Tonebone Hot-British Distortion

Okay, so it's not really a "plug-n-play" pedal. Still, once you know what everything does on it, tweeking sounds is no problem. The key here is the Contour knob. What this does, basically, is dial the pedal into the amp you're using. Roughly, it's Fenders to the right and Marshall to the left (Boogie hard right). Actually, with my Princeton Reverb, it's set a little past midway, maybe one o'clock. But make no mistake, you must dial in the sound for the amp you're using (that's the price you pay for having a pedal you can use with any amp). That's what all the little switches and knobs are for. Then again, you're all probably familiar with versatile gain pedals. What you might not be expecting is all this combined with a pedal that sounds so very natural, and just plain good. Still, guys who've played nothing but gear made from bedrock, flintstone, and bear skins may be put off by all the complexity and become easily confused, so it gets a "9" here (what happened to a "features" category?). But to 99% of the players out there, no problem. It is still, in essence, a very simple one-sound-at-a-time pedal.

I wrote a review a while ago, having only played this through one amp, the THD UniValve. However, I missed plugging it into a blackface Fender (or similar "good clean amp"). Simply put, this is the "Marshall in a box" that you've been waiting to plug into your old Fender. Really. Through the UniValve (an already "crunchy" amp), it produced a really modern-sounding pop-punk and modern metal type sound (except better). Through a clean amp (like a Twin Reverb), it sounds like you switched amps, and are playing through a slammin old plexi with a booster in front - or at least a real good boutique amp on its "plexi on steroids" channel. It really sounds like it was engineered for this. Whatever kind of Marshall sound you want is in here. We do a couple of AC/DC covers, and with my '67 SG, it sounds like Angus doing backflips out of my Princeton. Actually, my SG is actually pretty versatile now, thanks in part to this pedal. I'll typically leave it on all night, and back off on my volumes, ramping them up gradually depending on how much gain I want for a certain song. The highs don't pierce, but they do add definition (neck pickup still sounds snappy rolled back to 4), I just compensate by rolling the bridge pickups tone knob back a few notches (and its volume typically higher). My Strats also sound really wonderful through it. The Strats give it a nice "kick", as the singles have a nice impact, wheras the SG has a smoother but more ripping "explosive" sound. AND, I rarely move a switch or twist a knob when changing guitars - most of the time I just plug it in and don't mess with anything, except my guitar's controls, which is really nice, as I can concentrate more on my playing now, rather than thinking of which knob-twisting, switch-flipping sequence I need to execute next.

The exact tonal qualities of this pedal really depend on the amp you want to run it through, as well. Like I said, through an amp with a little crunch, it takes on a completely different character. All the "transients" smooth out a little more, gain settings get gonzo (you'll wanna keep it low for these applications), and, well, it just sounds different. It's a wonderful alternative to the modern Mesa sound. Speaking of which, I ran it also through a Boogie Studio Preamp, and while I felt it sounded rather lackluster through it (the only time this has happened), it STILL sounded better than the Boogie's own gain channel (I've not been crazy about the Boogie since I got the Princeton and the VHT Super Thirty, especially since the Tonebone). I've even heard it run direct into the board (via a Marshall JMP-1 preamp, clean setting) by a guy playing an EMG-equipped Strat (contour dead center), and with one notch up on the mid-boost, it sounded like a miked up 100 watt stack was in the other room. With a few minimal fx, it was like Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, and David Gilmour all hitting the same note at the same time, or something like that. Amazing!

It has given me no problems thus far, and I expect none. I've had it this long, and it has never so much as made the first strange noise. Could maybe stop a bullet and still work, I dunno. I'm not an engineer. All I can say is, it "looks" reliable.

Never dealt with them. Couldn't say.

Over six months later, I still can't recommend these highly enough. I'm always checking out new gear, among them the endless deluge of overdrive, distortion, fuzz, and boost pedals out there. I still haven't played anything that I thought was in its league. Sure, there's "different but just as good" stuff (at a higher price for the most part), and maybe the Pete Cornish boxes are better (at $500 plus, I sure hope so), but, like I said, if it's out there, I haven't played through it yet. I just wish that, like Barber, they had some kind of "dual-unit" out, maybe, that had both the Classic and Hot British, and you could toggle between them (now, that might make it $400 - BUT, I'd definitely save for it). Or, maybe a Tonebone amp! Heh he!

