G2D Two Tone Pedal

Straight out of the box it's easy to get a great sound with this versatile pedal. The controls are easy to understand. The tone knob is actually a mid-cut or mid-boost- not your typical bass to treble sweep. No manual necessary.

This pedal can cover a wide range of styles since it actually seems to have 2 gain structures in it - available at the click of a button. The blues gain is definitely in the SRV, Fenderish vein and the Solo side is total classic rock Marshallesque. Very musical and usable in all situations.

This pedal fills my classic rock and southern rock styles with the gain about noon. Turn the gain up and you can get some classic Marshall Plexi tones out of the Blues side, and even higher gain Marshall tones on the solo side. The boost knob is very subtle, but there is a definite presence increase when switching from the Blues to the Solo side.

The sound is very clear, uncompressed, and open. My test song tone was Thin Lizzy "Boys are back in town" and some Foghat stuff - totally nails them.

True bypass, great bright LEDs, and cool deep purple paint job. Sweet sounding package that sounds great through any amp I've thrown it in front of. My gigging amp is a custom designed one that can be found at www.renegadeamps.com - the Cruiser!

The build quality is superb. I would gig without a backup, this thing is heavy duty. I've had it about 2 months and have done quite a few jobs without a hiccup.

Dave and Grant were awesome in answering my pre-purchase questions. They even got me in contact with an Aussie guitarist named Gunner to ask some questions as well. I was able to describe the sound I was looking for and they were very honest in the capabilities of their pedal.

My only gripe was that once I received it I wrote them back thanking them for a great product and they never replied. Kinda flaky on that one, but everything before the purchase was top notch.

Makes me wonder if I had a problem, how their true customer support might be.

Classic Rock, Blues, some metal are the styles I'd categorize myself in. Been playing for over 20 years and have always strived to have some unique equipment in my rig - this pedal satisfies all I craved for in the classic rock kind of sound and is very versatile.

I noticed that www.musictoyz.com is now offering these pedals and they usually only carry some of the best boutique pedals around. I'm glad I followed up on my hunches early and got ahold of one from New Zealand and was able to talk to the makers directly. I hope this pedal takes off as does their Cream Tone pedal as I'm sure it will sound awesome too.

I'd take this pedal over a Fulldrive II in a heartbeat due to the versatility and gain structure. This would be my desert island overdrive pedal if I had to choose one today. Great job guys, I love it!

4 knobs - volume, tone, drive, boost. It's so easy to use all you have to do is plug in your guitar, set everything at noon, and play...too easy. The footswitches took about 3 minutes to get used to what they are supposed to do (explained in another review below), but they actually make good sense. This is a TRUE bypass pedal, so your tone is preserved. It does have a battery inside, but I use the 9v DC (accepts Boss barrel type).

I use a Tom Anderson Drop Top, Epiphone Dot, and Les Paul 1960 Classic and this pedal responds to humbuckers and single coils beautifully - this is rare in most pedals as they lean towards one type of pickup or another. The goal of this pedal in my mind was to replace my Keeley Modified TS-9 and Keeley Modified Blues Driver since they were not true bypass. Mission accomplished, this pedal can cover my low gain needs and medium to high gain needs perfectly. I have a pretty elaborate pedalboard setup with some different pedals, but my overdrives/distortions have their own place in my sonic realm, and I've been searching for a true bypass version of my low gain and medium gain drives for a long time. The tone knob is voiced perfectly, it is actually a mid cut/boost knob, and you don't notice any lacking in the low end or high end, very nice. The pedal actually has very good volume headroom so it sounds good at low and high volumes. The boost knob is used to give a slight presence/volume difference between the blues/solo gains, unity gain is achieved with the boost knob all the way down. The drive in this pedal is it's magic, very versatile and so musical. I would say the blues side is a chunky TS-9 type without the compression, and the solo side just sings and leans toward a cranked Plexi type sound - not too hairy around the edges, nice and focused and open at the same time. If you turned the tone knob all the way down (sucked mids) the solo side is in the George Lynch type tone to my ears. The style of music this pedal thrives in is Classic Rock (ala Thin Lizzy, Foghat, Sammy Hagar, AC/DC and the like). I can't say enough good things about the sounds that come out of this pedal.

This thing is built very solidly. I've only owned it for about 5 days, but the day after I got it I put it on my pedalboard and it rocked the very next day at a gig - great acid test results. The body is heavy duty electronics type box - cast alloy, and a very cool Deep Purple (hmm, makes you wonder?) The foot switches are excellent quality heavy duty things. Only time will tell, but I don't expect any problems with the pedal holding up at all.

Great - Dave is such a nice guy. I emailed him about 3 months asking questions, trying to get in touch with other owners in other countries. He responded very kindly, shared his construction techniques, and was just very customer service oriented. So far, I'd rank them up there with Robert Keeley who deserves an 11 in Customer Support.

For my needs this pedal has moved into contention as a desert island pedal. I could go to a gig armed with only a guitar, two cords, and an amp and cover the gamut with this pedal. All its features and versatility and tones are amazing, one of the best investments I've made in the last 3 years, bar none. Check out their website at:

http://www.g2d.co.nz/index.htm

Awesome product guys, and you need to market yourself over here in the US, I know I will do my part!

