Rocktron Silver Dragon

Combination of a 12AX7 tube-distortion (stage 1) with transistor distortion (stage 2) - two pedals in one!

Easy to use after a quick look at the manual - the knobs are named "fire", "shriek" and "roar" on stage 1 for level, treble and bass, and "intensity" and "breath" on stage 2. As soon as you relate the names to the functions, it's a doddle. The funky, fantasy names are part of the reason I bought the pedal anyway; good marketing, innit?

Manual is a lot more in-depth compared to other Rocktron manuals.

Using Les Paul or Cort Viva (ibanez S-series copy) through Silver Dragon then modulation - Digitech X-series phaser or Boss OC-2 octave pedal, into Behringer analogue modeling amp.

Pedal is dead quiet when off.

This is NOT an overdrive pedal - when on, it distorts. The levels are very flexible, however. Mild distortion with tubey warmth on stage 1, which can be thickened up to a lovely, bluesy growl. Kick in stage 2 for some serious screaming. The only sound I cannot get out of this pedal is over-the-top metal.

The "breath" function creates an asymmetrical sine-wave, which allows for some incredible pinched-harmonics, Billy Gibbons style, even at low volume.

The distortion effects are great, and can be shaped to almost any style.

ULtra-reliable so far - had it about a year. Seems very solidly built in an extruded aluminium casing, with a good, thick finish. Good footswitches and high quality pots. I would certainly gig this pedal - saves having to cart extra pedals, anyway.

Battery life N/A - power supply only! Adapter is supplied, though.

Never dealt with them, but they have a good website, with on-line manuals, in case one may buy second-hand.

I play everything from acoustic folk/pop and classical to rock, blues and funk; some metal.

I love this pedal. Great sounds, great value with all the extra features, 2-in-1, very flexible, with that all-important tube ;) and would definitely buy one again.

Gets a 9, in spite of the lack of battery power option, as I expect batteries would drain quite quickly. This may put some people off, though.

I also groove on the "package" - the dragon motif - very cool! Also, not something that many other players have.

The unit is easy to tweak and responsive. I like the flexibility of the two channel design.

This is one of the best buy you could make if you are after authentic, warm tube tones and violin-like sustain. It?s a great match with my American hardtail strat and Dimarzio pickups. I absolutely love the sound of this thing!

The Rocktron Silver Dragon is an excellent combination with the Dimarzio Virtual Vintage Solo DP404 bridge pickup for that distorted bridge pickup sound we all love.
I only used a small amount of tube distortion (Awaken) and solid state distortion (Slayer) to get a thick rock or metal sound. No other effects were used to thicken the sound of the single coil pickup. Unbelievable!

Check out the mp3 sound clips I recorded.

Just go to this link:

http://audiogig.com/stratdude.agg

Sound clip info is on the ?view song info? link.

Jacks and switches feel firm and solid. No complaints here.

No problems encountered with the unit. Never needed customer support so far.

The useful design and tonal value of the Rocktron Silver Dragon is really a steal for its cheap price. This is one of the best buy you could make if you are after authentic, warm tube tones and violin-like sustain.

Just be careful with the controls of this thing. Too much overdrive will create unwanted noise. A little amount of distortion on both the tube and solid state section goes a long way.

I?m into alternative, hard rock and metal stuff. This thing works great for me.

Effect tones are subjective so check out my Silver Dragon mp3 sound clips at:

http://audiogig.com/stratdude.agg

It helps to hear one before you buy one.

Very easy to use and decently tweakable. I like the 2 channel switches.

I think this thing sounds great. Effects are always going to be highly subjective, so I can't tell anybody else that they will love this. But for me, I think it has a great warm tube drive. And when you kick in the Slayer mode, it has a ripping distortion that is great for aggressive stuff. I like it because it still maintains note clarity and balance.

I'm very happy with the sound this thing puts out.

Feels solid, no complaints in this area

I play Melodic/Hardcore/Jazz/Metal. I love the sound for the style of music. I might not be the best if you want a cheesy and sterile nu-metal tone, but this thing rips if you're looking for a nice quality overdrive/distortion.

The Rocktron Silver Dragon is easy to use basically; however the response of the knobs are finiky. The manuel is almost unneccesary.
I will try a 12au7 in it soon, just to experiment.

The Silver Dragon is noisy in the second stage if the intensity is past 10 or 11 o'clock;the manuel warns of this.Otherwise it is quiet.
The quality of sound is satisfying, however the first stage is not above average in my opinion; but the second stage is impressive. I haven't tried it yet with a single coil. It will likely be the last distortion unit I ever purchase. I've been tempted with the digitech with the 7 different sounds.

