Taking The Lead
Tosin Abasi reveals his first signature pedal
Artist collaborations are not a new concept for US effects specialists Pro Tone – the company has already worked with a diverse range of artists on pedals, including Reeves Gabrels and Periphery guitarists Mark Holcomb and Misha Mansoor. Now, one of the great talents of contemporary progressive guitar playing is joining the Pro Tone family with a signature overdrive ($239), adapted from the Dead Horse overdrive, that has some interesting low-end shaping.
“The six-way filter on the pedal works by reducing low-end gradually, which allows for other parts of the EQ to shine as they’re not fighting with the low-end frequencies,” Animals As Leaders’ eight-string player Tosin Abasi tells us of the evolution of Pro Tone’s Dead Horse. “This is really useful as a boost in front of a driven tone, because you can really highlight the pick attack and transient attack, which is advantageous to lower tunings. Sometimes a bass cut can help your lower tones sound clearer.”
So, is this an overdrive only for the heavier end of the spectrum? “I use it for some tones that are very far from metal,” Tosin counters. “It’s great as a standalone distortion pedal, but it can serve the function as a gain boost. Sometimes I want a mid-gain break-up, like a Hendrix-style tone, and sometimes I want to boost an already driven tone. I think this gives it a lot of tonal versatility.”
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