MusicRadar Verdict
Don't overlook Visual Sound in your search for ultimate tone. Like us you might be surprised by the quality and versatility this pedal has to offer.
Pros
- +
Creative uses of some high quality tones in every function.
Cons
- -
Apart from matters of taste, nothing.
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Not everyone needs the dual overdrive/distortion of the Jekyll & Hyde, so this pedal has just the distortion channel.
The chunky knobs control drive, treble, mid and volume, and there's a bright switch for extra sizzle. Inside, there's also a variable noise gate (that you can turn off, thankfully) and also a mini-pot for bass - set at maximum as standard.
In normal (non-bright) mode, the pedal has a generous, but tightly controlled bass response. As it happens, the bright switch affects the bass response; while the treble control seems to leave the bottom end unaffected, the bright switch raises the entire tonal spectrum of the pedal considerably.
Using a Fender Strat, we managed to pinpoint some great tones by setting combinations of treble, mid and bright.
That said, the mid-range control seems quite subtle on single-coils, although it really comes into its own on humbuckers. Boosting the mid frequencies adds plenty of thick, focused sustain ideal for use with vintage-voiced humbuckers. Cutting the mids results in a tighter sound that responds well to high-output pickups.
Overall, the Son Of Hyde has a naturally quite 'gritty' distortion tone, without sounding ugly. There's always a very crisp attack, even at high gain settings.
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