All in all, this pedal has made my life a lot easier. My one request is that, if you're reading this, PLEASE, don't plug into it, get an immediate sound that's not quite what you want, and go "Naahhh, not for me!" It IS possible to get a "bad" sound out of this thing (in anything this versatile it's positively unavoidable). That means you have to actually turn some of the knobs and maybe even flick a couple of these switches to get your best sounds. But, if you fall into the "I want my Fender to have a Marshall-like gain channel" camp, then this is highly recommended. I've never heard another pedal come this close. Amazingly close. At the very least, it will sound like the gain channel Fenders never had, but should have. At the very least, it provides a good simulation of the attack characteristics of a good old Marshall, combined with its inherent complex and harmonically rich midrange frequencies, both of which are "features" you almost never get in anything other than cranking on old 60's or 70's Marshall stack.

Anyhow, Marshall comparisons aside, this is the best gain pedal I've heard yet for giving your Fender (or other amp with great clean tone) a very wonderful overdrive/distortion channel. I really does sound less like a pedal, and more like a perfectly engineered second channel that was built into your amp, rather than having an "added on" sound that a lot of pedals do. And it gives you a lot of control. What you do with all that power is your business.

This unit is pretty easy to use, but dialing in your own sound might take a few minutes.

The sound quality of this unit is unbelievable. I usually like the cleaner tones but am getting to like the quality of this distortion unit a lot. I use a Holland and a Fender amp and the unit is pretty quiet. If you get into a heavy saturated sound then the unit has some hiss or hum.

No failure yet and the unit seems to be pretty solid.

It this unit got stolen then I would definitely buy another one.

This pedal is pretty easy to use- the knobs are all pretty straight foreward. Probably the biggest issue is that, even though it is versatile and easy to get new sounds out of, you'll probably tend to find one or two sounds on it that kill and use them all the time =)

I'm using my Clapton strat through the ToneBone and into a Hot Rod Deluxe... The sounds is _amazing_. I've been looking for this sound my whole life. I've always been a huge Chilis fan, and this is pretty dead-on when it comes to John's solo tones. Basically, it's so incredibly smooth it doesn't even sound like a guitar any more. There's virutally no attack, and then sustain that literally can be held for minutes at a time. Fantastic sound. Also, it's pretty easy to go from clapton/santana smooth to May-esque gritty OD, to anything in between.

It hasn't broken yet. Feels very sturdy, but I'm definately more careful with it then some other effects due to the tube.

I'm totally glad I bought this pedal- it completely rounded out my rig, and sounds fantastic. I never come on here and rate effects, but this one deserved it. Well done ToneBone!

plug in-turn the knobs and GO! no problems. It's very very easy to get great sounds and to fine tune with all the options. I had a jcm 2000 dsl 100 watt head that sounded great but i DO feel that i have more tonal versatility with this. (mind you, it is still one channel)
the only thing is the power outlet thing. I've always hated having to find power in the pront of the stage but i guess i'll just have to buy an extention cord. no biggie.

oh yeah! this is what it comes down to, right. People who want good tone will endure for it. This tonebone sucka saved my life! I sold my jcm2000 in order to be more protable and picked up a fender hot-rod deville 4x10. While i loved the clean channel, the dirty channels were limiting. They just didn't reflect what i thought my voice should be. I've been using marshall stacks and loved them. But we all know that marshall does not make very good combos and if they do, they are too expensive. I went to my local music shop to try out every pedal that i heard good things about.
I'm talkin' line 6, pod pro, mesa v-twin and bottle rocket, guv-nor and a few others but the tonebone stood truest to my ears.
it sounded about just as much as a real amp distortion channel as possible. Not just any distortion amp channel, a marshall distortion amp. Man, you can go from overdriven niceness to "piss your name on the side of a wall with fire" saturation type distortion. and with those mid boost, and contour adjustment switches i can get more than what i had with my jcm2000.

well, so far so good. just cam back from a little tour and i had no problems

they're canadian! everyone knows that we canadians are nice

When i got my deville, i had already started saving up for my next marshall head. since the tonebone, well, maybe i'll put that money towards a 2x12 mesa cab for more bass responce from my amp. I'm fricken thrilled. Sounds great recorded too.
If you love marshall, and have a good clean amp... why don't you have one yet!? Pshaw!

Very easy to use. Good manual, with lots of intstructions and advertizing. and hey its canadian eh!

Great sounding distortion with lots of variability, I use it through the clean channel on a 50 watt Hiwatt. (cause the "bright" channel is too muddy). Its difficult to get just a little distortion sound, it needs to be driven a bit to get a better quality distortion out of it..but lots of options on creating the sound you want.
biggest issue is the hum. lots of noise from this unit which seems to come from the powerpack which is not as well built as the effect. quite cheezy actually.

