Boss ML-2 Metal Core Distortion Pedal Reviews

This hits those sweet spots!
It has the Chugging effects of the Metal Zone and it adds that little extra Chug you need to go the distance.

I have owned this pedal around 14 years now and it delivers the same wall of modern distortion and tone as it always has! I keep the level around 50%, high and low around 2 o clock, drive around 3 o clock. Lowering the bass on the amplifier and increasing the mids opened up this pedal fantastically. Even with cheap gear I can accomplish a very 5150/Mesa/Engl guitar tone. If you need a metal pedal this is the one :)

P.S. ~ it will chew through batteries so power it with a 9v adapter, I have found it to work best as preamp distortion rather than a boost

This pedal does not get enough credit. Everyone raves about the Metal Zone(MT-2), or the Heavy Metal(HM-2) pedal boss makes, but IMO, the ML-2 Metal Core is an amazing pedal to have in your rig. I have owned my Metal Core for over 16 years now and it has been a staple on my board. Great sound and tone once you are able to dial it in well.

This Boss ML-2 Metal Core pedal really hits the spot! While I can get a lot of decent distortion and overdrive sounds out of my Boss ME-50, what the ML-2 does (unfortunately) is NOT one of them. Fortunately, I did have enough room on my pedalboard for the ML, thanks to the standard (and appreciatively "compact") Boss stompbox package.
What I especially like about the ML is that all of the controls are dead-center with respect to the desired tone "window". That translates to incredible tonal flexibility! There are great tones to be had here...and none that are unnecessary for a Metal Pedal, as far as I'm concerned. As an added bonus, it's a bit less noisy than other (very good) Hi-Gain pedals I've tried. That can come in handy if you don't have room on yr. board for a separate Noise Reduction pedal.

A friend gave me a like-new Metal Core pedal when it turned out not to be what he wanted. I've had it around for a few years, not really needing crushing metal tones for what I play. I have been looking at various fuzz and distortion pedals and on a whim I plugged in the Metal Core and turned all the controls down except the volume, which I left at about 12 o'clock. I got a very usable, vintage-style distortion sound, reminiscent of my old MXR Distortion+ or other popular distortion pedals of that era. Adding a tiny bit of bass fills it out nicely. This will be added to my board as a compliment to the three overdrives I always have on there. It's nice to know if I ever want a heavier, more metal sound it's there with the turn of a couple knobs. Being a Boss pedal, it'll likely outlive me.

Got this as my first distortion pedal and I'm loving it so far. I usually just used the distortion on my practice amp in the past, but I was looking for a better metal tone and this pedal really delivered. I get a good thick, heavy tone that isn't muddy at all. Definitely will be a mainstay on my board.

It took a bit to dial this in, but once I did I got the sound I was looking for. First, the highs on this pedal are piercing, so I turned them down to around a quarter of what can be used. The highs are still very good, and the growl I am getting is straight nasty. This pedal chugs and sustains like no pedal I have ever owned. It isn't very versatile, but works as well as I need it to. The distortion is heavy, and if brought down a bit can make playing blues sound sickening. Think Eyehategod or Bomgzilla without the fuzz. O suggest getting the AC adapter for the best performance of the pedal. If you are looking for a George Lynch type growl with an even heavier chug, this is the pedal.

Best metal pedal on the market, has a wide range of adjustment.

Delete the Metal Zone from your cart and get the Core, its a killer pedal. Perfect for Metal, Rock and even Blues when dialed down. I first purchased the Zone to use in front of my Boogie clean channel, wasn't liking it too much. I then gave the Core a try and it was a different beast. I returned the Zone immediately...keeping the Core. Strange how the Zone takes a beating in the reviews, while the Core doesn't get enough recognition.

So I already have an OD-3 and a DS-1 on my board, but I needed something to deliver a bit more mid-sweeped crunch and thickness. Well folks, this does it. And it's quiet too, all things considered. Not only will this give you the sound for anything Metallica onward, but it's actually quite nice for playing 70's Van Halen tunes. It gives you a sweet crunch that comes in handy and can have many applications.

