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Ok, I'm done hijacking the General thread. And this forum could always use another thread, no?

Basically I'm stuck between a BAT Pharaoh or Black Forest. I've never played either of them, and there aren't any demos that really get into what I wonder about them.

-Which is "louder"? I'm not particularly worried about clean boosts here. Both can get cleanish, but the BF definitely wins out there. Which will pummel my amp harder overall? (I'm looking for that loose, tubby Matamp/Electric drive that gets fatter as the amp gets louder)
-How exactly does the depth knob on the BF work? Progressively burlier? Various voicings? Halp?
-The Pharaoh blends with amp distortion well, no? As I understood it, OD/dist meshes with amp drive better than fuzz overall, but because of the mid frequencies of the Pharaoh, it's pretty good too?

I'm leaning toward the Pharaoh, mostly because I want a legit fuzz on my board and I feel safe saying that the Laney brings all the "traditional" OD/dist that I may need. Whichever I get, I might also pick up an EQ to run into/after it for more tonal options.

I suppose there may be another option for what I want; as I originally wanted an Elements. I just kept thinking that there was no way I could justify one if I won't use all the features. On top of that, it's a really "tight" sounding pedal, which I'm not sure I'm looking for... Maybe I just don't know what I want. Enable meh!

Pretty sure the Pharaoh is "louder".

There's a depth knob on the Black Forest?

Yeah, the Pharaoh blends well. Love the Pharaoh.

I think you want the Pharaoh.

Yea, it's technically a 6 position switch, not unlike the depth knobs on some of the Matamps I've seen.

More boom than vroom.

Oh, OK, the six position tone selector switch.

I never really thought about that as "depth".

Yeah, they're different tone voicings. It can be kinda subtle depending on how the other controls are set or what other pedals the BF is stacked with.

Pharaoh is louder, and if you want Matamp drive that gets thicker as you crank the amp then you want the pharaoh.

Tl;dr: you want the pharaoh.

So if I don't want transparent overdrive with a heaping dose of haunting mids, then I must also want a Pharaoh, right?

Do they even make the Pharaoh in red?

I have a pharaoh on loan from a mate and...I'm underwhelmed. But, I haven't cranked my amp up with and I hear that's where it shines.
The depth/cap switch on the BF just pumps stupid amounts of bottom end and general fatness the more you crank it.
I could wank on aboutbthe forest all day long, but I've done plenty of that lately. It stacks nice with others too.
It would seem all Black Arts pedals are in the business of massive volume deliverance.
Have you thought about the LSTR?

The LSTR is my personal fav, and yes the pharaoh shines with volume.

I had considered it, but I had wanted something with a wider range of gain. The LSTR seems much more in your face than either the Pharaoh or Forest in terms of gain. I was hoping to find a pedal that brings the low end fuzz, while getting just clean enough to push a lower gain sound over the top. A fuzz/semi boost if you will.

I'm trying to figure out which will give me the fuzz I crave, as they will both do some type of enormous volume boost.

Lstr and pharaoh both have thick low en boost, lstr is more high gain fizzy and pharaoh is more smooth sounding. You can get into high gain territory with it but I think its best when stacked with other pedals and just add that girth to everything. As a standalone lstr might be better but with other dirt I say pharaoh all day. Black forest I do not have but I've only heard good things. If you want volume in massive doses, oath, or the pedal its based off.

I've recently been gassing for a Black Forest. Hard. But I've never played one, so I have nothing of real value to add as far as a comparison between the two.

I did have a Pharaoh - and it sounds like it would suit your needs nicely.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIhgX6TCcaE[/youtube]

I made this demo of the Black Forest. It can get really gnarly and deliver a shit load of low end. I mostly used it in front of an already dimed amp to make it scream even harder, but as a fuzz into a clean amp it works great too with the 6 position switch up around noon or higher. I've got a Pharaoh too and it does get a little bit louder. You can see the Pharaoh in this video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=854hPgW68wo[/youtube]

Honestly though, from what you're asking from these pedals I'd recommend the Revelation. It delivers a shit ton of volume. It is the only dirt pedal on my board and depending on how you set it, you can get a really fuzzed out tone.

maybe this will sway your decision