switch for determining the functionality ? Surprise — you step on the two switches simultaneously to engage the Kill function . And double surprise — you can engage and disengage the function while the Boost is active . Surprise number three : If you hold the bypass switch an extra couple milliseconds , it converts the kill switch into a toggle between the normal and boosted gain settings . With this arrangement , you can have all kinds of kill-switch fun on your leads and solos as well as your riffs .
When I say dirt , I mean Dirt with a capital “ D ,” as in the 1992 Alice in Chains album of the same name . With Treble at 10:00 , Mid at 1:00 , Bass at 3:00 , and Gain at 5:00 , the Orthrus dishes coughs up a tone that is not unlike Jerry Cantrell ’ s riffs . On the bridge pickup of my PRS Mira , I had a blast tearing through “ Them Bones ,” “ Would ,” and especially the title track . With thick lows , precise but never grating highs , and the perfect spongy compression , the Orthrus is a blast .
I ’ m not a huge fan of scooped Mids — I worked that sound to death with a Boss HM-2 in my high school days in the early ‘ 90s . That said , I can ’ t deny the catharsis of tuning down to drop D and riffing out . And starting from the “‘ 90s settings ” outlined above , the Orthrus can scoop with the best of them . Dial the Mid control back to 9:00 , push the Treble to 10:00 , and plug in something with high output humbuckers — there ’ s nothing that a little Ministry or Helmet riffing can ’ t cure .
The Orthrus offers up a wide range of distortion tones , clever switching options , and seriously great build quality . It also stacks great with other dirt pedals . I loved the added versatility of hitting it with my Cusack Screamer — instant EVH lead tones .
It ’ s pretty amazing how interactive the tone controls and gain control are . But as a result , the Orthrus isn ’ t a “ set it and forget it ” affair . The Gain control has a tendency to “ re-voice ” the pedal as you turn it up and as a result , you have to adjust the various EQ controls in order to maintain the same apparent frequency response . It takes a little patience , but once you get a handle on it you realize it ’ s a feature and not a flaw .
switch for determining the functionality ? Surprise — you step on the two switches simultaneously to engage the Kill function . And double surprise — you can engage and disengage the function while the Boost is active . Surprise number three : If you hold the bypass switch an extra couple milliseconds , it converts the kill switch into a toggle between the normal and boosted gain settings . With this arrangement , you can have all kinds of kill-switch fun on your leads and solos as well as your riffs .
SERIOUS ’ 90S DIRT
When I say dirt , I mean Dirt with a capital “ D ,” as in the 1992 Alice in Chains album of the same name . With Treble at 10:00 , Mid at 1:00 , Bass at 3:00 , and Gain at 5:00 , the Orthrus dishes coughs up a tone that is not unlike Jerry Cantrell ’ s riffs . On the bridge pickup of my PRS Mira , I had a blast tearing through “ Them Bones ,” “ Would ,” and especially the title track . With thick lows , precise but never grating highs , and the perfect spongy compression , the Orthrus is a blast .
WHAT ’ S THE SCOOP ?
I ’ m not a huge fan of scooped Mids — I worked that sound to death with a Boss HM-2 in my high school days in the early ‘ 90s . That said , I can ’ t deny the catharsis of tuning down to drop D and riffing out . And starting from the “‘ 90s settings ” outlined above , the Orthrus can scoop with the best of them . Dial the Mid control back to 9:00 , push the Treble to 10:00 , and plug in something with high output humbuckers — there ’ s nothing that a little Ministry or Helmet riffing can ’ t cure .
WHAT WE LIKE
The Orthrus offers up a wide range of distortion tones , clever switching options , and seriously great build quality . It also stacks great with other dirt pedals . I loved the added versatility of hitting it with my Cusack Screamer — instant EVH lead tones .
CONCERNS
It ’ s pretty amazing how interactive the tone controls and gain control are . But as a result , the Orthrus isn ’ t a “ set it and forget it ” affair . The Gain control has a tendency to “ re-voice ” the pedal as you turn it up and as a result , you have to adjust the various EQ controls in order to maintain the same apparent frequency response . It takes a little patience , but once you get a handle on it you realize it ’ s a feature and not a flaw .