An expertly tuned 3-band EQ and pre- and post-drive switching options make this dirt-plus-boost box a potent board buddy.
Clip 1: Bridge pickup with effect bypassed first, then with both drive and boost circuits engaged and the following Glacial Zenith settings: EQ toggle set to pre-drive, high at max, mid at 3 oāclock, low at 1 oāclock, boost at max (and set to pre-drive), and volume and drive at max, with the shape toggle set to the right (for less clipping and a more crystalline sound).
Clip 2: Neck pickup with Glacial Zenith bypassed first (but MXR Reverb on), then with Glacial Zenith drive engaged and EQ toggle set to pre-drive, high at 9 oāclock, mid at noon, low at 1:30, volume at max, drive at minimum, and shape toggle set to the left (for a more clipped sound), then with boost also engaged at max and set to pre-drive.
Clip 3: Bridge and neck pickups with Glacial Zenith bypassed first (but MXR Reverb on), then with both drive and boost circuits engaged and the following Glacial Zenith settings: EQ toggle set to post-drive, high at 10 oāclock, mid at minimum, low at 1 oāclock, boost at 1 oāclock (and set to post-drive), volume at max, and drive at 10 oāclock, with the shape toggle set to the left (for a more clipped sound).
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RatingsPros:Fantastic array of tones for guitar, baritone, or bassāfrom warm and gushy to sparkling to bristling, singing high gain. Cons: Knobs easily bumped to unintended positions when adjusting crowded control panel. Street: $189 Adventure Audio Glacial Zenith II adventurepedals.com | Tones: Ease of Use: Build/Design: Value: |
Itās somewhat surprising that, in 2019, so many dirt boxes still shortchange your ability to tweak the guitarās primary frequency rangeāthe midsāoften either forcing dependence on a single tone control, or splitting mid precision between treble and bass knobs. Luckily, Adventure Audioās Glacial Zenith II is part of a slowly growing set serving up a healthy range of segmented control over all three bandsānot to mention handy routing options for placing the EQ and/or the independently footswitchable boost circuit before or after the drive section. A shape toggle also lets you voice the dirt side to be crisply articulate, or smoother, with a somewhat amp-like sag when you dig in.
Even better, the GZIIās EQ knobs are wonderfully voiced: Thereās a very versatile aural range to play in, yet even maxed treble and mid settings donāt sound harsh. (Pushing bass past 3 or 4 oāclock got a little tubby with my baritone 6-stringās dual guitar-and-bass-amp setup, but a more thumping bass amp would likely love the extra subs.) Most impressively, the various switching options allowed a single guitar (my 28"-scale, B-tuned Squier) to make a plethora of stops between Sonic Youth-style indie jangle and seething metal sounds that still allowed the unique character of the Wide Range-style pickups to shine through.
Test gear: Eastwood Sidejack Baritone DLX and baritone Squier/Warmoth āJazzblasterā (both with Curtis Novak Jazzmaster Widerange pickups), MXR Reverb, Jaguar HC50 and Fender Rumble 200 amps
A dual-stage overdrive with a 3-band EQ.
Rochester, NY (September 12, 2018) -- Adventure Audio unveils a new approach to overdrive pedal stacking, gain staging, and gain stacking. The Glacial Zenith II provides guitar, bass, and electric keyboard players the ability to shape their tone they way they hear it in their head.
At its most basic, the GZII is a Drive, a 3-band EQ, and a boost, all in a box together. What really takes it to the peak is the ability to put them in effectively whatever order you want.
Much like a real glacier, the many parts of the Glacial Zenith II are able to shift past one another, allowing the pedal to take many forms.
Features include:
- 3-band EQ
- Low: Deep and earthy rumble of the shifting glacier - 250Hz
- Mid: Crunch and clatter of ice and stone, caught up in the flow - 830Hz
- High: Crackle and fizz of the ice, breaking and giving way - 2.9kHz
- Independently Engageable Boost: Raise the peak to colossal heights
- Pre Drive Toggle: Left = Boost pre Drive/EQ, Right = Boost post Drive/EQ
- EQ Post Drive Toggle: Left = EQ pre Drive, Right = EQ post Drive
- Shape Toggle: Right: less clipped, like crystalline snowflakes, Left: more clipped, like a fine powder
The Glacial Zenith II - MSRP is $189.00 USD each and is available at select retailers world wide as well as www.AdventurePedals.com .
For more information:
Adventure Audio