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glassjaw7 « Perfect for sculpting your signature tone! »
Published on 03/20/11 at 20:43The MXR M108 is a 10-Band equalizer pedal that allows the player to boost or cut 10 different frequencies that most affect the guitar's sound. The unit is built like a brick s**t-house, as most MXR products are. Included with the M108 is a special power supply made just for this pedal that operates at 18 volts.
The pedal has a very cool textured finish that resists chipping or scratching, and looks great too! The sliders (10 frequency, 1 volume boost/cut, and 1 gain boost/cut) all have built in leds, which light when the "effect" is engaged. This is very handy for dark stages/rehearsals and looks great as well. The switch feels very well-built like the rest of the unit and has just the right amount of "give".
UTILIZATION
Using this unit can be intimidating and overwhelming, due to the plethora of sounds available, as well as the gain boost. That said, the amount of tweaking and options give you the ability to completely change the sound and response of your amp!
SOUND QUALITY
I found that the unit was much more effective when used in my amps' effects loops. Used straight into the front of the amp, the effect was still audible, but much less present. Only the input signal's sound was being sculpted, whereas when used in the loop, the entire sound of the amp is being sent through the equalizer and being effected.
At the push of slider I was able to go from a slight mid boost for leads, while cutting out some low-end flub, to a huge, modern scooped rhythm tone by setting the sliders to the classic "V" shape. This cut my mids and boosted my lows and highs around 2-4K which made my tone sizzle and cut through just enough for a razor sharp attack!
Of course any and every sound in between these two extremes are possible with some tweaking and experimentation.
This unit is great for recording too. If you're not getting the right sound from your modeling unit or software, just hit the M108 before going to your DAW and cut and boost to your heart's content!
OVERALL OPINION
I can't imagine a rig that wouldn't benefit from this pedal. Unless you have the exact tone from your rig that you want, you need this pedal! It can be used live or in the studio to tweak your sound to your liking, and has a great gain boost built in also. To think, I almost sold this pedal to fund another effects purchase. Thank God I kept it! Buy one and you won't know how you got along without it!
The pedal has a very cool textured finish that resists chipping or scratching, and looks great too! The sliders (10 frequency, 1 volume boost/cut, and 1 gain boost/cut) all have built in leds, which light when the "effect" is engaged. This is very handy for dark stages/rehearsals and looks great as well. The switch feels very well-built like the rest of the unit and has just the right amount of "give".
UTILIZATION
Using this unit can be intimidating and overwhelming, due to the plethora of sounds available, as well as the gain boost. That said, the amount of tweaking and options give you the ability to completely change the sound and response of your amp!
SOUND QUALITY
I found that the unit was much more effective when used in my amps' effects loops. Used straight into the front of the amp, the effect was still audible, but much less present. Only the input signal's sound was being sculpted, whereas when used in the loop, the entire sound of the amp is being sent through the equalizer and being effected.
At the push of slider I was able to go from a slight mid boost for leads, while cutting out some low-end flub, to a huge, modern scooped rhythm tone by setting the sliders to the classic "V" shape. This cut my mids and boosted my lows and highs around 2-4K which made my tone sizzle and cut through just enough for a razor sharp attack!
Of course any and every sound in between these two extremes are possible with some tweaking and experimentation.
This unit is great for recording too. If you're not getting the right sound from your modeling unit or software, just hit the M108 before going to your DAW and cut and boost to your heart's content!
OVERALL OPINION
I can't imagine a rig that wouldn't benefit from this pedal. Unless you have the exact tone from your rig that you want, you need this pedal! It can be used live or in the studio to tweak your sound to your liking, and has a great gain boost built in also. To think, I almost sold this pedal to fund another effects purchase. Thank God I kept it! Buy one and you won't know how you got along without it!