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Not MXR, but have you tried the Turbo Rat? Very nasty timbre!

I really like the Dist+, and it gain get some great high gain, but they're all fairly "classic" sounding.

A friend gave me the MXR Wylde overdrive. Nobody gives a damn about that pedal (too many pedals, signature model, current fixation on "transparent" overdrive, etc...) when actually it's great.
Gain goes beyond the usual (without having inbuilt compression like distortion or fuzz pedals), so the sound is really aggressive, lots of dynamics, and it cuts through the mix, no problem. Its secret weapon is the tone knob though. On most overdrives I've tried (a lot), tone only gives you an "idea" of EQ, and is rarely satisfying (FC barbershop exepted). On that MXR you can really get some fat bottom. With extreme settings, it sounds like a boss distortion with lots of low-end.
Really, this pedal deserves a place in all the "most overlooked pedals" articles...

Try to get your hands on a Dist+ in a shop or wherever and see for yourself how you like it. I think they sound pretty fantastic, definitely a classic pedal. And pretty versatile, too... used by a wide range, from punks to Jerry Garcia

Christophe wrote:A friend gave me the MXR Wylde overdrive. Nobody gives a damn about that pedal (too many pedals, signature model, current fixation on "transparent" overdrive, etc...) when actually it's great.
Gain goes beyond the usual (without having inbuilt compression like distortion or fuzz pedals), so the sound is really aggressive, lots of dynamics, and it cuts through the mix, no problem. Its secret weapon is the tone knob though. On most overdrives I've tried (a lot), tone only gives you an "idea" of EQ, and is rarely satisfying (FC barbershop exepted). On that MXR you can really get some fat bottom. With extreme settings, it sounds like a boss distortion with lots of low-end.
Really, this pedal deserves a place in all the "most overlooked pedals" articles...

The ZW-44 is really close to the MXR GT-OD (the one w/ the internal switch, still cheap! And pretty much derived from the Tubescreamer.) - here's some TGP knowledge of yore I found :

The Ghost of TGP Past wrote:The MXR ZW-44 is just a very slightly modified MXR GT-OD. In fact, the GT-OD and ZW-44 use the same exact circuit board and MXR has a tiny little switch in there that they switch one direction for the ZW and the other direction for use in the GT-OD. I believe the ZW removes one resistor that makes it a little louder and one of them has a little more bass cut (probably the ZW). MXR also makes the Classic Overdrive which is a cheaper version of the GT-OD and has the same ZW-44/GT-OD circuit board inside. If you want to play with the tone, you can flip the switch the other direction by using a paper clip. I have a Classic Overdrive that I modified with an external switch so I can switch between the GT-OD and ZW-44 modes easily. I got it for $30 new at Guitar Center when they first introduced them and it's the same thing as both of these pedals!

Wow, thanks a lot for all the info...

I'm bound to end up with one of those pedals soonder or later. At the at used prices they're going for, I can't afford NOT to give a dist+ (or one of the many derivates) a try.

Bartimaeus wrote:Not MXR, but have you tried the Turbo Rat? Very nasty timbre!

I really like the Dist+, and it gain get some great high gain, but they're all fairly "classic" sounding.

I've tried almost every Rat version. Imo they're extremely picky about what amps, and they always roll of a ton of low end to get that biting gritty compressed sizzle. I had a ruetz'd rat on lmy board for the longest time, to boost my other pedals. But on its own, in ruetz mode with the gain dimed, it just lacked too much gain for me. The clipped resistor did woners for the bass, but brought the gain to almost tubescreamer levels

I'm always in the market for somesort of clone that addresses that though, but I guess the bass sag is part of what makes a rat a rat

frigid midget wrote:But on its own, in ruetz mode with the gain dimed, it just lacked too much gain for me. The clipped resistor did woners for the bass, but brought the gain to almost tubescreamer levels

I'm always in the market for somesort of clone that addresses that though, but I guess the bass sag is part of what makes a rat a rat

If you're looking for an overdrive with gain, but with dimmed saturation (If I'm reading you correctly), then the DBA interstellar overdrive could do the trick. That thing is really loud even without tons of saturation. Stands out in a mix too. (and sound is not compressed. The tremendous amount of compression on a Rat made me stop using it).

