Akai D1 Shred-O-Matic

This is very easy to use. All the settings are well-marked and logical and do exactly what they should. The pedal is incredibly rugged and professional. I give it an "8" only because it is slightlty more complex than most distortion units.

I use a Carvin into an Electar 10, then miked for recording. This combination is naturally a very good classic-rock, Hendrixy sound.

Unfortunately the shred-o-matic is the worst sounding distortion I have ever heard (and I have been hearing them since 1968).
1. It completely alters the basic tone, even with all distortion intensity at minimum. It whacks off BOTH the low end, and the high end, giving a very nasal and dull midrange sound.
2. The tube path actually sound harsher and less "tubey" than the diode path. I'm not sure how they managed that. There is really no "low-gain" setting. It starts at "ratty" and goes up to "hairy-mushball"
3. Using the pedal for adjustment to the distortion intensity is completely impractical, because it changes the volume A LOT simultaneously. Don't assume (as I did) that you can roll from clean to distortion in fine gradiations.
4. The tube and diode distortions are matched to each other in volume pretty well, so the blend and transitions do sound useable, but each one is so completely generic sounding that it still doesn't create much excitement.
5. With the higher-gain settings, the distortion is useable, but it is simply two very ordinary distortion sounds, not an infinitely variable and adjustable-on-the-fly like I had hoped. Maybe my expectations were simply too high.

It looks incredibly rugged and reliable. Maybe the most professional footpedal I have ever seen, construction-wise. I can't attest to long-term reliability.

No idea.

If I had paid more for this, I would return it immediately. It's sound is simply very cliche and unexpressive (nasaly and dull). Since I bought it on closeout, and it would cost me shipping to return it, I will probably keep it for occasional "novelty" distortions. My favorite setting is "bypass" :)
I also reviewed the BOSS ME-8 a few years ago if you want to check my general review attitude. I loved the ME-8, and am generally pretty easy to please, but the Shred-o-matic is a big disappointment. I give it an overall 3 based on sound alone. I might give the unit to an electrical engineer friend at let him experiment to see if he can overcome its numerous design problems.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
Easy, Very Easy, Twist a knob, Stomp a switch, Mash a pedal, you got sound.
How about Editing patches? N/A
How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
Manual is a good one, covers basic operation.
(this is a distortion pedal for gods sake)
Do you know the firmware revision number? N/A
Has your unit been upgraded? N/A

What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?
Samick 29-Fret Neck, Bridge: Humbucker, Neck: Single coil (Seymour Duncan's), Bucker is a bit on the bright side no lows.
Dean, Del Sol, 2 Dean Humbuckers, This axe will get nasty,
lots of dirty low-down.
Ibanez Destroyer (2001 reissue) 2 Power Sound Humbuckers. good all around guitar, not to bright or to low. (very neck heavy, body light?)
Fender Silverface Bassman 50, through a Crate open back 2x12 cab.
Fender Silverface Bassman 70, through a Sonic Closed back 4x12 cab.

Signal Chain:
Vox Distortion Booster (Used as a Treble booster)
Danelectro 7-Band EQ
Shred-O-Matic
G-Drive (dual 6-band EQ Overdrive/Distortion, also an Akai)
MXR Phase 100
MXR Flanger
Volume Pedal

The Akai Shred-O-Matic Is what I can only call a "One Trick Pony"
It has a permently scoped mid setting, tweaking the 2 tone knobs hardly makes a difference.
If you are after "Over The Top, Shreiking White Metal Distortion"
and you don't mind the scoped mids, this is your boy.
I keep it in my line up but use it rarely.
(as a matter of fact I bought a second one and I am in the process of moding it for a more usefull tones !!!)

Is it noisy? On what settings?
I think all effects are noisy, this one is not to bad

Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?
No and OK not great.

Can you depend on it?
Yes, Heavy metal case and pedal.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Yes and No (I always have a bck up if I can afford it.)

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
By email only, seems to me the person who replyed to me did not have a clue as to what I was asking.
(I have an Akai Vari-Wah, Noisy as hell with the wall wart, useless)
(eats batteries on a daily basis)

Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
No, See above statement.

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
Rock and Roll !!! (50/50)

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
off and on, close to 30 years.
Danelectro Longhorn six string guitar.
Now called the "Guitar-O-Lin" Guitar-Madolin.
31 Fret neck, 2 lipstick pickups.
Washburn Woodstock, Thinline electric-accoustic.
Ovation Deacon, Whicked !!!
Silvertone Model 1482 1x12 15 watt combo (early 60's)
Breaks up real nice at 7, nothing much past 7 though.

