Product: Hermida Audio Technology Zendrive SE
Price Paid: USD 250
Submitted
07/04/2009
at
07:20pm
by
javier
Email: javier at hotmail<dot>com<dot>ar
Ease of Use
:
9
It has the same controls as the regular Zendrive. No manual. Real wood box, metalic knobs. It`s not self explanatory but it`s deep in possibilities, I don`t care, you have to explore and find your tones.
Sound Quality
:
10
Oh, man, this is it. I own a complex pedalboard and many good guitars with different pickups that go to a Boogie Lonestar combo. This pedal makes them sound like heaven.
Some years ago I sold my regular Zendrive because I was not getting that ellusive sexy sound with medium and high gain settings, instead I was hearing a high end fizzines I didn`t like very much, so I sold it and bought a Lopedal Kanji and a Zenkudo. Both are lovely pedals and the Zenkudo is killer for soft overdrive with a Strat when you want that Matt Schofield drive. But when I heard about the SE I decided to bet and give it a shot. I was right. I don`t know if Alf changed something, or if my original Zendrive was defective in some way, but this SE is KILLER. It`s the D sound I was looking for. It`s killer with my ES-359 and killer with my Strat, no matter the guitar I use, if I want medium gain for solos and comp, it`s the most sexy sound I had in my life, period. Is it the D sound? I`m not sure, but it`s the closest I`ve come to Robben Ford with any pedal. It`s not noisier than the Kanji or the Zenkudo, but nothing comes close in terms of silence than the BB Preamp, I don`t know how they do it, but they are the best in that dept. The mid quality in this pedal is second to none, period.
Reliability
:
10
It feels solid but I wouldn`t take it to any gig, it`s there in my pro pedalboard for my really important shows. I`d never leave it alone onstage...
Customer Support
:
10
Alf has been very supportive to me and the delivery was almost inmediate, so I just have the best words about him.
Overall Rating
:
10
If you didn`t give a ten when you tried a regular Zendrive please give this pedal a shot, for me it`s the best D impersonation available, but most of all it`s a great sounding pedal. It`s certainly worth the price, and it doesn`t loose its personality on higher gain settings like other pedals, including my prior regular Zen. Kudos for Alf! Great job. It goes to drive before than a regular Zen but I guess it goes a bit higher too, which isn`t bad at all cause it doesn`t loose its brillant tone up there.
