Anyone ever played w/ a Marshall Shred Master Pedal?

[EddieDavis]

Anyone ever used one of these bad boys before?

Marshall now offers the Jackhammer pedal, but I find myself much more intrigued by this older one.  They don't make 'em anymore but you can find them online. 

Specifically looking to get British/Marshall rock overdrive on a Fender amp ~ so I can play 80's style hard rock as well on that amp setup.

Also, please feel free to shout out your other favorite distortion pedals! 

 

[stratamania]

Not tried a Shred Master.

But this a MIAB (Marshall in a Box) type question. There are tons of them, but it probably depends a little on what type of tone you are going for.

Pedals of note.

Wampler Plexidrive
Fullltone OCD
Keeley 1962x (I have one of these)
Wampler Pinnacle
Bogner La Grange
Carl Martin Plexitone

Many others but there are a few to check out.

 

[T89Rex]

I've got one. Love it. And I play it through a Fender amp too.

My only complaint is that it hisses a lot at high gain, but then you only hear that if you stop playing.

 

[BroccoliRob]

The shred master sounds a lot like a metal zone IMO. Maybe a little diff, but in the baseball ballpark for sure. 

 

[Kostas]

...Specifically looking to get British/Marshall rock overdrive on a Fender amp ~ so I can play 80's style hard rock as well on that amp setup.

Also, please feel free to shout out your other favorite distortion pedals!

I have it since the mid 90's, bought it used and still works fine. You can play hard rock and much heavier music, it has a lot of gain. The contour knob is versatile, it goes from scooped mids to full mids. For me it shines with the gain over 75%, there are better pedals to use as boosts and light drives. I've used it for years through a Silverface Bassman 50 that's impossible to overdrive so it's the pedal into a clean amp and then through various cabs and different speakers. The reason I have kept it for so long it's because it's relatively smooth for a distortion pedal. I had other high gain pedals like the Suhr Riot, Bogner Red and Wampler SLOstortion and I have kept the Marshall. Keep in mind I used it in all my bands and I like it either with a band or at home. As a bedroom player now, the drives I sold were either harsh or I didn't like the basic tone without a band.

The shred master sounds a lot like a metal zone IMO. Maybe a little diff, but in the baseball ballpark for sure. 

Not to me. The two mid knobs on the MT are more versatile but the tone is there no matter what you do. The MT is harsh compared to Shredmaster, IMO.
To be honest I have never liked enough to own any Boss OD/Distortion.

 

[T89Rex]

I have a fairly embarrassing collection of distortions, overdrives and fuzzes. Amongst my collection the Shredmaster is closest to the Rat, though mine has a Robert Keeley mod so that may not be typical. The Rat is slightly more saturated at high gains which I feel makes for better leads (the way I play; I don't shred). Where the Shredmaster really shines is in throaty rhythm sounds.

I don't own a Metal Zone but I do have (two) HM-2s. The Shredmaster is nicer to my ear but there are definitely some similarities. Major difference for me is that the HM-2 across its whole range sounds like variations on the same theme. The Shredmaster is a more versatile beast.

 

[BroccoliRob]

When I think "HM-2" the only sound I think of is old-school swedish death metal. And not much else.

I love the RAT, tho

 

[mayfly]

Another +1 on the RAT.  Used them for years in front of a fender amp (deluxe reverb and my 67 super).

BUT!!!​

Tone is always in the ear of the beholder.  It's best if you can borrow some and try them out in your rig.

 

[Slackjaw]

...

 

[BroccoliRob]

Great work, @bandmemes666, but I think you need some more jpg aliasing.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

Anyone ever used one of these bad boys before?

Marshall now offers the Jackhammer pedal, but I find myself much more intrigued by this older one. They don't make 'em anymore but you can find them online.

Specifically looking to get British/Marshall rock overdrive on a Fender amp ~ so I can play 80's style hard rock as well on that amp setup.

Also, please feel free to shout out your other favorite distortion pedals!

Now that it's been reissued, I finally have come around to the Shredmaster. Totally underrated pedal - I've messed with Guv'nor clones and other MIAB stuff, but this is truly for real. Having been a big Radiohead fan since adolescence, I'm surprised I didn't realize sooner it's been Jonny Greenwood's dirt box of preference. RAT-ish vibes, but broader range and more smoothly voiced IMO.