If it were stolen, lost, buy it again or get something else?
I would get something else !!!

what do you love about it?
"Over The Top, Shreiking White Metal Distortion"
What do you hate?
"Permently Scoped Mid" setting
What is your favorite feature?
Pedal can be used to control the drive or volume (W/Slide Switch)

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
No, No place locally to try it out.
Seems there are no Akai dealers here in Minnesota,
or if there are I have not found them yet.

Anything you wish it had?
Better Tone Control !!!

Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
This one is a 50/50 toss up
Please See: "Over The Top, Shreiking White Metal Distortion"
&
Permently "Scoped Mid" setting

Anything else you'd like to share?
Please See: (as a matter of fact I bought a second one and I am in the process of moding it for a more usefull tones !!!)
I am going to add a switch for more of an overdrive style of sound.
Another pot to tune it for a blues style.

As far as operation goes it is a "no brainer". I didn't even open the manual. However it was difficult for me to get a good sound (see sound quality).

I use humbuckers, so perhaps it is better in single coil applications. I may try it with my son's Peavey Falcon (strat copy). As far as the distortion goes it is great. Very reconizable sounds from each string. Also the drive control works good, the distortion sounds real at low and high drive settings. The problem I had was with tone. I just couldn't get the tone right. Also if you use the pedal to control the drive, pushing the pedal down changes the tone from a bad low sound to a bad high sound in addition to increasing the drive. I have currently taken this out of my chain. I was considering either a Boss OS-2 or a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde. Both of these pedals have gotten good reviews here. I decided on the J&H.

No problems, it's a tank.

Never dealt with them.

I play lots of stuff, and this would have been a perfect pedal for me if I could have gotten the tone right. I would not buy one again. Like I said before the distortion was great at all drive levels, but good tone was unobtainable for me. I think Akai should solve the tone problem with this pedal and reissue it as the D1-B or something.

This pedal is awesome! For those that have given it a bad review, they obviously have no clue how to use gear. This machine is worth at least $150 - $200. The distortion sounds you get are limitless anc this pedal is so easy to use, but incredibly diverse in it's tones.

This unit has a pedal that can either be used for output or drive. It has 4 different distortion modes, tube, diode, gradual change from tube to diode and fast change based on pick intensity. I run this rig through several multi-effect processors, and EQ pedal, and a Morley A/B switch. My amps are a Peavey VTM-60 half stack with a Laney GC 80A combo amp. I get unbelievable control of my tone. The only drawback is that I get quite a bit of feedback when I am using my Musicman Axis. With my other guitars, I have relatively no problems. In diode mode, it is pretty noisy so I would suggest a noise gate, but while this thing is cranking out the sound, it is amazing. I still give sound quality a 10

Metal case and tough construction. Use it w/o a backup on every show.

N/A

I highly encourage rhythm players to have one of these in their arsenal. I love this thing! Be sure to check our website: www.recycledsouls.com

Warning: Do not try a 12AT7. Since it is lower gain, the output drop is considerable and the tone is about the same.

Pretty simple controls--volume, low, high, & drive knobs; a continuous control pedal for adjusting the volume or the drive amount (switchable); and a mode knob with four settings: tube, diode, smooth, & passion. The smooth and passion (stupid name) settings are two different ways to blend the tube and diode distortions. The manual only states the obvious... Getting a good sound can be a bit difficult, unless you're specifically looking for "midrangey-marshall-stack-in-a-box." Although with tweaking, several good sounds (and maybe one or two great ones) can be coaxed out of this box.

