KhDK Ghoul screamer, No.1 Overdrive, No.2 Clean Boost & scuzz Box

Ghoul Screamer £199

ORIGIN: USA TYPE: Overdrive pedal FEATURES: True bypass CONTROLS: Drive, Tone, Volume, Bass switch, Highs switch, Body switch, 2x Compression switch, bypass footswitch CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output POWER: 9V battery or 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) DIMENSIONS: 65 (w) x 120 (d) x 40mm (h)

The Ghoul Screamer is the first pedal from KHDK, started by Kirk Hammett and industry pro David Karon (hence the moniker), and it’s the Metallica man’s idealised version of a Tube Screamer. While Drive, Volume and Tone knobs will be familiar, the five mini-toggle switches will come as something new.

KHDK says that all switches in the up position gives you a perfect Tube Screamer, and that seems to be the case: classic overdrive with that midrange hump and pretty indistinguishable from our favourite TS808. The icing on the cake, though, is the switches – singly or combined. You can tweak the EQ profile with more bottom-end, glassier highs and a certain midrange aggression to cut through the mix via the Body switch. Then you have two options to increase the compression beyond the normal setting: real versatility presented in an innovative, easy-to-use manner. [TC]