tc electronic Eyemaster Metal Distortion Reviews

Oversimplified

I understand that the stereotypical settings for the legendary chainsaw tones involve all the knobs in a singular position, but that is really little more than a meme. By removing the toneshaping options they have shot themselves in the foot by providing an extremely limited tone. There was a lot of potential here for a great budget OSDM pedal, but I'm disappointed with the direction they decided to take with this. Pointlessly oversimplified.

That said, this range of TC Electronic pedals are built like tanks, so staying within it, you will find more tone-hunting success getting the TC Electronic Fangs instead, which has 3 modes in addition to the much needed Bass & Treble knobs.

However, pragmatically speaking, you should get the Behringer clones instead.

Sounds terrible, in a good way

It sounds like the pedal it is supposed to replicate. The sound is not for all, though. I think the lack of tone controls is big drawback. If it had the tone controls then it would definitelly get 5 stars. Looks solid and well-built. I would give it 3 stars but it is so affordable so it gets +1 from me.

Not exactly an HM-2 alternative but still good!

It's solid. it's easy to use. I love the fact that the input/output are on top. It's pretty good but it's really not an HM-2 real alternative. It's inspired by it a lot but the buzz of the HM-2 is sharper, this one is softer. But it's still a great pedal and for the price, just try it anyway! It's a bargain!

Great sounding but limited

Bought this pedal for my son. Super great build quality and amazing heavy metal pedal. Only does one trick, but that is what it was made to do.

Great HM2 chainsaw sound

Not as many controls as a true HM2, but putting this into the front of a crunched amp gives you the Swedish chainsaw sound for no money at all.

It obviously is noisy, but that's the point, so not knocking off points for that.

3 stars on features because of 2 missing knobs- but if you want the chainsaw, it does that fine.

Rwwwk

Fuzzy chainsaw. Some floor noise but to be expected with this kind of assault weapon.

One trick pony but who cares?

Great tool for getting Swedish metal tone on a budget

Probably the most disgusting sounding pedal I ever played (in a good way). As many have said, it's a one-trick pony but it works well for what it was designed for. I personally max out all the knobs (one true setting) and I plug it into a slightly distorted channel on my ENGL and way to go!

Sure, this is not HM-2 but considering its price, you cant complain!

Swedish Chainsaw Machine

'Nuff said. It's a swedish chainsaw without the extra stuff from the original HM-2.

Does exactly what it says: Swedish OSDM

I bought this knowing exactly what I was getting: Make no mistake, this is literally a one trick pony and it only does one sound and all the knobs try to do is match the level of grit to the type of pickup you have (gain) and appropriate leve of the amplification input you are running it through (volume).

Wolverine Blues? Check!

Refined, surgically clean and controllable gain/distortion: Absolutely not! But then again, why would you buy something that says Eyemaster on it in that font not knowing that it will only do "THE sound"?

Chainsaw

We all know what this is. An original HM-2 might be great, but the insane prices you find even for heavily used ones are not worth it when you have so many boutique options. Thankfully we have dirt cheap ones too. The Eyemaster is a very fun pedal if you like the 90's Swedish Death Metal sound. It comes very close to the original HM-2 and does the same job just as well. Boosting it with an eq after it makes it more visceral sounding. It may be a one trick pony, but with a little imagination it can be used for other genres like doom, stoner, even black metal as well. Sometimes I miss the eq knobs when I'm not trying to get a Chainsaw sound, that could greatly add to its value. And it's built like a tank.

Wolverine Blues in a box!

Well, you know what are you reading a review for... It's a dimed HM-2 clone. If you wanted a versatile distortion pedal - look the other way! This thing simply rapes your ears. It is a nasty, fuzzy, sludgy, in your face tone known by 90's Swedish Death Metal Scene.

Pros:

1) Incredibly cheap price!

2) Easy controls (Volume & Gain), EQ comes dimed from the factory...

3) Stylish and sturdy construction

4) 9v@100Mah (unlike original)

5) Designed after Wolverine Blues album art

Cons:

1) Fake 3PDT knob, which lead to...

2) Turns on after the knob is released (not then pressed)

a one trick pony, but a fun one! (not really an HM-2, tough)

the Eyemaster is basically ALMOST a clone of the good (or awful, depending of whom you ask) old Boss HM-2.

universally despised as a "proper" distortion pedal, yet a cult object among the fans of classic swedish death metal, the HM-2 with all controls to max is the (well known) "secret" for the patented "buzzsaw" guitar tone of early Entombed, Dismember and various bands of the glorious years between the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s...

since noone uses the HM-2 nowadays, except to get THAT tone, and the original HM-2 is becoming growingly difficult to get hold of, TC electronic solved the problem in the most brutally efficient way: no EQ controls (you've got to dime them anyway, so...), just a couple of big, round knobs for gain and volume. and a weird silent switch that engages the effect when released, rather than when pushed.

my votes, explained:

features 3/5. it does ONE thing, actually. i couldn't give it more, in all honesty.

handling: 3/5. it's flatter than a Boss pedal, but a bit larger. i'm not really sure about the internal circuitry, but i bet it could have been built as large as a TC mini pedal

sound: 4/5. it sounds more or less like an HM-2, and it's easier and friendlier to use than the original to shape an already distorted amp (that's not the way it's OFFICIALLY supposed to work, but i suspect it's how many guitarists got their "Stockholm" tone in later, more refined productions), BUT the HM-2 is badder. period.

if you can't find a proper HM-2 (or if you want a pedal that's easier to control to get a hybrid distortion) the Eyemaster is fun, cheap and effective. and has true bypass.

if you want THAT buzzsaw tone and not something that just comes close, the HM-2 is the only real way to get it.

An affordable reinvention of the classic death metal distortion

I have used both Japanese and Taiwan versions of Boss HM2, so I am quite familiar with the pedal the Eyemaster pays dues to. And it does so very well.

The character of the original distortion is definetely there - the Eyemaster is nasty, nasal and crushing. Its tonality is somewhat different - it has less bottom end and more volume - but it does not stop the stompbox from sounding wonderful.

It`s real downside is the switch, which activates not when pressed, but after letting it go. It may need some getting used to.

SWEDISH CHAINSAW!!

Let me start by saying, I've built a BYOC swede, owned an orignal Japanese HM-2, and a Lone Wold Audio Left hand wrath, and this pedal definetly does the chainsaw thing. If only it had internal trimpots for the Eq, I usually like my bass at noon for Hm-2 pedals.

You want the Swedish sound? Here you go.

Pure effing death metal. This pedal has two knobs that are basically useless because it goes from 0 to 1000% almost immediately. But it sounds exactly the way you expect.

The classic "Buzzsaw" guitar sound for a fraction of the cost

Do you want to get that bone crushing Entombed/Dismember guitar sound? Do you think that spending 3 digits on a vintage Boss HM-2 (or one of those boutique clones out there) is too much? Are you afraid that the Behringer HM300 isn't sturdy enough? Well, you're in luck, my dudes and dudettes.

The Eyemaster promises to deliver that fat and HEAVY early 90's Swedish Death Metal guitar sound, and boy... it delivers. It's built like a tank, looks great and sounds nasty (in a good way)! So, if you are looking to get THAT guitar tone, and want an affordable but sturdy alternative to the classic HM-2, look no further.

Tip: Don't max out the gain, as advertised on countless HM-2 videos. It works best (to my ears, at least) in front of an already dirty amp; use it almost like a boost/EQ.