MODTONE
CLASSIC VALVE
DISTORTION
REVIEW BY FLETCHER STEWART
STREET PRICE $59.95
LESS IS MORE WITH
A THROATY ROAR
What’s little, yellow and
packs more ‘80s crunch
than a pack of Pop Rocks?
No, it’s not an old MXR
Distortion+ or a vintage
DOD 250. Unlike those
classic dirt boxes that were
meant to be paired with a
cooking Marshall stack, the
new ModTone MT-CD crams
the whole driven stack
experience into a no-frills
three-knob package.
To my ears, this little
inexpensive yellow stomper
starts off in late-‘70s classic
crunch territory. The tone
of a fire-breathing, early
master volume-endowed
JMP comes to mind in the
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GEAR REVIEW
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first half of the gain dial.
It’s open and throaty, yet
defined and tight in the
low end, like a good pair
of close-fitting leather
trousers. If I had a bullet
belt and a B.C. Rich, I
would go Mick Mars on it
with a riff from Too Fast
for Love—an album I
love unapologetically and
the first tape that I ever
acquired.
Going past the noon marker
on the Gain dial takes us
from proto-thrash to fullon JMP-1 rack preamp
meltdown and modded
Marshall madness. To
reference the tonal shift
of saturation, think Killersera Iron Maiden to Slayer’s
ModTone Classic Valve Distortion
Seasons in the Abyss.
Though it has gobs of
gain on tap, chords ring
clear and detailed with
searing sparkle showers of
harmonics shearing off the
metal edge. Staccato palmmuted blitzkriegs remain
chunky and articulate, like
a Dave Mustaine machinegun firing squad. Since
we are boiling the hipster
guitar bible in a pool of
blood, brown Telecasters
and beard hair, I will
reveal another forbidden
technique from the metal
days of yore at which this
pedal excels: the longprohibited pinch harmonic.
Yes, if one feels the need
to show their scarred