Aria Distortion ADT-1
User Reviews of the Aria Distortion ADT-1
- Submitted by Jim from Birmingham (110 points) on Sep 7, 2005
- I bought this pedal in about 1995-96 second-hand. I don't know how old it it but it has a solid, chunky 80's look & pink knobs & lettering (yuk!). Very simple controls: Level = volume Tone = bass / treble Dist = amount of Distortion Input / Output as you would expect & a 9v DC adaptor socket. The ADT-1 has a wide range of tones available. From understated Blues to Rock chunk & loads of Grungy & Dirty sounds too. I've used it for Punk, Grunge, Psychedelic, Stoner Rock, Doom, Blues, Merzbow style feedback stuff & even as a vocal & Keyboard effect. It does lack extreme gain though & is therefore not ideal for full on, screaming Heavy Metal Solos & false harmonics. I've also used this as a very basic EQ too. Simply turn the Dist control to zero & you get a slightly boosted clean sound with controllable tone - nice for slightly filtered vocals or making an expensive synth sound dirty. Also, this pedal is really good if you like to control the amount of gain via your Guitar's Volume Pot. As you turn the Vol on your Guitar down, the tone cleans up nicely but doesn't get too muddy. The AD-1 doesn't over power the sound of your guitar or amp like some Dist / Fuzz / Overdrives do. It responds excellently to playing dynamics & will sound quite different from one amp to another (unlike the Big Muff & Nobels Bass Distortion I own). My favourite thing though is the feedback I can get from it! No tinny, ear-bleeding squeals the second you stop playing here. Its great for producing really controllable noise from thick, earth-rumbling drones to atmospheric whines (think Soundgarden - Loud Love / Jesus Christ Pose). Also, when you let a note sustain, the crossover from the note you played to the feedback sound is seamless. I can get the Gary Moore style infinate sustain sound really easily. The only 2 criticisms are 1: that there is no true bypass. It doesnt really alter your tone badly, but you can sometimes hear the distorted sound really, really quietly in the background when the effect is switched off. & 2: The distortion sound can be a bit harsh & lacking warmth when used on some solid-state amps. I only use valve amps now though, so its not a problem. My amps are: Laney GH 100S, Miles Platting v50, Marshall Micro-Stack, 15W Squier combo & Smokey 'Cigarette Pack' amp.
- Good Points: Solid Construction. Versatile Sound. Very long Battery life. Doesnt mask the sound of your Guitar or Amp. Great feedback.
- Bad Points: No true bypass. Doesnt sound as good through solid state amps.
- Price Paid: US$20.00
- Purchased At: Cannock Exchange
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