Empress Heavy Menace Distortion Pedal

£249.00

The Chef at JustPedals is happy, the Empress Heavy Menace Distortion Pedal is in stock and is ready to dish out. Arriving with you direct to the door and freshly made by Empress Effects. delivered by our tracked roadie service this is just a fresh pedal from a tasty brand, its available and in stock. Pedal Distortion Menace Heavy Guitar Effect Pedal. The Heavy Menace is "the most versatile distortion pedal" Empress has ever created, in their own words. It's an evolution of their original Heavy pedal but with new features and a more compact enclosure. In addition to the…

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Description

The Chef at JustPedals is happy, the Empress Heavy Menace Distortion Pedal is in stock and is ready to dish out. Arriving with you direct to the door and freshly made by Empress Effects. delivered by our tracked roadie service this is just a fresh pedal from a tasty brand, its available and in stock. Pedal Distortion Menace Heavy Guitar Effect Pedal.

The Heavy Menace is "the most versatile distortion pedal" Empress has ever created, in their own words. It's an evolution of their original Heavy pedal but with new features and a more compact enclosure. In addition to the original 'Heavy' and 'Heavier' modes, the Heavy Menace adds a new 'Lite(ish)' mode — covering any high-gain sound from classic hard rock to searing modern metal.

Key Features

  • Three versatile distortion modes — Light(ish), Heavy, and Heavier.
  • Footswitchable noise gate.
  • 3-band EQ with sweepable mid frequency.
  • Weight control to sculpt low frequency response.
  • Linked or independent switching of the distortion and gate.
  • Gate key input (1/8" TS or TRS).
  • True bypass or buffered bypass.

Enhanced EQ

Empress are obsessed with EQ, and the 3-band circuit on the Heavy Menace is one of their best. The 'Weight' control adjusts a high-pass filter in the distortion circuit to shape low-end character. Turn it up for a thick, full sound, or turn counter-clockwise for a tight response that's perfect for palm muting and extended-range guitars.

Midrange is a key element of a great distorted sound, so the mid frequency is sweepable from 200 Hz to 2.5 kHz to dial in the sweet spot for your guitar and amp. Scoop for a tight, aggressive sound, or push to add definition and cut through a mix.

Adaptive Gate

Players loved the gate on the original Heavy. Envelope followers in the circuit respond to your playing, letting sustained notes decay naturally but clamping down quickly during fast stops.

On the Heavy Menace, this gate is now footswitchable, with two available modes of operation. In normal bypass mode, the gate doesn’t affect the signal if the distortion is off, while independent bypass mode is like having separate distortion and gate pedals.

We’ve also added a key input so you can optionally trigger the gate with an external signal. This is particularly useful if you have additional pedals before the Heavy Menace in your signal chain, such as a low-gain pedal for stacking. Split a clean signal with a pedal like our Buffer+ and connect it to the Gate Key Input, and the gate will behave consistently regardless of changes at the main input.

Specifications

  • Input Impedance: 1MΩ
  • Output Impedance: 100Ω
  • Frequency Response (-3dB): 35Hz – 17kHz
  • Input Voltage: 9-12V DC
  • Required Current: 250mA
  • Power Input Connector: 2.1mm Barrel Connector
  • Dimensions (H x L x W): 2.5" x 4.8" x 2.6"
  • Weight: 1 lb

now available from Just Pedals for only £249.0 + delivery. Read More for details, demos & to order securely online.

Tasty Pedals made by Empress Effects

Empress Effects is a Canadian manufacturer of high-quality guitar and bass effects pedals, known for their innovative designs and exceptional sound quality. The company was founded in 2009 and quickly gained a reputation for creating pedals that combine top-tier craftsmanship with user-friendly functionality. Empress Effects is particularly well-regarded for its attention to detail, versatile features, and the ability to produce pedals that suit a wide range of musical styles. The brand’s products include a variety of effects such as overdrive, distortion, delay, reverb, modulation, and multi-effects units. One of their standout products is the Empress Tape Delay, which is praised for its realistic vintage sound and versatile control options. The Empress Reverb is another popular offering, known for its rich, atmospheric sounds that can cater to everything from subtle room reverb to deep, expansive hall sounds. Empress Effects is celebrated for producing pedals that meet the needs of both professional musicians and hobbyists, often incorporating advanced features like MIDI control and preset storage, making their products suitable for both live performances and studio work.

Just Pedal Ingredients.

Distortion — Distortion pedals take your clean guitar signal and transform it into something bigger, bolder, and full of attitude. By clipping the waveform, they add sustain, bite, and aggression, creating that thick, compressed tone that’s powered rock music for decades. From the growling crunch of classic hard rock to the tight, saturated roar of modern metal, distortion is all about energy and presence. It gives every note weight and authority, pushing your amp to its limits and beyond. There are countless flavours of distortion, each with its own texture and edge. Some sound smooth and creamy, others raw and gnarly like tearing fabric. It’s the sonic equivalent of turning up the heat until the sound cooks — rich, sizzling, and perfectly seasoned to taste. Whether used for rhythm muscle or soaring leads, a good distortion pedal doesn’t just add volume; it adds personality, grit, and that unmistakable sense of power under your fingers.. Heavy. Pedal — Your pedal is like a signature dish for your sound — a flavour-packed creation that transforms the bland ingredients of your guitar into something unforgettable. Each one adds its own seasoning, texture, and heat, turning a simple meal into a feast of tone. These tasty little boxes sit in a row, like plates on a buffet, letting you mix and match flavours as you play. With one tap of your foot, you can swap sweet for spicy, subtle for smoky, and serve up something completely new. From the comfort food of warm overdrive to the fiery kick of fuzz, from smooth jazz sauce to heavy-metal spice, pedals give players a full menu of options to express their taste.  And just like with food — once you’ve tried one dish, you’ll want to sample them all. Collecting, trading, and discovering new flavours soon becomes part of the joy of being a tone-loving gourmet geek with a guitar..

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