Ogre Thunderclap Distortion review

A round of applause for this extreme dirt monster

  • £124
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MusicRadar Verdict

Ogre's monster is built for outrageous riffs and insane solos, and it does this unashamedly.

Pros

  • +

    Extreme tones. Great look.

Cons

  • -

    Struggles with lower-gain tones.

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We challenge you to name a more imposing pedal than the one you see before you.

The Thunderclap is a high-gain distortion with a hand-crafted, heavyweight die-cast enclosure from Korean brand Ogre.

Each of its four horns controls a parameter - level, bass, treble and gain - while to activate the Thunderclap, you have to stomp down on the poor devil's jaw. And yes, its eyes are the status LEDs.

Unbelievably, the Thunderclap's tones are as extreme as its looks: devastating. It packs some of the highest levels of gain we've ever experienced - enough to turn even the weediest Strat into a liquid lead machine.

It's over-saturated in the extreme at full tilt, mind, so less demonic purposes will require settings around midway, which cools it to a more modest roar.

While you may assume metal is the Thunderclap's calling, it's more versatile than that, and can handle anything from 80s glam metal through to extended-range riffing and Boss HM-2-style Swedeath with all controls cranked. It does fall short on lower-gain tones, which come across a little fuzzy - but who'd buy this for blues?!

Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.