REVIEWED MXR
MXR pedals have a distinguished pedigree, having been used by the likes of Randy Rhoads and Slash among many other 70s and 80s rock and roll alumni. Since Jim Dunlop bought MXR during the late 1980s it has divided its time between reissuing most of the brands most popular stomp boxes whilst also developing dozens of new models including several signature lines with artists including Zakk Wylde and Kerry King. The MXR M78 Custom Badass distortion and M234 Analog Chorus are two new MXR stomp boxes that aim to recapture the illusive tactile warmth of vintage analogue circuitry with some cool cutting edge tones thrown into the bargain.
M78 Custom Badass Distortion Whereas Boss pedals’ chunky reliability sometimes feels a bit, well, Japanese and corporate; MXR pedals
MXR Distortion & Chorus
M78 Distortion £109.00 M234 Chorus £119.00
All prices include VAT CONT
ACT
JHS Ltd T:
W:
01132 865 381
www.jhs.co.uk
MXR ‘78 Distortion & Analog Chorus
M78 Custom Badass ‘78 Distortion & M234 Analog Chorus
American stompbox legends MXR bring a welcome touch of old school analogue warmth to your effects setup…
Words: Tim Slater
convey an undeniably Stateside vibe. The M78’s metallic red paintjob and large radio-style control knobs suggest that this distortion pedal is made from recycled parts from an early 60s Chevrolet Impala or similar chunk of classic Americana. The steel casing feels traditionally compact and very strong, with good quality steel mono jack input and output sockets and a heavy- duty footswitch. The controls include rotary knobs for Output level, Distortion and Tone, plus a mini-button labelled ‘Crunch’, that, when active, boosts the amount of gain, beefing up the dynamic range and harmonic content as a natural by-product of the extra gain stage. This pedal sounds great, delivering
a very broad palette of overdrive tones that range from an edgy whisper to savage old school classic rock distortion. With the Crunch switch disengaged the M78 feels quite like a Boss DS-1, only slightly more boutique-esque thanks to its more refined tone. Kicking in the Crunch mode adds a juicy sounding gain boost that sweetens everything up with a lovely kick in the treble and upper midrange. At its most extreme the M78
recalls the savage neo-metal MXR distortion tones used by the likes of the aforementioned Randy Rhoads but it can can also tame down to deliver a softer rock distortion, more in the vain of early Van Halen (another well known MXR devotee). Blues players might find the M78 a wee bit too muscular but if you prefer
24 3pickup
your overdrive tones to have some real impact, the M78 Custom Badass Distortion has no trouble living up to its name.
M234 Analog Chorus The M234 Analog Chorus is also constructed to a very high standard of road- worthiness. In common with the M78 this chorus unit can be powered by either a single 9v battery or else a suitable mains supply. Unless you are extremely handy with a screwdriver we’d recommend going for the mains option. With no quick-release battery access, changing batteries demands loosening the four screws at the pedal’s base to gain access to the battery compartment. Utilizing 100% analogue circuitry the M234 delivers the lush, liquid quality associated with vintage chorus pedals, only with a shade more control thanks to the built-in EQ that allows the low and high-end frequencies to be trimmed. Some vintage analogue chorus can
sound a bit harsh and peaky, especially when the level or mix control is cranked up, and the M234s tone controls offer a useful way to keep any wayward frequency peaks under control. The three main controls comprise Level, Rate and Depth and as one would hope the chorus sounds very lush. Used in tandem with the M78 distortion, this chorus does a fine job of thickening up the overdriven tones without losing everything amidst a sea of watery mush. Clean tones benefit from the chorus too, running the full gamut from a shimmery jangle at lower settings to exotic Uni-Vibe style undulations at the more extreme end of its range. With the Depth fully maxed-out, the tuning starts to suffer a wee bit as the pitch shifting effect bends the fringes of the notes until they start to wallow like a sick cow but – hey – somebody is bound to find even this sickoid tone is to their liking! PM
SHOULD I BUY ONE?
Compact, well made and bordering on what might be justifiably described as ‘reassuringly expensive’, both of these MXR pedals would sound at home on most guitarists pedal boards. From classic rockers to alternative rockers, shoegazers or metalheads…the M78 and M234 deliver some superb tones, both individually and combined. The convincing boutique style build quality and sounds, blended with the appeal of a good off-the-shelf unit by a highly respected manufacturer virtually guarantees that both of these pedals can go a long way to add a unique edge to your sonic arsenal.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68