andy474x
Knows the Drill
Well Done!
My Horsemeat arrived yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to plug it in until today (no feline/equine run-ins here, just busy).
First impression: Great pedal.
NOTHING like a Klon.
But, that's ok!
I ran it first into my Custom 50 and open back 2x12, and once I noticed what it doesn't sound like, quickly bonded with it. Really, what this pedal feels and sounds like is an amp in a box or preamp pedal, in the sense that it's best used into a dead clean amp. Very punchy, present, and amp-like. Reacted best to humbuckers, especially at more neutral settings. With my Silver Sky, I had to push the EQ further to the extremes to get sounds I liked, but they were good, maybe not as good as the humbucker tones though.
There are things I'll mention comparing it to certain isolated qualities of vintage amps, because they're a good reference, but overall I would say this has some modern sound and feel to it, too - not in a "metal" way, just in the aggression of breakup character and very full range frequency response.
With the voice knob at minimum, it's quite transparent, turning it up all the way moves into the territory of the bark of a vintage Marshall, it's really about the mid behavior with the voice knob. So, for example, going into my Custom 50, just talking about the sound of the midrange, goes from black panel Fender at minimum, tweed/brown in between, and early M amps at the max. Again, that's just a general idea of the midrange, there's a lot besides that goes into the sounds of those vintage amp types!
The bass and treble controls are moderately powerful. I recall hearing someone in the PRS demos mention they could cut or boost frequencies, and it feels that way. Definitely noticeable, but not extreme in their sweep.
So, if we want to talk more about how this is different than a Klon, personally a Klon type isn't a pedal I would put in front of a dead clean amp. They have a big mid honk, and lack sparkle and harmonics on top, really kind of a bland droning midrange sound. Of course, different story into a crunchy amp, because it boosts the cutting midrange frequencies, but doesn't add much to the sizzly and sometimes harsh highs. Pedals with a wider frequency response, especially more highs, can be harsh sounding into a cooking amp. Fortunately the Horsemeat doesn't get offensively fizzy into a driven tone - on the other hand, it's more of an overall level boost than a cutting mid boost. I ran it into the lead channel of the Custom 50, and the Sweet 16 set crunchy, and it did a nice job with both, but it probably wouldn't be the first boost I reached for. Just an added bonus that it has the capability. Lots of level available.
One thing that really impressed me, kind of going in reverse of that, was boosting the Horsemeat with a Klon type. I set my Tumnus up in front with a big level boost, and was very surprised at how well the Horsemeat held together. In my experience, most OD pedals flub out very noticeably and turn into a crappy fuzz sound if they're hit hard with a boost. The Horsemeat was absolutely rock solid, and sounded great boosted, and that's part of why I find it so amp-like. PRS really nailed it with the behavior of the clipping circuit.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the Horsemeat, very easy to get a great sound without making me think "oh, but if only it had more this or less that," it just dials in and goes. Nice variety of sounds with the fairly basic controls. Probably wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for a boosting OD or a softer vintage sound. I was prepared to be honest if I was underwhelmed, but this is a really solid pedal for rock tones, not to mention for a company that has never made pedals before.
Hoping to put it in front of a couple more amps soon, my SRRI especially, just to see what happens. Stay tuned!
My Horsemeat arrived yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to plug it in until today (no feline/equine run-ins here, just busy).
First impression: Great pedal.
NOTHING like a Klon.
But, that's ok!
I ran it first into my Custom 50 and open back 2x12, and once I noticed what it doesn't sound like, quickly bonded with it. Really, what this pedal feels and sounds like is an amp in a box or preamp pedal, in the sense that it's best used into a dead clean amp. Very punchy, present, and amp-like. Reacted best to humbuckers, especially at more neutral settings. With my Silver Sky, I had to push the EQ further to the extremes to get sounds I liked, but they were good, maybe not as good as the humbucker tones though.
There are things I'll mention comparing it to certain isolated qualities of vintage amps, because they're a good reference, but overall I would say this has some modern sound and feel to it, too - not in a "metal" way, just in the aggression of breakup character and very full range frequency response.
With the voice knob at minimum, it's quite transparent, turning it up all the way moves into the territory of the bark of a vintage Marshall, it's really about the mid behavior with the voice knob. So, for example, going into my Custom 50, just talking about the sound of the midrange, goes from black panel Fender at minimum, tweed/brown in between, and early M amps at the max. Again, that's just a general idea of the midrange, there's a lot besides that goes into the sounds of those vintage amp types!
The bass and treble controls are moderately powerful. I recall hearing someone in the PRS demos mention they could cut or boost frequencies, and it feels that way. Definitely noticeable, but not extreme in their sweep.
So, if we want to talk more about how this is different than a Klon, personally a Klon type isn't a pedal I would put in front of a dead clean amp. They have a big mid honk, and lack sparkle and harmonics on top, really kind of a bland droning midrange sound. Of course, different story into a crunchy amp, because it boosts the cutting midrange frequencies, but doesn't add much to the sizzly and sometimes harsh highs. Pedals with a wider frequency response, especially more highs, can be harsh sounding into a cooking amp. Fortunately the Horsemeat doesn't get offensively fizzy into a driven tone - on the other hand, it's more of an overall level boost than a cutting mid boost. I ran it into the lead channel of the Custom 50, and the Sweet 16 set crunchy, and it did a nice job with both, but it probably wouldn't be the first boost I reached for. Just an added bonus that it has the capability. Lots of level available.
One thing that really impressed me, kind of going in reverse of that, was boosting the Horsemeat with a Klon type. I set my Tumnus up in front with a big level boost, and was very surprised at how well the Horsemeat held together. In my experience, most OD pedals flub out very noticeably and turn into a crappy fuzz sound if they're hit hard with a boost. The Horsemeat was absolutely rock solid, and sounded great boosted, and that's part of why I find it so amp-like. PRS really nailed it with the behavior of the clipping circuit.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the Horsemeat, very easy to get a great sound without making me think "oh, but if only it had more this or less that," it just dials in and goes. Nice variety of sounds with the fairly basic controls. Probably wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for a boosting OD or a softer vintage sound. I was prepared to be honest if I was underwhelmed, but this is a really solid pedal for rock tones, not to mention for a company that has never made pedals before.
Hoping to put it in front of a couple more amps soon, my SRRI especially, just to see what happens. Stay tuned!
