Ibanez CM-5 Classic Metal

Er, if you have at least two arms, you should be OK...

I recently resurrected this pedal. See, it was my first ped and I got bored of the lame sound on my squier strat / rocktek practise amp setup and entered the realms of BOSS Metalzone. I now use custom BC Richs and a Marshall JCM2000 stack and this thing really sounds good through it. I think that although this is a cheaper box, it works very nicely with better rigs, but wusses out on lowly gear. Best thing to do is try it in store with as similar equipment as possible that you will be doing.

I play everything from Dimmu Borgir - Six Feet Under - Sepultura - Black Sabbath. This pedal rips through Sabbath and Sepultura nicely, but due to the amount of lows tends to be inappropriate for more extreme metal. I still use this pedal to get a nice 70s.

The pedal can give a fair bit of feedback when used at high volumes and when there are too many fx in the chain. I use a line selector to activate it, hooked up to the input to my amp. The CM5 complements the marshall nicely and suffices as a nice mellower replacement for the drive channels. I would highly reccommend this to any beginner, but dont expect to become an instant Dino Cazeres

I would NOT depend solely on this pedal. The plastic looks VERY cheap. The actual jacks have come out with my leads before and I have had to perform several simple repairs on it in order to keep it going. My main pedal is my Metal Zone, which I have 2 backups of and I use a whole host of other units. BOSS is the best in terms of reliability, Ibanez doesnt touch it, unfortunately. My metalzone can do everything on stage if I did happen to forget it or it gave up.

I only dealt with UK reps for Ibanez once on my guitar. I wanted to change the pickups and wanted to know what the colours of their 4-conductor pickups meant and they just spouted some arse about me not being allowed to change the electronic configuration of the guitar as I would invalidate my warranty. I MUST (hope?) I was talking to some work-experience dim witted monkey boy!

I have been playing for near on 8 years. My guitars are my pride and joy and I work them like bastards. All my equipment gets a punishing when I use them on stage. I always have to remember not to step too hard on the CM5 for fear of destroying it with on slap of me boot! If it were stolen or lost, I probably would buy another if I found it cheap enough. I dislike the way it gets pissed off when I try and push the gain any way. But, for those who cant read, this says CLASSIC METAL. So, if you buy this expecting to be an instant Max Cavalera, forget it.

It is on its own channel from the line selector. I would like to use my chorus on it, but it really doesnt like any other pedals with it. I cant see why. It just completely screams out like shit. Every rest is a screech. Its not the pickups or the guitar, its the pedal (trust me!) Im not sure if this is present on the whole range, but mine has had so many new parts put into it, Im not suprised it has these quirks. It sounds exactly as it did new, tho.

Check out all the distortion pedals before you buy, ideally on a similar guitar to yours with a similar amp. On my "to try" list, I would have:
CM5, Boss Metalzone, DOD Death Metal, Proco Rat and the Boss Xtortion.

Dont let the salesman just get it to a good sound and say "there y'go" See if you yourself can get some weird and wonderful sounds.

Anyway. Thats it, bye
Dont think you're going to get anything else outta me, cuz you wont get it!!!

BYE!

its a very easy pedal to use. 3 knobs which work together very well to get the sound u want. Very nice setup. No manual but i never needed one and wouldn't of read it anyway

The sound is good if your into the new alternative metal and punk. I dont think its that great for older metal but i dont play that much of it so i dont care. it sounds blubbery if you crank everything up, but overall it has a nice thick clean distortion

Its worked for me fine, and i dont know about everyone else but the switch works for me swell. it doesn't look very reliable cause its made of plastic but its tough enough for a gig. It wouldn't fail, but take a backup for sure, just in case.

none, i wouldnt know

I've been playing for about three years and i play stuff like nirvana, metallica, green day and it sounds pretty rank. i own guyatone and dod pedals and i think the ibanez is more reliable than dod cause the dod switch always goes. Id say its a pertty unique distortion and if your thinking of getting your own sounds mess around with it. Overall id say its a great pedal for its price.

So easy to use! 3 knobs that's all!

I use a Squier Strat through the CM5 then through a Fender Deluxe 85. It's the noisiest thing I've ever heard on ALL settings. Don't buy this pedal unless you want to produce feedback: if so, that's perfect.
The fact is that the song is quite boring when you have only this distorsion pedal. I'm a fan of nirvana and I can't get their sound: too noisy, too dirty! I don't give it a 0 because it's good when you want to have a very dirty sound.

