MusicRadar Verdict

High-gain sounds in a form factor that lends itself to a range of scenarios.

Pros

+
Records well.

Cons

-
Some issues with gain sounds.

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Le Lead is the destination of choice for modern high-gain tone.

Clean channel A offers quite a contrast compared with what channel B is capable of. By itself, it records well and can deliver a pretty cool boost pedal for an amp, but to a player looking for high-gain sounds, it may perhaps be of more use when used in the Fusion modes to blend with channel B for adding a touch of clarity to the compressed saturation or boosting it for extra gain.

Anyone looking for rock and metal tones to combine with a speaker simulator for a complete system might like to give this a listen: channel B's swept-mid EQ is able to variously set up scooped sounds or add boost for extra body or presence.

Like Le Crunch, though, when using the pedal purely as a dirt box, we find the gainier voicings bright and need to tame the fizz to get results that complement our amp.

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.

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