So far so good as holding up; although I do take a back-up when I go out just in case.

I wish the first stage would clean up a little more with the fire to a minimum. The shriek (treble) weakens the sound and thins it out when past 9 o'clock yet is cutting. The breath is virtually non-responsive so I max it out. I've played 30+ years and I've used many stomp boxs; this is a worthy piece of equipment.Good sounds in stage 1 and 2 for sure.

Easy to use.It takes a bit to get used to the silly names of the knobs.

Killer sound.Charvel and Flying V through various SS and tube amps.Like any hi gain pedal, it does make a bit of a hissing noise.I thought it would sound better with a new tube, but it didn't make any difference.Good metal sounds.

Made of metal.I take care of my effects,so I'm not worried about reliability.

Rocktron has good customer service.

I love it.The distortions are comparable to my Voodu Valve.It's not easily available,but well worth the effort to find one. I got mine at Tunnel Music.They also have a lot of other stompboxes.If you're a stompbox junkie like me,you HAVE TO go there!Always looking for new equipment, and I'm glad I found this. Also, I bought this at Tunnel Vision Music - Great Company!

Before I start, I'd like to clear up some stuff from previous reviews by others. It DOES have a tube! and that tube does function! I changed to a sovtek and in improved! The tube IS an integral part of the circuitry and it gets HOT. Unit will NOT function without the tube. I checked. Why in the hell would Rocktron take the time, effort, and money to put in the tube, socket, and solder if if was fake? They wouldn't! O.K. there is a litlle led under the tube to add to the look of a real tube overdrive, and yes, it is kinda cheesy, but I assure you, this IS a real tube overdrive! Once you understand what the knobs do, it's pretty easy. Awaken mode is the tube overdrive and operates on it's own. Slayer mode is the analog distortion and adds to the overdrive. However, Slayer will not operate on it's own. Level and EQ settings are global and control the overall sound. Small increments are recommended on all pots. Easy to use! Very!

To previous reviewers. If you have a 100 dollar guitar, take it out of the box and then plug it into a 10 or 15 watt SS amp(any brand) don't expect this thing to make you sound like George Lynch at monsters of rock! I bougt this because I have an older Peavey Classic with a tube power section but no tube preamp, and if you hate Peaveys Saturation overdrive as much as I do you'll look for a good tube overdrive. I'm not the main guitar player in my band. Really just a hack, but I've been in bands long enough to understand and join in the search for the elusive perfect tone. I just can't justify a high dollar amp setup if I'm the frontman/keyboard player. My primary setup is an Ibanez s470 into the Dragon, then into the LOW gain input, and a DigiTech Rp200 (effects only, no modeling) in the effects loop. I also play a custom built Series 10 with a Duncan Invader at the bridge. This thing sounds GREAT!!! I play all rock. I love the old hair metal stuff, but I like all hard rock. Love Maiden and Dio too even some nu metal. Guitar players I love are the basic rock gods. Vai, Van Halen, Satriani, Blah, blah! You get the story. This box will do anything from a nice low overdriven crunch to full blown in your face distorted fury. Sustain is cool in both sections. Does not suck tone and really drives the amp. Spend some time with it!!!!! Nothing does what you want out of the box. If it does, your tone probably sucks! The silver Dragon Rocks!!

Had it for a week. This thing is solid! I would use it without a back up, but any performing musician better always be ready for equipment failure.

Haven't needed it. But i hear great things. The Rocktron guys at the NAMM show were awesome and knowledgeable.

Primarily, I'm not a guitar player so I don't shred, but I have been playing in rock bands for 20 years and I know a good product when I hear it. I've tried em all. This thing blows away IMO all of them. Yes even the highly touted Ibanez TS series. Take your Ds-1 and sell it. The new DigiTech series? Gone! Marshall pedals? Nope! If you've got a good SS amp (GOOD!) this will improve your tone and hold you over til you get that big dollar rig you dream of. ROCK ON!!

This pedal is ver easy to use

I used this pedal with a fender Deville then on my Sovtek Mig50 through a closed back cabinet with Vintage 30's.This pedal is not a tube pedal.I don't if every one is blind when they say they have changed the tube and made it sound better because it isn't even wired to the circuit board.There is a little led light behind the tube that makes it appear as if it is glowing.I was going to change the tube with an Electro Harmonix and was pissed when I noticed the false advertisment of Rocktron.The 12ax7 cover is to small fit the tube throgh that should have been my first sign and the manual says nothing about changing the tube.I also have the Zombie and it sounds more natural on my lead work.The Silver Dragon sounds good on heavy metal rythyms but when you play leads it has a bad hollow midrange sound.

