ML-2 Metal Core Guitar Pedal (ML-2)

I bought the BOSS ML-2 Metal Core to cover “modern metal” territory in a simple stompbox, and it absolutely delivers what it’s designed for: very high gain, tight/weighty low end, and a sharp, aggressive attack that makes palm-mutes and chugs sound huge. BOSS even markets it as their most extreme/high-gain distortion and aimed at modern heavy styles. Tone & feel (what it does best) • Rhythm tones: This pedal shines for heavy rhythm work—think tight, percussive riffs and big low end. The LOW/HIGH EQ is voiced for “chunk + edge,” and it really leans into that modern, biting sound. • Modern voicing: Many players describe it as naturally a bit mid-scooped and “in your face,” which is great for heavy rhythm but can be less ideal for cutting through with leads unless you compensate elsewhere. Controls & ease of use It’s refreshingly simple: Level, Distortion, Low, High. No menu diving, no weird quirks—just quick dialing. Best results (for me and generally echoed by others) come from running it into a clean/neutral amp (or a clean channel) so the pedal provides the core distortion character. The main limitation The flip side of “simple” is EQ flexibility. There’s no dedicated mid control, and that’s the biggest reason this pedal can be polarizing. If you need to boost mids for solos or to cut through a dense mix, you’ll likely want an EQ pedal after it, or you may prefer something like a Metal Zone style pedal with more mid shaping. Noise / practicality With this much gain, you should expect some noise at extreme settings—pretty normal for the category. If you’re playing tight modern metal, a noise gate (or disciplined muting) can help keep things surgical. Who it’s for - You want instant modern metal rhythm tones, tight lows, aggressive bite, minimal tweaking. - You rely on mid control for leads or mix cut—plan on adding an EQ, or choose a pedal with more flexible mids. Overall: A purpose-built metal distortion that does the “crushing modern rhythm” thing extremely well. I’d rate it 4/5 only because the lack of mid control can be limiting depending on your rig and band mix.

Great pedal for modern high gain metal! I was impressed with it right out of the box before turning any knobs. There’s extra low end for heavy palm muted riffs and good clarity even with high gain. I got better tone out of this pedal compared to some that cost twice as much. Highly recommended for metal heads!

I had the Boss Metal Zone pedal for years, because I just couldn’t find a pedal that would give me the type of brighter sounding gain that I wanted, but the Metal Zone always sounded so messy. So many other distortion pedals sound too deep/warm, like the RAT. I play stuff from Blink-182 to Slipknot and this is a great budget pedal for that stuff. I thought it might bother me that it doesn’t have a mid dial, but I just set my amp’s mid tone and I’m golden. I was going to try the Friedman BE-OD pedal if this didn’t work out, but fortunately I’m very happy with this, and with saving a decent amount of money. Though I do absolutely plan on getting the Friedman at some point. If you can only afford something in the low $100 range, this is an excellent choice. It’s got crazy distortion, but it doesn’t sound messy like so many others.

Boss' great series of guitar effects pedals creates a constant curiosity. Many are prized as treasures only long after they appear and are discontinued or upgraded. Many times Boss will discontinue a pedal, or improve upon it, and instantly the dead version skyrockets in price. For many years, guitarists have bemoaned the loss of one such pedal, the Heavy Metal. The Boss Metal Zone was meant to replace it, but has not proved as popular. Now Boss offers the Metal Core. This is another great Boss pedal. There are, of course, many overdrives and distortions in the Boss lineup yet if one has this, a DS-1, and a pick one of several overdrives, a guitarist can play anything from the heaviest metal to the tastiest blues. The Metal Core belongs on every pedal board of every metal player. It's reasonably priced and it absolutely rocks. What more do you need, Clyde?

Be specific in what you need with this pedal because heavy distortion (Metal) is about all this pedal can do. Thats a plus in my book as I tried this pedal out at a local store first and it sounded fantastic. I own several pedals and most are BOSS. I've been looking for something that was hard core enough for just rockin' out with and yet not so over the top it was ridiculous to try and control. I think I found it with this pedal. I can't possibly put into words what it sounds like, I highly recommend you try one out at a local store first. Be sure to test drive it alone, no other effects, just the pedal, guitar and amp. I am looking forward to breathing some new life into my old amp. Its well built, moderate controls for tailoring your sound a bit and then off you go to rock-land. My advice, if you haven't heard it (or played it), as with any guitar gear, stay away from it. Otherwise, I got it for over 10 bucks cheaper here on Amazon than at the local store. Pays to be willing to wait for delivery sometimes.

Bought this as a gift for my brother and he still uses it to this day. He loves it!

The product sounds great and works (did not come with a 9v battery) but the body is all beat up which will happen with use but if you want your pedal looking sharp, but new!

Initially i rated this pedal as 4 stars because lack of versatility (no mid knob) and even compared it with MXR M116 Fullbore metal, however after trying a lot different pedals i can assure this is the best high-gain distortion pedal in low-mid price range ($100 and lower). Gain knob at 2-3 o'clock position is enough, above it sounds too fuzzy for me. Noise gate is absent, however at mentioned gain level and humbuckers it is not an issue, or you can use dedicated noise suppressor in your signal chain. You can adjust low and high frequencies to get metal tone what you like. If you can afford take Diezel VH4, MXR EVH 5150, Friedman BE-OD, Revv G3/4 for more tube like sound