Continuing our run of reviews for the smallest, baddest, pint-sized pedals in the West, today we’ve got the Dead Man’s Hand 2-Mode Overdrive from our friends Outlaw Effects. This small but powerful drive makes a perfect pair with any pedalboard, and has a few surprises up its sleeve (see what I did there?) as well.
Tone, Level and Gain are the three basic overdrive controls here on the Dead Man’s Hand, and they function exactly like they should. The Gain provides a nice tonal sweep, and will do clean boost up to a nice, warm but dirty gritty drive sound. There are two distinct modes that this pedal will run in as well, accessible and switchable via a toggle in the middle top of the pedal. Eights Mode is geared towards the more typical mid-range drive sound, while the Aces Mode beefs everything up a bit, for a hotter, louder and more potent sonic attack on your amp, with a big fat dose of sustain for good measure. Both modes are very useful for many styles of music, while getting chunky without moving into super hi-gain, screeching treble-town territory, and work in conjunction with the Gain and Tone knobs for a vast array of textures and sounds.
Basic, little, space-saving and full of power, the Dead Man’s Hand 2-Mode Overdrive is another classic pedal coming out of the Outlaw Effects‘ camp. These couple of pedals of theirs we’ve reviewed have been quite impressive, and we can’t wait to get our hands on some more! If you’re in the market for a nice-sounding drive with a couple of cool options and real estate-saving dimensions, look no further than the Dead Man’s Hand.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