I have not used this live and I am not goin to.

I have not contacted customer support

I have been playing for 26 years.I play everything from Megadeth to George Straight.I am a gear head and I own way much to list I have 10 guitars,Godin,Carvin,Fender's,Hamer,Esp,Takamine,ovation etc... I just bought a carvin MTS 100 watt head that is on the way.My effects are the new x-series digital delay,boss ge-7,boss noise gate,boss compressor,boss bd-2,and the rocktron Zombie wich leads me back to the point.Get the zombie if you have to have a rocktron distortion believe me I have both.I also have a line 6 pod but I don;t care for the clean sounds.

As everyone else mentioned, names are unusual. Not big deal, just read the manual and you'll be alright. Don't be afraid to read the manual, it's your friend.(-1)

Well, names aren't the problem. Reason why I gave it 7 is because it was not easy to make a sound I wanted. It took me a while to adjust it to my favorite sound.(-2)

Setup is simple, Guitar(B.C. Rich Platinum Mockingbird) > Silver Dragon > Amp(Marshall MG15). This is my setup for bedroom practice. I know my guitar and amp sucks.

With this setup, Awaken mode is useless. I replaced the stock tube to JJ Electronic 12AX7. Did it make difference? Yes it did. It made the sound better than the stock Made in China 12AX7. But, not good enough to make me want to play with it. I hope the problem is my guitar with its stock cheap pickups. It's a stock pickup from cheap series of BC Rich. It sound crap. Muddy and not clear at all. That doesn't change the fact that Awaken mode is useless with my low-end setup. I hope Awaken mode will work well with better rig. Anyways, Awaken mode sucks in my setup.(-3)

Althoug the Awaken mode is useless in my setup, Slayer mode really does enhance my rig. Slayer mode gives life to my sound. Sounds natural, and very versatile for metal heads. I play old school metal(Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, etc...), old hard rock(Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, etc...), and thrash metal(Metallica, Slyaer, etc...). I can pretty much have all the sound I want by adjusting EQ on my amp and settings on Silver Dragon.(+2)

Awaken mode sucks, Slayer mode rocks. There's one more thing I don't like about this, when I play the highest note(24th fret of high E), it doesn't really do a nice scream. It sounds pretty annoying. I guess it's because of my guitar.(-1)

This thing is made strong. Really. I opened it up when I replaced the tube. It was very well constructed, it looked strong to shocks, I believe it won't do anything to the inside even if you drop this thing. It won't break, even if you hit it with a hammer. Believe me, this thing is made strong.
Most important part, the Input/Output jack, and the switches are made strong too. Very nice.(+1)

As many have mentioned, AC adapter isn't so good. But it doesn't effect my cause I only use this thing for bedroom practice.(-1)

Ok, finally last flaw of this effect. At bottom of this thing, there're 4 rectangle rubber stoppers so this thing won't slip on the ground. They are taped. They aren't nailed just taped. But the tape on this is pretty strong. You can rely on it for more than an year if I'm using this in bedroom.(-1)

I send them an e-mail asking what tube they use on this amp. I got a reply next day. Not bad.

I was looking for a distotion/overdrive pedal. I tried many major ones, like Metal Zone, DS-1, OD-3, etc... But I didn't like any of them. So I decided why not try something that not many people have tried before. I payed total 102 bucks at guitar center. It was special order so I had to pay for shipping and handling which cost 5 bucks. I payed 12 bucks to replace the tube so the total $ I spent on this thing is like $115.

To be honest, I really wanted to love this thing and give it a 10. $100 was little expansive. If Awaken mode was useful, even with my low-end rig, I would've given it a solid 10. Since Awaken mode didn't work out with my rig, I can't give it a 10 for this price.(-2)

Overall good distortion pedal. If you play this thing with descent rig, I bet you won't regret.

Well, for a stompbox pretty difficult. Think about this: If u borrow this unit a friend you have to explain him the knobs. Its probably the first stompbox where you should have a look into the manual.
But no Problem at all. Sound is what matters. I just cant give it a 10.