No reliable at all! Hey that's not metal! Don't use it for any gigs! NEVER!!!

Never dealt whith Ibanez.

I've been playing with it for 6 months. Anyway, I'm going to buy anither pedal (like DS1). So I you want dirty sound with heavy feedback, that's for you: but be aware, that's it becomes boring with the time.

Ease of use indeed. While not an extremely intricate product, the Classic Metal Soundtank can put out a lot even with the classic and basic "Tone/Level/Distortion" setup.
I got it used and sans manual, so I can't say much about that...
Ibanez is now phasing out the Soundtanks, as I understand it, so it may be harder to get ahold of one.
If you can find a used one at a good price, it would be a good purchase though.
It does pretty well when used with dual or multiple effects too, but because of simplicity, isn't always capable of capturing "that sound" you might be looking for.

Ah yes, do I love my Soundtank for this, first and foremost.

Soon after purchasing my C.M. Soundtank (in the mid 90's, I'd say), I found my preferred settings, and rarely alter them.
With Dist. at full, tone at about 3/4, and level set to whatever is appropriate, I get a good harsh sound, with a good accent on both high and low registers. I run through a Fender amp, with an Ibanez EX series guitar now, but even using it on other peoples' setups, regardless of varied amplification and guitar style, I find a universal trend towards this sound, requiring only a limited amount of adjustment at times to acheive this crisp, yet fat, flavor.
It can be noisy, lacking a clever "void" feature, like the new Ibanez Smash Box, but it's heavy, pounding distortion after all, and if you properly mute during play, and cut it off afterwards, it's not too much to complain about.
It's also constant and predictable in it's sound, as I alluded to above. It's a solid peice of work.
Whether you're going for Six Feet Under or Smashing Pumpkins, this will get you there, and since I acquired it for around $30/40 or so, it's hard to go wrong.

The Soundtank series has one major flaw, and this certainly does include my Classic Metal...
It doesn't always respond correctly, if you will, to impact.
Sometimes it comes on, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it comes on and then goes off...
There's really a technique to it, but it's still a bit sketchy at times.
It's good about taking abuse though, and I would use it onstage, and it's even good about energy consumption, but you must keep in mind it's moodiness at times.

N/A

When I play heavy, I want fury, and this pedal delivers.

It gives me the texture I need and the thrash I need, without one negating the other.
I don't ever see myself letting go of this product, and it turned me into an Ibanez effects fan ever since I made the purchase.

If you see it, it couldn't hurt to give it a try, esp. if you're still in the market for a distortion pedal, or just looking for a different or better sound.

Three knobs, level, tone and distortion. All three knobs make very distint changes in the sound just like it should. No manual, it was used. Anybody who ever used a stomp box would have no trouble operating this without a manual.

I use this in conjuntion with my SKB-25 peadelboard and all my other pedals. The level control has power to spare, never have to get higher than 9:00 or 10:00 oclock. The tone control has a broad spectrum that goes from hollow scooped out to thick and heavy distortion. The distortion control can go from mild clipping to completly saturated. For a all around distortion pedal this is a good box. Only problem I've encountered with it is the background noise starts to enter the signal when the distortion is cranked passed 12:00 oclockwith with the level about 9:00 to 10:00 oclock. Best overall sound with low noise levels is level-9 to 10 oclock, tone 12 to 2 oclock and distortion 12 to 2 oclock.

Always worked. I wouldn't worry about a backup just jammen with friends or at rehersal. When playing for a scheduled event where you are being paid of even performing free for an audiance, when somethings goes wrong you don't have time to trouble shoot. Things happen. Carry a backup, the show must go on.

Never used them

I play a combination of country/rock/blues Gospel music and as I said before the Classic Metal is a good all around pedal. You can use the same setting for heavy distorted rock and for blues too. All you have to do is back off on the guitar volume and it cleans up to crunch or even more to simi-clean for blues cording. I've spoke in the sound quality section about it creating some noise at certain settings but its not really that noisy when compared to other distortion pedals. In years previous I have been using multi-effects pedals and ended up selling most of my stomp boxes. I still use and prefer multi-effects but got a hankering for the old stomp boxes again. I bought this sound tank at a pawn shop. My current line up of boxes from in to out is Morley Vol/wah/dist, TC Electronics sustainer/EQ, Ibanez Classic Metal, Aron stereo chorus and a Degitech delay. For 30 bucks the Classic Metal is a jam up pedal.

