MXR 6-Band Graphic EQ

This pedal is legendary. It's like that old fuzz face. That old Vox wah wah. That old Boss chorus. That old Unvibe. That old TS808 or TS9...you get the picture? If you find one buy it. Now in ( tube amps )Fender amps that are bright you can get a nice sightly deeper richer sound with these. Or set your fender dark and use this instead of the bright switches to add brightness with depth! But for the most part older tube amps like Fenders and Marshall's when practically turn up to the max really don't need nothing. But this MXR pedal can do wonders to a 50 watt amp. bBy playing your 50 watt amp at a much lower volume and yet the MXR 6 Band Graphic EQ helps you achieve the richness as if you had the amp turned all the way up. But it's not really making it louder. Just move those sliders until you find that really lively spot that makes a 50 watt or even a 100 watt amp use less volume put still sound magical. Now you will still be fairly loud with a powerful amp but you can still bring it down maybe a little more by working the sliders and the controls on your amp. Impressive what these little MXR's can do to your tone once you find that sweet spot. Now lets take a smaller amp like Airline or Alamo at 12 to 25 watts. These amps tend to be on the dark side naturally but with this MXR pedal they really come alive and sound astounding. Texas Flood at this volume and response to a live audience in a small bar really gets things cooking. The bar owner will never tell you to turn down even though it will sound loud. It's all in the great compression that these small amps make ,never hurting the human ear and with the MXR added to them they are quite pleasant for the listening ear and quite responsive for the human touch on a fret board. Nothing but pure inspiration.

The sound quality is depending on just what you are looking for this Band Graphic EQ to do for you. Some people may not be happy with it because they just really lack the patience to slowly work the sliders to achieve the desired effect from it to fit their style(s) of music. This thing can add magic to any style. I use it for blues ,country, classic rock. And sometimes this and a wah wah are the only affects I use all night. It really helps me make SRV sounds out of my 25 watt Alamo Monclair amp ( with tubby tone speaker ) by making the amp sound bigger but not louder which is the plus side of it. No tube screamer needed. And it really does Hendrix cleans well like Castles made of sand. I play this Alamo amp wide open and just work the volume on the guitar set with the sliders to where I put them. Once I turn up the volume knob on my Strat you would think I stepped on some over drive pedal but I didn't. If you use more then one pedal you may have to experiment where to put it in your chain but, my best results with it is to let it be the last in the chain. In fact, I just Velcro it to the top of my amps and run a patch pedal cord from it to the amp and leave the settings on all nite long.

Hey folks it was made in the early early 70's...what's that tell ya?
Well the sliders are harder to move now...but hey I don't move them anyway. I had then set where I put them for the last 10 years +....It's sliders are not meant to be moved. Because , once "You" find your tone... that's it for life.....

Alas the real MXR company is no more. Dunlop took over. I would not even think of comparing the Dunlop versions to these really well made classic ones. Trust me, there is a difference.

It is the best Band Graphic EQ out there. Hands down. ( Ibanez came close ). Forget about the Boss compared to this. Even the MXR 10 Band Graphic EQ which is an electric version MXR made back then were good too. But the small 6 Band Graphic EQ takes a battery which I think plays a role in it's operation with it tones. I truly love that it makes all my older amps sound even better. Like my 1959 260 Magnatone. All 4 of my Alamos 1963 to 1975. My Japan made Elk 1973 Deluxe copy. My Classic 1970 Super Reverb. Even my 78 Univox Jeff Beck Head. Whats really great about the MXR 6 Band Graphic EQ is that it has no volume control or an on and off switch. That's another thing that I think helped these things sound great. Because of that it just doesn't become part of your amp or just some lame sound effects on and off pedal but rather "integrated" with it (amp) as if it was built into the amp. I never leave home without it.

6 sliders that cut/boost frequencies.

100hz-3.2K

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE OLD BLUE ONE WITHOUT THE SWITCH

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE OLD BLUE ONE WITHOUT THE SWITCH

I use this through a simple setup. DV8>AMP>CAB with the EQ in the loop of my amp.

This pedal works fine for what i use it for, which is cutting the painfully fizzy top end of my amp. My cab is a stock 1960A, and I love the 75s. Most tone snobs would probably just spend a grand on different speakers to do away with ONE frequency, but I find that to be utterly retarded.

I play loud aggressive metal. No covers.

This effect is noisy. It's got that HISS that plagues most effect pedals. But I blame the tantalum capacitors. I'll replace them in due time. Also, the cavity for the battery doesn't fit most batteries. I use it with a battery when I don't bring my pedal board to rehearsals.

Also there is a drop in volume, not because I cut that frequency. When all is flat, there's a noticeable volume drop. Which, again, isn't a big deal because my amp is dishing out 120 watts tube, which most of you tone snobs are absolutely afraid of. Can't get that sweet tube saturation at "club volume?" Play a few arenas, then you'll understand why I need so much power.