My settup is:
Jackson soloist professional (H-H), Boss GT-6, in the effect loop Silver Dragon, Engl 50x50 Tube poweramp, stereo into Marshall 1960 and 2x12" cab.
I bought this unit because of the positive reviews here, and I wanted to have a tube sound on my GT-6.
First of all, it works fine with the setup. I also placed it before the GT-6 and direct into the Poweramp, which worked all good. In the effect loop of the GT-6 I couldn't hear any sound coloration (If you are interessted to use it with the GT-6).
Soundwise I was a little disappointed with the tube channel (Awaken). It has tubesound, but I dont like the character (Mids are strange and a bit of hissle and fizzle). Maybe changing the tube would help.
Well, that's a question of taste, but what really sucks is, that u cannot change the sound at all! The bass and treble controls (Roar & shriek!) have to be set more or less to 12 o'clock. If you change this extremely it will sound worse. You cannot call this an eq. Same with the Fire-knob: it should stay at 9 o'clock to produce best distortions (Rockron also recomments this in their manual!). There is no mid/voicing-control!
The Slayer mode is much better (IMO) - its a 10. It has tons of gain. It gives you the best highgain distortion you can expect from a stompbox - especially for the money! Much better than all the pure SS-boxes (Metal zone etc.). Put this unit in front of your crappy head, maybe add a separate EQ and you transform your JCM 900 into a gainmonster.
The Intensity knob is actually the only control to change your sound. It increases the gain and the highs in an acceptable way. Past 1 o'clock it will produce a lot of noise and a bit of mud. Yeah, the unit can be noisy! But thats ok, for the gain you get.
Turning at the breath control I could not hear any differences to be honest.

Fazit:
The unit gives you a great distortion for the money, especially the slayer mode! But you have to like the base sound. Dont think you can shape your sound because you have so many knobs to tweak. Dont believe in people that say, they can get any sound out of this unit (from amadeus to Hetfield)! This is for sure not possible.
I also tried to shape the sound I want with the GT-6 and this has a lot possibilities. Difficult duty!

The aluminium housing is quite good. Most important: the jacks, switches and knobs look solid.
One complain is the AC adapter with a joke of a power cable. It is 2 meters to short and very thin! Is this where you saved money??
If you want to gig seriously you have to replace the AC adapter.
Thats why I gave it a 7.

Dont know.
The homepage is ok, the manual very helpful.

I search for dist. sounds like three doors down, incubus, nickelback but also pantera. I ve been playing guitar for 12 years and owned a lot of expensive tube preamps.
I gave it back, because the basic sound is not exactly what I wanted and I cannot shape the sound. I just rate it overall so high because of the sound you get for the money and in comparison to pure SS- boxes it is a pure 10.
I compared it also against the Hughes&Kettner's Tube factor. I liked much more the sound of this one. You have just one voicing knob and can shape the sound a lot with it. All settings sound good. The only thing is that the tube factor has not so much gain!
Recommendation for Rocktron:
- Replace the roar and shriek controls by a useable mid/voicing control.
- Deliver it with a better AC adapter (long solid cable) and run the tube with 300V like Hughes&Kettner does.
- Maybe replace the tube into a better one.
And then you can sell it for sure for 200$.

Well, has two channels, one for the tube and the other for solid state. Not really easy at first considering the names of the controls are things that have to do with a dragon instead of just reading what the controls actually do. The Manual doesn't really tell you much but its a distortion pedal so how much help to you really need.

I am using this thing into a Peavey Transtube 212 combo with an Ibanez pretige RG. I have to say the minute I plugged it in and started playing on it I knew it just wasn't going to work out. It sounded terrible and muddy. But since I don't judge things right away I decided to give it a couple of days and play with it and tweek the settings to improve the sound. I got it too sound a little better but not much. Then I tried changing the tube to an Electro-Harmonix 12AX7. Another very slight improvement. But the problem really isn't the tube side it's the solid state side. It just sounds horrible. The controls are very sensitive and not subtle at all the way I like them. The treble control just sounds rediculous, kind of reminiscent of the ever crappy DOD Death Metal shreiker. The bass control just dials in way too much bass and the sound ends up a muffled mess. Not happy at all.

Probably can depend on it I mean its made of metal.

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I have been playing for about 10 years and my musical tastes go from classical to metal. This pedal is meant for metal and really has potential to be great but I'm afraid Rocktron fell quite short of a quality sounding distortion pedal. If this thing was lost I wouldn't care and if it was stolen I would so graciously thank the theif but would be rather pissed that I wasted 100 bucks on this peice of shit. Definitely did not live up to the hype, and when I had it in my rig it made me not want to play. I returning it as soon as I can.