View other reviews for this product:
Stormleader « A truly AMAZING value! »
Published on 07/26/11 at 11:44The MXR Classic Overdrive is actually two pedals in one. There is an internal switch that when pushed one way the circuit is the exact same as the MXR GT-OD, and when pushed the other way it the circuit is the exact same as the MXR Wylde OD. Nobody is really sure why MXR made this pedal, but it seems to be a Guitarcenter exclusive model. I got it used for $20, and the retail price is normally $40. Still, a silly good deal for what it is.
The Classic Overdrive has three controls. "Output" "Tone" and "Gain", plus the switch on the inside that MXR doesn't tell you about. It uses hardwire bypass, which is NOT true-bypass, but it isn't bad, no tone-suckage as far as I can hear. Standard LED indicators, and it can be powered by either a 9 Volt battery or a power-supply.
UTILIZATION
Tweaking the three knobs to find your tone isn't hard at all. It has enough volume on tap as well so that you can use it as a boost if you wanted as well. The internal switch to switch it between the GT-OD and the Wylde-OD is mounted on the side of the circuit board that faces away from you when you open the back of the pedal up. I un-soldered the switch and moved it around to the front so I could change between the two without having to pull the PCB out. When I got it it didn't come with a manual, but hey, with only three knobs it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out!
SOUND QUALITY
I run a Peavey Ultra all tube 60 watt amp pushing a 5150 Straight cab with V30's and G12T-75's, and my main Genre is thrash metal with some drop-tuned stuff thrown in. I can't say I use this pedal very much in my normal playing, but when I play for church it comes in handy.
I set the Peavey's three channels for Clean, Light DistRhythm, and Heavy DistLead. I then set the MXR up as a medium gain overdrive, lighter than the Rhythm channel, but still enough gain to provide a little crunch. Does the MXR sound as good as one of my amp's OD channels? Well, it doesn't sound as natural, but it still sounds good, and fits very well for what we play.
Oh yeah, the tonal difference between the GT-OD and Wylde OD settings is that the Wylde OD has more bass, and that's about it. They are very similar sounding, but the Wylde setting tends to work a little better for boosting an amp IMO.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, this is a great pedal. It's built well and sounds good, and it is priced crazy cheap. Would I buy it again? Heck yeah. Even paying the retail price of $40 it is still a crazy good deal. I like that I can use it to bridge the gap between my clean and first OD channel, and that I have two different settings depending on how much bass I want. I would prefer that it had true-bypass, but the bypass on it now isn't bad by any means, so that's not a huge deal. I highly recommend that you try out the MXR Classic OD, especially if you are looking at getting either the MXR GT-OD or Wylde OD.
The Classic Overdrive has three controls. "Output" "Tone" and "Gain", plus the switch on the inside that MXR doesn't tell you about. It uses hardwire bypass, which is NOT true-bypass, but it isn't bad, no tone-suckage as far as I can hear. Standard LED indicators, and it can be powered by either a 9 Volt battery or a power-supply.
UTILIZATION
Tweaking the three knobs to find your tone isn't hard at all. It has enough volume on tap as well so that you can use it as a boost if you wanted as well. The internal switch to switch it between the GT-OD and the Wylde-OD is mounted on the side of the circuit board that faces away from you when you open the back of the pedal up. I un-soldered the switch and moved it around to the front so I could change between the two without having to pull the PCB out. When I got it it didn't come with a manual, but hey, with only three knobs it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out!
SOUND QUALITY
I run a Peavey Ultra all tube 60 watt amp pushing a 5150 Straight cab with V30's and G12T-75's, and my main Genre is thrash metal with some drop-tuned stuff thrown in. I can't say I use this pedal very much in my normal playing, but when I play for church it comes in handy.
I set the Peavey's three channels for Clean, Light DistRhythm, and Heavy DistLead. I then set the MXR up as a medium gain overdrive, lighter than the Rhythm channel, but still enough gain to provide a little crunch. Does the MXR sound as good as one of my amp's OD channels? Well, it doesn't sound as natural, but it still sounds good, and fits very well for what we play.
Oh yeah, the tonal difference between the GT-OD and Wylde OD settings is that the Wylde OD has more bass, and that's about it. They are very similar sounding, but the Wylde setting tends to work a little better for boosting an amp IMO.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, this is a great pedal. It's built well and sounds good, and it is priced crazy cheap. Would I buy it again? Heck yeah. Even paying the retail price of $40 it is still a crazy good deal. I like that I can use it to bridge the gap between my clean and first OD channel, and that I have two different settings depending on how much bass I want. I would prefer that it had true-bypass, but the bypass on it now isn't bad by any means, so that's not a huge deal. I highly recommend that you try out the MXR Classic OD, especially if you are looking at getting either the MXR GT-OD or Wylde OD.