All user reviews of 5/5 for the MXR M78 Custom Badass '78 Distortion

It is a distortion pedal rather typical vintage in a vein eyeing to the sound of the late 70s, ie roughly the sound of Van Halen at the time (the name of the pedal comes from the famous eruption of 1978).
The settings are spartan: a volume, gain and tone for the equalizer, to which is added a mini switch "crunch" that adds a little bite to render and burn a little better mix.

UTILIZATION

As with all pedals with some settings, the interface is very intuitive, and relatively useless manual.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality is really baffling. The distortion produced is very musical, very compressed and really does justice to Marshall JCM 800 years.
Plugged into an amp any serious lamps, we really approach the big sound of the late 70s / early 80s, which can tease a lot of records: one can approach the problem without his Iron Maiden, from that of 'ACDC or Guns n' roses, passing even the first Metallica or Grunge sound of the early 90s.

OVERALL OPINION

I owned an all-tube vintage mind for quite a while amp, and at the time I wanted my happiness with many distortion pedals (some of which cost 3 times the price of the MXR). The MXR Custom Badass 78 is the one that convinced me most of all, the one that seemed to sound less chemical and less "cheap" ...
I have been spent on an Orange amp for which the distortion is written in the genes, and then obviously the conclusion is obvious: NOTHING equals the natural distortion of a good tube amp.
That said, I recommend this pedal for guitarists who prefer to build their sounds from the clear sound of their amp without reservation, this is a great product, and whose price is reasonable not to spoil anything.

Vintage pedal pretty typical distortion ideally suited for blues rock and heavy 70 '80'
The pedal body is strong and the finish is really nice.

UTILIZATION

Simple configuration:
1 knob Output rule that the output level of the effect, 1 tone and 1 distortion to adjust the rate distortion
A small button "Crunch" lights a blue LED that tears the eyes and helps boost in midrange for easier out of the mix.
Short notice but at the same time it is the ears that make the setting. Note that the pedal responds well to volume knob on the guitar, the possibilities of sound are quite huge.
Works with a 9V battery (not included) or external power supply (The position of the input power supply is not very happy on the right side next to the "in" input). To be able to easily fit into a pedalboard it is imperative to have an angled plug power supply.

SOUND QUALITY

This is a pretty versatile pedal to go from mild crunch to a big fat distortion. It's still a little weak when did want to tease the metal, but hey it is not my case so it'll me. Pearly Gate on a bridge we really found a sound that Bill Gibons

OVERALL OPINION

I've had about eight months, it's still my favorite even compared to my Big Muff pedal (at the same time it is not quite the same use). The sound is well defined even with the distortion knob fully. This really is the perfect pedal to play ZZ Top or AC / DC.

If I had the choice again, without hesitation I would resume the same.

Analog distortion, classic case of at MXR if not brilliant color!
3 knobs: 1 volume, 1 level gain and 1 tone. Over-MOST-stamped a small push button "Crunch".

UTILIZATION

Many settings, opportunities really interesting but easy to use.

SOUND QUALITY

Used Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster.

OVERALL OPINION

I love everything about this pedal. It is a rare versatility and offers a range of rich and varied sounds.
Although this is not a pedal "high gain", the Custom Badass has a sacred headroom switch "Crunch" acts as a booster not volume but rather in the style of a "more drive".
Everything is very subtle and soft on the pedal, whether setting the tone or the distortion. In addition, it responds very well to volume control on the guitar. This provides a large variety of sound and really usable.
It blends perfectly with his sister, the "Custom Badass Mofified OD", which considerably broadens the possibilities.
Only, it offers plenty of sustain without the need to push the level of distortion.
Finally, she excels in rhythmic maintaining intelligibility and coherence.
A distortion of the very best for a very good price.

Characteristics already described. This is an analog circuit so the sound is pure and natural. 3 knobs standards for distortion and crunch button is all there.

UTILIZATION

I wanted a distortion everything more simple and with 3 knobs difficult to get any easier. This is what I wanted.

SOUND QUALITY

Stunning! You want the Led Zep? This is what you need. I'm a fan of Seventies Rock and Grunge. How to get this sound? Adopt the MXR Custom Badass '78 Disto is very simple. Try Black Dog Led Zeppelin ... it's here!

OVERALL OPINION

I fell in love MXR pedals after the purchase of the Carbon Copy I recommend elsewhere. I have the Micro Amp and Phase 90 also. I do not know when I will stop buying them. It is sturdy and really nice. This is exactly what I wanted.

This pedal was demoed at Namm this year and it will be a huge hit for MXR. It is modeled off that hot rodded tone coming from 1978. Well they don't go into too much detail why they picked that year but I have a theory. One of the most influential guitarists and band came out that year running with the devil.

Let me start by saying I'm not a huge distortion box guy. I like to get my grit from the amp overdriving the tubes. So when I heard this pedal I was pleasantly surprised at how natural sounding this pedal was to a real tube screaming high gain amp. This pedal is about to make a huge impact on the overdrive pedal scene.

MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion Features at a Glance:

* Hot-rodded classic circuit
* Roars with huge amp stack tones and old-school distortion
* Delivers soaring leads and rich, saturated rhythms
* CRUNCH button boosts harmonic content of distortion

UTILIZATION

Really simple operation with only three controls knobs and a crunch mini button that beefs up the tone. Like most distortion boxes it has an Output, Tone, and Distortion controls. The Output will control your volume level for the unit, while the tone will control how bright and how dark the overall tone will get much like a tone control on a guitar, and then the distortion knob will give you the gain you desire. The mini button called Crunch will basically beef up the tone and add rich thick harmonics to the tone.

SOUND QUALITY

In my opinion most distortion boxes sound like garbage. And there are even MXR pedals that sound like garbage and I'm a huge MXR fan. This thing really shine in the lead category. The lead are smooth and silky while giving a huge midrange frequency bump that cut through the band mix extremely well. This pedal will be great as a solo boost as well with how well it responds to lead lines. The rhythm is no joke either, in that it has a tight warm gallop to the tone good for mixing in the lead with the rhythm and chugging away.

Use this with a Les Paul or a single coil guitar like a Strat.....it doesn't matter at all. Any operation you through at this pedal sounds great.

OVERALL OPINION

Well there is something to this pedal that many other distortion boxes don't have and that is being as authentic as possible. I don't used OD boxes anymore that much unless I find one like this one. This is a great pedal and for the price it is a no brainer. At new they come in at around $80 which is a steal for something that sounds this good.

I would recommend this pedal to any guitar player who needs a solid built OD box and who is on a budget. Even if you're not on a budget this is a great sounding pedal that rivals the best of them out there on the market.