Ibanez Review: SM7 Smashbox

History:

Purchase: I bought it at a local guitar shop for around $120 CDN. I had been looking for a decent distortion pedal for a while, and I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it.

What I Like About This Ibanez SM7 Smashbox: The gain is amazing. It has got to be one of the heaviest-sounding distortions to come out of a pedal that I have ever heard. With the noise gate (VOID switch) on the "2" setting, it's surprisingly quiet. It handles low tunings extremely well, which is a must for any guitarist playing a step, step-and-a-half down, dropped-D. It's quite responsive at fast playing speeds, unlike some units that I've had in the past, and it is capable of great lead tones. The edge switch is useful too, taking the high-end "sizzle" off when it's on "smooth", and making the pedal downright evil when it's on "sharp". The recessing control knobs are a real plus, too. ANALOG, not digital. Get ready for the neighbors to start complaining when you buy this monster.

What I Do NOT Like About The Ibanez SM7 Smashbox: If you are trying to get a slightly overdriven sound, you're definately not gonna find it in this beast, at least without sacrificing the noise gate. The thing gets noisy without it. The footswitch on mine gets kinda fickle; sometimes it'll activate and sometimes it won't if you don't hit it SOFTLY enough, which gets to be a drag when you're performing and really into it and then you jump on the pedal.

Ibanez SM7 Smashbox Quality Rating: The only things plastic on it are the control knobs and switches, and the button that allows acess to the battery. It's amazingly durable. I've dropped it a couple of times on asphalt and concrete, and it still works fine. I've jumped on this thing so many times during practices and performances that an effect box made out of plastic would have been completely destroyed. It's heavy enough to stay in one spot, aided by the rubber pads on the bottom of the unit, of course. In one word: it's a TANK.

Review Summary: I love this pedal. It's amazingly heavy-sounding, and seems made for tunings in the 1 1/2 steps down range. It sounds great for nu-metal, classic metal, or anywhere a good distortion is required.

Rating of this Ibanez product: 5

This Ibanez SM7 Smashbox Guitar Effects Review Submitted By: Chris Pollard

Review Date: 2003-10-17