@knmhobbies - The truth is that sometimes Andy does, in fact, use a pick for certain things....and nobody ever notices. We at PGS can tell you, based on years of experience with Andy, that it's quite impossible to tell just by listening whether he's using a pick or not. In the early years, before we put him in front of the camera, no one ever knew when he was fingerpicking. There just isn't much difference between his fingernail and a little piece of plastic. Thanks! -PGS Video Crew
This pedal was actually a really good investment for me! It works great as an overdrive/boost unit over an already distorted amp (especially when you have the gain low & the crunch engaged for upper-mid emphasis) and is also a perfect stand-alone, classic rock/hardrock gain unit. I have to admit, it was the association of "MXR" and "78 distortion" that got me...I was thinkin' Eddie Van Halen!
One awesome distortion pedal!***** Although I just use mine as an overdrive pedal to boost solos, you can get all kinds of amazing "blues" and "rock" tones out of this box. Definately gives you that vintage, cranked Marshall sound in a small, compact unit, and WELL WORTH the 80 bucks!
Got one last week and it`s a killer!!And why haven`t anyone mentioned that the knobs glow when it`s dark!!!Really helpful when your`e on stage!LOVE IT!!
That's what I was thinking. It sounds so similar but has more 4x12 cab-like oomph and the highs sound smoother without that sizzle you can hear in DS-1. Great pedal worth 5x more than any Boss distortion pedal.
Sure, all you need is a 70's Gibson with and a hot rodded JTM45 (cranked as high as it will go), put this pedal in from of that set up and you'll be in Randy's heaven. Of course when you have that tone you'll probably realize that just about the only person who could make that set up sound good was Randy himself...
You should try this pedal with the Custom Badass Modified OD in front of it. Brings it to a whole new level!!! "Two great pedals that sound great together..." ( sorry Reese's)
Yes it does!! It gets a little better at higher volume! It can do heavy metal pretty well on its own...but with an already over driven it more then does the job! It's built like a tank too! Hope this helps!
wow nice vid andy. i noticed that mxr has been really promoting this thing a lot of these vids utilize this pedal just an blues overdrive (i find) and whenever these vids do flick on the crunch toggle theres not much difference to talk about. however here this isnt the case i can clearly see that this pedal has so much more then what i had previously witnessed. i would just like say that i really appreciate how thorough your reviews can be Andy keep it up!
This might be my next pedal because I ordered the Zakk Wylde pedal a few days ago and they say it is good to use the ZW-44 with a driven/distorted amp so this would be perfect. Plus, the crunch sounds real nice and the drive sounds pretty nice so i could have more versatility.
Had to get rid of it. I mean... when I got a JCM 2000 I was like... ... ... why do I need this dist pedal? It really darkened my lead tone, even with the tone knob past 12. So, that's just another guy's experience with it. Played it came out and just couldn't be satisfied... but I'm not giving up on MXR. You're still getting my vote as one of the best pedal companies out there!!
It does if you set up your amp right. I love the DS-1 for the fact it actually depends on me having a quality valve amp to get the proper tone, rather than the pedal making your amp. My amps are top quality gear, and I've found the DS-1 with my e-wave Texas Drive to have so much tonal range it's beyond crazy. The DS-1 is a great pedal that works with your amp. I have a feeling most pedals would exist if your amp was 2nd rate. That's no good if the amp is top notch.
Absolutely awesome demo of the pedal, well done!*****One of the few gear demos I listen to often, some very "Sweet" tones coming out of this unit. Although I really don't need more gain in my rig, I'm definately buyin' one of these bad boys anyway. Can't bring a stack everywhere y'know, lol. Keep rockin' the demos!
Some people may remember that Gary Moore used a boss ds-1 a while back to boost his signal,.. knowing that, I could sort of use the 78 BA Dist. as if it were like and OD pedal?
Invest in a good tube amp. Or just a small practice tube amp if your on a budget. I bought a Champ 600 and put a alnico speaker and Tung Sol tubes and it sounds good for a small budget amp. Some nice alnico pickups wouldnt hurt either. Im sure Andy is probably using something like a 65 Deluxe Reverb RI amp. They sound nice with pedals.
