MXR Blue Box

Well, it is easy to use, but otherwyse of no use at all ;-)

Due to the fact that this pedal *should* sound broken, it does exactly that and I don't like it at all! Sounding like an old Nintendo is too much for my ears!

Probably, it lasts forever

never used it

This pedal sounds ******* ugly and if you want to make weard sounds, then you should buy real ring-modulator! Don't buy this pedal, you will be disappointed unless you're collecing MXR-Pedals.

All in all: a silly noisebox!!

Well, the device is easy to control but simply not usable! ;-)

Uuhm, if you like Mario games from the 80ties, this blue box is for you! It sounds like a f**ing 8bit analog synth and not like a guitar anymore. Try a green ringer probably for other sounds from outer space

rock stable

never needed it

i sell it as fast as i can because I don't have much fun with this box anymore ;-)

It'e pretty easy to use - two knobs. The output controls the output volume of the pedal. The blend knob controls how much of your original signal comes through the effect.

Messing with the two knobs together does produce some different sounds but I leave the output all the way up to cut through in a band setting. The blend knob gets pretty wild... (see below)

The simple way to describe this pedal is to say it's a fuzz that replicates your signal one or two octaves down.

But it's not a simple pedal. It's glitchy, totally messed up and bizarre. It does do what it claims it does but it doesn't do it like you think it would. At higher settings, it's subtle and fairly straightforward. Dial it back and it starts glitching out - jumping between the two octaves at random. It sort of sounds like a broken Nintendo but in a kind of White Stripes way. Dial it back further and you lose your original tone completely - the octave takes over in an all out noise fest.

It consistently sounds good but it always sounds different. So don't expect to dial in the same results every time - even on the same settings. It's way more versatile than you'd expect though - and usable in a variety of styles.

Sometimes I use a Turbo Rat or Big Muff after it in my chain and it cleans up the glitches really well - turning into a solid sounding deep octave which is cool too.

It's only problem is a slight volume drop. I think I can fix it pretty easily though. I haven't noticed any noise seeping out when it's in bypass despite what others have said about it.

I bought it knowing the Thurston Moore has used one for twenty years. I still have yet to figure out what he does with it but I love it nonetheless.

I'm an avid Blue Box fan. You will be too.

The housing is solid and durable. The knobs are huge, thick rubber. The switch, however, seems a little weak and I can imagine needing to replace it eventually.

I do gig without a backup.

N/A.

I play Post-Punk with funk/garage/noise/surf influences and this pedal is a perfect match for that. It's probably not for everyone though. In fact, it's probably not for most. But there are enough of you out there that will love this pedal to death... If you're into lo-fi, noise and all of that - this is where you'll find it.

I've been playing for 7 years or so. If you're interested my set up is:
Jap Strat with Duncan Rails>BOSS TU-2>Ibanez Tubescreamer>MXR Blue Box>Pro Co Turbo Rat>EHX Big Muff Pi>Sovtek Small Stone>BOSS Digital Delay/Reverb>Fender 410

If it were lost or stolen I would absolutely, 100%, positively buy another one. I might buy another one just for the sake of having two and run them both together for absolute noisy chaos.

As already discussed in previous reviews, the Blue Box is as simple as they come: Two knobs - Output and Blend - and only one of these knobs actually alters the sound.

As has also previously been discussed, the Blue Box is a combination of a Fuzz and an Octave-down pedal. With the blend knob turned up, you get a gated-fuzz that would be well worth the $180 I paid for it. The sound is smooth but searing, allowing solos to cut through the mix & also suited for somewhat chaotic rhythmic patterns. As you roll back the blend, the lower octave slowly reveals itself to produce a fuzzy, synthy tone that is very musical. With the blend down, the pedal produces a very low, very synthy 'noise' that modulates at random. This sound is also very musical despite its unpredictability.

It is important to mention that this pedal is only really suited for single-note passages. Chords simply get lost under layers of fuzz.

Despite many other reviewers claiming the Blue Box is more of a novelty than a necessity, this pedal has become an essential part of my sound. I am using the Blue Box with a rusty old Ibanez RG with DiMarzio humbuckers and a Maton J45 Jazz Box. I play many different styles of music from black metal to blues to electronica and I find this pedal usuable for all styles. The pedal sits in between a ZVEX fuzz factory and an Electro Harmonix #1 echo running into an ENGL Ritchie Blackmore head and standard cab.

It is also worth mentioning that I modified my Blue Box by removing the C11 capacitor. This mod increases the volume of the pedal and filters out less of the high frequencies. The pedal is now a little harsher and doesn't gate as well as it used to, but is now much more usuable due to the added volume. I also added a switch so I can still have the filtered sound if I want. You too can learn how to do this mod at the following site: http://www.noisefx.com/article/mxr_blue_box_mod

Hooray!

