The Menatone None More Black is a Menatone distortion pedal, currently around $249. Close alternatives include the Joyo dark flame and the DSM & Humboldt Electronics Black Clouds. It pairs well with the Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt and the Matchless DC-30.
Menatone None More Black
Menatone · pedal
The Menatone None More Black is an ultra-high-gain distortion pedal built as a purely discrete circuit with no clipping diodes and no op-amps, giving it an organic, amp-like character that spans 80s hot-rodded-amp tones through modern high-gain metal. Its unusual Suck and Pres controls give deep tonal reach: Suck takes the midrange from scooped-out and gone to thick, vocal, and fat, while Pres governs the top end from smooth to cutting. Gain ranges from vintage hot-rodded-800-style warmth to chaotic, all-out saturation. It suits doom, sludge, and heavy rock players wanting dark, powerful, boutique-quality high-gain distortion with real tonal shaping beyond a simple gain knob.
What stands out
“Part of Menatone's premium boutique lineup, providing dark, powerful distortion with Jeff Menat's characteristic boutique quality”
— from the community notes
“and heavy rock players wanting dark”
— from the listing
“it suits doom”
— from the listing
“musical circuits”
— from the community notes
“Its unusual Suck and Pres controls give deep tonal reach: Suck takes the midrange from scooped-out and gone to thick, vocal, and fat, while Pres governs the top end from smooth to cutting”
— from the listing
- distortion
- dark
- heavy rock
- doom
- musical
- high gain
- metal
- top end
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Menatone None More Black is commonly used in
- Metal
- Stoner Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Doom Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Menatone None More Black
Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt
Diezel
27% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (dark → bright)
Run Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt after it and the dark edge settles into something more bright
Comes later in the signal chain
Matchless DC-30
Matchless
27% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (dark → glassy)
Matchless DC-30's glassy balances out the dark tone
Comes later in the signal chain
Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp
Gretsch
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp leans glassy right where the dark tone needs it
1964 Vox AC30
Vox
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
1964 Vox AC30's glassy balances out the dark tone
1950s Fender Twin
amplifier
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into 1950s Fender Twin and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Blackstar CV30
Blackstar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Blackstar CV30 goes after Menatone None More Black in the chain
Blackstar HT Club 40 MkIII
Blackstar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Blackstar HT Club 40 MkIII's airy balances out the dark tone
Pedals that stack with the Menatone None More Black
Paul Cochrane Timmy
Paul Cochrane
23% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (dark → bright)
Paul Cochrane Timmy leans bright right where the dark tone needs it
Comes earlier in the signal chain
J. Rockett Archer
pedal
22% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (dark → bright)
Where this leans dark, J. Rockett Archer answers back bright
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Aalberg Audio Trym
Aalberg Audio
21% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Add the Trym's aggressive, cutting pulse on top of the None More Black's dark, doom-heavy distortion for a sharper chop.
Comes later in the signal chain
Maxon CP-9Pro+
Maxon
21% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (dark → glassy)
Maxon CP-9Pro+'s own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
16% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Boss DD-3 Digital Delay after Menatone None More Black in the signal chain, clear of Menatone None More Black's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
NuX Atlantic
Nux
16% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run NuX Atlantic after Menatone None More Black in the signal chain, clear of Menatone None More Black's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Wampler Tumnus V2
Wampler
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Wampler Tumnus V2's bright balances out the dark tone
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah belongs in front of Menatone None More Black, since a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
Fuzzrocious Dark Driving
Fuzzrocious
66% similarityShared character: dark, hard rock
Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare MkII
Greer
62% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, high gain settings
TC Electronic Magus Pro Distortion
TC Electronic
60% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion
TC Electronic Grand Magus Distortion
TC Electronic
59% similarityShared character: hard rock, thickness, distortion
NuX Metal Core
Nux
58% similarityShared character: hard rock, high end, metal
Fuzzrocious Dark Driving V3
Fuzzrocious
58% similarityShared character: high gain settings, dark, thickness
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Joyo dark flame
Joyo
68% similarityShared character: high gain settings, dark, metal
DSM & Humboldt Electronics Black Clouds
Dsm Humboldt Electronics
62% similarityShared character: thickness, distortion, high gain settings
Roland ST-2 Power Stack
Roland
55% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, thickness
JHS PackRat 9-Way Rodent Distortion
JHS Pedals
54% similarityShared character: dark, hard rock, distortion
Joyo British metal
Joyo
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Joyo Uzi Distortion
Joyo
95% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Menatone None More Black (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Menatone None More Black?+
The closest matches in character are the Joyo dark flame, the DSM & Humboldt Electronics Black Clouds, the Roland ST-2 Power Stack. Budget picks: Fuzzrocious Dark Driving, Greer Amps Gorilla Warfare MkII, TC Electronic Magus Pro Distortion.
What pairs well with the Menatone None More Black?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt, Matchless DC-30, Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp — Run Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt after it and the dark edge settles into something more bright.
How much does the Menatone None More Black cost?+
Around $249 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).