Mesa/Boogie Throttlebox

TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2017
T
he last few years
have seen a complete
explosion in boutique
fuzz, overdrive and
distortion pedals from smaller
makers in every corner of the
world. When TG were a lad,
you’d be hard-pressed to fi nd
a distortion pedal that set you
back more than three fi gures.
But these days even a humble
fi lthbox can cost as much as
a cheap guitar, and with so many
diff erent distortion pedals
available at hugely diff erent
price points, the sheer choice
available can be overwhelming.
So, this month we’re looking at
four distortion pedals from top
line manufacturers. Cheap they
are not, but these pedals should
be thought of as investments –
they’re high-spec and serve
almost as an additional channel
to your amp – off ering medium
to heavy amp-style gain. Strap
in, we’re drivin’ dirty…
HIGH-END DISTORTION PEDALS
104
R
einhold Bogner was on the frontline of
the high-gain amp revolution, and here
he’s teamed up with studio desk pioneer
Rupert Neve. The Burnley is a 100 per cent
analogue distortion, equipped with Neve-
designed transformers, and the promise of
“fi re-breathing pandemonium” – a promise
slightly at odds with its clean, modern looks.
The standard controls are joined by a fat/tight
switch and it can be powered from a battery or
power supply. Tonally, it’s less molten metal
and more aggro rock monster, but it cleans up
nicely for overdrive and semi-clean sounds.
Meanwhile, fl ipping to Fat and upping the
gain screams for chunky power chord riff s.
Dynamic, versatile… what else do you want?
T
he Throttlebox off ers a step onto the
rung of the Mesa/Boogie gain ladder at
a snip of the price of buying a Boogie
amp. There’s a whole pile of gain on tap here,
giving you the fl avour of the classic Dual
Rectifi er ‘red channel’, plus a mid-cut control
to help keep things tight. It’s not all super-
hairy distortion, though – the lo/hi switch
sets a diff erent gain range, so you can coax
out more ‘classic’ sounds. The output is a tad
lower than the other pedals here, but it hardly
matters in practice. You’re essentially getting
one-and-a-half channel options, so it’s a
great fi t for single-channel amp users.
Bogner Burnley
BURN BABY, BURN!
Mesa/Boogie
Throttlebox
PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN
£149
£185
TH
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FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
HIGH-END DISTORTION PEDALS
BEST BUY
AWARD
TGR290.gear_pedals.indd 104 27/01/2017 16:20