I use it to gig all the time..I depend on it...but had to get a noise suppressor to get rid of the hum and noise. Had a bit of an issue with the power pack...had to get a replacement power pack the original died...apparently you cannot leave this unit witht he power pack on but the unit shut off.

Terrible. I've emailed and asked for support on several occasions and did not get a reply.

I play rock, blues, and some country. The unit is good for rock stuff lots of verstatility. I've been playing guitar for about 30 years....if it were lost or stolen...I'd look at other stuff to compare price and noise...For an expensive unit it should not come with the noise problem. and the power pack is cheap. But you gotta like the way the unit itself is built and operates..no question.

Its a pretty straight-forward pedal, with analog knobs for level, highs, lows, contour of the mids, and distortion. The manual has some good tones to start you on finding your own sound, but its important to fiddle with the amp settings to correspond with the dailed in tones.

I use this through my Mesa Boogie Studio .22 (from way back in the day) into a wah and an old overdrive. I Mostly use my Samick Ultramatic because of the versatility, but i take out the strat ever so often. The single coils in the startocaster are pretty noisy, but not squealers (I dont use a really saturated distortion), if your using a strat and you get a lot of noise, something ive found that works is soldering or gluing aluminum foil on the inside cavaties of it so that it shields the electro-magnetic interference. It takes a little time but is rewarding. The sounds i pull from this little box are great, its a really natural distortion especially using a solid tube amp. With my Ultramatic i get a real great emulation of Satriani's sound, and im your using the wah and a little bit of chorus, im usually in nirvana. Hendrix sound is great but if your using a strat with cheap pick-ups, you'll hear them, and its not a good thing.

Its as solid as any stell box made, but i keep it wrapped tightly in a cloth and in my effects case when im playing out. The tube inside is the only concern i have, because if im going to a gig, i dont have any other back-up and breakage is not an option. Dont be stupid, take good care of it and it'll take care of you,

havent dealt with them. Ebay purchase

I been playing seriously for 4 years, but ive done music lessons for all kinds of instruments since i started high school. Guitar is the one that i stuck with. I play instrumental rock, with some metal and blues(roots), but if it aint got a solo, it better make up for it,(heard of silverchair? theyre one of those exceptions but im a singer too, so everything equals out) There are essentials i have to have in a good tone. The dry distotion is perfect for rhythm playing, but leads require more "umph" in order to stand out, so i have an overdrive pedal, and when im live... a chorus is always on (3 piece band, its a mixing thing).
For the money its a great piece of equipment, but its tempermental, and finding your tone is a process of time and fine tuning. When you find that sound, you'll know it... cuz it clicks in. i love the way it sounds, and how easy it is to use, and the overtones it gives. Harmonics and artificial harmonics are the things that make my music unique, and it shines through here.
if youve got a great clean sounding amp, but no reliable distortion, this pedal will help you get just that, instead of trying to wire two amps into a live setting where you have to switch about (if youve seen eric johnsons set-up you know what i mean). I'm thinking about getting the classic distortion after hearing how good this sounds, to add a different layer to my sound.

Not too difficult to use. Lot's of opportunities to change the sound with all sorts of settings. Too many? Cannot save settings - hope you have a good memory.

This is where I have a real issue. My Tonebone is much to noisy - hiss, hum, and a whining sound. For this type of money, it should be dead silent. After paying $229, it does not seem right that you would have to add a noise reduction unit. Now we are up to $300.

No experience here.

Again,

No opinion

The tone is excellent but I could not deal with the noise. This pedal is 3-4X the cost of other good pedals. I found the Digitech Hot Rod Distortion to sound just as good at less than 1/3 of the price and is less noisy. The Zoom Driver 5000 is also a better pick and so are the Keeley modded Boss pedals.

Ended up selling mine on E-bay for a loss. Overall rating is based on the value considering the price, sound quality and noise

It's very easy to use although there will always be someone who will screw it up.. But not me. I, not the other reviewer have all the best gear and all the talent.He's a "me wannabe". This unit has not been upgraded.

I use a Fender custom shop closet classic, in daphne blue(because the color really makes a difference in the tone. Ever here a yellow strat? Aarrrgghh!, a tophat and a Bruno Underground 30.It's hard to get the sound of my favorite artists (mostly because they copy me) but I have been studying old Partridge Family videos and I think I'm getting closer.Seriously I owned and have owned a Full DriveII, a Full drive 70's pedal, a Klon, a rat (we all make mistakes), a Sov1, (big mistake)and other boxes and this one really is the best so far. No dissappointments at all. There are no "10"'s.

