Decibelics Reveals Forthcoming V2 Angry Swede Mini HM-2 Clone - now with added Blend Control
I am so proud to be part of the Angry Swede project - where every production batch sells out within moments. This in my opinion is the most accurate of the Boss HM-2 Clones / Replicas - precision engineered and fully hand-wired in through-hole fashion with the very highest quality components available.
There was always a discussion near the start of the project as to what sort of replica this should be - and whether the controls would be differently calibrated - while in the end the decisions was made for an exact replica - optimised for all dials set to max as was the fashion. We discussed the possibility of adding further tone controls or clipping switches etc. and the agreement was that such a move / update would most definitely be one for the future.
It’s now near enough one year on from the launch of the original V1, and pedal-master Guillem Vilademunt has been hard at work figuring out what might best benefit this already precision-honed circuit. If you recall the original guts (below) it’s almost impossible to think where there is space to add in another potentiometer and Dry Blend circuit - but that’s what Guillem has managed to do. The Blend control takes the form of a mini knob which sits in the only place that could accommodate it - just below the left-hand output socket.
Having a Blend control gives you fantastic granular control over the distortion - allowing you to shape the output to the most refined degree. It takes an already fantastic pedal and elevates it further up a notch or two. You don't have to take my word for it either - just heed the overwhelming word-of-mouth support on this one and view the various YouTube head-to-head videos for further satisfaction. It's still a wonder for me that such a tiny pedal manages to sound quite so big and so full-throated as such.
In conversations I've had with Boss, it seems very unlikely that the original HM-2 will ever be re-issued. I've been told that the numbers don't justify a Waza Craft edition - where usually a very successful and typically long-standing Boss favourite gets the 'Made-in-Japan' treatment with highest quality components etc. Several of us were hoping for a Metal Zone Waza Craft style re-issue with parametric mids and Custom Mode - but I've been told that this almost definitely won't be happening.
I am persuaded to ask Guillem to develop his own deluxe version of what the Waza Craft edition might have been - although I would want both parametric mids and a 3-way Q-bandwidth control. If you had that plus the new Blend Control witnessed here - it would surely be the ultimate HM-2 clone - actually I might want one more toggle switch for yet more saturation - or better still enable it via a second footswitch! For sure though something for even further in the future - I may still very well mock-up my own preferred HM-2 GPX Deviation configuration in a future post - there's really nothing wrong with a little imagineering!
In the meantime the Angry Swede V2 is the most perfectly packaged HM-2 alternative - tiny of size and noise floor, but with everything else full-range and immense. The only downside is that there'e probably another 2 more weeks of fine-tuning to go, and the newer more complex build will be a little bit more expensive - we'll know exactly how much when we see the first of the production models following the next couple of weeks of testing. I am certainly looking forward to getting mine - how about you? In the meantime keep your eyes peeled on Decibelics social media output and further updates on this blog.
And here are some of those videos I was referring to :
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