Of all the pedals I've ever owned, I trust this one the most. You can tell by the weight of the thing that it is built to last.

Although I love this pedal, there are a few things I would change if I had the choice. Firstly, The output knob is almost totally useless straight out of the box. Even now that I have modified the pedal, the output is rarely set at less than 100%. A gain control would be much more useful and would drasticly expand the potential of this pedal.

Secondly, The C11 mod improves the Blue Box's versatility so much, I can't imagine why a filter switch isn't included staight out of the box. If you own this pedal already, the mod takes about 30 mins and costs about $2. Do it.

And Thirdly, I'm not a big a fan of the power supply being located on the side of all dunlop pedals. Why can't they put it on the top like all other pedal manufacturers? It's a personal thing, but at the moment I'm wasting 2 plugs in my daisy chain in order to reach the sockets on my Blue Box & Cry Baby.

Apart from these wishes, this pedal is great.

Well, this is a pretty easy to use pedal - 2 knobs - but I didn't give it a 10 because as it's pretty unique, to get full ease of use out of it you need to get used to it a bit first (plus I had to apply a mod as I will explain in the next section).

Also, get an adapter - you have to unscrew the bottom of the case to get at the battery which is a bit annoying.

First off, I need to say that I applied the C11 mod - just removing the C11 capacitor from the board. Easy enough - just need to take it apart and clip it off with some wire clippers (trust me, if I can do this "mod" anyone can). Gets rid of the annoying volume drop, but also I found made it sound less muddy and more put some more highs in the tone. This might not be to everybodies preference, but I much prefer it with the mod.

I will admit that after 10 or so minutes with this pedal, I wasn't too impressed. Do not try this pedal expecting a simple octaver. Not that it is noisy and unusable - it isn't. But it's used best not like a traditional octave-down effect with a fuzz and more like an experimental synthy-sounding pedal with a unique ability to create certain sounds. To begin with (really until after I had applied the mod) I didn't hold a particularly good opinion of my new purchase.

Having said that, it does sound pretty awesome once it gets set up (ie modded, and you've found the right settings). Blend at 100% wet I find to be a bit useless(except for general rumbling noise), but other than that you can create some really interesting dynamics and lead sounds with it. I use it at about 11 o clock blend (that's an estimate - when I took it apart to mod it I put the knobs on a bit hastily and now they are slightly offset) to get a psychadelic weird lead tone.

I run it into a Roland Cube 60 (I also own a dunlop wah but I have yet to try this combination - I'm sure you can get some crazy stuff out of the two). It sounds pretty good on the clean channel, but I sometimes layer it on top of the Cube's rectifier distortion to make a super-compressed, dark and heavy tone which is amazing. You would think this would make for extrme amounts of noise, but it is very quiet. I actually think I remember reading that the Blue Box contains a built in noise gate, so this might be why.

Also, it is really a dual purpose pedal - blend at 0% wet turns it into a pretty nice fuzzbox. I see this as an extra, really. If you just want a fuzz, get something else - it's not a good enough fuzz to justify it being a stand alone effect, but it is useful.

It is built pretty well. I wouldn't say it would NEVER break though, 'cos it used so there's no telling really. Casing is really solid though.

Not really applicable, if it did ever stop working I'd check for broken connections myself or just replace it, as it's used.

I play a lot of stuff, my influences vary from progressive metal like SikTh and Opeth to 90's alternative stuff like Alice In Chains and experimental stuff like the Melvins, Mike Patton's projects, Primus, etc, as well as post rock like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Set Fire To Flames, Milhaven, A Silver Mt. Zion, etc etc.

It suits me well because although I enjoy straight up metal and etc, I love weird noises and sounds, and try to use a variety of sounds and influences in my own playing.

I have been playing for about 3 1/2 years (I was 13, now 16). I will say here that I don't have a great lot of gear experience, however I'd say this pedal doesn't have a massive amount to be compared to.

I'd just say that if you are on the look out for a fresh sound and enjoy quirky but still useful, you should consider this pedal.

It's really hard to say, if it is easy to use. It is, when it comes, to making noises:}, and It's not, when you talk about predicting it's actions. Basiclly, you can nail three setings. Blend to 100 %, blend to 50% and blend to 0% (other sounds, are just mixes). Of course, it is stompbox - plug and play. I dislike placement of the imputs. It is easier to find suitable place on pedalboard, when imputs are on "the top" of the effect.

