Setting the record straight: I'm not a boutique name fan. I just don't look forward to such offerings because there's more hype to them than a concrete 'better' performance. For much lesser money, we can easily obtain a very pleasant sounding pedal simply due to the level of technology today; manufacturers know what to do without spending too much.
However, in my case, there are exceptions every now & then. The case in question is Protone's Dead Horse as seen above. It's nothing refreshing, really, a regurgitation of the Tube Screamer philosophy but it's taken a mod-type turn. The Dead Horse is what your Tube Screamer would sound like if you'd send them for a mod make-over (OK, so I've said this before in Part 1). The saturation response is just way above what a typical drive would offer. Adding the fact that there's no excessive midrange typically heard in the Tube Screamer (which isn't a bad thing considering it was conceived for this purpose), the Dead Horse is a very appealing manifestation of what a souped-up Tube Screamer should be. Please bear in mind that regardless of whatever additional saturation there is on offer, it doesn't cross over into the distortion territory.
Moving into performances notes, I like what the Dead Horse has to offer for both single coil & humbucking guitars. It's not biased towards either pickup, in fact, it does what it's supposed to do regardless of the pickup source. What you'd hear is the pedal saturating signals without adding inclined internal flavouring when they reach the amp. It's as if the pedal has an in-built clean boost in there without announcing its presence. That diode switch there is for you to check out symmetrical & asymmetrical clippings which has everything to do with harmonic type generation. Don't think too much about it, hear it in action, let your ears do the picking.
Many of you would balk at the fact that a mere overdrive pedal would cost you very close to $300 but that's the boutique reality; you pay for the technicalities of it all in addition to the name. I couldn't pass this one up simply because it's my kind of pedal, it gives me what I want to hear in a single serving, no multiple cascading pedals necessary.
Protone: Dead Horse
Availability: Davis GMC
Price: SGD295
