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MXR M75 Super Badass® Distortion

£9.9£99Clearance
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With a name like ‘Super Badass’, you’d almost expect this to be a pedal that delivers nothing but straight-forward distortion, but you’d be wrong. Very wrong. This MXR product is one of the most versatile pedals around, being capable of giving you everything from very light overdrive, to screaming, full-bodied distortion. Finally, distortion pedals are often combined with other effects like chorus and reverb, or with wah-wah pedals. This is how you build a really nice distorted sound, but remember that it’s always worth fine-tuning your tone, then level of distortion, and then finally effects on top of that. It’s the easiest way of finding the right tone and ensuring that you can replicate it in the future. What does a Distortion Pedal do?

So ultimately, overdrive pedals are not as harsh as distortion pedals; aiming to replicate the natural sound, whereas distortion pedals are more artificial and aggressive. There are however many overlaps and different sounds, so hard and fast rules are few in number. The EQ section is brilliantly voiced, providing an impressively vast range of tones with nary a bad sound to be found. Boosting the bass control makes the tone bigger but never flabby or farty, and when it’s turned down it never gets wimpy or too thin. The treble control covers a palette from dark (but not muddy) to razor sharp (but not piercing). It’s a fairly simple thing physically, with just the two knobs for output and distortion, and a nice big LED. It all looks nicely laid out, is incredibly well finished (including the knobs) and the bright yellow chassis really evokes the spirit of those 80s shred guitarists. Think the legendary Randy Rhoads, who incidentally did use this pedal in some of his setups. So to conclude, there are so many different types of metal, with varying sounds, that it just isn’t possible to say there’s one single greatest pedal for metal. If you pushed us for a choice from this list, however, we’d recommend the Boss DS-1 for its flexibility, and potential for proper distortion. It’s a good starting point for most types of metal, but if you wanted something for 80s shred, then you might go for the Distortion+ or RAT 2. Alternatively, stoner metal might call for the Acapulco Gold. What is the best high gain Distortion Pedal?Pros: Powerful, flexible 3-band EQ. Touch-sensitive responsiveness. Can go from modern metal leads to simple lead boosts with aplomb. Paired with a wah pedal, some Hendrix classics can also be played with this MXR masterpiece. The versatility of this MXR pedal is what makes it such a great go-to for beginners who have no "ideal" tone or preference when it comes to distortion. However, this does not mean it's only for newbies - the sound quality and tone-shaping makes it just as perfect for performers and recording professionals.

For a fat, warm tone that pairs perfectly with the sound of a quality British valve amp, this is the distortion pedal for you. Of all the pedals on our list, it’s probably this one that gives the most uniquely distorted tone, and we love it. It sounds so very Marshall, and indeed you could probably replicate the sound of an overdriven Marshall without the right amp - it’s that good. It’s always a good idea, to begin with your pedal somewhere in the middle of the settings. This way you can easily bring things up or down a little to fine-tune and find the sound that you like or are trying to replicate. More gain isn’t always better, and you might be surprised by how much difference might be made when cranking up the volume, or adjusting some of the EQ.

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This obviously gets its name from the Vintage 1978 Marshall JMP Super Lead 100w Amp - also known as the Marshall Plexi. It's one of the great takes on that genre - while it does seem to slip under the radar every now and again. A distortion pedal is therefore set up to artificially clip the signal wave in a similar way to what would happen if the amplifier or speaker was overdriven but in a much starker and more significant way. We’ll cover the main differences between overdrive and distortion in the next section. One of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to effects pedals, is “what is the difference between overdrive and distortion?”. In truth, they are quite similar, and the line is often blurred when people are describing the sound that they hear. Lots of guitarists themselves won’t even be able to distinguish between them in the middle of the mix, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t differences. When anyone comes looking for a distortion pedal, the first thing they have in mind is the type of music that they play. And often, that’s metal, because pretty much every single guitar in metal music is distorted. Ultimately, you’re getting a premium product for a very respectable price that just has an unbeatable sound to it. It comes beautifully finished with high-quality hardware and electronics too, which means that if you’re looking for superb quality boost and saturation, you just aren't going to be disappointed with the Soul Food. Premium Choice - EarthQuaker Acapulco Power Amp