Machine with personality. Heh. Indeed, it is a really sensible beast. I was (Sold) using it for making solos. Smooth, fat,transparent, cutting througt the mix, violin like sound (Blend - 100%). Add a litte delay and enjoy. This effect is worth buying only for this setting. Unfortunetly (for Blue box) i am able to mimic this sound using UF-1 (wonderfull pedie!). Other usefull feature, this effect delivere is blend at 50 %. You can achive some industrial noises, weird things. Love it:}.
Blend at 0% is the most.....crazy one. Atari sound, some drones - in this categories it is a specialist. Try it.

Solid, rought case, bloodred LED, tought pots. Looking at my pedalboard (UF, BB, Echohead, Polychorus, Tuna Melt, Small Stone, Jammman) it is the most reliable effect. You CAN't destroy it......hmmm.....maybe you can.....put away this rocket luncher! !

Never needed:}

Worth buying. However, it's not type of effect you DO need. I was using it rearly, from time to time. That was the main reason I sold it. Blue Box are becomeing hard to find (Hmmm....In Europe every good stuff is hard to find, or is horribly expensive). We had a nice couple of weeks together, and I don't regret buying this unit. If you like Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, or Placebo, try it out.

2 knobs, so this is easy to use!

But as others have said you may need to mess with the BLEND setting for a minute or two to find the sound you might be after... The output knob does in fact drop your overall volume UNLESS you turn it up to 75-100% (roughly 3 o'clock or higher). I find this NOT to be a probem really. I just leave it turned up in that range. :)

The sound quality is pretty damn GOOD! I mean, it is very analog sounding and not overly processed (like the Digitech Synth Wah, which alos does a fuzzy octave effect).

As others below said, I will testify that the fuzz alone is worth the price! Turn the blend all the way up and you get a SMOOTH fuzz with killer sustain. Start turning the BLEND down, and you begin to unleash a beast you've never encountered before! It's pretty cool because besides getting that "Fool in the Rain" led Zeppelin tone and the White Sptripes tone that opther guy mentioned, you can get some wacky Nintendo/Atari sounds. I sounded like a car racing in Pole Position for one minute, and Super Mario traipsing thru Bowser's castle the next! Just by a small twist of the BLEND and alter your phrasing to sound choppy = 8-bit video game effects. :)

There is a tinge of noise with this pedal at some settings, but it is intentional. It's part of the sound.

I use an Epiphone Sheraton usually, thru a Fender Deluxe Reverb, or a Twin Reverb.

I think I can depend on this thing more than any woman I've ever met! haha.

MXR pedals are built tough as sh*T! Kind of like BOSS, but maybe better!

Since it's kind of a novelty pedal, I wouldn't buy a backup. I can get thru a gig without it. But if I ever broke it or had it stolen, I'd definitely buy another one. They're pretty cheap and well worth it!

I wouldn't bother calling MXR because I wouldn't need tech support for this. I'd fix it myself (if it was a soldering issue, for instance) or I'd just buy another one.

I play classic rock, jazz, weird rock, electronic music and more. Been playing 12 yrs, and I have a few other effects (modified Tube Screamer, Small Stone, Small Clone, Boss Analog Delay, Boss EQ pedal, and some other junk)

There's really nothing I can think of to enhance this pedal. This is my new favorite toy! It gives me inspiration to write more and freak out on my rock solos. Thats the whole point of getting gear right? Inspire you to pick up that instrument and do some damage! haha

The blue box is one of the easiest pedals to use, but one of the hardest to get the sound you want out of it. Just 2 knobs, Volume and Blend. All the volume really does is reduce your levels unless you crank it all the way up. The blend function can make your guitar go crazy. I took one resistor out of mine to compensate for the volume problem

First off, i got this pedal just to goof around and see what kind of funky new sounds out of my rig. The blue box nails the sound of the white stripes' blue orchid if you set the blend knob a little below 12 o'clock, use your neck pickup with the tone almost all the way down, with the volume low on the guitar. Just play it an octave up add a big muff after it to make up for the volume cut. I use an Epiphone LP custom--Blue Box--Danelectro French Toast--Big Muff--Snarling Dogs Tweed E. Dog--Marshall JCM, and the blue box helps me out with the evil tones in the bridge of Bullet with Butterfly Wings by smashing pumpkins. Not noisy, the fuzz alone is impressive as well. Good times scaring neighborhood animals too.

Very reliable, good battery life, and very quality housing. I have gigged without a backup for a few years now.

Never had a problem.
Never purchased an upgrade for it, and i probably wont.

This pedal is great for any style of music that needs something that makes the sound one would think Satan made while taking a dump. Really innovative, high quality pedal. Only thing I wish it had is an octave up effect, so i could ditch the french toast. I would probably buy another one, or a digitech whammy if it were lost or stolen. Overall, it is a nice novelty pedal worthy of your money!

