MXR M104 Distortion+

I was looking for a distortion pedal to get some sound from 80ies. After watching couple of videos on youtube i decided to buy that MXR pedal. Surprisingly it have correct and good distortion upto fuzz (tested on my scope & signal generator before using my guitar). But how it's build.. well. That was made almost 50y ago (i had version end of 70 / beg of 80, 9v battery only).
Honestly it must be improved & replaced: the LM471, ceramic caps on sound.. Also it was made when we did not had all these wifi around & strong EM mess. Hopefully it's in alu case so it helps a bit.
I don't recommend that pedal except you wanna get some trashy vintage sound or just for collection purposes. There are much, MUCH better pedals on the market.
So i paid it 50€, pretty cheap (some folks are selling on ebay for 100+) and sold recently for 59€. I had an occasion to play it cheap and now someone else got the same chance. I don't like that pedal. 3 stars for the construction: it will work in next 40 years.

I used it w/ Jackson DKMGTFF & Orange crush 20. Vintage side of Orange gave some low to distortion that pedal do (made it better).

I bought the pedal from musiciansfriend.com and paid 63 bucks for it. I think its a really great pedal. I bought it, honestly, because i had money and it was burning a hole in my pocket. BUT, i love this pedal. It's really nice.

It has great vintage and modern tones, without muddying up the rest of the sound. The batteries also last a pretty long time, unlike other pedals.

If i were to name one negative thing about this item, it would be this: the unit does not have any tone control. Its sound by itself is a little lacking in the low end, but you can adjust it to your liking on your amp. Other than that no down sides.

VERY HIGH QUALITY. this pedal is built diamond-tough. Heavy die-cast unit with heavy-duty stomp switch. Takes a beating.

You will love this item.

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

The MXR M104 is an analog overdrive guitar pedal. It has 1/4 inch inputs and outputs.


UTILIZATION

The configuration of the MXR M104 is really easy to follow and is straightforward overall. It has knobs for volume, tone, overdrive, and boost, with a separate foot switch to turn the boost on or off. It also has two switches to control different types of amp simulations and tones. I don't have a manual for this, but the pedal is easy enough to use that I never needed any help learning how to use it.


SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality of the MXR M104 is great overall. It is rich in tone and has quite a full sounding overall body to it. I use this with guitar - usually a Fender Stratocaster and a '76 Fender Twin Reverb amplifier. While it will work with other electronic instruments, it is probably suited best for electric guitar. You can get both a great lead tone and a great rhythm tone, as the pedal versatile and capable of a few different types of overdrive. Overall, the sound quality is top notch and is easy to get a great sound from it.


OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the MXR M104 for about a year. MXR is building a reputation for making some great overdrive pedals, and the Full Drive 2 is one of their best. It has a great look to it, and the sound quality is awesome. Its ease of use makes for being able to get quick overdrive sounds that sound great. The price is more expensive than most Boss pedals, but in terms of a high quality overdrive, the pedal is reasonably priced. It is built well overall and will stand the test of time if you treat it right. Overall, I recommend this pedal to those interested in a great sounding overdrive pedal - great for rock music!

The MXR Distortion+ has been around since nearly the beginning of time. It was one of the first boost pedals to ever hit the market, and it has been used every since. While its popularity has been waning, I still see it being used on pedalboards today. The pedal features an output and an gain knob. The newer ones have LEDs, but aside from that, they're still fairly similar with the same input/output/switch/2knob configuration going on.

UTILIZATION

The pedals can take some ridiculous abuse. I've never had any problems with this pedal in my lifetime, and I don't expect it to ever break down, really. I've done a true bypass mod to it, but it really wasn't needed that much. The bypass on this isn't too bad, stock. The manual is well written, and if you need any help, MXR is more than happy to assist you. However, I find that it's not needed with such a simple pedal. It's so easy to use and set up that it almost seems like a waste of paper. Even the guitarist just starting out could figure out how to use this in seconds.

SOUND QUALITY

The most famous user of the MXR Distortion+ would probably be Randy Rhoads. He was a heavy user of this pedal in his Marshalls, and if you're looking for that tone, it'll deliver it. One thing worth noting is that this and the DOD 250 are actually very similar. The DOD250 is slightly more aggressive due to the diodes that it utilizes, but they're still very similar, and if you want that Yngwie style tone, this pedal can deliver. I find that it doesn't work great as a normal boost to tighten things up. It's a bit too vintage sounding, and it lacks tightness. In fact, it's starting to sound a bit dated today. However, if you're looking for that old school distorted kind of sound, running this through a Marshall would definitely deliver.

OVERALL OPINION

The pedal is solid, but it's getting to be a bit dated to me. I have one, but I find myself using it less and less. I tend to prefer tighter, more aggressive tones than this pedal can deliver, but if I ever find myself going back to classic metal, I generally pick this off my shelf and throw it in front of my amp for that old school metal tone.