Ahhhhh...where to begin? So far I'm just using it with one of my rigs: Shadow S1000H (akin to a high-end Ibanez w/hum-single-single and a Floyd)>Shure UHF wireless>A/B to tuner>Snarling Dogs Blues Bawls Wah/OD>Akai D1>Ibanez Chorus/Flange>MXR Phase 90>Danelectro Dan-Echo>Carvin VS Nomad 50. All effects are powered by a Dunlop Juice Box. In the past, I have used the channel switching on my amp almost exclusively to provide overdrive on demand, and adding the D1 gives me a little more flexibility in the distortion realm.
The tube sounds are not that bad with this pedal, especially if you're wanting really high gain rock & metal sounds. The diode sound is a harsh to my ears, but does have a lot of punch. It did take some tweaking to get a sound that I liked, but for the price I paid, it's pretty decent.
The main problem I have with this pedal is summed up easily: EQ. I bought this pedal because of the great price at Zzounds after reading most of the previous reviews here. I was hoping I'd disagree with what a couple of previous reviewers said about losing low end, but sad to say, this thing whacks off your bottom end something fierce. I'm used to a nice, rounded, full bass from my guitar and amp, and this thing sacrifices it at the altar of midrange with no regard to my lovely bass timbres. Rats! If this pedal left the low end intact and gave you a mid control knob in addition to the low and high, it would be a fantastic pedal, not just an adequate one. But for 50 bucks I'll forgive them...
This effect really changes the character of your overall sound (not necessarily a bad thing), so if you're expecting the sound of your particular guitar and amp to be unaltered other than adding some "tubey" overdrive, think about getting some other stomp box. If you dig heavily soaked distortion with a bright edge and really forceful mids (low end not included), you'll probably love this pedal. It has a bit too much crunch for me--I may take one of the previous reviewer's suggestions and replace the stock Sovtek tube with a Groove Tubes 12AT7 or something similar.
Lest I sound completely negative, I am leaving this pedal in my setup because it does have a couple of uses, mainly because of the continuous control pedal. With the drive set fairly low and the control pedal switched to drive level, I can get a nice, meaty crunch for chords (that cleans up nicely when played softly or backed off the guitar volume), and really step up the gain with the pedal for lead lines or big dynamic changes. This is the best feature the D1 has, as far as I'm concerned. When used in conjunction with my channed-switching amp and the incredible volume boost of the Blues Bawls Wah/OD pedal, I have a very broad palette of distortion and overdrive levels right at my feet. With nothing but a little playing dynamics and the control pedal of the D1, I can go from barely breaking up to raging feedback or several places in between.
I also leave the setting on passion most of the time, just so when I hit it hard it gives that little extra punch from the diode distortion. When more concerned about sound quality, stick with the tube setting.
Again, don't expect super quality to this distortion sound--if you paid anywhere near the list price of over $200, I feel sorry for you. I don't deem this one worthy to be in between my ES-335 and vintage Super Reverb, for instance. But it does have its uses, and some folks are really gonna like the sound it throws out. I happen to like the versatility and response to dynamics (something the average diode stomp box distortion won't give). It found a home in one of my rigs, and I'm satisfied with it for the price I paid.

Case is metal--looks pretty tough. Control pedal is plastic, may turn into problems down the road. So far, so good.

Never had to mess with the company.

Cons: it hacks off certain low-end frequencies, it's not easy to control the midrange, the diode sound is harsh, it has a peculiar voicing that not everybody's gonna like, the plastic control pedal looks like it will give way eventually, the tube it comes with isn't the greatest

Pros: tons of saturation, when you bypass it doesn't load your signal, excellent dynamic response, very versatile with control pedal, can take you from "sweet and clean" to "raging rock monster"

Bottom line: bang for the buck! For $50, it's a great deal if you want a versatile distortion with the dynamic qualities you can only get from a tube; if you paid upwards of $100 and expected pristine audio quality, I'm sorry, you should've bought an Ibanez Tube King...

Couldn't be any simpler. Put it this way: The manual is still in the unopened plastic it came in, and will probably stay there. It's as simple as (or simpler than) any other OD/Distortion pedal out there- except this thing gives way more control. More like a mini- amp, really.

PRS Standard or various strat styles into "Shredomatic"- that name cracks me up- into Boss TU 2, into Pod Pro powered by a Mesa/Boogie 20/20. I honestly can't understand why anyone would not like this thing. I couldn't get a BAD sound out of it. Oh well, tone is subjective I guess. I don't remember what the settings were when I took it out of the box- I think everything was at 12:00. And on those settings, they could have called this " Brian May in a box". It compresses really nicely, and I stay with the tube settings. Sustain? Well, "you could go an 'ave a bite, come back an you'll still be 'earin' that one..." One of my favorite tones, along with Brian May, is David Gilmours'. I like how I can hold a note, and it will "move" with me as I change position, vibrato, etc. Only tubes do that. Smooth and quiet, but I set the drive at about 9-10 o'clock. Low: 2-3 o'clock,high: noon - 3 o' clock, and out put almost maxed. To my ears, it sounds very natural at these settings- tube- mode, BTW.

