High gain monster in a box! The Distortus Maximus is more a high gain preamp disguised as a pedal, producing rich harmonics and massive gain not typically found in most pedal distortion units. Features a study metal chassis, 3-band eq, true bypass circuitry and 9V adapter/battery.
- High gain distortion unit with 3 band eq, volume, and gain controls
- True bypass circuitry
- 9 volt or battery powered (battery included)
GEAR USED: Rev+, Nineteen80, Rev Cab, Nineteen80 Cab, Rev Jr. Cabs.
At the age of 8, I inherited a bass from my uncle, who died tragically in a motorcycle accident in San Leandro, CA.....
What is the best way to connect with the rev.jr 20w full stack amplifier?
I have both at home and want to know the best way to get the best result.
Really the best result is running the guitar into the Distortus pedal then the pedal into the clean channel on the Rev Jr….but having said that truthfully the “best way” can be subjective as you may very well find some cool tones running the Distortus into the dirty channel withe gain backed off on both the pedal and the amp. Have fun experimenting and if it sounds good to you then there you go!
wow, that really helped a lot. Thanks
Midrange on the pedal very differs from the head…what reason?
The midrange on the Distortus differs from the heads in that this pedal is completely solid state while the heads are tube so the frequencies sit in little different place. Tube midrange is usually more expansive in nature while solid state is a little more “narrow” in tone. Both have their place depending on the music you play!
I live in Brazil and wanted to buy the Distortus Maximus. However apparently it can’t be shipped out of the U.S..
Where can I get information of where I can buy it here in Brazil?
Actually you can order the Distortus Max pedal right here on our webstore and it can be shipped to Brazil! Click here and you can go directly to it on the store.
Hi, im from italy, i need an AC adaptor for this pedal, but the normal 9v output adaptors doesnt work.. what should i use? Thanks
You just need a standard Boss 9V adapter and you’ll be good to go!
So I have this pedal and I have the standard boss 9v adapter…. still doesn’t work!! What do i do?
Hmmm there may be an issue… Go to the contact page here on our site at shoot a message to the tech department…
Hey there im currently searching for a sound, im not sure what it is yet but ill know it when i hear it. im looking for a powerfull metal sound with alot of umph! i bought a boss MT-2 which is a bit shit tbh and is a bit of a pussy. This pedal hear looks quite good but is there anything you would suggest for a beasty fuck off sound. i have been suggested a metal muff but im still not sure. cheers guys x
Well if you’re looking for a badass metal sound in a stomp box the Distortus Maximus is deff one to consider! It sounds more like a preamp than just a stomp box as it has nice gain separation you would normally find in an amp. And it has a LOT of gain for the metal riffer madness…check this one out for sure man-
Got the pedal in today (took a while from USA to the Netherlands because my country’s customs got ahold if it, had to pay an extra 50 bucks, bastards) But totally worth it! What can i say? It’s just great sounds! Looks nice too, specially since i got everything black and red LED’s.
Chris what you said there, it’s totally like it! About the clean channel it most be on, yeah i noticed that when i went to try it the first time, i had to go in uttermost clean (this is before i read it here) But giving the amp itself a bit gain made it even go zazooha! Definitely threw shred sounds into my face haha! Thanks!
Hey I’m glad you’re diggin’ the pedal!!!! And deff happy to help you out with info man…Sorry I couldn’t help you with the extra customs fee too HAHAHA!
Cool you reply us commenters, Chris..er i got a question: where does the MMV stand for? I know in Greek it’s the number 2005.
Also, i hope i’m not infringing anything legal stuff etc. but here’s a pic of my setup/guitar: http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/7909/dsc00155w.jpg
Actually pressing on my name takes you too my page on how my guitar became to this monster :)
Hey man I’m totally happy to give whatever info to all you commenters here on the site! And yeah you’re right on with your guess on what the the MMV on the Distortus Maximus pedal stands for, was the year we developed that little guy…
No sweat on posting up your setup, if you want it displayed up in the “My Addiction” part of the KrankLife section just e-mail the pic and info to sales@krankamps.com!
will a onespot adapter work on this pedal? because im having some trouble with giving it power. Its making some noises that I hope that a right power supply will fix since its not getting enough juice
We recommend the standard Boss 9V power supply on this pedal, that’s what we use here at our shop…
Hello everyone I bought the other day Krank DM used in the shop but I tried to use it with a 9v adapter or battery but does not give me no sound, as ever, could be damaged?
Shoot the tech department a message on this in the “Contact” section of the site and they’ll help you out!
Hey , Hello , It Seems That None Of The Reviews Of The Distortus Maximus That Are Out There , Including The One Of Krank Itself , Shows The Real Metal Sound That This Thing Can Give . Maybe You Can Link To A Good Video That Displays It Better . Thanks Anyway , Cheers
Hey!
Need some heavy sound here in Norway. Where can I get it, because it says US shipping only on this site. Also what amp would be good would this pedal? Budget for amp is around 800 dollars.
Hey!