Then again, I'm not a hobbiest.

No switch to worry about, so I'll say that this thing will probably last forever.

I've emailed MXR in the past, very nice.

I won't replace it down the line because it's very useful and simple. No switch means no accidental shutting off. Then again, if I could shut it off, it would also be useful as a lead boost.

Anyways, I plan on keeping it in my rig forever. I really love this little blue box.

The DOD eq had something strange about it that didn't work with my ears. STALE... that's how it sounded.

The boss EQ is very nice, but, believe it or not, sometimes when I'd stomp on it the volume slider would get kicked up. You can only imagine the look of pain in the ears of every soundman as I'd hit the lead-boost during the next song...nightmares!

This pedal has no reason to be stomped on. Therefore; it's perfect for my setup.

Just a bit hissy, that's all.

Six sliders for six different frequencies. No on/off switch. Just adjust the sliders (each adding or cutting up to 10 db per freq.) until you find the sound you like.

I've been using this for two years now. Took some time to find the right placement for it in my chain. At the end of the chain, I was picking up the local radio station. In front of o/d or distortion wasn't good; it tended to send them over the top, pushing them to max distortion. American Telecaster > Boss cs3 compressor/sustainer > Boss BD2 Blues Driver > or Boss MD2 Mega Distortion > MXR 6 BAND GRAPHIC EQUALIZER > EH small clone chorus > or EH electric mistress > Boss DD 2 digital delay > Peavey Classic 50 410.
This unit make the sound come alive. Once I found the settings that work best for me, it became the 3rd most important part of my setup (after the guitar and amp, obviously). My sound is now cleaner, brighter, fuller, more balanced. It helps me get the just-right Goldilocks sound.

Built like the proverbial brick outhouse. Father-in-law used it for 15 years of steady gigging (lap steel in old time country band), and I use it steadily for going on two years now. I feel confident not having a back-up.

Never had to deal with the manufacturer; doubt I ever will.

I play in several different styles: 80's style alternative/jangle pop/ new wave/power pop/hardcore punk/neo-psychadelic/electric folk/jam band.
I've played for 27 years. If this were misplaced I'd look for one just like it or similar. Never compared it against any other equalizers. At first I thought it needed an on/off switch, but once I have it on, I don't find a need to turn it off. This definitely helps me make music the way i want it to sound. Can't believe I played for 25 years without one of these.

its an eq!

bit of crackling probably due to dodgy battery

looks pretty solid

bought on a whim in a shop second hand. coupled after a big muff it is amazing. kinda like a graphic fuzz i spose, you can dial in loads of sounds.

This review is for the old one. Pre Dunlop, very basic. You know you're looking at one if it plugs directly into the wall, doesn't have a foot switch, and looks 30 yrs old. As mentioned by the previous reviewer, slides are hard to move. I also agree that's a positive. This is only the second effect I've ever given all 10's to, the other being my Hermida Mosferatu. I don't give them lightly like many seem to on HC.

Hands down, the best eq out there. I use it on my old Vibro Champ and it's amazing, with my Band Master and Twin also. So many uses. Even when I want to use my acoustic at a gig I just use this and my champ and mic it.
Usual setup: Guitar>Budwah>Mosferatu>Fulldrive>EQ>ChoralFlange>H&KReplex>Amp

What can you say? It still works after 30 years of (I'm sure by the looks of it) hard use and abuse. I use it at gigs without backup all the time. If it broke during a gig I'd pull it out of the chain and keep playing - but I'd miss it!!

Never dealt with them but they've always had a good rep for service.

Been playing for many years and have owned or tried a huge number of effects. I've had Ibanez, Boss, and DOD(hey! chill.. that was a long time ago.) foot pedal eq's and went through a couple of different rack and midi phases. If stolen I'd snipe an auction on Ebay and get another. I didn't even ding it a point for no footswitch - use a looper.

This one's a keeper. Legend has it that this unit is part of EVH's chain. Keep your eyes peeled for one on ebay!!! Compared to what I've paid for most of my effects, they're still a steal.

Can't get any easier!

I???m not sure which pedal some of these reviews are talking about but I would like to make it clear which one I am referring to. I am talking about the one made in the 1970???s, the blue one! I owned one of these about 18 years ago when I played in a really heavy band and since the day I got rid of this pedal (about 18 years ago) I have NEVER been able to get the edge I had when I played through it. I didn???t put it all together seeing how it had been such a long time ago but I recently had seen one on Ebay and it all came back to me.