Super easy to use - 4 knobs - volume, tone, drive, boost. Here's how easy it is to get a good sound from this thing - plug in your guitar and play...too easy. There is two foot switches - one for one/off (TRUE bypass...wonderful) which goes clear/yellow. The other is for drive/boost, and that's red or blue dependinjg on drive mode. The battery lasts very well. Way better than any BOSS pedal. I don't use 9v DC for sound reasons but the option is there.

I use strats (plus and mexi) and gibsons (standard and '57 special w/ P-90's) into the G2D, BOSS dual overdrive, BOSS chorus, BOSS tremelo, Ibanez echo/delay through to a Laney VC-30 (2by12) or a Sovtek Mig 50 into 2x10 Jensen re-issues in a fingerjointed pine box.
OK, this thing was bought because it kicks butt on sound. I a/b'd it with a Mesa V2, and a multi effects thing. Forget about the multieffects unit, but compared to the V2 I feel the G2D is more alive, able to be be more "sonic". The drive channel goes from a nice "idle" up to quite a scream. Fine for everything from soft blues to solo city. The Boost channel is like a big beast of a sound...controllable though. I don't use it as much as the drive sound...it's just soooo big for my type of sound...but it gives you a two channel amp, in front of your amp...I end up with a three channel set up in the Laney rig...and this thing is great fr studio work...get a nasty drive without killing your ears....

This thing is built for gigs. The body is heavy duty electronics type box - cast alloy. I've has this thing in the worst stinkiest pub gigs and it has survived super well. The foot switches are excellent quality heavy duty things.
I have number 4 - I see number 3 below...wonder how many they're up to? They've got a new one outnow btw...a softer bluesey type thing...can't wait to play one!

Great - nice guys. E-mailed them for help once and they were totally proefessional and concerned (although it turned out to be a bad batch of 9v batteries!!)

This is a winner...is the best I've heard from any pre-amp effect pedal...it has a bypass, strudy construction. If it was lost I'd get one same day!

At first glance at this box I wondered if the 4 unassuming controls (volume,tone...kinda like a sweepable mid contour control, boost....for solo volumes, and drive) would give me all the tonal flexibility I needed. Unlike multiFX and Do-it-all-but-excel-at-nothing-in-particular type rigs it's as easy as turning the corresponding knob or switching from blues (mild gain...think old fender amps with single coils or JCM800s with humbuckers) to solo (anything from modern Marshall thru Soldano thru Boogie type tone)..it's all in this box!

Totally understand what the term "transparent' means now! every different guitar I plug into this thing, be it it Fender,Gibson or Yamaha has a distinct retention of it's own character...it can go from a nasty grind (yes even with single coils) to old tube amp- barely breaking up tone....a hidden bonus of this box is the old trick of running the volume wide open and drive off...I've used this to cop Jake E Lees tone on hard rock recordings as well as direct recording (using only the speaker simulator of my Korg A4) to my computer on some jazz and blues....if you are seeking a certain sound most likely with a bit of subtle experimenting of the modes/tones you'll find it here......only ONE of my peers picked it as a solid state pedal and even then I feel he was only guessing ;)

Owned this over 18months now and have never had a problem that changing a dead battery didn't fix....ie: no faults at all...built in a solid as hell aluminium chassis and the "guts" is full of goop to protect it as well.....I doubt I'll stomp this puppy to death in this lifetime

MY G2D is number 3 (the first and second are apparently sitting on MAnn's workbench for reference to repairs....maybe this will become a collectors item). after the first month I had to contact Grant regerding a few VERY minor tweaks in sound (I felt it was a little shrill and that the solo boost was too extreme on low settings) and he e mailed me immediately advising me models made after number 7 all had a mod that came standard that he would install free of charge...I dropped it off to Mainline Music and he'd done the mod within an afternoon!!! How's THAT for service!!

I'd give it a TEN but the rules state glowing reviews aren't accepted ;)

Manufacturer: Mann Electronics: http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/mannelect/index.htm
Model: G2D revision 3

Summary:
This is an open sounding versatile distortion pedal for those serious about tone.
Particularly noteworthy is the preservation of the instrument and amps tone when switched in. It does not does not squish dynamics and remains articulate even with the distortion full on. It is possible to dial in virtually none to plenty of gain and then tailor it to suit with a very well voiced tone control.
It is very musical.
Features:
 Die cast Aluminium housing
 Sturdy ? inch in and out sockets and DC input
 Knobs: Output level : Tone : Boost : Drive
 Footswitches: Bypass : Blues/Solo
 LEDs: Bypass (green) : Blues (blue): Solo (red)
 Colour: purple
 Power: 9V battery, or 9V power supply (not supplied)
Comes with a small leaflet that explains all you need to know about this easy to use pedal.

Operation:
The output level is designed to adjust the units distorted level relative to the bypassed level. The non-bypassed level can be made much louder than the bypassed. As it is possible to dial in virtually no distortion (depends how hard you play - see pick-ups used, below), this makes it a useful pre-amp boost. Although the output level is not designed to effect the tone (I suspect), at low levels the tone is very slightly more open. At higher levels the tone is very slightly thicker. This is a subtlety.

