Boss MZ-2 Digital Metallizer

very simple to use,ears will tell you what`s what!

Not an obvious choice of pedal for hard rock/blues, but if you are a
Gibson player who`s gone off strats due to that harsh,brittle bridge
pickup tone,try the distortion on this, instant gutsy sound, you`ll
learn to love your strat again, I did! I don`t know why Boss didn`t
make this distortion pedal without all the digital extras, it beats the
crap out of anything else in their overdrive/distortion range.

Useless with batteries, but it does seem to be sensitive to what power
supply you use, the distortion works whatever power supply is plugged
into it, but the digital bits are a bit variable, will work with one
sort but not another? maybe my pedals getting old,(like me)

Never had to use it, I have some very old boss pedals,one 27 years
old and still strapped to my pedalboard, (BF-2 by the way),

Brilliant for making strats playable again! (though doesn`t get rid of
the noise problems), bit temperamental with power supplies,but a good
pedal with some good sounds. Haven`t tried it with solid state amps,
but with good `ole valve amps, a winner,(tried it with my Selmer,Kelly,
Park,fender,carlsboro and was excellent in all of them)

Depending on the output used, it may be a difficult beast to tinker with... level, tone, distortion, and the setting knob for the modulation. short echo and a couple choruses.

I had this effect about 10 years ago and i thought it sounded amazing... i think. cmon, i was 10!

Okay, through a simple setup (DV8se>6505+/JSX>1960A) it produced tones similar to "******."

the distortion is NOT analog. what you're hearing is DIGITAL DISTORTION. yes, there is such a thing, and it sounds bad.

I'm sure if you're someone who compromises with tone, or owns a tele/fender amp and think you know anything about metal, you may well get a kick out of this effect.

Otherwise, i'd say that in stereo operation with HEAVY eq-ing and through a good clean preamp, you can get some interesting sounds. nothing that can't be achieved with a stereo delay or chorus. the distortion is lacking, no doubt about it. yeah yeah gilmour used it decades ago and now its worth around 100 bucks. listen, I DON'T LIKE IT. why should you? because the price tag told you so.

Very reliable. the battery snap broke on my first one... the genius that i thought i was told me to wire it to another pedal in series. that didn't work. anyways, years later i bought another one. and i'd say it'll probably last forever, seeing how its probably going to sit in my closet...forever.

Not worth it. Save your money and get a stereo delay/chorus if thats why you're interested in buying this pedal. NO, it does not sound like metallica. Whoever wrote that had better gotten better at hearing tone these days. No, it does not sound like any heavy metal artist. Don't let the hype fool you. its no surprise why boss discontinued this pedal, don't you think?

Three of the four knobs go all the way around from left to right. The fourth one has six different options. There really is no use for a manual (as with all my BOSS pedals). However, browsing through the short manual could help you benefitting from it's true potential.

I was really disappointed with the sound when I first heard it. Especially the delay, it was too short and couldn't impress me at all. Then I discovered output B and connected it to my friend's amp: it changed my opinion about this pedal forever, because the sound it produced was both stereo and spacious thanks to the short delaytime. I guess this is what this pedal was made for. I used to have an A+B signal-splitter in order to create stereo sounds but it didn't have the impressive wall of sound. If you want a big sound in a small area, this pedal does the trick. You can also use the pedal to rocket your solos big time!

The 4x4 all-terrain pedals by BOSS have always helped me through all the jungles I've gotten myself into.

Never had to deal with them.

I advise every guitarist who has two amps and wants to have a fat rocksound to get one. If only the monojack (Output A) is used, the sound you get could be too thin and too mushy. The only real disadvantage is that on stage you have to switch manually between the different effects, but overall I am really glad I've bought one. I would certainly miss it if it got lost!

This pedal is easy to use, take a few minutes and you've got the sound you'll need
It didn't come with a manual but I had no need for one.

The first time I plugged in I didn't like it all an thought it sucked biig time. but... One thing I really missed in the other reviews is the sound in stereo mode. Once I plugged in two amps (fender pro junior/Marshall JTM 30) it really came alive. what a difference!!
So I would say that for mono use I don't like the distortion at all but whenever I play in stereo (at home always) I always use this pedal!
The duobling and chorus option are a nice extra. but I think you have to be carefull and don't overuse it. Stick with the first two settings.

I suggest that HC gets rid of this when it comes to a boss compact review.