Now with that being said - I would not have this as my only source of dirt. It's seriously fantastic for what it does, but you'll need to switch over to other tones depending on the variety of your repertoire.

For my application, this was better for me than the Metal Zone. However, if you are only going to have one dirt pedal, you should probably go Metal Zone or DS-1. (or Muff or something...)

Again, you can't beat this as an accessory to your sound. If you have a specific need like I did, then go for it! It really does have a big sound for a dirt box. Just somewhat limited in tonal adjustments.

Good luck!

I am really digging this pedal!!! I play mainly heavy music...(Pantera, Disturbed, Korn, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer.....) So this pedal works great for me.....beyond great actually! Just sounds amazing!! Very easy to use and I have been able to dial in some really killer tones!

I ordered this bad boy from sweetwater and i was blown away. It has some of the crunchiest and gainiest distortion I've ever heard. I still have my stock pickups in my Ibanez Iceman and it still sounds killer! Pinch harmonics sound absolutely amazing and palm mutes are a huge wow.

Extreme high gain very nice pedal. Just plug it in and tweak the settings and crank it up. haven't tried drop tunings yet but I am sure I will be pleased sounds awesome in standard tuning

Really nice gritty distortion with a slightly scooped midrange. In your face, no holds barred distortion. Perfect for chugging or running it through a good chorus effect. You'll need a separate EQ pedal for this if you want to boost the mid frequencies for soloing in a band. But I don't do solos, so this works perfect for my heavier compositions.

I have been looking for a distortion pedal that could deliver a lot of distortion at lower volumes and give an American standard Stratocaster and Telecaster some needed additional low crunch. This pedal makes that happen. You can dial in low tones and high gains very easily but fair warning, you may have to tweak the pedal a lot in live settings depending on the amp, room and volume you are playing at.

This pedal is by far the best distortion Pedal for shredding. Being a massive fan of DragonForce, this pedal matches the tone, and also has a great liquid feel.
I used this pedal for 10 years, no problems, my solos always cut through the mix on stage and while recording. This pedal will transform any clean tone on any amp. Also effects react great with this.
Get one, no get two.

great pedal love it

Very interesting sound this pedal gets. Very deep low sound, sounds a lot like the tones you hear in much of the newer metal music. I like the overall tone a little more than the Metal Zone however I wish that it had the same amount of controls like the adjustible mid-frequency the other pedal has. It also sounds like it has a limiter built in that makes for a bit of a squashed sound, but overall the pedal sounds amazing and was exactly what I was looking for.

Thiss pedal is just kickass. I can get anything from Disturbed to Metallica to Iron Maiden to the Chili Peppers. I really wish it had a mid knob, but its ok with just the low and high EQ's. Like all other Boss pedals, it goes through batteries fast so buy the adapter

This distortion has a definite growl and heaviness to it that I have come to love. It really punches the high and low end of my tone. It only has two tone controls, which is pretty standard for most distortion pedals. As with all BOSS pedals, it's bult like a tank. It is easy to setup, and I found my "tone" really quickly. Here's my settings:

LEVEL: 2 O'CLOCK
LOW: 2 O'CLOCK
HIGH: 2 O'CLOCK
DIST: 3 O'CLOCK

On my amp, my dials are the following: I scoop out my MID and have it around 10 o'clock, Bass at 1 o'clock, Treble at 3 o'clock

When I first used the Metal Core, I thought I had wasted my money and I was going to return this pedal because at low volume levels it sounded almost identical to my Boss Metal Zone. When I turned up my amp volume the differences became clear. The Metal Zone has a smoother, cleaned up distortion sound while the Metal Core has a more explosive sound and has a cool growl to it. While I don't use the Metal Core for all my playing, it definitely has a useful place on my pedal board. The more I played it each day, the more I came to appreciate the pedal. It's a keeper.

Best distortion pedal I've used in a long time and I've used a lot over the years.

This pedal does great stuff the only problem I don't like its sound.But it does have a good tone if you know how to set it right.

I've been a boss/roland enthusiast for years. I heard the pedal on their site. It sounded good and I wanted something different than my Metal Zone. I like it! It has more bass than the Zone. I need to live and breath with more though. I would recommend this pedal.