From a player thats been around a fue years, here is my distortion pedal history:

Kingston Fuzz, 1969, $15.00 new
Univox Super Fuzz, 1972, $40.00 new(these are hot now)
Mosrite Fuzz, 1974, borrowed and returened
Elec Har Big Muff,1975, borrowed and returned
Nu-Fuzz, 1976 thru 1979, borrowed and returned
From 1979 thru 1995 used distortion channels of peavy amps
Art ECC, 1995, $280. New
Ibanez Classic Metal, 1997, $30 used
Morley, vol/wah/dist, 1999, $40.00 used
Zoom 707, 1999, Gift was $150.00 new

First of all, id like to say this pedal is too noisy, too feedback, but dont expect too much for this price. It is very easy to use (three-knober: level, tone, distortion) and if your style is 80s metal like Slayer you will be happy with this. Its not versatile, altough its distortion is killer, for lead work (it reminds me a Boss Metal Zone for its low-end) as well for power chords. It comes in a plastic box (i dont like that) and i dont recomend it for gig, just use it at home as a beggining tool, or if you dont have money for a Metal Zone.

As i said before, it is very noisy on all settings. The effect is not weak at all and it really sounds great if you dont listen the feedback. Im using a Peavy Express 112 and it works well cos the amp is some kinda weak, and my guitar is a 1991 japanese fender strat. You can get the sound of slayer, motley crue, even sepultura.

you only can depend on it if you cant afford other heavy metal sounding stomp box. My final evaluation would be a good pedal for its price, only good at home, and NEVER use it for gig.

i dealed for the feedback but then i realised it was normal on this pedal

i play 80s metal. i been playing for 4 years. i would not buy it again, i just keep the money to buy a better one. i dont hate it and i dont love it just i got it. i compared it to other stomp boxes like Boss MT-2 and the difference is the metal construction of the box and the feedback. Oh! and obviously the Ibanez Classic Metal lacks the great equalizer of the Metal Zone.
When i bought it, i choose it because i could not afford any other one.

This is a typical Dirt Box, 3 knobs, dist., level, and tone. It's my cousin's, I just bum it from him to play gigs and stuff, I use it for solos, and nothing else. So it's my "1 trick pony".

I'm using Charvel and Gibson guitars, a fender Twin-Reverb(NOT a reissue).For effects, my geneeral chain goes like this:Axe--> Rockman Wah-->TS-9 Tubescreamer--->CM-5--->Amp. Of course it's noisy, there isn't a dirt-box alive that doesn't make noise, so why is that evena consideration? It's never weak-sounding at all!! It's pretty meaty, actually!!The bass end comes through pretty nicely.One note, though. I only use this on solos and fills,I never leave it on all the time. I just turn the Dirt and Tone knobs all the way up(To accent teh Treble), and put the level about 12 noon, or a little over. When I step on it, BOOM, my sound is loud and proud. It picks up the runs and every nuance to your playing style well!! Harmonics come w/ ease, and even teh 24th fret note is meaty and thick(Note, that could be due to the guitar,a Charvel). W/ a Wah, it sounds like a controlled scream, it's a really cool sound!! For what I use it for, it kicks balls. If I used it al the time, it would drive me nuts. So I give it a 7.

The common complaint among all sound-tank users:The switch. When ever I step on it, I always leave my foot on it for a second, to ensure that teh effeect comes on.
As far as the casing, I dont really care if it's plastic.I've seen so-called"Solid Metal Boxes" get smashed to bits, and seen this one come out alive. Your milage may vary, though,

Never contacted them.

For what I do, it does the job nicely. If I ever get ahead on my "Financial Obligations", I'll probably go pick one up. Until then , I'll be calling my cousin;)
The sound could be annoying if yu used it as your only dirtbox, but I only use it sparingly, so it's cool for me.

This pedal is easy to get nice sounds out of, it usually sounds best with the distortion cranked. The battery compartment is very convenient, on the top, so you can get at it without unscrewing anything, just snap on and off. The "tone" control isn't what you expect, it takes some getting used to. The footswitch feels good under your feet, if only it worked!

I have a Korean strat copy with 3 single coils and a small 15-watt solid-state practice amp with reverb. I tried this pedal out on the clean channel of the amp with a little bit of reverb (2). The pedal is about average for line noise, really not bad. The distortion from this box is really nice and crisp, gets that early Van Halen thing going pretty good, sort of a simulated cranked Marshall stack. Really great sustain from this thing. Don't expect creamy bluesy overdrive or classic-classic (like 60's) sounds out of here. The distortion knob really belongs at the max, but it sounds really great there. Perfect for "Eruption." At lower settings the distortion sounds too fuzzy for the level but it's still usable. The "tone" control is not a normal BOSS-like control, it's just a boost for lows and mids, but it's still quite handy and sounds good at all settings. Overall a very nice sound, full of desirable odd-order harmonics.

