The T-Rex ToneBug Totenschlager is a distortion pedal aimed at metal players, part of the Danish maker's ToneBug line. It keeps the controls simple: a Gain knob, a Level knob, and a three-band graphic EQ with faders, which is unusual on a pedal at this level and lets you shape the distortion's low, mid and high content directly.1
What it does
T-Rex pitches the Totenschlager as a metal distortion, and MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen described it as supplying exactly that "courtesy of level and gain knobs and a three-band graphic EQ".1
The range of gain on offer is wide. As Curwen put it:
"There's a very useful range of distortion on tap here from overdrive-like grit through various shades of grind, to a full-on dirt-fest with plenty of sustain."
That span means the pedal reaches from lighter overdrive-style textures up to heavy, sustained distortion, with the EQ faders deciding where the tone sits at each setting. His verdict was straightforward: "this is a really good distortion pedal".1
Where it sits in T-Rex's range
The Totenschlager is one of several distortion and drive pedals T-Rex has made, alongside the Mudhoney, the Dr. Swamp and the Mean Machine. Its distinguishing feature among them is the graphic EQ section, which replaces the usual tone knob with three faders.1
Videos
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Questions
What does the name Totenschlager mean?
MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen noted that if you stick Totenschläger into Google Translate, all it comes out with is 'dead bat'. Whatever the intended meaning, the pedal itself is a straightforward metal-oriented distortion from T-Rex's ToneBug line, built around gain and level knobs and a three-band graphic EQ.
Sources (1)
- T-Rex ToneBug Totenschlager review, MusicRadar, 2011-09-30
