Rivera Metal Shaman Distortion Pedal
Ideal for metal fans, this distortion pedal from Rivera offers incredible overdrive and gain reserves.
Overall User Ratings (based on 4 ratings)
Submitted September 5, 2012 by derek m in durant , OK
"This pedal rocks!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This pedal totally rocks. When shopping for a pedal I was looking for something to take me from a nice clean tone to heavier distortion I could use for tones like KSE. I tried several pedals like mt2, hm2, ds1, and a couple others I came across at pawn shops. Not one of these pedals could come close to what I was looking for. I play the metal shaman with my blood moon shecter and blackheart little giant. The little giant 5watter was made to take this pedal. The bass response it awesome. I couldn't ask for a better in-home setup. All my gear came from zZounds also.
Musical Background:
playing for 10 years. Spent a little time with a band but mostly at home recording my own stuff
Musical Style:
rock,Christian, most era's of heavy metal
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Submitted May 18, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Best high-gain pedal available anywhere"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I'd have to say as far as high-gain pedals go, this is the best sounding one available today. Yes, I've played on Keeleys, Emmas and the rest of the boutique high-gainers. This thing whoops them all. And it has a built in noise gate and a boost switch.
Sound
The sound of this pedal is the closest to a good high-gain tube amp distortion that I've heard yet, and I've heard alot of pedals. No wasp-in-a-jar buzz here, and you can clearly hear each individual note no matter how high you set the gain. (Providing you have the eq section set correctly)The noise gate works great and is fully adjustable. And with some knob turning, you can sustain notes as long as you want and it won't cut you off early.
Features
I don't think you could fit any more features in a pedal if you wanted to. Full 3-band eq, adjustable level and gain, brutality switch that gives you a bottom boost, bypassable noise gate that's fully adjustable, and a boost switch that while you can't change the amount of boost, I think it's set pretty well.
Ease of Use
I gave a 9 here because I personally appreciate when a pedal manufacturer provides some starting point settings advice, and there was nothing in the box other than the pedal itself. And this is not a plug and play type of pedal, you definitely have to play with the knobs for awhile to find the sounds you want. But all the knobs are clearly labeled and very responsive.
Quality
I've owned a fair amount of Rivera amps in my time, and they're all overbuilt to the point of almost ridiculousness. This pedal appears to be true to the Rivera tradition of indestructible gear, (built like a tank) but I've only had it for a couple weeks as I'm writing this.....
Value
To me value means is it still going to be worth something after you buy it, and does it's effect on your sound reflect what you paid for it. Rivera stuff is not cheap at all, in fact it's pretty pricey, but it does almost always sound great and last. Rivera stuff sorta holds it's value, but I've heard the majority of people having the same support issues I've had, which makes people weary of buying used gear by that company.
Manufacturer Support
Although I love their gear, any time I ever needed any support from them it was a total nightmare. They either never answered the phone or emails at all, or had an incompetent stoner sounding kid provide nothing other than reasons why they can't help me. Luckily, most of their gear is indestructible so needing support is pretty rare.
The Wow Factor
Although it has no effect whatsoever on the sound or build quality, it has some cool graphics, and the knobs are pleasant to look at.
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
everything
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