Cusack Music Screamer Overdrive v2

(Taken from GeorgeLynch.com) I believe this review hits the nail on the head, the previous reviewer doesn't take into account that the toggle switch allows you to have bright-to-fat/chunky sounds dialed in easily. Read on... if we're going to take 2 stars away based on the price, maybe a non-boutique handmade pedal would suit your needs better? All boutique pedals even remotely in this thing's realm are $199 and up.The Cusack Screamer is an overdrive from the Ibanez Tube Screamer lineage that incorporates more clean boosting and more gain than the Ibanez (and its various clones on the market). While some use the Cusack Screamer was as a solo boost, it also offers some serious sizzle element in the overall tone.The new Screamer V2 has a three-position horizontal toggle switch that has different kinds of clipping in each position. In the left position is the tone of the original Cusack Screamer (with a symmetrical smooth clipping).In the right position is the same tone without the brightness (Cusack calls this "Crushed"). The middle position is perhaps what makes the V2 what it is.The middle position has asymmetrical clipping, giving it that much-needed sizzle factor George needed. It is also more touch-sensitive and is LED-based. The LED light also follows your picking by blinking when the attack is strong.The Cusack Screamer V2 is a vast improvement with the tone from this feature.Along with its predecessor, the V2 has twice the amount of gain than any overdrive pedal. This makes this pedal useful in getting the tone of an old Fender-style tube amp cranked to kingdom come at lower volumes.But for the purposes of a solo booster, the V2 is a very useful tool to add a little bit of sizzle to sustain single notes while boosting the volume without affecting the overall tone.And did I mention this pedal doubles as a tuner? That's right, look it up - 5th fret tuning!

....for a distortion/overdrive pedal. I wasn't thrilled with my Full-tone OCD, so I got this, thinking that it might be a bit 'smoother' and less aggressive. It is a versatile pedal, with 3 different switch modes - probably something to do with how the diodes handle the signal - a drive, tone, and master volume. My favorite switch position was center, which has the most gain and the least amount of crunch. My biggest gripe with this pedal is the same as most pedals I try out; they all seem to suck the bottom end out of the tone. Playing a staccato figure on a muted low "E" string is my 'bench-test'. There must be a pedal out there that doesn't do this. I haven't found it yet. With its orange body and yellow chickenhead knobs, this pedal certainly stands out on the pedalboard. It's a bit smaller than most and appears to be well constructed. I wish these folks would use the standard conventions concerning jack and power-supply connector placement. The audio ins and out are at the 'top' of the pedal, and the p.s. jack is on the side which doesn't make substituting on one's board very easy. Audio ins and outs should be on the sides of the pedal for ease of "chaining", with the p.s. jacks at the top. Were the price of this pedal closer to $120, it might be a good buy.

Hands down one of the best sounding versions of an 808 tube screamer I've ever heard/gotten my hands on. If you are looking for that clean transparent 808esc tone, this is your pedal stop looking! It also gets some dope cranked tones. There is no way this pedal should be rated less than a 5....fantastic additon to any board or collection!