Ashdown FS-JLO James LoMenzo HyperDrive
Guitarlike Drive and Sustain from Your Bass
Why should guitarists get all the best pedals? That’s what James LoMenzo (Megadeth, Zakk Wylde, et al.) asked Ashdown when he submitted his designs for the LoMenzo Bass Hyper Drive. And Ashdown delivered, big time. Whatever range of drive or distortion you crave, the Bass Hyper Drive can handle it. But take courage, ye faint of heart – this isn’t just an aggressive monster of a drive. It’s also a musical tone shaper for virtually any setting. Sweep the Freq knob to accentuate attack, hair, or harmonics, then broaden or narrow the bandwidth with a bump of the ‘Q’ switch. Dial in the right amount of tubelike Drive, then blend to taste with the Mix control. This gives you that glorious cello sustain and top-end crack without sacrificing the body of your tone.
Ashdown LoMenzo Bass Hyper Drive Pedal at a Glance:
• Designed and used by LoMenzo himself
• Two-amp bass tone from a single pedal
• VU meter primes this pedal for any bass
Designed and used by LoMenzo himself
Fans of the man will be pleased to know the LoMenzo Bass Hyper Drive isn’t a me-too pedal. James, who has 30 years of experience playing with the likes of Ozzy and Slash, designed this pedal to meet his exact needs onstage. He didn’t just slap his name on the pedal, either – he uses it out on the road with Megadeth every night and at each of his clinics.
Two-amp bass tone from a single pedal
The novelty of the wet-dry, two-amp bass setup wears away when you start considering hauling two amps and cabs to each performance. But fans of this sound will be pleased to know that the Mix knob on the Ashdown LoMenzo Bass Hyper Drive does a convincing approximation of the two-amp bass tone in a compact form. You can dime the Drive knob for a lush layer of dirt, then blend in just enough saturation to keep things interesting.
VU meter primes this pedal for any bass
A VU meter gives you visual feedback of how hard your bass hits the input of the LoMenzo Bass Hyper Drive. Players with multiple basses will appreciate how easy it is to “tune” the pedal for each instrument using the adjustable Input gain. The sweet spot appears to be just shy of the red, so you can use this as a benchmark each time you change your signal chain.
Ashdown LoMenzo Bass Hyper Drive Pedal Features:
• Designed and used by James LoMenzo of Megadeth
• Built on James’ 30-year career in rock and metal
• Summon ungodly amounts of distortion or subtly shape your tone
• Mix knob keeps your cleans from getting too soggy
• VU meter with adjustable Input gain primes the pedal for any instrument
• Freq range is tunable from 200Hz to 2.2kHz
• Switchable ‘Q’ keeps your tone from getting too honky
• Metal chassis and premium knobs and switches are built for the road
• True bypass switching prevents tone suck when not engaged
• Powered by 9V battery or center-pin-negative power adapter (both sold separately)