HM-3 Hyper Metal Review

The HM-3 is designed for greater gain and a more accurate dynamic response to produce a powerful, hard-edged sound with powerful sustain. More like you'd expect from fully overdriven stacked tube amps. There is independent COLOR MIX controls for high and low frequencies and you can create tones ranging from mild and crunchy to heavy and metallic.

Ease of Use:	10
Sound:	10
Reliability:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	10
Users rating:	6.8
Comments:	14

overall: 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 23, 2006

Price paid: $ 45

Ease of Use: This pedal is awesome when you know how to use it. There're only 4 knobs. There was a manual but I bought it used and the guy didn't have one, nobody should care. // 10

Sound: I warn you if you go buy it and plan to use it on a cheap amp I had it on my 20w Univox and it sounded like shit later on I tried it on my teacher's Fender amp and you could hear god through it you had the distortion a milimeter of the edge and it was already enough (Fenders are known for that). Now I curently own a Gibson '68 SG Custom, a guitar with alsort of parts on it and Carvin SX-100 from the early '90s with a BR12 speaker in it I can a get early Metallica's (Master Of Puppets, Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning) sound from it, Megadeth's, Iron Maiden's, allmost every sound you want even to the Misfits'. One thing bout' this shit is that you wont be able to get a sound that is bluesy, overdriveish and any thing that aint metal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: What can I say, it's a Boss. Like I said earlier I bought it second hand and I'm pretty sure that the guy that owned it before me giged with it, the paint's weared out at some places, dents all over but its still a jewel. All I know it's from the '80s (that's what I heard) so it had some milleage on it. // 10

Impression: I play basically metal and thats about it, I've been playin over a year now and I'm pretty crazy at it too. I also own a Ibanez WH-10 for a wah and I use 1 of my 2 guitars, I have one with alsorts of parts (roughly 600 bucks of parts) and a '68 Gibson SG Custom they sound awesome. If it got stolen I wouldnt go to the more recent model (Metal Zone) they are similar but I preffer this ones sound you can get more of the '80s metal from it. I also compared it to the uber metal when this ones' distortion is 3/4 full you can get a close match. // 10

Comments

[miguelito2729]

I have one of these and I think they're out of production or something

[kt_guitarist]

i have the MT-2 metal zone pedal. quite a good sound but its realy metallic it quite sharp. I have heard the HM-3 was a better pedal although the MT-2 has more controls on it which makes it more accurate

[Carlson2000]

according to the boss website;

The HM-3 was sold from April 1993 to December 1998.

[Donkey Fly]

You've only been playin a year and already has a Gibson SG Custom....you must be quite well off....

[68_SG]

yeah thx donkey :P
ps. i own a guitar that has like 700 bucks worth in parts, i got it for 150 bucks

[68_SG]

i found out that my bridge is a schaller floating trem. 300 bucks off ebay***

[68_SG]

yeah i played with my amp's settings and right now my carvin sx-100 sounds just like a marshall through that pedal... some weird but it has that zakk wylde tone to it

[jackson98]

i have just bought mine and this pedal is a pedal where it sounds way better when turned up and it gets more gain when turned up

[hellview_666]

Managed to get my hands on this pedal for £35.... I love it, although "Hyper Metal" is a bit of an over-statement, but saying it sounds like "fully overdriben tube amps" is a perfect drescription

[HELLSHREDD]

If you love over-friven tube amp sound get the ML-2

[HELLSHREDD]

If you love overdriven tube amp sound get the ML-2 Metalcore

[mbsunga]

Whats The Difference between HM3 and ML 2 (Metal Core? They both have the same knobs. In my opinion they started to make Metal Core because they are no longer making HYPER Metal. Due to public demand they are bringing back the HYPER metal with a new name ... Metal Core. Can anybody please compare Metal Core vs HYPER Metal. Id like to hear your comments. Thanks

[carl943]

Indeed. I ebayed a HM-3 for $65 and was quite pleased. It is an 80s light crunch metal sound, great for stuff of the era. The ML-2 is a beast, and i believe is different from the HM-3. ML-2 is a shredding overdrive distortion, great for modern day heavy stuff to industrial and grind.

Quite frankly they are both great pedals. The HM-3 is fairly unrivaled when it comes the classic 80s sound, but if you want the modern sound, try the ML-2, you'll shit yourself.

[303_sic_303]

the HM-3 was sold from april 1993 to december 1998.
i recently bought one from a pawn shop in desprate search of a distiortion peddle after my metal zone was stolen. it worked fine but i had to run an eq through it to get the tone i wanted. i still own it and use it every day. once i got the right tone to it i love it.