Thursday, September 4, 2014

Mark V's Shredhead Review



This pedal deserves a review not only because it is one of the best Marshall-sounding pedals out there but also because its maker is a Filipino, Mark V. It is already gaining popularity not only in the Philippines but internationally as well.

Mark V's Shredhead Specifications:
• Hand built, numbered and signed by the builder
• High visibility indicator Blue LED
• True-bypass switching
• Cleans up nicely for the volume knob player
• Responsive & boutique quality Alpha potentiometers
• Made in Japan input & output jacks
• Metal Film capacitors to preserve original tone of guitar and amp, & for quiet operation
• 9 to 18v operation
• 9v battery operated
• Equipped with reverse polarity protection
• Lifetime warranty

Ease of Use:
Just tweak its four knobs: volume, gain, tone, and presence, in order to get the sound you want. The overall size is good as it is pretty easy to carry around, making it ideal for gigs.

Sound: 
Its maker, Mark V describes it as a "Marshall in a box.” The pedal can really produce neat Marshall Drive tones. The pedal can still be quiet even at high gain settings. The Tone and Presence knobs make the pedal very versatile. The Drive knob offers nice control of the amount of distortion (from simple crunch to high gain). The distortion, on the other hand, seems a bit too "sharp" (aggressive in terms of treble), and may sometimes need a booster like an Overdrive pedal or an EQ to make it thicker. It is good for searing classic lead solos.

Reliability & Durability:
This pedal is very durable with its tough metal case and the components are high grade.

Price:
As of this writing, Mark V is selling the Shredhead at 3.5k pesos. That's a reasonable price for a really good-sounding pedal.

Overall Impression:
Although Mark V's Shredhead is very versatile, it is well-suited for metal or hard rock types of sound. The tone and sustain are there. But it could get pretty muddy around the low-mid frequency and a bit "reverberated." But overall, it is a great warm high gain pedal that cleans up well with rich harmonics and yet transparent for your guitar tone to shine thru.

Here’s a demo of Mark V's Shredhead:


Mark V's Shredhead Gold Limited Edition


Here are some pedalboards with Mark V's Shredhead:




You can also visit its Facebook Page for inquiries and more sound clips and demos at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MV-Electronics-Shredhead/116129548423797

Note:      All photos were taken from Mark V's Shredhead official Facebook page.