How dependable is it... well it borrowed $ from me and I haven't gotten it back yet but I am hoping to soon.The unit is built real strong and comes wqith a wall wart. The cord on the wall wart is really cheesy. Probably made in some third world back alley sweat shop, but it does work.

N/A

I would buy it again, used.

This a no brainer, plug it in and go!!!

Amazing!!!! Not only do you hear every note, they bloom with the vocal vowel sounds of an expensive Modded tube amp. And, you don get that uneven harmonic wash, weird overtones, or any cloudiness that is associated with many overdrive pedals.
I have all the mainstay pedals, and some through backs but this is the STUFF!!!!

I put this unit in front of a Sparkling Super clean rhythm sound and it sounded like
a full tilt Marshall. I?m actually using a Line 6 and I really think it would be hard to
tell that I?m not using a tube amp. I want to have a small rig so I really didn?t want
to buy a 5150 or JCM2000, so this really fit the bill. I have my super clean rhythm
sound and my super distorted sounds w/any where in between ? all at the push of a button.

This pedal is not HYPE, I have been playing for 29 yrs and Hot British is a Godsend I have been trying to capture this feel and sound for 20 yrs. I?ve had 12 space racks w/slaving systems and power amps using Marshall w/Soldano hot mods, Boogie III, Boogie Studio, Kasha Rock Mod and Fender Roc Pro 1000 amps. All great amps but for
me this pedal is the ticket. You don?t have to have a monstrous rack to sound like you
favorite guitarist.

Just got it - but it's built very solid and compact

n/a

I have to always have this pedal in my rack. I hope Radial makes a rack version w/presets perhaps midi implementation. (but, then I couldn?t hide it from prying eyes.. LOL j/k)

out of the box.As easy as apple pie. Patches? what patches? It's not A rackmount. this baby is special

Doesn't matter.I have the equivelant of a music store. /vintage / custom shop Instruments.the tone bone is not noisy as far as I'm concerned.Unless you are a stupid moron & turn the level & gain all the way up! (spoiled children) as far as guitar,amp,stomp boxes,rackmount gear, I have it all I'm lucky,& good .I'm blessed. I own nothing but the best,because I have been buying & collecting since I was 18. and I do not sell anything.Mostly I use A Clapton & a mark III Mesa Boogie I have an old roland stereo chorus that I only use for recording.It also has A feature that they call vibrato,although its similar to A Leslie rotating speaker.Not very practical for gigs because you have to constantly adjust the gain. Lately since I rehearse in a very small room, I use a fender bassman vintage mid 60's and the other gtr player uses my mid 60's twin. At gigs he uses my 100 watt marshall super lead, and I use either the mark III boogie or my vintage 50 watt marshall. I have always been able to get the sounds of my favourites,However, the tonebone makes life easier.Obviously the internal tube is the key. Even my solid state Roland sounds like a tube amp with the tonebone .It's cool for small rooms where you don't want to haul a heavy tube amp. I have all the best fx's. What do you mean by very good or vsry bad?.It begins with heart,soul,technique ,& fingrs (girls love that)I give it a 10 and God's gift to me was my ears.

looks tuff & rugged Like A tank or an old shcure mic.However I just received it so I dont know. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.The power (ac cable)looks a bit suspicious so I would suggest an extra one.

Not a clue.I wrote them just to congratulate them on the product.Hopefully they will send me A gift!

A lot of everything.Little classical.I'm a versatile pro.Jazz, fusion, samba,bossa-nova,classic rock,salsa,mambo,latin jazz.disco or dance music ,which I'm not crazy about, however I approach it like R & B which great for rhythm guitar chops. I adore,The lads from Liverpool & Zeppelin are my favourites. I also love Santana, and I adore Jeff Beck & Pat Martino. Not to be confused with Metheny,which is A God. However Martino is simply scary.No the tonebone needs nothing but to be in good hands.Nothing compares .I just can't wait to use it with my grour "Rockstalgia" we are regrouping in a few weeks.I wish it had secrecy but that's not fair. I would like to share my E-mail adress, so I can exchange 411 with musicians from all over the world. My E-mail is domingo.perez@att.net Please feel free to call or write to me my Phone# is (305) 408-1151 I,m in Miami Fl. And here you have to play everything.You might have also heard me play on many cruiseships. Play on .Music is the international language.We need more musicians, and less computers