Digitech SC2 and CM2 Review

I got to borrow a couple of the Hardwire pedals from a local store that a friend works at. I tried the CM2 which is an overdive in the tube screamer vibe and a SC2 which is a distortion that I’m guessing going more for a Boss DS1 vibe.

The CM2 I liked quite a bit. Unlike a lot of pedals in the “Tube Screamer” vein this pedal didn’t have a very pronounced mid hump, there is a mid hump but not a lot. Also has the ability to adjust bass and treble separately which is really cool. One thing I didn’t expect was it has more gain than a typical overdrive if you want it to. The Classic and Mod mode changes the voicing just a bit and it has more gain in the “moded” mode. Overall it has kinda of it’s own thing going on but definitely is a good tube screamerish overdrive. Didn’t color my bypassed tone, pretty much kept my core tone with more gain and a bit of a mid boost but not really any loss off bass like some I’ve tried… I’m keeping this one.

The SC2 is probably the best sounding “mass produced” Distortion I’ve played. I think it easily sounds better than a Boss DS1 and holds its own with some of “ boutique ” distortion pedals I’ve had. It can do crunch to higher gain easily in the “saturated” mode. I was really surprised by the “crunch” mode where I found very nice lower gain rhythm tones. The EQ controls give a good range of sound and will do the scooped metal thing if you want. If I needed a good distortion pedal into a clean amp and didn’t want to spend a lot of money I’d grab this one for sure. This on,e as cool as it is, doesn’t fit me for my needs right now.

At $99 I think these are a great pedal for a guitarist on a budget.