@pantera2004hellbound the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer is a classic (Stevie Ray Vaughn used it). The Boss Blues Driver is good, too- check out the Keeley mod on it, as well. I'd have to say, though, the best way to get nice driven tube tone is a tube amp. Either play a low wattage combo so you can crank it, or use a boost to drive the front end. (I love my Electro-Harmonix LPB-1, but the MXR Micro Amp and ModTone MT-CB are good too)..
it's kinda hard to choose between the two.. this is a distortion pedal and ocd is more of an overdrive pedal. :) however, i must say that you just have to depend on your ear and what sounds good to you
@zataze45 I went out yesterday to buy the distortion 3 I tried it against the 78 and it is massively different. The out is much much louder on the 78 and the Tone is much more diverse than the III. For the little extra it costs... get the 78 as the III is muddier and less clear than the 78. I bought mine from a shop called effectsandpowersupplies in northwood uk
Andy is that you at 1:24??? Is the guy with the red guitar young Andy???? (That photo has to be meaningful). What's the scoop Andy? Great demo as always.
That's the tone I was looking for and it got somewhat close but not close enough. If you are looking for a distortion to get G'NR tones it'd be best to go with the MXR distortion +. Slash used it for a bit. Personally I just go with a marshall
Great pedal. But I noticed that at times it sounds muffled when a do lead? I play mostly classic rock; AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, however, it does not quite capture the classic Van Halen (Roth-era) sound. When I play "Panama", I'd use the built-in overdrive from my 'Fender Frontman 25' practice amp because it sounds better. Do you think I would get more VH sound from an 'MXR Distortion III' than the '78 Custom Badass'? I would appreciate your reply, thanks.
@soultronx10 This is only my experience, but I'm not getting much noise out of the M78. When I have noise problems it is with my fuzz pedal (a Duncan Tweak Fuzz) or the hum from the single coils in my Strat. My amp is a Voc AC15C1, so I think a lot is going to depend on your amp and guitar combo, too. I'm going to get a noise gate and hopes it fixes the fuzz pedal problem.
Click Thumbs up here, if you are sick of listening to The Tone King play guitar and you think Andy rocks!!!
@knmhobbies - The truth is that sometimes Andy does, in fact, use a pick for certain things....and nobody ever notices. We at PGS can tell you, based on years of experience with Andy, that it's quite impossible to tell just by listening whether he's using a pick or not. In the early years, before we put him in front of the camera, no one ever knew when he was fingerpicking. There just isn't much difference between his fingernail and a little piece of plastic. Thanks!
-PGS Video Crew
This pedal was actually a really good investment for me! It works great as an overdrive/boost unit over an already distorted amp (especially when you have the gain low & the crunch engaged for upper-mid emphasis) and is also a perfect stand-alone, classic rock/hardrock gain unit. I have to admit, it was the association of "MXR" and "78 distortion" that got me...I was thinkin' Eddie Van Halen!
I have this pedal. I think that this is one of the most warm distortion sound I ever heard! But that's my opinion!
Metallica on the intro, and Priest at 3:15, ok this is the pedal for my metal rig.
Only if buying this pedal would make me play like this!
Most definitely. I have this pedal and its amazingly flexible. From 70's Hard Rock, 80's Heavy Metal to slight modern, with a hint of vintage, Thrash.
PGS demos = pure awesomeness
@Guitarvirtuoso666 - Yep. Andy' s the Mark Knopfler of the metalz.
-PGS Crew
Hell Bent For Leather...one of my favorite songs of all time.
coolest opening song in a pedal demo ever
Andy is becoming my favorite guitarist!
One awesome distortion pedal!***** Although I just use mine as an overdrive pedal to boost solos, you can get all kinds of amazing "blues" and "rock" tones out of this box. Definately gives you that vintage, cranked Marshall sound in a small, compact unit, and WELL WORTH the 80 bucks!
Got one last week and it`s a killer!!And why haven`t anyone mentioned that the knobs glow when it`s dark!!!Really helpful when your`e on stage!LOVE IT!!
That's what I was thinking. It sounds so similar but has more 4x12 cab-like oomph and the highs sound smoother without that sizzle you can hear in DS-1. Great pedal worth 5x more than any Boss distortion pedal.
Sure, all you need is a 70's Gibson with and a hot rodded JTM45 (cranked as high as it will go), put this pedal in from of that set up and you'll be in Randy's heaven. Of course when you have that tone you'll probably realize that just about the only person who could make that set up sound good was Randy himself...