What you're describing may well be in the HM2 if you're running it into a cleanish amp.

I never used my old one for a Swedish chainsaw thing, but it was *the* staple for cheap dirt in the shoegaze/weird scene in the early to mid 90s for a reason.

I replaced mine eventually with the then-new Dano Fab Tone, and have the HM2 back on board via the GL-100, but...I wouldn't necessarily discount it especially if you're considering one for other reasons as well.

I have yet to hear a MXR drive unit I liked, the D+ doesn't work well for what I want (too low gain and just nasty not in a good way into a clean amp), and the rest of the offerings MXR has come out with are either copies of stuff I have already (various Tone Machine etc) or METAL DEATH that frankly I have covered in spades in the modelers!

rfurtkamp wrote:What you're describing may well be in the HM2 if you're running it into a cleanish amp.

I never used my old one for a Swedish chainsaw thing, but it was *the* staple for cheap dirt in the shoegaze/weird scene in the early to mid 90s for a reason.

I replaced mine eventually with the then-new Dano Fab Tone, and have the HM2 back on board via the GL-100, but...I wouldn't necessarily discount it especially if you're considering one for other reasons as well.

I have yet to hear a MXR drive unit I liked, the D+ doesn't work well for what I want (too low gain and just nasty not in a good way into a clean amp), and the rest of the offerings MXR has come out with are either copies of stuff I have already (various Tone Machine etc) or METAL DEATH that frankly I have covered in spades in the modelers!

I actually have a Fab Tone, not the newer plastic version. I've been told it's an MT-2 clone. Like it a lot, but that nasal throaty fizzyness can't really be dialed out. Which makes the pedal really hard to use for mellow rythm stuff (for a lack of a better way to describe slow and not-so-violent riffing).

So is the HM2 different enough to sound less menacing at gain levels that aren't as...'metal'? Either way it would make sense for me to replace my fab tone with an MT2. Costs about the same, it's build better and has the mids control, seems like a no brainer...Right?
Also...It's hard to trust youtube clips that were recorded with different gtrs/rigs, and the audio isn't getting to my ears through have quality studio monitors...
So is the mij vs mit thing worth the extra money in your opinion?

Wasn't ever aware of the Fab Tone allegedly being a MT2 clone, wasn't something I worried about. It just sounded better to me than the HM2 into the Space Echo! I can't say I ever used it or the HM2 for mellow rhythm stuff though, when I stepped on it I wanted somewhere between "kill" and "death."

HM2 won't ever get "overdrive", it's not really made for that. It goes from "stun" to "more stun" to "kill", there's really about three ranges for the gain. EQ varies, and I'm a "run dirt boxes at unity gain or a little less because I hit them harder than clean passes" guy.

As far as the country of origin thing, realistically, nope. I'd rock either if I wanted a standalone HM2 again, and I'm willing to bet within the standard deviations of pedals of that era (and 25 years on or more of drift) they'll be easily enough dialed into the same realm.

Based on comments about bass and volume, I'll offer up the Mini as well. Quite a lot of gain for an OD, huge variety of sound via the bias knob, lots of bass and loud to boot.

I put a down-payment on a new mini last week and I'm really stoked.

You won't regret it! They're very unique in the world of ODs, which I find exceedingly rare.

Yeah, I know the mini is a popular dirt choice around these parts...

And I'm sure it's a rad od, but the whole reason I asked about MXR's, is that I've always overlooked them and they're easily available and pretty cheap

Also, I can't find a single demo that backs up all the raving reviews Not that the ilf consensus isn't worth anything, but I know I'm kinda picky, and for all I know the mini doesn't have that partical flavor I'm after

Distortion II is underrated