit have said they go into the front end, they are not designed to bypass the pre-amp and run straight into the power section.
@@dingusfuzzklonnkt2755 I'm running it through a Randall RH200 head. Tried putting it up front and through the loop, doesn't change the sound. MXR in fact sounds fucking good and chunky. Maybe it's just a difference in our ears, cuz I think the MXR sounds really good. I really don't want to have to buy another Amp just to get a full sound outta this thing.
You can get an MT-2 for 50$ used, the Revv G3 is at least 4 times the price used,, at least in my country and let's not even talk about new ... so if you are rich, yes Revv is better but 350$ better? Hell no.
