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Carl
Martin "Hot Drive n’ Boost Mk3
& DeLaya Guitar Pedals Reviewer: James Manson Distributor: NET 1800 645 081 |
I confess to not really knowing much about Carl Martin guitar pedals before I took delivery of the two review models. The first thing l noticed was how much the boxes weighed. Carl Martin Pedals are big, look stunning and appear to be indestructible. They consist of a sturdy black metal case with a sash of purple on the front face and nice big chunky controls. Love at first sight.
At the bottom of the pedals in big white lettering are the words, "Handmade by East Sound Denmark", consequently I was expecting to be impressed when plugging the "Hot Drive’n Boost MK 3" into my amp. This little baby didn’t let me down. ESR started as a PA rental company in 1990 and shortly after began producing custom made audio equipment. The first pedal that Carl Martin produced was the Hot Drive’n Boost in 1993. The Hot Drive’n Boost pedal on review is the anniversary MK3 featuring a complete new overdrive design that gives an even more authentic "tube" simulation than the original. The MK3 sounds like a tweaked tube amp and gives a clear tone not commonly found in overdrive pedals. All bases are covered with this outstanding tool to sculpt your tone. Carl Martin claim that the Drive and Boost series have been carefully designed to imitate the sound of a "good old fashioned" distorting tube amp.
What makes the Hot Drive’n Boost MK3 so good is its versatility and the ability to incorporate the pedal into your existing set-up. The pedal has been designed with the amp in mind, it does not change your existing tone, it compliments it. The distortion is beautifully transparent and the different variations achieved through using the MK3 can really add new dimensions to your tone. The versatility of the pedal is because of the two- in-one function — OVERDRIVE & BOOST. These are both accessed through separate push button foot switches, with the BOOST feature providing a boost of up to 20db, and the OVERDRIVE feature kicking in the distortion. The boost feature is unique for a foot pedal and makes life a whole lot easier when you go into solo land and you need some that extra grunt. Basically, the Hot Drive’n Boost gives you the opportunity to go to 'eleven'.
The Hot Drive’n Boost has a built-in regulated power supply that enables the circuitry to be of the highest quality which in turn means the pedal can achieve maximum head room. The MK3 has low impedance that makes for very low noise connection, for a distortion pedal, this unit is one of the quietest I have heard. A full spectrum of distorted tones is achievable from slightly dirty blues tones to full on screaming sustained metal tones. The Hot Drive’n Boost MK3 has three suggested pre-sets, crunch, rock and hard rock. There is also a suggested setting for your amplifier. The controls of the pedal are as follows; boost control, level, wave (tone) and gain. There are two outputs, one that is a clean output and the effected output. This is perhaps one of the better distortion pedals money can buy. The pedal even worked a treat when coupled with an acoustic guitar, and if it is milky, clear distortion that you require this is the pedal for you.
The second pedal reviewed is the DeLayla. Let me say straight off the bat that the Carl Martin DeLayla is the best stomp box I have ever had the pleasure of using. Carl Martin states that their goal with this pedal was to create a superior analogue delay pedal incorporating some of the features found in vintage tape delay units. After plugging in my guitar and hitting the on switch my jaw hit the ground, this is the holy grail of guitar delay. The DeLayla sounds so much like a tape delay, I tell you, the smile on my face started to hurt after a while. To approximate a vintage tape delay Carl Martin have added a second foot switch that operates a second delay tap which simulates the two heads on a vintage tape delay. The tap footswitch turns the second tap on or off and the tap control knob controls the mix of main delay versus the second tap delay. The tap option sounds so genuine but without the noises normally associated with vintage delays.
The main delay is sweet and musical; think classic Jimmy Page or early U2. As Carl Martin state in the manual, "The DeLayla is able to capture one of the hardest sounds: That au-thentic rock’n roll slapback echo, that digital processors are unable to emulate."
I agree fully with this statement, the only digital delay that comes close is the Tape Delay in Logic Audio but of course, this is part of a sequencing package, not a pedal you can throw in your gig bag. The DeLayla sounded awesome when used as part of an effects loop. The control knobs are as follows, echo, tap, time and repeat. The delay minimum is 30 m.sec, while the maximum delay time is 500 m.sec. Again, the pedal features a regulated power supply. This unit worked great on stage with absolutely no noise at all and was masterful in the recording studio. I bussed this unit across a vocal track with no apparent problems, the low signal to noise ratio makes using the DeLayla in the studio a piece of cake and I feel this unit is usable for far more than just guitar tracks.
Both the DeLayla and Hot Drive’n Boost weigh in at 0.625 Kg, look hot, are hot, sound too good to be true and are destined to become classics.