The Mantic Effects Vitriol is a variable high-gain distortion pedal for bass and guitar, built around two filter knobs that shape the tone of the distorted signal12. Mantic Effects is a small builder near Denver, CO, and the Vitriol is one of the company's pedals alongside the Hivemind octave distortion1. The name comes from vitriol, which means a sulfate of any of various metals, such as copper, iron, or zinc1.
The controls
The Vitriol's front panel splits into two pairs of knobs. On the right sit the two large controls, Level and Distortion, which Pedal of the Day said "perform exactly as they should"1. On the left are the two filter knobs that give the pedal its character.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output volume, one of the two giant knobs on the right side1 |
| Distortion | Amount of distortion, the other giant knob on the right side1 |
| Lo-Pass filter | Adjusts the tone of the distorted effect1 |
| High-Pass filter | Adjusts the tone of the distorted effect1 |
Pedal of the Day's reviewer saw those filters as the point of the pedal1:
"The pedal's real assets are the Lo- and High-Pass filter controls, which absolutely open this puppy up and make it sing."
The two filters let you set where the distortion sits in the frequency range, which the reviewer tied to style of music, and which is also why the pedal is described as working for both bass and guitar1. As a small extra, Mantic let buyers pick the knob colors1.
Where the circuit came from
The Vitriol's lineage is a matter of record among circuit builders rather than from Mantic itself. On Guitar FX Layouts, the blog author wrote that per the freestompboxes (FSB) thread on the pedal, "it's pretty much a loose copy of the DOD FX86 Death Metal Distortion"2. Another commenter on the same post put it a different way: "this looks like a Metal Zone without the parametric midrange, in other words, a DOD Grunge"2. Both descriptions place the Vitriol in the family of DOD's aggressive high-gain pedals, with the Vitriol's own pair of filter knobs in place of a midrange section.
The circuit descriptions above come from DIY community discussion, not from Mantic Effects, so treat them as informed commentary on the design rather than the maker's own account.
What builders and reviewers found
Reactions from people who built or played the circuit split. On the positive side, Bobbass4k, who created the schematic the DIY layouts are based on, breadboarded the circuit and reported "there's loads of output from the circuit, if you can't get to unity then I think there's definitely something wrong," adding that the low control is active, cutting lows fully anti-clockwise and boosting them fully clockwise2. Hozy31, who built the Mids version, verified it and wrote: "Sounds pretty damn good to me. Get some nice metally tones out of this, not as harsh as the Metal Zone"2. Hozy31 also reported no output problem in a separate build, saying "It is a bit trebly but no worse than the HM-2"2.
On the other side, Savvas built the pedal for guitar and found it did not suit him: "for me, it's just WAY TOO treble...!! and when i turn the high pot down, it acts like a vol control"2. That comment is worth noting if you play bright single coils: the High-Pass knob's behavior in at least one build was reported as acting more like a volume cut than a tone sweep.
DIY layouts
For players who build their own pedals, Guitar FX Layouts published vero layouts for the Vitriol on 4 March 2017, drawn from a schematic Bobbass4k created for freestompboxes.org2. The blog offers two versions:
The layout is tagged as Difficult difficulty on the blog, so it is a project for builders with some experience rather than a first solder job2.
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Questions
Is the Mantic Effects Vitriol true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's 2017 review lists the Vitriol as true bypass, with a heavy duty mechanical footswitch doing the switching. It also carries a separate dry signal output jack, so you can run the unaffected signal alongside the distorted one if you want to blend or split it.
What power does the Mantic Vitriol need?
The Vitriol runs on 9V DC through a center-negative barrel jack, the standard polarity used by most pedal power supplies, and draws 13mA of current. That is light enough for almost any supply, though the review does not mention a battery option, so plan on a DC adapter or a supply output.
Is the Mantic Vitriol a copy of the DOD Death Metal?
According to the freestompboxes thread discussed on Guitar FX Layouts, the Vitriol is pretty much a loose copy of the DOD FX86 Death Metal Distortion. Another commenter on the same blog described it as looking like a Metal Zone without the parametric midrange, in other words a DOD Grunge. So the lineage points to DOD high-gain pedals, with the Vitriol's own filter controls on top.
What is the Mids version of the Vitriol?
The Mids version is a variant with an added Mids control. Guitar FX Layouts drew two vero layout versions of the circuit in March 2017: the original and one with an added Mids pot. A builder who verified the Mids version reported nice metally tones, not as harsh as a Metal Zone.
Can you use the Mantic Vitriol with bass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day describes the Vitriol as a distortion pedal for bass and guitar. The Lo-Pass and High-Pass filter knobs are the controls that shape where the distortion sits in the frequency range, which is what makes it work across both instruments.
Is there a DIY version of the Vitriol?
There is a DIY route. Guitar FX Layouts published vero board layouts for the Vitriol in 2017, based on a schematic created by Bobbass4k for freestompboxes.org, in both the original version and the added-Mids version. The blog tags the layout as Difficult difficulty, so it is not a beginner's first build.
Sources (2)
- Mantic Effects Vitriol Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-25
- Guitar FX Layouts: Mantic Effects Vitriol, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2017-03-04
