Recently, we had the privilege and honor reviewing and demoing another pedal from our friends at KMA Machines, the Wurm, a killer distortion pedal full of great tones and offering loads of options. We get to look at another KMA machine today, one along the same lines as the Wurm, but with a couple differing twists and turns. The Dead Stag is a Distortion, yes, but it’s also a Fuzz, so you get the best of those two worlds in one slick enclosure. There’s a lot to take in here, so we should probably get started, ok by you?
The Dead Stag has roots in the Big Muff family of circuitry, and those original pedal’s presence is felt throughout. Adding to those classic sounds, this beast stays true to the sounds of the vintage effects, but give you a modernized, options-filled machine that lets you dial in the EXACT sound you need, without any compromise or corner-cutting. The Growl knob controls the overall output volume, of which there’s ZERO shortage on the Dead Stag. Two small knobs up top are active Treble and Bass controls, each capable of +/-15dB of boost/cut.
Another boost/cut control, C/B, sets your mid frequencies, with its range being +/-12dB of cut/boost. The Mids knob works together with C/B, defining the center frequency of the parametric mid control, from 400Hz to 2.4kHz. The Mud dial sets up the overall grade of the distortion, while two toggles round out the control section. Shape switches between a smooth or an edgy sound, while Gain lets you choose either a low gain or a thick, high gain type of distortion.
There’s also an internal control, if you want to really define the pedal, one that lets you set the bandwidth of the mid-band EQ, slightly morphing between Narrow, Medium and Wide settings. In short, you’ve got a LOT of control over how you want the Dead Stag to sound, and it fits in gorgeously with any rig. Overdrive, walls of fuzz, distorted messes: this one covers them all. Cheers to the KMA Machines crew on another killer dirt pedal, one that makes the hairs on the back of your neck happily stand up as soon as you engage it, and keeps them there the whole time you’re playing. Hear this bad boy in action in our demo below, and don’t forget to check out our newest endeavor, “The Noisemaker Series,” available exclusively on our Patreon page. Stay safe, everyone, and keep making music!!
“Deep black mud is covering his jaws, but the rising sun reveals the glancing brake draped antlers of the majestic Dead Stag. His massive blast of distortion will tear down even the thickest boondock wilderness and set the world on fire.”
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