Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Hangman fx's Tyrannosaur MegaDriver is an incredibly adaptable / balancing Multi-Gain Stage Drive with unique JFET Gated Boost
Another killer Drive Pedal from Hangman fx which gives you 3 Gain Stages to play with, a Bass Boost, Gated Boost, and a Mini Gain Stage 1 Alternative Control (Alternative Growl) - which is activated by the second / right-hand Footswitch.
External Controls - Roar (Gain Stage 2), Growl (Gain Stage 1), Meat (Bass Boost), Gain (Gain Stage 3), Gated (JFET Gated Boost), Gain 1 Alt / Alt Growl Mini, On/Off Footswitch, Gain 1 / Growl Alt Footswitch (per Mini Knob!).
Internal Controls - External Switch : < Gated Boost | Gain Knobs (Alt Growl), Buffer : < Off | On >.
Ports - External Switch, TS Input, 9V DC [-] 80mA, TS Output.
We essentially have control over the 3 main Gain Stages - where #1 & #2 are fully variable - via Master Volume Controls, and #3 is Binary via the Gain Toggle switch :
- GAIN #1 - GROWL : Early Gain Stage Master Volume
- GAIN #2 - ROAR : Middle Gain Stage Master Volume
- GAIN #3 - GAIN : Lower Gain Stage : On/Off
Then on the right-hand side of the pedal we have a really neat ’JFET GATED BOOST’ which tightens up and sharpens the output somewhat!
Next, and below that - we have an ALT Gain 1 Mini Control (Alt Growl) - which is activated by the right-hand (Red LED) footswitch.
So you set and stack up each of the Gain Stages - switch on #3 etc as desired, and then decide whether to deploy the Gated Boost or Alternative Gain 1 Setting.
There is a vast range of gain on tap here - and as the gain builds up - it gets increasingly more fuzzy too!
The combination of those 3 Stages and controls is incredibly potent - and gives you various options in how to build up, shape, and deliver your core drive tones. I probably don't deploy this device in a particularly standard / typical manner - as the second Footswitch here kicks in a Lower Gain level of Saturation. So I tend to start with both footswitches deployed, and then switch off the Gain 1 Alt one (Alt Growl) to go louder and more saturated.
Hangman ex's Paul really loves deploying the Gated Boost, while I kind of prefer the output a little more saggy and vintage inspired! In any case you have all the choices you need to ramp up your gain - all the way to high gain and fuzzy levels - there's a lot on tap here - particularly with all 3 gain stages engaged in full!
It's a superbly potent pedal - perhaps not as immediate as the Hangman fx DAGG'R which I recently reviewed - I see both of them being in a sort of similar category even though slightly different in their nature - while Paul sees them as somewhat wholly individual and separate. There is surely some degree of overlap there in the gain range department.
Either way it's a really handy Multi-Gain Drive to have - as it's so versatile - and covers most every drive tone - right across the range. Some might argue that we could do with an extra tone control - to raise the High Frequency Content - but the pedal is pretty well balanced by default as it is anyway.
My slightly unusual settings are as follows : Roar @ 2 o'c, Growl @ Noon, Meat @ 2 o'c, Gain : On, Gated Boost : Off, ALT Gain 1 / Alt Growl @ Noon.
As mentioned, those settings give me a Lower Gain Level gain setting with the 2nd Footswitch engaged, while when the Red LED if Off - we get a significantly boosted gain and saturation level. Much like with the DAGG'R - you need to find your own lane of operation - as to what best suits your own preferences and sensibilities - there's more than enough pf everything onboard to hit almost every gain level marker - right up through the gears!
The Tyrannosaur Mega Driver is yours for $220 from the Hangman fx store - it should be all the Drive you need!
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