The M75 Super Badass Distortion from MXR is a great choice in terms of value, features, build, and sound quality for a distortion stompbox. The MXR Super Badass pedal sounds great and delivers a wide range of tones with its versatile control panel including a 3-band EQ, which will be discussed further on in this review. MXR did a great job with this pedal and is a great go-to pedal if you can't decide which stompbox to get for your rig. The manufacturer has other similar products such as Distortion+ and Distortion III - but in terms of versatility of an MXR distortion, Super Badass wins the comparison. You get no less than five separate knobs on the Super Badass, allowing you to alter the output and distortion, as well as the bass, mids and treble. It’s perfect for sculpting tone, and we love the fact that you can get it do do pretty much whatever you want. Our only criticism might be that if you want maximum gain, this pedal might lose out to a more dedicated unit. This clipped signal then goes through to the amp from the distortion pedal, and you get the distorted sound, with more sustain, and a broader range of harmonics. Simple in theory, but there are lots of different degrees to which this clipping is done, and ways in which it is performed, which is why there are many distortion pedals on the market. Overdrive vs Distortion Pedal The latest to carry the name is a cool touch-sensitive MOSFET-based Dynamic Overdrive - with 3 classic controls and a Boost / Cut Mids EQ toggle. That in itself is fairly unusual for MXR as they typically prefer to use those push-button controls - as can be viewed on the Modified OD and ’78 Distortion above. So what exactly does a distortion pedal do when you hit that footswitch? How do distortion pedals work?What steals the spotlight in terms of features is the MXR Super Badass Distortion's 3-band EQ. I've always wanted this feature on my other stompboxes as it allows for more flexibility in shaping the tone that comes out of the pedal. Instead of just being equipped with a treble adjustment knob, the pedal also has knobs for bass and mid, allowing you to get a tighter low end if you want, or punchier mids if you want to cut through the band's mix when you engage the pedal for a solo. It is reasonably versatile too - if you really crank it up, you end up with some real fuzz that sustains well, but on the lower end, it can sound like a quality overdriven tube amp. Just a very nice sound all-round. On our list, we’d recommend the MXR Super Custom 78, MXR Super Badass, and MXR Distortion +, along with the Boss DS-1 and ProCo RAT 2 as being the pedals that offer the biggest chance for some really high gain sounds. That’s not to say this list is exhaustive of course - you’ll find plenty of other high gain pedals on the market.

This unit hasn’t changed much on the outside since the 80s, and that’s no bad thing. It’s heavy duty, and we would not be surprised if it’s currently sitting on the pedalboard of some seriously famous touring musicians. Did a bit of you-tubing and decided this might be an option. Plugging into the M75 for the first time is a great deal of fun. No fizz, just fat distortion all the way through the dial. Output is huge, and my only beef is that unity is so low. Its loud. It’s an undeniably vintage-looking thing, but if we’re honest it does look a little strange. The fonts are all over the place, and things feel a bit jumbled. Looks don’t matter to a lot of guitarists, but it’s certainly worth noting regardless. Despite this, and its compact size, it feels like a quality product. The heavy-duty construction should last and last. In addition, this becomes more complicated when some pedals are marketed as overdrive pedals, some are marketed as distortion pedals, and many even mention both. Hopefully, we’ll be able to clear up some of the confusion.With its square chassis and 80s detailing it also doesn’t look quite like anything else, making it even more attractive. There’s not a lot else that feels this bulletproof either - at any price - let alone this one. Just a fantastic all-rounder that anyone should consider, even if you aren’t on a budget. Conclusion A signal wave normally looks like a smoothly undulating wave, with naturally curved peaks and troughs throughout the range. Distortion happens when these waves are clipped for any reason - that is that the highs and lows of the waves are cut off - and is essential when the ‘quality’ of the sound is reduced. When it comes to distortion pedals, this is, of course, a desirable effect. So what exactly are you looking for? The problem with this is that it will depend entirely on the type of metal that you like to play, or think you’re going to play most often. Metal is a hugely diverse genre, more so than many people would initially think, which is why it’s very hard to say that there is one single metal pedal that sits above all others. The output control provides significant amounts of boost, while the distortion control offers a range of textures, including clean boost, tubey blues-style overdrive and sizzling saturation. Quality overall is very good, from the all-analog components inside, to the super solid casing on the outside, which incidentally looks very cool in an almost glittery finish. It’s not too much, but just gives the thing a little bit of character to separate it from your typical straight-laced technical pedal.

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