MXR DD11 Dime Distortion

I actually wanted this unit initially to use at home for practice while my big rig (HALFSTACK ETC.)sat at my rehearsal space. I seen the ads in the guitar related magazines before it even came out for purchase and the main reason why I wanted this was for two reasons,Dimebag Darrell and MXR. I've tried many distortion/overdrive pedals in the past and I could never obtain the sound I was after. That lead me to amp distortion instead of the stompbox theory I had initially. I definetly liked the sound of Randall's preamp distortion over everybody else's version and I definetly liked Dimebag's sound in Pantera. My main rig consists of 2 RG100es heads through 2 four by twelve cabs with a Furman parametric eq(pq4) in the effects loop.

I like the fact that this pedal is exactly what I expected. It is Dime's tone from the ground up. With the scoop button disengaged it sounds like my Randall without the pq4 in the loop and with it engaged it sounds just like my pq4 hooked up and set to my(or Dime's) desired setting. I also relly like the way the eq on this pedal interacts with the overall type of distortion it creates. It was like connecting the eq on my Randall head with the eq on my parametric. It has to be some type of shelving eq because I've never heard this kind of range in a pedal before. Only in higher priced amps and rack gear.

The two things that I wasn't really fond of were the option of having only one way of powering the thing up(adapter)and that when the scoop switch is engaged the mid control is inactive. I don't own a power conditioner so every now and then I had to tweek my settings to compensate dirty power.As far as the mid control is concerened, it would've been nice too have that extra sound too play with when I'm in that scooped setting

Overall construction was excellant. Built tough for the long haul!

This is the best distortion stompbox money can buy alongside the MXR doubleshot distortion.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Dimebag has long since been known for having a very...unique kind of tone. It was generally a very heavily distorted tone with very little midrange. This is a pedal that was modeled after his tone, but I don't think Dimebag actually ever used this exact pedal. I could be wrong, however. The pedal has knobs for output, bass, middle, treble and gain. There is also a small push button that can switch the voicing of the pedal if you want something different.

UTILIZATION

This pedal is built fairly tough. I can't say I've tested this thing on tour, but it seems like it can withstand some strong abuse. Pretty much all MXR pedals are built tough as nails, and I don't doubt this one for a second. The small switch might wear a bit, and the actual switch on the pedal might go flaky, but this is after probably decades of hard usage. The pedal is fairly easy to set up and go, but there are some example settings in the manual. In fact, they even have lots of videos about this pedal on YouTube if you want to check them out. The manual itself describes everything in clear detail, so there should be no real confusion as to what everything does.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound is where I'm really iffy on this pedal. For one, it has lots of gain. I'm not really a big fan of getting all my gain sounds from pedals as I find them to be a bit too harsh and not really natural sounding. It sounds like a "pedal," as cliché as that sounds. The range on the tone stack is pretty nice, and I was able to get some different sounds out of it, but I was never able to dial in a nice, subtle distortion with this thing. Then again, I'm pretty sure this was meant to be a balls-out distortion pedal and not an overdrive like I was attempting to use it as.

OVERALL OPINION

If you need lots of gain in a pedal, this might be what you're looking for. However, I can't help but think that, with today's amps, you really shouldn't need to get a lot of gain from a pedal. I was never a fan of running a completely clean amp and using distortion pedals for gain, but some people can pull it off. This thing just wasn't for me, but I'm sure there are people out there who will adore this thing. I just wish companies would stop exploiting Dimebag's name in an attempt for marketing more gear.

5 knobs: Global Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble and Gain
1 knob boost.
1 input and 1 output (like any basic pedal ^ ^)

Military decoration is very friendly and the pedal is not too bulky (I get to squeeze in my guitar case when I go to a jam among friends).

Small silicone pads are very useful to prevent slipping (because, yes, there are tiles in my room, and you must admit that it is not very convenient to use if she fled to each Once you place the feet on.).

Mains.

UTILIZATION

Using this pedal can not be easier. Adjustments are made intuitively, but even if the manual does not help you much because very few detailed, the best thing is to plug his guitar over and quickly explore the sounds it offers, because you will fall almost instantly on any anything you like.

Only small "minus":
The activation-Boost is a small button located very close to the overall volume knob, so that at least one player worthy of a tap with professional precision intensive training, you can difficult to activate the boost for a solo without leaning to activate the finger (that said, if you do not wear huge Dc Martens slippers or plaid grandpa is feasible ...).

-If you put all the knobs at the bottom, you'll easily a feedback in your speakers, you just drop one or more knob to do the feedback stops. But this does not affect my judgment, this is a very good pedal and anyway, I think you rarely use with the knobs bottom, the sound is not very attractive (in my opinion, in all cases).

See for yourself after ...

SOUND QUALITY

This pedal offers a wide range of sounds ranging from light bluesy distortion by putting the gain at minimum (yes, ...) to the legendary Dimebag Darrell sharp saturation, through the characteristic sounds of Angus Young, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, faithfully imitating the Mesa Boogie James Hetfield or the filthy distortion of Kurt Cobain. It is to me the most versatile pedal metalheads, and may even be suitable for a "simple" way Led Zeppelin rocker or a faithful admirer of hairy Brutal Death Thrash Black Metal Apocalyptico-Destroy (do not ask me if it exists ...).

I use almost constantly "Boost" function for a sharp and incisive sound, the rest of the time or she is not engaged, it is to imitate the sound of the first recordings filthy Metallica ...

I play an Ibanez S540FM and I use a Peavey Envoy 110 from 1989 that I should also replace Finally, if my savings allow me ... ° - °

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for over a year and yet I still have not explored all the possibilities of this pedal. This is one of my first pedals, and my experience is not so great as that, but in hindsight, this is the one I would have chosen. Ditto if I were asked to use only one distortion pedal.

Quality / price perfect, affordable, a very interesting choice for a beginner, a pedal that deserves a place of honor in the rack fervent practitioners of metal ... I even like the color!

- 1 volume knob
- 1 bass knob
- 1 knob middle
- 1 treble knob
- 1 gain knob
- 1 mini-boost switch (which change almost distortion), to spend a metal distortion (more average type grain) to a heavy distortion and fat (fat guy grain)
- Rugged type "tank"
- 1 input, 1 output
- 18 volts

UTILIZATION

Very easy to use, no need manual

SOUND QUALITY

While it is easy to find the sound of fire-Dimebag, it is also possible to move away from and customize, remaining still in the age of big sounds (aggressive)
I would say that this distortion is relatively versatile, but always powerful distos and strong presence and it is rather difficult to have a muffled sound (type Lynyrd Synyrd or ZZTop)

OVERALL OPINION

In short: a pedal very good quality (materials and sound reproduction).
Perfect for sounds ranging from "crunchy" to "destructive" through "bite" and "hot"
A wild machine easily from the extreme (it's amazing what the bass and gain knobs are expressive), but that is little reason at will.
I've had five years and I do not feel plagiarism Pantera, and I do it again this purchase without hesitation.