REVIEW > COMPANY NAME DIGITAL ONLY REVIEW > METAL PEDALS
METAL PEDALS
RAW HIDE OVERDRIVE/
DISTORTION PEDAL
BY JORDAN WAGNER
There are few things out there as cringe- inducing as hearing a bright rig with a
raspy overdrive or distortion in front of it
at full blast—at least if you’re playing any
kind of traditional heavy rock or metal.
Sometimes the pain is so great, it’s enough
to consider an intervention.
New Jersey’s Metal Pedals did their part
for the cause when they released the excellent Hardcore XXX Distortion [reviewed
August 2011], which balanced bright amp
voicing, and heavy distortion. Now they’ve
thrown a bone to the lower-gain set with the
Raw Hide, a new overdrive and distortion
device that’s powerful and remarkably well
balanced across the frequency spectrum.
to hear audio clips of the pedal at
premierguitar.com/jun2012
CLICKHere…
Kick switch for
moving between
overdrive and
distortion levels
Move ‘Em on, Head ‘Em Up!
The Raw Hide couldn’t be simpler to operate. There are three controls for shaping its
tones—predictably labeled Volume, Tone
and Gain—along with a two-way Kick
switch that boosts the gain stages for more
grit and crunch. It can be powered from
either a 9V battery or a Boss-style wall wart.
Inside, the pedal is expertly wired with
high-quality pots and jacks, though it’s
impossible to make out any of the components on the board because the company
covered it in a thick insulating goop.
There’s a removable capacitor that adds a
touch of midrange and high end cut when
installed. Personally, I think it would have
been a better decision to just wire the
capacitor to a switch, because I had a rather
hard time getting my fingers in there past
the wiring to pull it out, and an even harder
time getting it seated back into its two little
sockets properly.
Removable
capacitor for
tone-shaping
flexibility
Hell-Bent for Leather
The voice of the Raw Hide is a near perfect
blend of snappy lows and thick mids, with
a copious and ripping bite on the highs. It
has an almost magical capacity to concoct
classic, mid-rangey Marshall-inspired over-
drive, though you can also drive this thing
straight through the ceiling on the top end
if you need it.
DR9 PREMIER GUITAR APRIL 2012
premierguitar.com
