Get any high-gain tone from crunch to crushing, with advanced EQ and gating for total control over sound and silence. In addition to the Heavy and Heavier modes from the original Heavy pedal, Heavy Menace features a new Lite(ish) mode for more versatility.
Advanced EQ
The midrange frequency is now sweepable from 200Hz to 2.5kHz, and our Weight control sculpts low frequency response for thick chords or tight palm muting.
Adaptive Gate
The gate circuit responds to your playing, letting sustained notes decay naturally while clamping down immediately during fast stops. The gate is now footswitchable and features a key input.
True or Buffered Bypass
The pedal defaults to True Bypass for maximum transparency, but can be switched to Buffered Bypass to preserve tone over long cable runs.
Our original Heavy pedal has been a favourite of high-gain players for years because of its crushing sounds, adaptive gate, and two-channel operation. The Heavy Menace is an evolution of the original with new features in a compact, pedalboard-friendly enclosure. Across its three modes, including the new Lite(ish) option, Heavy Menace can cover any high-gain sound from vintage hard rock to searing modern metal.
We’re obsessed with EQ, and the 3-band circuit on Heavy Menace is one of our best. Our Weight control adjusts a high-pass filter in the distortion circuit to shape low-end character. Turn it up for a full sound, or turn counterclockwise for a tight response that’s perfect for palm muting and extended-range guitars. The mid frequency is sweepable from 200Hz to 2.5kHz to dial in everything from classic pushed tones to modern scooped sounds.
Heavy customers love the gate, with envelope followers in the circuit that respond to the performance. On the Heavy Menace, this gate is now footswitchable. We’ve also added a key input to optionally trigger the gate with an external signal. This is particularly useful for setups with additional pedals before the Heavy Menace. Split a clean signal with a pedal like our Buffer+ and connect it to the Gate Key Input, and the gate will behave consistently regardless of changes at the main input.
Advanced setup options let players choose between True Bypass and Buffered Bypass, whether the gate is linked to the distortion or completely independent, and even whether the distortion and gate default to on or off when powering up the pedal.
Between the three distortion voicings, advanced EQ, adaptive gate with key input, choice of true or buffered bypass, and convenient smaller size, the Heavy Menace is a perfect fit in even more styles and setups, and for any high-gain player.
