MR. BLACK
THUNDERCLAW
REVIEW BY SAM HILL
STREET PRICE $179.95
Portland, Oregon’s Mr.
Black has pleased ethereal
sound scientists in the
past with offerings such as
the beloved and heavenly
Supermoon and Eterna
reverbs, among others.
Now, a mighty beast—a
fallen angel, if you will—
descends upon the world
to shake bones out of skin.
Behold: the ThunderClaw.
Sometimes distortion units
require the equivalent
of flight school to learn
basic operation, with EQs
sliders and switches galore.
Mr. Black has done you a
solid by keeping it simple;
with Output, Distort, Bass
and Treble knobs, the
ThunderClaw is idiot-proof.
46
GEAR REVIEW
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This pedal’s objectives are
clear: plug in, step on it,
and rock. Like the other
pedals in the Mr. Black line,
it is made with high quality
components and crafted
with love in the USA.
When a pedal has a
lightning bolt on it, you
expect it to deliver, and
the ThunderClaw does not
disappoint. Playing it at
substantial volumes is an
electrifying experience,
and it ups the ante in the
room—my drummer went
from Phil Collins to Vinnie
Paul as soon as I stepped
on the switch. Setting the
Treble and Bass knobs at
noon is a good starting
point to find your sound.
Mr. Black ThunderClaw
There’s plenty of bottom
end on tap, and turning the
Bass knob fully clockwise
makes it feel like actual
thunder is in the room. The
Treble knob allows you to
cut through the mix but is
never shrill or unpleasant.
Sometimes dirt pedals have
a narrow range of useable
tones—low gain sounds
are underwhelming, and
the high gain settings are
too much. Not so with
the ThunderClaw, as the
Distort knob sounds great
wherever you set it; Mr.
Black got it right here. The
ThunderClaw plays well with
both clean and dirty amps,
but my favorite sound was
setting the amp squeaky