Power boost

I've put away my Marshall/ Laney in anticipation of a new amp so in the mean time, it's my Killer Ant + pedals. These are the pedals I use, nothing excessive, just the Power Stack & BB9. I'm grateful to BOSS for voicing the Power Stack like an amp, the BB9 acts like a pseudo EQ via its TONE knob manipulation while the GAIN feature defines/ saturates the distortion further.

Flu's back...

Power in my hands

After a week of swap time, the Power Stack was offered to me for a good asking price & I duly obliged to buy it from a friend who is happier to be without it. I got my NANO Metal Muff back too. My friend is looking for some menacing distortion but with that tube warmth for bluesy moments. My advice to him was a simple one; to acquire a tube amp, preferably one of low wattage & offering a single channel. This way ,he would be able to plug in various distortion types while retaining some warm cleans on days when he'd like it clean. I think I got him thinking.

The ST-2 isn't one in the likes of the (BOSS) Metal Zone or (Beta Aivin) HM-200. It's essentially an emulation pedal which churns out amp-like drive, ranging from a mild response to a barking distortion. Keep in mind that an aggression coming from an amp is very different from that produced by a pedal, especially so for tube amps. This is why players who believe the Power Stack would comprehensively out-metal a Metal Zone, would walk away disappointed. However, if you think your current distortion pedal is too protrusive & would love to own a more dynamic drive/ distortion voicing, the ST-2 would appease you. 

I always put my distortion units through an overdose response. As seen in the pic above, I even have Biyang's OD-10 to boost proceeding which is not necessary for the Power Stack. It's one of those pedals around which require no reinforcements & would sound saturated even when used as a stand-alone unit. The purpose of the OD-10 there is to trigger the noise gate & give me a more sensitive picking response as I'm the type who don't dig into my strings while picking; I play faster this way. If you've heard the ST-2 in action & felt it sounded a little square, add a touch of chorus at the end of your set up for some dynamics, not too much please. I'm rather indifferent to the ST-2 despite having lots of respect for it as one of those formidable distortion units in the market, largely due to the absence of a midrange control but this doesn't affect me too much as the OD-10 there is capable of pumping in those missing frequencies.

A stack of power

It's good to see the Power Stack available here rather quickly after its debut. Being a distortion fan, I just have to try it despite having preconceived ideas about the absent midrange control- I do not fancy a scooped tone. However, the ST-2 isn't one to disappoint when it comes to the distortion voicing per se. It's capable of giving you a placid drive as well as pure aggression with enough saturation that would render a drive booster unnecessary- the drive range is indeed impressive. It got me genuinely interested, to say the least. If you are a 3-band EQ fan & find the lack of midrange access here troubling, leave the bass & treble midway & add an EQ pedal in the line up. 

Distortion wise, the PS-2 is a 3-realm generator; a mild Tubescreamer-type drive in its polite stages, a cruncher when one toggles the SOUND control about its middle placement & an aggressive distortion unit at its extreme setting. I wouldn't equate the aggression here to that of a typical metal type distortion, to me it sounds more appealing as it is devoid of the latter's coarseness. As the name suggests, the ST-2 aggression emulates an amplifier's upper end distortion setting with lots of warmth in the mix. I find this sorely lacking in many distortion units often coercing the use of an extra drive-type booster pedal to juice things up. In this light, the ST-2 has no problems addressing user pick sensitivities as well as harmonics triggering. If you need a truly dynamic distortion, the ST-2 is highly recommended.

Personally, I still think it would be a stellar pedal upon a midrange control inclusion. If BOSS thinks there is no more room in the control panel for an additional knob, a stacked feature just like the METAL ZONE controls would be the answer. Of course, if it's too costly to be implemented, we understand that it's still about the bu$ine$$. Wouldn't be surprised if there's a Keely mod manifestation (or others) to address this situation.

PS: Thank you brothers Jumahat & Albert (Swee Lee BB showroom) for the assistance