The tone control is very musical. Cutting helps to achieve gentle fuzz, while boosting enhances some rich harmonics in the distortion. For a single tone control it is appropriately tuned. My personal taste would be an ability to boost slightly higher frequencies for more sparkle ? but I know I?m a bit on my own here, and my amp is a bit dark too. I do not know if the tone is pre or post the distortion.

There are two distortion modes: blues and solo. They have similar voicing ? solo gives more gain and rich open harmonics. Blues is slightly more thick, chunky, and smooth.
The boost control is to adjust the output of the solo level relative to the blues level. It does not effect the level into the distortion circuit. It has enough adjustment to allow solo mode to tastefully stand out from blues. The ability to reduce solo just a little bit so it was the same as blues would be a nicety (in the latest revision this now is possible).

Sound:
To try the unit I have a Les Paul copy fitted with Seymor Duncan Jeff Beck (bridge) and Seth Lover (neck) pickups (0.11 strings). Also a Telecaster copy with Seymor Duncan Nashville Studio pickups (0.10 strings). Signal path was D?Addario Planet Waves cables, Ernie Ball volume pedal, MXR Pahse 90 and a Mesa Boogie Blue Angel 1x12 combo switched to EL84 power tubes.

The first thing I noticed was the hi-fidelity of the pedal. Other pedals (see below) changed the tone from the sound of the guitar plugged into the amp considerably. So tone freaks will appreciate this feature (along with the true bypass). It means the unit integrates well with your amplifier ? an extension of your amp. My single channel amp now has 3 channels.
Second was how easy it is too get a good sound. It is one of those all-useful-sound pedals.
Third was the units versatility. After experimenting for a while it became easy to dial in clean with break up when you dig in, hard crunch, or singing solo. By rolling off the treble at the guitar (or at the pedal) a tasteful fuzz was possible; a gentle motorboat thing ? but not muddy. It is possible to add plenty of distortion through to virtually none. Once the amount of drive is dialled in, the tone control is beautifully voiced for tailoring the style you want. The output level control lets you hit your amps input from zero to extreme levels.
The unit is very quiet.

Comparison with other pedals:
Hughes and Kettner Tubeman; Mesa Boogie V1 Bottle Rocket; MXR Distortion+; Korg AG1000X; Digitech GNX1.
All of these pedals are nice. Here is how I found they compared to the G2D:

The V1 Bottle Rocket is not very articulate or open sounding and has a flabby bottom end. It is for those who want something distinctive ? not a versatile unit.
The Tubeman is a nice pedal. The clean and crunch channels are pleasing. The lead channel is too compressed and not open enough for me (does not sing enough). It has no bypass (easy fixed) and changes the tone of your amp (so not much consistency when the distortion kicks in from bypassed mode). I liked the voicing of the treble control very much ? added a lot of sparkle (Note that the Tubeman claims to be a preamp ? not just a distortion pedal. It also has a Red Box Pro amp simulator built in, which I didn?t find too convincing). The G2D was more open and pleasing. Compared to the G2D, unless you wanted another preamp or an emergency back up ?amp? playing live (straight to board) I would look for something different before getting the Tubeman).
The Distortion+ lacks openness. It does not have a true bypass. It is quite muddy. A tone sucker. Does a reasonable fuzz and a strained lead thing. I only liked one of two sounds on this unit that would be great for special occasions. Not a general work horse. The G2D is much more versatile. The tone and drive control let me get the amount of fuzz I like (by dropping the treble on my guitar or on the G2D) and with more clarity.
For me, the G2D was clearly better.
The Digital processors where fun. The presets where inspirational. However, I could quickly get a similar style of sound out of the G2D which was much more strong, clear, and convincing.
So I traded in my Tubeman and returned the others that were on a trial loan.
I have never heard anything I would rate 10.

The unit is built tough. I would gig without back-up.
The footswitches are Carlings and have the nicest action of any footswitch I?ve tried. The components are on a circuit board covered with goo so they wont come loose. The solder joints that can be seen are fine. According to the web site they use all high grade components. The paint on my unit is not anodised and comes off with light bumps. However, the chassis are now all anodised. In fact, Mann Electronics even *offered* to anodise my unit in the near future.

Incredibly kind and helpful. The guys that make these pedals obviously take pride in their work and are genuine about customer service (Apart from offering to recoat my unit,they also respond to e-mails quickly and thoughtfully). Guitarists themselves, it appears they are also zealous about listening to other guitarists and making useful musical equipment. I feel confident they won't let you down.

The G2D is a very high quality sounding pedal. It copes well with blues and rock. I suspect even those into metal would be interested, but I don?t know that style enough to comment properly. I am no distortion pedal expert. However, this is the best general-purpose pedal I have heard. If I am ruthless (and personal in my taste) my wish would be an ever-so-slightly higher voiced treble boost for some sounds - I suspect my amp may be contributing to this wish.
It's the sort of unit you can grow your music with and I?m looking forward to building my music with this pedal for many years to come.