I’m searching for a truly HARD metalsound with much bass, but I also want to hear all the tones I’m playing. The problem I’m having now is that I’m having much bass but cause of the bass you can’t hear all the tones as it should be. If I’m hearing all the tones I’m missing the bass, I first wanted to try the distortus. If I like this sound I’m about to buy a head, I also watched many vids on youtube. The first thing I’ve heard was that the heads are having much more bass and power if you compare it to this pedal, but it can also depend on the settings of the pedal. Could somebody help me out or tell me more?
Greetz, Joey
joeyvoscod@hotmail.com
The problem you’re experiencing is a common one, especially if you’re not playing with a bass player and drummer in a band situation. It can be a tricky thing to get an amp to give you the bass response you want to hear and yet not infringe on the mid frequencies where the guitar most naturally lies. With any of the Krank amps and this pedal you can certainly get a fatter bass response without sacrificing the mids and the Distortus is one bad ass metal machine for achieving that in a pedal! After you get the pedal my advice is to set the eq all at 5 and the gain at 7 and move the dials in small increments to dial in what sounds best to you. My suggested setting for very heavy metal would be treble 7, mids 5 or 6, bass 7, gain 8. Of course the amp and cab you’re using will have a lot to do with it so be sure to make the amp is on the clean channel and with a neutral eq set up…
Is this pedal used by Syn Gates -A7X????
Actually I think it’s Zachy who has one in his pedal board from what I’ve heard…
hey,
i wonder what combination u recommended for this pedal..i play metal
Really this pedal works best in front of your amp on it’s clean channel, definitely great for playing metal!!! It’s pretty easy to dial in a tone on as well…
hi , ive recently tried running this pedal off of a 1spot and behringer 9v power supply , and it gives off a high pitched screaming frequency underneath the distirtion that is especially loud when im not playing, is this a common problem , and also , is there a different power supply i should be using ?
So does it do that high pitched noise when it’s running off a battery? Not sure what would be causing that but you might want to drop a line to our tech dept on here, go to the FAQ to send them a message-
I am looking at this and the dime distortion MXR. Can you get a dime tone out of this pedal? or the same tone as the dime MXR?
While I haven’t heard the MXR pedal this one will most deff get you in that Dime tone zone!
I have one of these and the battery wires came undone from the unit. Does anybody know if I can use a standard PSA-120S AC Adapter with this? Thanks.
The best adapter to use is your standard ol’ Boss 9V adapter. While we don’t have the PSA adapter at the shop as long as it’s a tried and true 9V one it should be fine…
Does this pedal sound better through a tube or solid state amp. I know that some pedals sound better through a solid rather than a tube.
Also, I (attempt to, haha)play everything from clean jazz to thrash metal to neoclassical shred. If i had a more jazz/classic rock oriented amp, could i run this through it to turn it into a metal amp. I know jeff loomis uses this and im a huge fan of his.
This pedal sounds great thru either tube of solid state amps so you would be ok either way! And yes this is a great pedal to use as your “high gain channel” on a jazz/classic rock sounding amp. The Distortus has all the good harmonic overtones you’d expect in a preamp versus a pedal and sounds much more amp-like that because of that. You’d do well picking one these babies up for what you’re describing…
cool man, thanks
It would be nice to hear a sound sample of this.
Once we get all of our NAMM footage downloaded I believe we have something we can upload there for you to listen to!
hey, this pedal is really great..even the sound could be adjusted to play any kind of genre..but mine produce a bit of noise when i raise the level..how could i solve this without using noise gate pedal?
Really it’s the nature of running a high gain pedal tho it shouldn’t be too bad…there could be an issue with it but other factors could be how noisy the amp is you’re running it in to, the output of the pickups, etc. In the end you may have to run a noise suppressor…
can u tell me if u dont mind, which guitarist use this pedal..i mean other than Synyster Gates and Jeff Loomis.. \m/
Besides who you mentioned quite a few have them kicking around in their arsenal including Sworn Enemy, Warbringer, Michael Katselos, Marcus Henderson, and others. They’re great for taking out on the road as a backup for fly dates (will make a stock Marshall sound huge) as well as generally using them for and extra distortion tone…
Hi, I use the Krankshaft to boost the solos in a Peavey 6505 (emg pick ups, my hands and nothing else): it works beautifully, adding a little more gain and volume… Now I just bought a new single channel 15w all tube head (I play in small clubs and the volume is a problem): good sounding but not high gain. Would you suggest to use the Distortion Maximus as the base distorted tone and engage the Krankshaft for the solos? I mean, shall I obtain the same result when the Krankshaft is putted in front of a head switched in the distorted channel? Just a doubt about the fact that the Maximus is SS and not tube… What do you think??? Better to try a two channel pedal (rhythm and solos). Thanks, Stefano
Hey Stefano the Krankshaft is effective in front of the Distortus depending on how much gain you have coming out of it. Really you should probably be kicking yourself for not getting a 20W Rev Jr. Pro head as that would have been the ticket all the way around for you! But yes the Distortus can be used with the Krankshaft…
What is the power consumption in milliwatt of the Distortus Maximus?
i see the knob of Distortus Maximus is black in the store. but the picture on the website is silver. which is the newest verison?
Hey Kerry they’re the same version, we just went to different knobs is all…
Is it possible to hook up this or any other pedal to a Krank Rev Jr. 20w Standard head?
Absolutely you can, you’d run it in between the amp guitar and the amp…