This pedal has a really annoying footswitch that doesn't latch properly, so it doesn't always stay on after you pick up your foot to turn it on, and sometimes comes on again after taking off your foot to turn it off. Upon closer inspection, this is a problem with the actual electronic switch thing, which is probably cheap. If I gigged with the pedal I'd figure out how to use some other kind of switch for it, like some kind of bypass setup.

Never dealt with them, probably won't since I got it at a pawn shop.

Really this pedal is a one-trick pony, classic metal, and don't expect to use it for anything else, but that's REALLY not a bad thing. At least it's aptly titled, and for the price I paid or even the new store price, it's a very fine pedal. Plays smoothly, sounds a bit harder than normal distortion pedals and not quite as psycho as pedals with the word "metal" or "kill your mother" in them. Bought this on impulse, and I'm very pleased. This pedal inspired me to go back and learn all that early Van Halen I'd been wanting to play but gave up because it didn't sound right on my overdrive pedal or my fuzz pedal. People will say that it's made of plastic and is therefore crap, all I can say is mine is NOT very new, like it's got its fair share of scratches and wear but it shows no sign of weakening other than that pesky footswitch, so whatever. It works just fine with a wah pedal. I play mostly blues with my other pedals, but when I venture into metal or really hard blues, this pedal will be fun!

3 knobs, 2 jacks, one footswitch -> foolproof. The bit of paper (manual?) has no technical information other than the basic setup description.

I am using the pedal with a 15W transistor practice amp and a strat copy with two EMG-S single coils and one EMG-81 humbucker. The pedal is not noisy, any noise introduced before the pedal will of course be amplified, but with the EMG pickups in my guitar there is no such problem. The sound the pedal produces ranges from crunch to 80's metal. I tried several distortion pedals in the SoundTank line, but this was the only one that gave a pleasant sounding distortion both for rhythm and lead playing. I bought it because - unlike many other pedals - it works with any chord you play, not just power chords. The "level" knob of this pedal will give you nice harmonic feedback if you crank it, but be careful, because the output level can be raised dangerously high, overdriving ANY preamp stage. The "tone" knob will add both treble and lots of bass if turned clockwise. The "distortion" knob is obvious, isn't it? My favourite setting is: Level 9:00 (west) (same volume as pedal off) Tone 3:00 (east) (not too muddy) and Distortion between 10:00 (NW) and 2:00 (NE). Think Black Sabbath. It sounds good in front of my Dunlop Jimi Hendrix wah, and good and very aggressive behind the wah (it croaks like a monster bullfrog).

This is the sad part, the soundtank series of pedals is not very reliable - not because its plastic, but because the footswitch sometimes works once sometimes twice. I would not gig with it simply because of this fact. Also the jacks look a bit weak. But where do you get a robust pedal for the price of a soundtank pedal? nowhere.

I never got into contact with Ibanez and I seriously doubt they would repair or even upgrade any SoundTank product.

I basically wrote this review, because I do not think this pedal deserves the flack it got from the previous reviewer (he gave it a 1 in the sound category etc.). I like the effect very much and won't ever sell or trade it. If it were stolen, i would buy it again, maybe used (most pawnshops will have a few soundtank pedals lying around).

Well, it's pretty easy to use but the three knobs are not really good adjustable!

Real s**t! You cannot hear the sound, really! It sounds terrible, no songs can be played with that distortion... You can hear a slight noise in the background, but when you hear the sound of the SoundTank you'd better listen to the backgroundnoises than the distortion! I have tried to play with it with 4 different amps (Hughes & Kettner Attax40/Marshall JCM-800 2203/Peavy Ultra 120/Laney HC50R) and one sounded uglier than the other...

That thing is built of plastic. Nothing against that, many effectboards are made of plastic, but the cable-connetcions VERY VERY often doesn't work, so if you press the main-button 10 times, it wouldn't work anymore! It definitely WOULD NOT survieve a gig!!

never dealed

I play many styles of music. For example Metallica, Sepultura, Slayer, Raise Hell, Megadeth, Yngwie Malmsteen and many more. So you can see, from NeoClassic to DeathMetal nearly everything, but no song could be played with that shitty SoundTank. Don't buy it, you'll hat it!