So I went and bought one off Ebay (seeing they don???t make them any longer) and have absolutely no regrets. I am currently plugging into a Boss SD-1 and run that into a Keeley Looper with the MXR pedal in the loop so I can turn the MXR on and off (MXR has no on/off switch) because when you use it for a boost/drive you will indeed get a little hissing noise but you can only hear that if you completely stop playing. I then run these pedals straight into a JCM 2000 TSL 100 and it doesn???t matter which high gain channel I go into, the thing just outright screams! I cranked it up to see if I would loose anything like most distortion or overdrive or even amps do when you reach real loud volume levels and even cranked up loud it had a nice smooth tone, easy for super fast fingering, similar to a high quality high gain solid state amp with lots of sustain yet with that growling cranked up tube amp sound and with plenty of juicy yet clean crisp crunch and guts!

I cannot say enough about this pedal. I imagine it would be good for plenty of other applications as it just outright gives your rig an extra edge with a rich sweet tone but what I can say for sure is, for anyone who has been searching for that extra crunch or saturated high gain for the heavy stuff, this is the pedal you want to add to your already distorted sound to complete it! I am 45 and have played guitar since I was 14, I have tried out MANY pedals, amps, gadgets, and have done so many crazy things just to get that great crunchy sound but in my opinion, this pedal takes the cake or should I say, is the icing ON the cake! Just make sure it is the old MXR one, the blue one!

These pedals are solid metal and are from the 70's. The one I bought used off from Ebay has no scratchy pots or flaws whatsoever other than cosmetic.

Never went through customer support!

Yeah, I give it a 10! It does WAY more than it was initially designed to do in the first place and I can now tear peoples heads off without getting carpal tunnel and with a tone that can match the aggressive and creative feelings I am trying let out when I play :)

I wish it had an on/off switch. The sliders are hard to move which is nice seeing how I just throw it in my gig bag without a box anyway. That way they are right where I left them and ready to go when I plug the pedal back in.

I am buying another one of these just for backup!

Very easy to use.

Use bunchs of guitars through a mesa stiletto and traynor. Great effect pedal. Anyone trashing this doesnt understand a thing about eq's. There meant for fine tuning not radical transformation. True by pass...and its cheap as hell! Can hum a bit but come on....what doesnt hum when put into a fx loop..thats why the trick is to use it judicially...

great on batterys...dunno beyond that

playin 5 years...if it were stolen sure id get another one. Nice and easy with no frills. comared it to a boss eq 7....this doesnt suck tone when off due to True bypass. Use it to remove some muddy bass or add some midrange grind.

american fender with a bridge humbucker->engl tube toner preamp (mxr 6 band eq in the effects loop) -> electro harmonix holy grail->fender pro junior tube amp. I just use it to add more bass for my lead channel. It's dead quiet in the effects loop of engl tube toner preamp, but can add small amont of hiss if used it in front of distortion. bypass switch is useful as i dont need eq and sometimes turn it off for the clean channel.

i preferred mxr over boss and dod cause they're lower quality and noisy, and yot don't need the level adjustment or the extra treble band really. i'm very happy with my mxr 6 band.

Well this pedal is about as simple as it gets. It just has an input and output and six sliders with the frequencies labeled on them. It takes a little time to get just the sound you want but I can't imagine a pedal being any simpler.

I was dead set on getting an MXR 10 band when I stumble across this gem. I am not sure how old it is but it's the blue one without the on\off switch. So far I am happiest running it in the loop of my Peavey XXX. It allows me to smooth out my mids some and dial in just a touch more lowend grind. In front of the amp it tightens everything up nicely as well. This pedal has a certain amount of mojo going for it when I compared it to other pedals. It has a really nice warm character to it that seemed to be missing from the Boss and other MXR eq's I tried. For the price I think it is a steal.

well mine is fairly beat up but works like a champ, I don't forsee any issues since it is solid metal and the sliders feel very solid.

I am really impressed with this pedal. It gives me all the control in the world over my sound and doesn't have any frequency bands that don't affect a guitars tone. It has a slight hiss to it when it's on but nothing major. Overall an outstanding value

Very cool. simple to use, 6 slides on/off switch. The only reason why I don't give it a 10, becouse in needs level control, not becouse Boss got 7 band Eq, then it wouldn't be and 6 band eq would it?

I'm using this eq to boost my mid op for solos. sounds cery nice, Scooped the highs and cut the bass off a little and turn the mid op to the point when solo volume is reached. I'm no afraid to sai that this IS the best eq pedal on the marked. and the light on the slides are wery wery cool, makes people wanna come and check out your pedalboard ;)

the on/off button broke down awhile ago, but it justed needes some cleaning and re veldings. Otherwise this pedal is solid.

The local dealers are wery nice to deal with, always redy to help.

The best buy on 6 band eq. If it was stolen I would buy me an 10band from MXR. No question! I feel the solos missing something without this pedal.