Never dealt with them

I play a lot of different styles. My band plays rock cover, but I'm not a guitar player who's trying to immitate other people sounds. I play the rock cover with my own sound (-:
Anyway, I really love Boss pedals and got a lot of them. the MZ-2 is one of the pedals I use most for home use (recording and jammin' around)
If you've got two amps you really should try this pedal!!

well, where do i start, it's a boss pedal, these things are very simple to use, i think even a blonde could use them.

you've got overall level, tone, dive, then the 5 mode chorus/slapback switch.

there are alot of mixed reviews of this pedal, i will review this in my personal experiences with this pedal. i purchased this around 4 years ago from ebay, after using one in the studio of a friend.

well, an mz-2 to is a 100% analougue distortion/overdrive combined with a digital chorus or slapback/double tracking effect. this digital side accounts for the low battery life, though i use it with a power supply with no hum/extra noise.

the name suggested that this pedal should be a flithy metal pedal ala metallica. the mz-2 is actually more akin to a classic rock/blues pedal. the distortion isnt that scooped mid dual rectifier sound, it's that warm (yes warm, though my tweed fender will make anything sound warm) almost vox british sound.

with the gain quite low, it's a very nice rythymic crunch sound, chord work is quite nice with this.

one sound i have used out of this pedal, is that 80's era queen sound, using a boss sd-1 to boost the input into the pedal and adding the chorus effect. it works quite well, especailly using a burns brian may guitar.

i play alot of 70's era progressive rock, blues, classic rock, with bits of current indie/rock throw in.

my setup is crybaby wah>ehx nano lbp-1>boss sd-1>boss mz-2>boss rt-20>dunlop volume pedal>danelectro pb and j delay>vox ac30>fender tweed twin.

guitar wise i use a fender duo sonic, fender strat, fender telecaster, gibson 335, gibson sg, gibson les paul, daisy rock retro-h 12 string, burns brian may.

with this set up i can get pretty much any sounds i want, apart from metal, which i very rarely play.

i have never had any problems with it, then again boss do make things to last, my boss stuff will probably still be going after i've started livin underground!!! hehe

i do have a spare, because for me, it does get some nice sounds, and i think i've paired it with some nice equipment, so i wouldnt wanna be without that sound.

never had to use them yet, but i'm sure they'd sort it out.

this pedal has had very mixed reveiws, i have looked at it from my personal uses for this pedal.

i like this pedal alot, it's been in my pedal board for 4 years and i haven't really strayed away from it, apart from using direct guitar/amp setups. it works as a nice little booster, a nice crunchy rythym and a nice lead tone. dave gilmour has one in his rig, he's a bit of a tone freak so it must have some good quality some of us are missing out on.

This unit has the usual boss controls, level, tone and drive. It also has a mode switch that has some interesting stereo digital effects.

The reviews of this pedal seem to swing between two camps - those who consider it an amazing "Hetfield" sound and those who think it's rubbish. One or two reviews for this actually make sense, calling it "gloriously low-fi...fantastically shit". Essentially, if you want to get a Hetfield sound out of a pedal, don't bother with Boss (the metalzone, heavy metal and other ds models just don't have enough grit although I can't comment on the new metalcore pedal since I haven't tried it). The metalizer is very much an effect but using it as your tone base is not a particularly wise move. I use the distortion set pretty high with the wider chorus for a white noise intro (think deftones when they wander off and do their own thing). I like effects that make my guitar sound very unlike a guitar, if you want a core distortion tone get a boss ds-1, it's surprisingly versatile at the right settings. Better yet, learn how to use your amp properly.

My pedal is almost as old as I am and still works fine. However, it is a little battery hungry.

Never had to deal with them.

I play what can generally be called progressive, kind of dream theater without as much shred (basically all my sweeping sounds the same so I just keep it to a couple of songs). My set up at the moment generally goes Fender 60th anniversary mexican strat/PRS tremonti SE > Crybaby > Boss DS-1 > Boss MZ-2 > Boss GE-7 > Boss SD-1 as a boost > EHX Wiggler > Vox Valvetronix AD50VT. It gives me a great white noise sound which I'd find hard to replace. I'd buy another if I found it for a reasonable price. When I step on an effect I want people to notice, this certainly does that.

Within minutes for playing with this pedal - I needed to go and catch my socks and put them back on! I originally bought this pedal as I was advised by a very good source that David Gilmour has one on his rig - therefor it had to be done! Very easy to get an excellent sound very quickly!

This is an incredibly versitile pedal - the basic distortion is analogue and has a great warm sound. The other main sound I use is with the Digital chorus - which I find fantastic! I personnally think it sounds a little like Jake E Lee on "Bark at the Moon".
I strongly advise anyone to invest in one of these babies! you will not be disapointed. Yes there is some noise - but hell it's analogue! Buy an NS-2.
I mainly play this wil a Deluxe Strat and an Ibanez S-470 - however I think this sounds actually sounds better with single coil pick ups!

