As you may or may not be aware, Boss recently released Metal Zone II: Electric Boogaloo. Actually, it’s called the MT-2w Waza Craft, and it’s the first time (as far as I’m aware) that they’ve updated the hallowed/hated Metal Zone. Well, I wanted to know what about them sounded different, so I decided to A/B the new and old pedals (and the new mode on the new pedal) to see what the differences are! All the sounds in this video are the pedal direct into Pro Tools with Wall of Sound providing a power amp sim and a cab IR, and that’s it.
As a young lad new to guitar, searching for the most gain I could get, I bought the MT-2 from a local music store after deciding, with the help of an employee, that it had more gain available than the ProCo Rat, which they also carried. I promptly took it home and plugged it into my Peavey Bandit 112 and being the noob that I was, I cranked the gain all the way up and spent probably 3 hours tweaking the EQ knobs to no avail.
The EQ section of the MT-2 is not a tool to be taken lightly – every knob on this pedal does a LOT. Like, it’s the kind of power that every 14-year-old is buying and none of them should have. It’s an intoxicating power for such a tiny pedal, and only now do I understand how to make it scream. 22 years of playing guitar to get it right, and now there’s A NEW ONE?!?!??!?!
This video is only about understanding the differences between the two pedals, so I didn’t go in-depth about the EQ or a hundred different tones you can get from either pedal – that’s been done. Hearing them against each other seems much more informative and important for someone looking to make a decision about which pedal to get.
I was pretty impressed with the Custom switch, it revealed a whole new side of the Metal Zone. It was like learning that the gangster next door didn’t just deal drugs, he does it to raise money for his sick grandma’s surgery. The MT-2 will always have a stigma surrounding it, but with great power comes great responsibility – so plug your MT-2 or MT-2w into the effects return on your amp, not into the input jack, and be VERY judicious with the EQ (just a touch here or there) and your friends will be astounded.
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