Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive II

The Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive II is an overdrive pedal from Way Huge, originally introduced in 1994, where Premier Guitar notes it "helped set the standard for what would become the boutique overdrive" market¹. The circuit is based on the Ibanez Tube Screamer, according to Aion FX's project documentation². Only 419 originals were produced while Way Huge was active between 1992 and 1999, and after the company closed the pedal commanded several hundred dollars used².

The name is odd for a first pedal: the original Green Rhino was called the "Green Rhino Overdrive II" to distinguish it from the Red Llama, the company's other overdrive, and there was only one version during the 1990s, always called the Overdrive II². The design returned in 2011 as the MkII reissue and continues today in the compact Way Huge Smalls Green Rhino Overdrive MkV, model WM22³⁴.

The controls

The core control set has stayed the same across versions. Volume, Tone, and Drive controls are laid out exactly like the control set on the original Green Rhino pedal, as Premier Guitar's reviewer noted on the MkII¹. Dunlop's MkV manual describes the three basic knobs plainly: Volume adjusts output level, Drive adjusts overdrive intensity, and Tone adjusts EQ from warm to bright⁵.

What set the Green Rhino apart, even in the 1990s, is the extra tone shaping on top of those basics. The MkII press release put it this way: "In addition to the Volume, Tone, and Drive controls, you get a 100Hz EQ knob"⁷². That low-end control is the pedal's signature feature, and it is what makes the pedal workable for bass as well as guitar. Premier Guitar's reviewer found the range remarkable:

No Treble's reviewer, writing from a bass player's perspective, explained why that matters: "The Green Rhino takes care of this by adding a 100Hz 12dB boost/cut control for the low-end"⁴. He also found the Drive control flexible, describing a warm vintage tube-like overdrive set low and a much dirtier character cranked⁴.

The MkV adds two more shaping controls on top of the familiar set³:

The Curve control also appeared on the MkII, where MusicRadar's reviewer described its job as letting you "subdue sharp edges in the upper mids"⁸. The MkV's throughput gain is rated at up to +50 dB at 1kHz⁵.

Versions and the reissue

The Green Rhino's version history has a gap in it. Aion FX's documentation notes that the MkII is an updated version of the original Green Rhino first released in 1996, that the MkII is the third incarnation, and that "There is no record of a Mark III, so either it was an unreleased prototype or they just skipped a number"². MusicRadar's review likewise calls the MkII "actually the third incarnation"⁸.

The timeline:

The MkIV, still listed by Dunlop as WHE207, changed the control set again: Aion FX notes it "drops the Curve control and adds a new 500 Hz control", along with a toggle switch to drop both the 100 Hz and 500 Hz EQ stages and return the pedal to the sound of the original 1990s version²⁹. Tone Island's buying guide describes the MkIV's two extra tone controls as cutting or boosting 100Hz and 500hz, each by 12 dB¹⁰. Dunlop lists the MKIV at $159.99⁹.

The MkV, announced in July 2020, is the most compact version to date of the Green Rhino Overdrive⁶. MusicRadar's news piece described it as a smaller overdrive pedal in its fifth iteration, with the Frequency control offering a boost or cut at either 100Hz or 500Hz via the internal switch¹¹. Gearnews reported it as the latest iteration of the popular Way Huge green overdrive pedal, sold via Jim Dunlop¹².

What reviewers said

Reviews of the MkII were largely positive. Premier Guitar called it "another winner in the revitalized Way Huge line", describing an essentially dark voice with great frequency balance, girthy gain, and a punchy midrange, and hard to beat for gritty vintage blues tones with extra width and clarity¹. The same reviewer called the 100 Hz control "a godsend" for players frustrated by the inherent low-end cut in bluesy overdrive pedals, and noted it even makes the MkII work great as a bass overdrive¹. On the Curve control, the reviewer found it subtle, sometimes more felt than heard, but likely invaluable for players with hot high-mid rigs¹.

Guitar World's Paul Riario reviewed the MkII in 2011, calling it "a distortion pedal that lives up the the quality you've come to expect from the folks at Way Huge"¹³.

MusicRadar's MkII review was more mixed, listing the price as a con: "A little pricey"⁸. For the MkV, Gearnews' writer was won over by the added controls, writing "I may well put the new Green Rhino MkV on my shopping list, as those extra controls open up the possibilities"¹².

Delicious Audio's Green Gus reviewed the original unit in full, and the site's MkV coverage describes the Green Rhino Overdrive II as a Tube Screamer evolution that was sought after for many years after Way Huge closed its doors¹⁴.

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