It Boss - what else it there to say!

N/A - it's BOSS - not needed!

I play a wide range of rock music including Pink Floyd - this is one of the most used pedals on my board (which mainly features Boss).
Due to the fact that this pedal is becomming more and more rare - I have just bought a second as I do not know what I would do with out it!!!!

Easy - Turn the knobs! To be fair, you'd have to be a muppet not to be able to...

YES! It sounds mega. Gilmour had one in his rig for sorrow, and it does that just fine. Use it as a buffer pedal before your rack or tube amp. NOT solid state. Use it to dive tube amps and you should be fine. I had it for ten years and didn't touch it. The put it before my triaxis/2:90/ etc. and WHOAA BABY - It blows your socks off. Toneful and sweet. And yes...they are now rising in price!!!

If it sits well with your rig - 10. If not, sell it and buy something else!

Boss = As good as it gets. I own Boogie, Fulltone etc. but boss is just as good. 7 million pedals now is it? We could omit this column - surely?

mmm - don't know! Its Boss!

Set it up, don't rely only on it - have other options, be open minded, enjoy its potential!! And you will!!!

For the first couple of days, it felt like years, i couldn't get used to figuring out the controls. But once you figure it out, u know your own sound and you can change it as your sound changes. If you get it, it will click emediately or take a while, either way once you've figured it out, its done.

I run it through a Jackson cop off brand, and a fender cop off brand, all through a vox valvetronix. The whole overall sound if you want the clean dry tube like distortion, it comes at a price-
-It gets really raspy sometimes
-you can forget about having single coule pick-ups or continuosly play so the "hum" noise isn't audible
if you like the muddle sachurated distortion-
-"hum" noise is still there on single coils
Over all the bad that ive said, i do have to say this is a great pedal if you can't afford a Head with the controls you want, it is very versitle, it seems to have some sort of chorus effect or something to give it more bottom end (is not so much bad or good).
But if you have the money buy a bogner uberschall or a trible rectifier, you will be much happier with the vaccuum tube distortion.

Boss has never made a pedal i wouldn't rely on.
Ive never ever had a boss pedal give out on me.

didn't work through boss

I play everything from heavy metal to pop rock to classic rock to even country, so this definately suits my hard rock/metal needs for now. I have been playing it for about 6 months, i used some of the DS models and still use some, vox wah wah pedal,and the whammy bar thats about it, i keep it pretty simple. if it ever got stolen, i would have to be in a real jam to buy another one, like 5 hours before a show, but i would probably just use my vox and double the sound with the 0 second delay. I love that it actually can sound clean crisp and focused, but with that, there is ALWAYS a hint of raspy sound.my favorite feature is the gain knob, i pretty much change that every time I play. A decent tube amp would wipe the crap out of this pedal in comparison though. I chose this pedal because of its versitility and bottom end. I JUST WISH THE RASPY WASN'T THERE! If you know your sound you want, it will not get in the way, but if you don't and you need to record, it will suck.

This pedal is very easy to use, ya just set the level, tone, drive and mode. The modes are like this
SGL- Just like a normal Distortion/OD pedal
Doubling 1 2 and 3- Makes the sound full and thick , perfect for solos
Chorus- Heavy thick sound along with a nice chorus effect
If you cant figure how to work, well darn then i guess your'e in a pickle

I use either a 1981 Fender strat transition model or a Ibanez RG-7620 7 string, The metalizer, Boss ME-30 and a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100 Half stack.
With single coil pickups the sound is sort of noisy but with humbucking pickups its pure beauty. And destruction. Beauty and destruction. This effect sounds perfect for those solos where you need a boost or to be more pronounced because it creates super thick sound.
I dont usually try to get " an artist's sound" I just set it until it sounds badass and leave it alone. Overall it sounds awesome , although some others might say otherwise

for dependability, what do you expect from a boss? , this shit is like those Jeep commercials , its "Trail Rated", bullet proof , could protect the pope , probably the most durable of all pedals. I would definately use it in a gig without a backup. Then Id throw it at the hecklers and it would still be fine!

I never had to deal with them, so I cant say.

Overall I would give it a 9 because nothings perfect. A few more options would be nice, but its fine the way it is. I play lots of rock/Blues/jazz/metal and it fits in well with some, but not all. If it where lost id probably get a GT-6 because the metalizer is pretty rare.It really helps if you are a lead player or rythem (with lots a balls) and it doesnt get in the way at all.