It seems pretty solid but I NEVER gig without a backup. I try to have a backup of as many elements of my sound as possible, because no matter how well built something is, if gigged regularly, eventualy, it WILL fail. ANYTHING. I'll probably get a spare one.

No experience with them- I haven't had this thing that long.

I play blues, classic rock, a bit of fusion ( As I improve my technique and knowledge of theory, I'll be playing a bit *more* fusion)I've been playing for 27 years. Not constanly, though. I have to eat and sleep too, you know. My favorite pedal before this one was my trusty old beat up Boss SD1. I'll always keep that- but this definitely has a place in my rig. I've tried or owned TONS of OD/Dist. boxes over the years, including most of the tube based ones. This is the best sounding TUBE based pedal I've heard- INCLUDING Real tube, Blue tube, and the Mesa V twin-yes, I said " V twin. I'd definitely replace this if stolen or lost- and like I said, I already want a second one. I can't believe the price on this thing. I can see these things becoming highly sought after years down the road, like old tubescreamers are today. I'm very pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. It would be even better if they had seperate level controls so you could have the diode, AND the tube mode going at the same time. That would be nice- but it's still a damn cool pedal. I bought it on a lark- a new toy, a joke- but it's becoming an important element of my tone- very versatile, I'll probably end up using this on everything except ultra- clean stuff.

Once again, I see another fine product being bashed by inexperienced players. This thing is very easy to use.

There is nothing wrong with the sound on this baby. Those who say it's nasal, buzzy have a crappy gig setup or do not know how to use it. There are many different combinations of sounds you can get out of it; That tells me right there that those who bashed this pedal are morons. If you can't tell the difference or what affects the sounds with the EASY settings you are co-op for expecting out-of-the-box tweaked pedal. This blows the Boss MT away. Less noise. Ever hear of a EQ before and after or adjusting your amp's eq? Nope.. Sorry for you morons. You can't be it especially for $50 and TRUE bypass. Too bad it's not tailored for posers/kids.

No problems.. Built like a rock that should be used to bash the morons who despise this pedal. I give it a 9 since there is a tube in it that could break from a fall or shock trama to some posers head.

didnt need to contact

If you hate this pedal then you need to go to tone deaf school for the guitar posers group that meets on Sunday nights across from the AA meetings.

A little different.... Switch between this and that and then another
switch between this and the other thingee. There are many variations
in function. Sad there is no real variation in the shitty NASAL tone.

Like a metalzone without the mid eq. I HATE the NASAL HONK of this
and the metal zone. What were they thinking? I've never heard these
NASAL PINCH YOUR NOSE tones on any recordings. When you turn down the gain things get worse, all you hear is that damn 1K honk.

The G drive was as strong as a brick. This is as strong as the piggies stick house not the brick house.

The box looks cool the switches are cool the concept is cool the sound is not. Also, there is VERY LITTLE difference between the
suposedly different distortion modes. One has slightly more bass
but still that same midrange HONK. I've got 25 distortion pedals to compare this with.

No really good sounds, all are nasal and buzzy. But it's easy to get an inferior sound.

Nasal and/or buzzy, fairly useless.

Looks EXTREMELY well built. Metal case!!!

????

Short version: Not that great.
Pull quote: "Sounds like Guitar Center on Saturday"

It's very nasally, and *completely* lacking in bass. Just chops
bass right out. I like a distortion that doesn't perform any EQ,
and this one does. Funny thing is that it's midrange boosted
(esp. in the tube mode) instead of midrange scooped.

I still need to try it at high volume, where I generally drop a
little bass off anyway, and it might be more suitable.

The diode fuzz is buzzy, and doesn't clean up at all when you
back off on the guitar volume. The tube fuzz only cleans up a
little, and does not have good dynamics when you do. Kinda flat
on the dynamics.

The distortion has a lot of range, unfortunately none of it is in
the subtle or mild range. It goes from lots of distortion to way
out there.

The "true bypass" (if it really is) seems to work OK. Wonder of
wonders.

I may try to mod the voicing, but there sure is a lot of
circuitry in there to trace through (two pc boards).

I did try EQing. "Before the box" did nothing. "After the box"
fixed some of the bass lack, but I couldn't dial out that
obnoxious mid-range with only a six-band MXR.

I may keep it for the parts. If you add up the value of the
*metal* enclosure, sturdy wah-pedal-like mechanism, the 7025
tube, DPDT stomp switch, the pots, jacks, the 9V adapter, etc. it
may be *worth* the $50. Strange that the excellent enclosure is
the best thing about it!