Kirk Hammett apparently knows a thing or two more than just wah, as evidenced by his pedal company that’s been around a bit now, KHDK Electronics. The sixth addition to the KHDK lineup is something fun for the bassists out there: an overdrive that seeks to improve where others have lapsed.
While it may be impossible to introduce an earth-shattering overdrive that blazes altogether new trails, the Abyss features some creative engineering that sets it apart from much of the existing market. Firstly, the pedal eliminates the common “Blend” knob used to control the mix of clean/dirty sound, and replaces it with dedicated Dirty and Clean channels for better control.
The overdrive has also been designed to replicate the widely-used two-amp bass setup that incorporates both a clean bass amp and an overdriven guitar amp for midrange grind. The Abyss solution:
…utilize bi-amp technology with two circuits. One sends your signal down a clean path, storing its original dynamic and color. The other adds full and a powerful punch. As the two signals reconnect, the result is the original tone made more powerful and richer, perfect for punching through the mix.
Tons of high-profile players are already adding the thing to their rigs, so it must be halfway decent, right? Slipknot’s Alessandro Venturella can be seen doing a quick demo above, plus Gojira’s Jean-Michel Labadie and Tool’s Justin Chancellor are onboard. To learn more about the KHDK Abyss, check out the following story.