Boss HM-2 vs MD-2 poll

[harm.on.x]

Hi everybody. Just scored a Boss HM-2 (Japanese version if that makes any difference). I bought it without trying it first and I will have to wait for a few days until it arrives.
I wanted something to give me some of the sound qualities of my old Russian Grenn Muff (sustain) but less bulky and a bit less bass heavy. I like the violinlike sound of the Muff but it can also get too bass heavy and undifined. I have actually figured out that I get the best results when I drive my Red Llama into the Muff. It kind of opens it up a bit and brings back some of the mids in my signal.
I like thick distortion with enough bass but I don't care for a mid-scooped sound or a trebly heavy metal sound. Let's say I like the distorted sound of bands like QOTSA. Pedals I like are Rats (I love its distortion but I would like a bit more bass), Red Llama (bass heavy, great overdrive not too much sustain).
Anyway, I was between the HM-2 and the MD-2 (mega distortion). I chose the HM-2 because I've heard a lot of negative comments about the MD-2.
I just did some reading on the HM-2 and a lot of people find it useless, too fuzzy etc. Somebody said the two pedals sound similar. Does anybody own/tried both? Where does your vote go?
Thanks in advance

[Doctor J]

The HM-2 is pretty fuzzy. The one I had could really only do one thing, no matter how you set the knobs. The tone controls were really unresponsive, but mine might have been defective. It was cool and beat up looking, though.

[harm.on.x]

That's weird....I've read in a couple of forums that the tone controls were very responsive a bit too sensitive though. Supposedly it's the gain control that is either all or nothing.
A bit of fuzz is something that I generally like. It all depends on the character of the fuzz.
I guess I'll find out soon whether the pedal will do it for me or it will go for sale.

[Silent Rob]

The HM2 is a superb pedal. It's fuzzy, but this means it is great for an MBV wall of noise. It's also got lots of sustain, cuts through well and is great for letting notes ring out into feedback. I've never used it for a metal sound, but it also works well for the 80's hair metal sound.

The MD2 is completly useless. It's a mushy mess which means you disappear with a band. It only works when played at bedroom levels by yourself, and even then it only gives you that dated Limp Bizkit Nu Metal sound. I only think it has any value for beginner level metalheads who don't have a band yet.

[harm.on.x]

Originally posted by Silent Rob
...it is great for an MBV wall of noise.

Sorry to sound ignorant but what's MBV?

Originally posted by Silent Rob
It's also got lots of sustain, cuts through well and is great for letting notes ring out into feedback.

That's good to know. The reason I got it is because I'm starting this new band and we are two guitarists. I found my Green Muff very useful for the wall of sound thing when playing alone but in this situation I need something a bit more focused otherwise the whole thing is gonna sound like a mess.

Originally posted by Silent Rob
I've never used it for a metal sound,

Ha ha , that's funny, I don't play metal either. I just wanted a heavy sounding sustained tone for certain applications. I would take a splash of fuzz as an added bonus

Originally posted by Silent Rob
The MD2 is completly useless. It's a mushy mess which means you disappear with a band. It only works when played at bedroom levels

It seems like a made the right decision then. Please tell me something. Why did you circuit bend your pedal? Just out of curiosity

[harm.on.x]

Ah I think I got it. MBV stands for My bloody Valentine.

[Doctor J]

Originally posted by harm.on.x
That's weird....I've read in a couple of forums that the tone controls were very responsive a bit too sensitive though. Supposedly it's the gain control that is either all or nothing.

Well, I never used it much, so I could be remembering the controls wrong. I bought it on a whim because I'd read about it and that was the first one I'd ever seen. But, like I say, I could only ever get it to do one thing. Lucky for me, it was a pretty good one trick pony.

[harm.on.x]

Originally posted by Doctor J
Lucky for me, it was a pretty good one trick pony.

If it works out as a good one trick pony for me too I'll be a happy camper! All I'm trying to get is Muff's sustain without loosing mids and less of an epic character!

[Silent Rob]

I circuit bent my HM2 to get a squealing Jesus and Mary Chain tone. It also self ossilates now. I've put in a switch to change between bent mode and normal. You can hear the bent mode in our song Velemir Klehbnekov on our myspace in my sig. I kick in the bent HM2 at 0.55.

Hope you enjoy the HM2. I do.

[harm.on.x]

Hey Rob,
I've checked your tunes already the last time you wrote. I like your stuff a lot!
My idea was to have one pedal and go from thick distortion to fuzzy weirdness by just twisting the tone knobs. I keep my pedalboard very minimal. My homemade overdrive, a wah (used in various conventional and unconventional ways) and my delay are giving me most of my tones. All I was missing was a heavy disto tone.......
I was about to make another homemade double overdrive but for the money I could pickup the HM-2 it wasn't even worth getting my sorldering iron out to go down the DIYroute!

One question. How is the bypass of that thing? Does it suck or is it good?

[Doctor J]

Originally posted by harm.on.x
One question. How is the bypass of that thing? Does it suck or is it good?

I'm sure it's the same buffered bypass that BOSS installs in all its pedals.

[harm.on.x]

Ok, this is my follow up after I received and tested the pedal.
I'm joining Silent Rob's and other HM-2 fans camp. I doubt I will ever play heavy metal but the pedal is good enough for the sounds I'm after. It works well as a full on noise maker but with the gain at almost zero it gives a nice heavy crunch which can be very useful especially paired with my hand made DIY overdrive. Between my overdrive and the HM-2 I have all the dirty sounds I need.
The pedal is definitely on the fuzzy side of distortion color palette. The tone controls give it some extra flexibility in getting various fuzz flavors. There is a good amount of bass in the signal but it never becomes overbearing. I would prefer if there was more range on the gain knob but it doesn't bother me much since I have already found a couple of sweet spots.
The one I own is the earlier Japanese model. I don't know if there are any differences between these and the later Taiwanese ones. I read a test from somebody who had A/B'd 4 of them and said the Japanese were much better and consistent. I have no personal experience with that.
With a humbucker equipped guitar I nailed from Black Sabbath to Radiohead hi gain sounds. It stays on my board

[onyxrhino]

How are you liking the sustain? And what settings are using? I like my HM-2, but I can't really get a Big Muff-like sustain out of it.

[harm.on.x]

NOTHING will ever give Muff's sustain!
The big Muff I have can literally sustain forever!
Having said that, I'm happy with the sustain HM-2 produces. I'm still experimenting with various settings. I'm not trying to get Muff's sustain. I'm trying to get a tone between Muff and Rat.
Muff is definitely heavier and somehow a bit smoother than the HM-2.

[Silent Rob]

Put a compressor after a gain pedal and nearly anything will sustain forever. You usually have to kick in the compressor after the note has been picked though otherwise you just get noise.

The HM2 is very good for Radiohed tones, yes. The HM2 and Shredmaster are both 80's metal pedals after all. I think the HM2 is far more versitile and cheaper than a Shredmaster.