well...okay,now that i've given you a "neutral" opinion on the 1086 module,i'll elaborate more,in detail,about it...the 1086's "mids-voicing" feature is where the "like the module/dont like it" comes into play.with the switch set to the "marshally"-sounding side(set to the "right",i believe),it's got a descent tone to it,covering plexi to high-gain marshall tones AND with the "gain-level" switch set to "low",you could even get a useable "clean" tone out of the module...so,here's where the "like-dislike" part comes in:with the "mids-voicing" switch set the opposite way(for a recto-ish vibe),imo,the tone,more or less,just gets a really mids-scooped and/or dark-muffly sound to it,really not capturing much of a recto-tone,but more of a "who the heck just put a thick,heavy blanket over my speakers" tone...lol! now,i know that there will be guys that disagree with this opinion,but,i honestly WANTED the 1086 module to be a "winner",an extremely versatile "one-module-does-all" module.shoot,i bought the 1086,twice,each a year apart from each other,figuring maybe the first one was a "bum" module and had something wrong with it,especially after reading some other forum member's comments "raving" about the tone & how much they loved this module...but,even after a second try,i still heard the same things about it that i didnt care for,so i sold it & moved on...guess,the ONLY way YOU"LL know whether YOU like it or not,is to just get your hands on one! ...
okay,now about the TREADPLATE module.yes,it does have more gain than the GRAIL module,and enough to NOT have to really push it any harder with an o/d pedal...but,the "gain" is at the expense of "clarity"...big time! the module's tone is VERY middy,so you have to be real careful to use the "gain" in not-so-large amounts because once you crank the gain level knob past,say,1-2 o'clock,the tone just all seems to "mush-up".basically poor "definition"...now,here are some options...because of this,the RECTO/RECTIFIED/TREADPLATE module seems to sell for pretty cheap,when they come up "used" on this forum's classified section and/or ebay.if you can buy one for real cheap,say under $100 total/shipped,you can send it off to fellow mts forum member Pete Turley(forum user name "okstrat").he's been doing great "mod" work & repairs for all the mts modules and he's the resident tone guru & electronics expert.you could send him a used TREADPLATE module and have him do a "clarity" mod to it...or he can do a "Grail" mod to it(which turns the module into the exact specs & tone of the stock GRAIL module)...
lastly...actually,the SL+ has about an equal amount of gain & clarity as the MR SCARY.the MR SCARY is a bit darker in tone & tighter on the "highs",which may be "perceived as" being a bit gainier,but even if it is,we're talking a tiny amount,imo...and as for "clarity",the SL+ may actually have a bit more of it,because it has a somewhat "dipped-mids" to it's tone,whereas the MR SCARY is a pretty "middy" module,typical of an 80's mids-heavy Marshall tone...both modules are excellent,though! imo,the SL+ is a tiny bit better for "rhythm" AND the MR SCARY excels in "leads" a bit more...but,they're very similar to each other & it would be sort of redundant to own both.
...hope this helps!!!
