The Ibanez SM-7 is a tough one to review, it most definitely full fills it's task as a big crushing metal distortion pedal but does very little else. So, let's just have a run down of all the features on the pedal.
Clean Channel
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This pedal works a real treat ... Read review
Advantages: It is sexy and gives a good sound Disadvantages: It's a distortion pedal.......how can there be any cons?
The Ibanez SM-7 is a tough one to review, it most definitely full fills it's task as a big crushing metal distortion pedal but does very little else. So, let's just have a run down of all the features on the pedal.
Clean Channel
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This pedal works a real treat when switched off. This may sound very strange to most people but trust me, some pedals when you aren't using the effect on ... ...your average boss pedal, the Ibanez logo is subtly recessed into the pedal switch itself not a huge obvious logo spattered over the control board. The dials are fully depression-able; this is useful because it means that when using the switch you can't knock the dials to a different setting because they are safely inside the pedal as opposed to sitting on the top. The ID label on the top of the pedal is a very nice touch, a small SM-7 on an almost ... more
The Ibanez SM-7 is a tough one to review, it most definitely full fills it's task as a big crushing metal distortion pedal but does very little else. So, let's just have a run down of all the features on the pedal.
Clean Channel ---------------------
This pedal works a real treat when switched off. This may sound very strange to most people but trust me, some pedals when you aren't using the effect on them will still alter the sound coming from your guitar ever so slightly, the smash box avoids this totally.
DISTORTED channel -----------------------------
Oh yes. Here we go. Although this pedal is of what I would call limited capacity in effects it does cover a wide horizon in one field of effect. The smash box features four recesible dials (they push and lock in so you can't knock them and change the setting on stage). And edge effect selector and a built in noise gate.
The main features are of course the knobs (no jokes please), these are: Drive, High, Lo and level.
Drive: Controls the amount of force put into the distortion, if this is set low then the level of distortion will be reduced, this pedal despite having a reputation as a full rock/metal pedal can actually be used to gain some very chilled relaxed almost jazz style overdrives when set low. The higher end of this field provides a biting loud distortion, this high gain setting provides a quite continuous distortion that is easy to listen to because it is a constant sound whilst playing and is perfect for more extreme metal songs and sounds paralleling the distinct noises made by the likes of Slipknot and Slayer.
High and Lo: This is essentially a small in built EQ range and can be used to emphasize the higher toned frequencies of your sound or the lower bass notes. This feature is very useful on this pedal when compared to some other pedals that simply have one "tone" dial, the two offered here give the user more control over the end resulting sounds than a single control.
Level: This is a volume control used to raise the volume of the pedal so that the volume of the distortion is the same as the volume on the clean channel so that when you switch from one to the other there is no jump in volume that has resulted in many a ear ache throughout the history of rock.
Little extra switches ---------------------------
Edge: This is a small switch on the pedal just below the dials, it is simply the difference between to distortion levels, think of it more as a rhythm and lead switch, it gives one channel a smoother more bodyful sound perfect for a rhythm or secondary guitarist. The sharp channel is for lead or primary guitarist, delivering a higher more distorted sound that picks up higher shrill notes and harmonics clearly and easily, perfect for anyone who is looking for that Zakk Wylde sound.
Noise Gate: Wow, this is possibly the best feature of this pedal, if you max out your distortion on any pedal you normally get a buzzing sound on the channel, well this amazing lil' switch stops that completely, it prevents almost all additional noise going from your guitar to the amp, so when you stop playing all noise stops too when you start, it starts and it gets better, there are three settings of noise gate! One with no gate, a lesser setting and a higher setting. Personally I have not seen any difference between setting 1 and 2 on the pedal but there is a clear difference with the gate on or off, it just cuts additional sounds, I can't emphasize enough how amazingly good and useful it is to have this feature on, it's just kind of wow......
Appearance ----------------
As pedals go this is nothing short of sexy, the smash box is a small silver box fractionally bigger than your average boss pedal, the Ibanez logo is subtly recessed into the pedal switch itself not a huge obvious logo spattered over the control board. The dials are fully depression-able; this is useful because it means that when using the switch you can't knock the dials to a different setting because they are safely inside the pedal as opposed to sitting on the top. The ID label on the top of the pedal is a very nice touch, a small SM-7 on an almost holographic sticker complimenting the metallic cover of the pedal and the name "Smash Box" written subtly next to this in bold black text all adds to the over all appearance of the pedal making it the best looking pedal in my line up.
This pedal is a must have if you are looking for something which combines versatility with killer looks and reliable performance because when it comes to durability this can't be beaten, I have once actually dropped the top half of a stack on this pedal (which is about 40 kilos of AMP) and it still works wonders and didn't even crack.
