I like a Mesa Dual Rec just fine, but on it’s own, it’s just not defined enough. It’s got loads of bottom end and gain for days, but it’s also flub city without a little bit of help.
In this video, Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor demonstrates how he uses an OD (his signature Pro Tone Pedals Bulb Deluxe OD) to cut the flub and make his tone a lot more aggressive. It’s pretty transformative, and (not to belabor the point) but it goes to show that a good drive can do wonders for your sound. It works for any genre, but I’m gonna say that without tight guitars, djent is pretty much not possible. It’s sort of the whole deal, tonally.
Unfortunately we were unable to get ahold of a Bulb OD for our shootout this week, but here’s a couple demos to give you an idea:
