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Rocktron Rampage
List: $115
Rocktron’s Rampage, as the descriptive would have suggested, is a distortion pedal for the more demanding players, drive-wise that is. Many of us would be a little disheartened by the countless distortion units out there because the drive intensity could have been more intense but this is a common misconception when it comes to anything ‘distortion’. Nevertheless, if you wish for more distortion onslaught, you’d be glad to know that the manufacturer offers up to 75dB of gain for that extra prick.
Construction/ features
The Rampage is another pedal in Rocktron’s line up featuring the interesting extruded aluminum housing. This typically refers to the ribbed pedal surface proximate to the button footswitch to promote grip. The control panel layout is also located at a recessed upper area to avoid accidental tweaking during play. The pedal in its entirety is a rugged unit which will live through your most rigorous gigs for sure.
The control knobs you see here are the chicken head variety; while it’s the wrong design to be residing in a non-vintage livery, it’s the right ones to promote good grasp. The EQ section has full access to the lower (BASS) & upper (TREBLE) frequencies while the SCOOP option helps you push either of the aforementioned frequencies to taste. The remainder 2 knobs ensure the amount (LEVEL) of drive (SUSTAIN) you employ are at your behest.
While we applaud the manufacturer’s inclusion of a flip-type battery access, the side located PSU outlet remains to be Rocktron’s design oversight.
Rating: 80%
Tone
In use, the manufacturer’s promise of more distortion is clearly heard here. The drive sweep is impressively wide, one is able to pull off a mild DS-1 type setting quite easily at lower sustain levels. Turn this control up & more menacing drive kicks in quite easily. The EQ options here let the player adopt a scooped type voicing or employ the Rampage as a solo booster; the SCOOP control is potent for this application. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a dedicated midrange bump, the pedal is quite disinclined in this light as no such frequency measures are offered.
How does the Rampage fair as a secondary drive source then? It does the job well to boost another drive pedal in the chain but sounds more appealing with an amp’s lower drive settings. If your amp features a Vintage/ Crunch channel, the Rampage works in conjunction with it to ensure some tempestuous moments.
Tone test equipment:
*Guitars: Fender Highway1 HSS/ Gibson Les Paul Studio
*Amp: Marshall Mini Stack ZW
Rating: 85%
Conclusion
The Rampage is easily one of the more aggressive distortion units in the market & it remains to be sensibly affordable. While the overall tone on offer is generally amiable, a dedicated midrange offering would propel the Rampage into the more dynamic performers among its peers. All in all, if you are in the market for a more engaging distortion unit, the Rampage is recommended.
Overall rating: 83%
Likes
*Drive sweep
*Rugged construction
*Price
Dislikes
*Side located PSU access
*No midrange control
Worthy competitors:
*MXR Double Shot Distortion
*BOSS DS-2 Turbo Distortion
*Marshall Guv’nor Plus
*Digitech Hot Head
*Guyatone Harmonic Distortion HD-2
*Carl Martin Rock Drive
*Behringer Ultra Distortion UD-100
PS: Thanks to ebenex for the review invitation
