Horrible Boss HM-2 style noise boxes...

Musicman20

I’m after absolutely destroying my guitar sound with pure chaos on a few things I want to write.

Do any U.K. builders do a good Boss HM-2 style clone? 

Ive been back into my Converge records again!

Johnnyseven

You could try a Boss Angry Driver, there's a video on YT of a guy who gets a great HM2 sound from one.

ICBM

Boss HM-2? Not rare...

If I remember rightly there's something unusual about the circuit that doesn't lend itself to true-bypass switching, which almost all 'clones' will have.

earwighoney

ICBM said:

Boss HM-2? Not rare...

If I remember rightly there's something unusual about the circuit that doesn't lend itself to true-bypass switching, which almost all 'clones' will have.

What do you think of the HM2 @ICBM? ; I get the impression it wasn't really one of the most heralded Boss pedals at the time but it seems to have become a really pedal of theirs in terms of shaping the sounds of some very important subgenres be it in 90's Entombed /MBV etc and recently Kurt Ballou of Converge who IMO is one of the most important figures of guitar music over the 10 or 15 years. 

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@Musicman20 I don't know what your budget is but the Dunwich HM2 style pedals seem incredible, but they are not UK based though. 

ICBM

earwighoney said:

What do you think of the HM2 @ICBM? ; I get the impression it wasn't really one of the most heralded Boss pedals at the time but it seems to have become a really pedal of theirs in terms of shaping the sounds of some very important subgenres be it in 90's Entombed /MBV etc and recently Kurt Ballou of Converge who IMO is one of the most important figures of guitar music over the 10 or 15 years.

Exactly that - it wasn't hugely popular at the time it came out, largely because it sounds nothing like the 'heavy metal' guitar sounds of that era - but it came to define a new genre. Nothing else sounds quite like it.

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised they haven't reissued it, or done a Waza version - I would have thought that it would be worthwhile given that originals typically sell for more than a new Boss distortion and sometimes more than a Waza.

gusman2x

Behringer HM300 is a very good, and very cheap clone. 

earwighoney

ICBM said:

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised they haven't reissued it, or done a Waza version - I would have thought that it would be worthwhile given that originals typically sell for more than a new Boss distortion and sometimes more than a Waza.

Agree,  I've read a few things here and there for people calling for Waza HM2's and FZ2's as well and if Boss did reissue them I imagine they'd sell a lot of them. 

JezWynd

The Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion is surprisingly flexible. Easy to find second hand on eBay too. There are a couple of FZ-2's on eBay atm, just gone up.

jamiexsilver

If you want a clone, the behringer is pretty much exactly the same, I've had both and a/b them to see how close they were, I used to have a video on my instagram and you couldn't tell the difference. I ended up selling the HM-2 for nearly £100 and kept the behringer that cost me £20

Sporky

I like that all the dials are turned all the way up. 

ICBM

JezWynd said:

There are a couple of FZ-2's on eBay atm, just gone up.

For £125 and £175!

I love them... but I wouldn't pay that much. Likewise Behringer do a good clone of them (the SF300), which is under £25 new.

jamiexsilver

Sporky said:

I like that all the dials are turned all the way up. 

It's the only way to use a HM-2! 

BloodEagle

The Arion Metal Master and DOD American Metal pedals are also HM2 clones, and available considerably cheaper than an original. No one was remotely interested in HM2s in the late 80s until the Nihilist demo tape, and followng on from that the 1st Entombed album.

flying_pie

jamiexsilver said:

Sporky said:

I like that all the dials are turned all the way up. 

It's the only way to use a HM-2! 

VJIves

Converge are one of the few heavy bands I still have on rotation. Pretty much just them, ETID, Botch & The Chariot.

impmann

Has no-one mentioned the Metal Zone....
Cheaper than the HM2, makes more angry noises etc

I was bought one as a joke present for my birthday - and I think it can sound like a good fuzz box with careful manipulation of the mid control and not maxing the gain out. 
However, if you want da krushin gainz toanz with the subtlety of a house brick with a hard on, it can do that too.

flying_pie

impmann said:

Has no-one mentioned the Metal Zone....
Cheaper than the HM2, makes more angry noises etc

I was bought one as a joke present for my birthday - and I think it can sound like a good fuzz box with careful manipulation of the mid control and not maxing the gain out. 
However, if you want da krushin gainz toanz with the subtlety of a house brick with a hard on, it can do that too.

The ultimate pedal for the jar of angry wasps sound - all the gain and no mids. 

There's a reason it's cheaper - you need the precision of a NASA scientist to get a usable tone from it. I love what Brian Wampler does with them though. Turning them into boutique OD pedals is genius 

impmann

Tbh, I find it much easier to get a good sound out of than a DS1...

one day, when I can be arsed, I’ll do a video...

TTBZ

Pretty expensive but i think the Walrus Audio Red is meant to be a HM2 clone. Sounds good in the demos I've seen.

If you want all out aural assault in a pedal I have to recommend a DbA Fuzz War (or a fuzzdogs clone kit for a fraction of the cost). The tone knob can get you some real horrid sounds, it's almost cocked wah in some positions. I don't use mine much but it always stays on my board just in case... Plus, this is the best pedal demo of all time.

Jalapeno

HM2 is a great fuzz pedal for that Isley Brothers' Summer Breeze sound.

althy

jamiexsilver said:

If you want a clone, the behringer is pretty much exactly the same, I've had both and a/b them to see how close they were, I used to have a video on my instagram and you couldn't tell the difference. I ended up selling the HM-2 for nearly £100 and kept the behringer that cost me £20

yes. Arion metal master, same pedal too a bit sturdier than the behringer, around 40 second hand. if using a effect switcher i'd go for the behringer though