I thought this demo was the best one on YT. I"m going to buy this pedal!
THE BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD THEME!
Fancy playing that...
this pedal is bad super cool so many memories from that era of rock
Finally a review that shows everything clearly =)
Awesome! Every overdrive (latu sensu!) review should have the "distortion/drive/fuzz on zero" part. That's a very important feature on a pedal for me.
Love this pedal, gonna pick one up when I get my next paycheck.
"Best" demo of this pedal on you tube!!
You should try this pedal with the Custom Badass Modified OD in front of it. Brings it to a whole new level!!! "Two great pedals that sound great together..." ( sorry Reese's)
Yes it does!! It gets a little better at higher volume! It can do heavy metal pretty well on its own...but with an already over driven it more then does the job!
It's built like a tank too! Hope this helps!
Thanks MXR for naming it "badass"...now I can't use it in church
wow nice vid andy. i noticed that mxr has been really promoting this thing a lot of these vids utilize this pedal just an blues overdrive (i find) and whenever these vids do flick on the crunch toggle theres not much difference to talk about. however here this isnt the case i can clearly see that this pedal has so much more then what i had previously witnessed. i would just like say that i really appreciate how thorough your reviews can be Andy keep it up!
100 points for the Firebird.
That 78 trans am is my dream car
and the issue of a place to crank a plexi to 10, thats the real killer for most people
Gone shootin by AC/DC Powerage! Cool!
fuck yea, four horseman
MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion + Andy = Total Badassedness :)
This thing has that low end that you need for those 1x12 combo amps
This might be my next pedal because I ordered the Zakk Wylde pedal a few days ago and they say it is good to use the ZW-44 with a driven/distorted amp so this would be perfect. Plus, the crunch sounds real nice and the drive sounds pretty nice so i could have more versatility.
@SpinalAlloy: The first song is "The Four Horsemen" by Metallica (Kill 'em All)
Gone Shootin'! Such a bad-ass song.
@ProGuitarShopDemos
looks like a winning combination!
Hell, that sounds so awesome I want to buy 10 of them...
GONE SHOOTING!
Had to get rid of it. I mean... when I got a JCM 2000 I was like... ... ... why do I need this dist pedal? It really darkened my lead tone, even with the tone knob past 12. So, that's just another guy's experience with it. Played it came out and just couldn't be satisfied... but I'm not giving up on MXR. You're still getting my vote as one of the best pedal companies out there!!
It does if you set up your amp right. I love the DS-1 for the fact it actually depends on me having a quality valve amp to get the proper tone, rather than the pedal making your amp. My amps are top quality gear, and I've found the DS-1 with my e-wave Texas Drive to have so much tonal range it's beyond crazy. The DS-1 is a great pedal that works with your amp. I have a feeling most pedals would exist if your amp was 2nd rate. That's no good if the amp is top notch.
Absolutely awesome demo of the pedal, well done!*****One of the few gear demos I listen to often, some very "Sweet" tones coming out of this unit. Although I really don't need more gain in my rig, I'm definately buyin' one of these bad boys anyway. Can't bring a stack everywhere y'know, lol. Keep rockin' the demos!
This or the superbadass?
Just came in the mail! Cant wait to try it out!
For Christ sick... Andy You're totally master!
Just got one of these used. Goodbye Jekyll and Hyde!
His voice looks like the voice of the radio guy in Burnout: Paradice ahahahahahahaa
Yeah !!! Some Ac/Dc , Love Gone Shootin' !
@ydorbsedroc try disengaging the crunch and use these settings: Distortion 2 or 3 O' Clock, Tone halfway, and Output however you like.
Is it good for a crazy train/randy rhoads tone?
Jebus approves with the righteous crunch!
@westpsmity more likely ds-1, the rat is a fuzz like distortion
Gone Shootin!!! love it andy
The Mechanix!
New favorite demo...
FINALLY. A GOOD DEMO.
Some people may remember that Gary Moore used a boss ds-1 a while back to boost his signal,.. knowing that, I could sort of use the 78 BA Dist. as if it were like and OD pedal?
Metallica and Judas Priest Insane. I need this pedal for my metal rig.
1:59 oh GOD yes!
ANDY IS A CUSTOM BADASS!!!!!
Oh God!! I love me some Four Horsemen!!!
Badass.
@TheUsed707
i don't think the pedal is meant to be played in churches ;-)
"Seek and Destroy", some kind of version of "Gone Shootin'", that's all I got...
Invest in a good tube amp. Or just a small practice tube amp if your on a budget. I bought a Champ 600 and put a alnico speaker and Tung Sol tubes and it sounds good for a small budget amp. Some nice alnico pickups wouldnt hurt either. Im sure Andy is probably using something like a 65 Deluxe Reverb RI amp. They sound nice with pedals.
This is me entering to win the D'addario strings.
Awesome it's The four Horse men
Este pedal es un monstruo! Yeah! lml
@pantera2004hellbound the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer is a classic (Stevie Ray Vaughn used it). The Boss Blues Driver is good, too- check out the Keeley mod on it, as well.
I'd have to say, though, the best way to get nice driven tube tone is a tube amp. Either play a low wattage combo so you can crank it, or use a boost to drive the front end. (I love my Electro-Harmonix LPB-1, but the MXR Micro Amp and ModTone MT-CB are good too)..
it's kinda hard to choose between the two.. this is a distortion pedal and ocd is more of an overdrive pedal. :) however, i must say that you just have to depend on your ear and what sounds good to you
@youknowyourrite1 I'm surprised too, but I think it's obviously the Four Horsemen because of the tempo.
Gone shooting!
Its based on a (modifed) DS1 circuit.
DAMN, ANDY!!!!
im getting this pedal :)
FINALLY!!!
@ProGuitarShopDemos this is fucking heavy, how can you fingerpick with such a great articulation and cut through..... awesome !
This pedal is great for my Punk/Rock band! (Re-Load)
@zataze45 I went out yesterday to buy the distortion 3 I tried it against the 78 and it is massively different. The out is much much louder on the 78 and the Tone is much more diverse than the III. For the little extra it costs... get the 78 as the III is muddier and less clear than the 78. I bought mine from a shop called effectsandpowersupplies in northwood uk
the four horsemen, nice!
Holy fucking shit the sound I want but can’t afford
Andy is that you at 1:24??? Is the guy with the red guitar young Andy????
(That photo has to be meaningful).
What's the scoop Andy?
Great demo as always.
Hell Bent, Hell Bent for Leathaaa!
@ProGuitarShopDemos I still don't see why you cant record the pedal demos in HD, it makes the sound much better
@isoscelespopsicle I think for a while now I needed someone to tell me "You do you and let God be your judge" thanks bud, you just made my night :)
JOHN DAVID Y U NO AWESOME LIKE ANDY! :D lol
You know I always had a bad image of MXR but this pedal changed that :) lol
'Tallicaaaa !
Not much for superbadass distortion, im using prime and this will my next pedal
@MichaelD8393 What kinda amp you using? Guitar/ pickups? Your amp and PUP combo are what make these pedals sound their best.
I bet this pedal sounds great with Seymour Duncan pickup's.
and a 10 band eq..........
i would love to see Andy's pedal board so much.. i bet its perfect. please show us! haha
Check out the suggested videos in the sidebar. They will satisfy your curiosity.
Since you made a Custom Badass review, how 'bout making a review for MXR's new Analog Chorus pedal as well.
this pedal is great for GnR!
Andy! We hardly knew ye.........;-)
That's the tone I was looking for and it got somewhat close but not close enough. If you are looking for a distortion to get G'NR tones it'd be best to go with the MXR distortion +. Slash used it for a bit. Personally I just go with a marshall
Great pedal. But I noticed that at times it sounds muffled when a do lead? I play mostly classic rock; AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, however, it does not quite capture the classic Van Halen (Roth-era) sound. When I play "Panama", I'd use the built-in overdrive from my 'Fender Frontman 25' practice amp because it sounds better. Do you think I would get more VH sound from an 'MXR Distortion III' than the '78 Custom Badass'? I would appreciate your reply, thanks.
@soultronx10
This is only my experience, but I'm not getting much noise out of the M78. When I have noise problems it is with my fuzz pedal (a Duncan Tweak Fuzz) or the hum from the single coils in my Strat. My amp is a Voc AC15C1, so I think a lot is going to depend on your amp and guitar combo, too. I'm going to get a noise gate and hopes it fixes the fuzz pedal problem.