This pedal took a while to figure out the sweet spot, just read enough reveiws and you'll fugure it out...prolly.

i did the "mod" to this pedal second day i had it because it was to quiet, now it cranks. the sound is buttery smooth octave fuzz, i love it....volume at 2 o'clock blend at 3 o'clock rocks my world. i use a jazzmaster/dod fx 90/boss tu 2/zvex fuzz factory/dunlop jimi hendrix classic fuzz/dunlop wha/mxr bluebox/fender super amp.

seems real tough

it rips when you get it figured out, smooth octave fuzz....nice

Two Dials and a footswitch. volume (volume) and blend (blend between original and octave sounds)

The fuzz sounds great on its own and the octave sounds great, but there are certain things you need to do to get the best out of this pedal. 1: Play with your neck pickup, this reduced the amount of harmonics and doesn't confuse the flip flop as much (this is what makes the pedal glitch) . 2: Play around the 10th fret upwards. This also reduces harmonics, but also it means the the 2oct down sound is much more audible, especially through a guitar amp.

If you play chords through this, you're an idiot. Actually I take that back, the company should be telling you what I'm telling you, so it's not your fault. Play some single line blues licks around the 10th fret using the neck pickup of your guitar before you judge how good this pedal sounds.

As for the volume drop issue, I can't say I've noticed. But I'll probably try the mod anyway..

It's solid, and heavy. I really can't see anything breaking on this sucka!

Who knows, no problems with any of their products....

If you're into pitch shifted type sounds or octaving you need one of these toys. It can glitch if you're into that, but I prefer getting searing single note licks blasting out a tube amp.

Very straightforward indeed: one knob for the output volume and one for the blend between wet and dry signal. The blend dial seems to work the other way around to most pedal dials (ie you get more of the wet signal the further anticlockwise you turn it), which is curious but not really difficult to figure out.

If yr one of those types who fret endlessly about the quality of yr tone and so on, then steer well clear of this pedal. The tracking is fine one the higher settings but turn the blend anticlockwise past about two o'clock and the signal starts jumping around between ovtaves at random. Past about eleven o'clock the whole thing goes absolutley crazy; low frequency rips and full on sonic flatulence galore! And I love it! I can see why some people may be using this as a paperweight soon after purchasing it but personally I think it's amazing. I used to think that the signal was rather weak (which in fairness it is, quite often it could do with a good nudge from another fuzz/overdrive unit) but i've found a way of incorparating that into my playing. Here's how it interacts with the rest of my current set-up:
Epiphone LP-100 >> Boss TR-2 Temolo >> MXR Blue Box >> EHX US Big Muff Pi >> Dunlop Crybaby Wah >> Boss DD3 Digital Delay >> Whatever amp is available.
I play wonky experimental stuff which borders on electronica at times with an ecstatic slant. This pedal is pretty cool for noisiness and abstract details. If yr not after that (or at least Sonic Youth style semi-coherence) you may have some probs with it..... BUT I love it so i'm giving it a nine!

Big like and deceptively (reasuringly!) heavy. I love the little clips you can put on the knobs that make them llok like roller skate wheels too! Only annoyance is that you have to unscrew the back to get at the battery but i'm running my pedals from a power pack now.

This one is gona split opinions but personally i'm a fan of it. It's fairly versatile, amkes a lot of belching noise and seems highly reliable. Definitlely a keeper.

very easy to use. two knobs -- output and blend.

this particular octafuzz-like effect is quite excellent. i'd give it a 9 or 10 except that it's not true bypass so i hear it working ever so slightly when it's in the chain but not engaged.

the sound is always great to play with. it can be a bit of a one-trick-pony and for that reason i use it sparingly. right now i have it set up:

am tele > blue blox > deluxe memory man > voodoo lab tremolo > modded fender blues jr.

solid, solid, solid. not a huge part of my sound so i gig without a backup.

never dealt with mxr.

i play spaced out blues/jazz/rock so this fits nicely into my rig. i've been playing for 18 years and have a lot of boutique pedals. this is the only pedal that i use which is not true bypass. but heh, it's also the only one well under $100. if it were lost or stolen i would probably buy a red witch fuzz god.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to operate the Blue Box. There are two knobs. However, it was a little confusing at first since the octave effect, which is adjusted with the Blend control, is at maximum level when it is turned to the extreme left, whereas most pedals the most extreme sounds come when the knob is at the extreme right.

This thing sounds great. Well actually it sounds horrible. Either way if someone is looking for a pedal to really alter their sound, this is it. YOu can get cracked out Video Games sounds, to a nice subtle fuzz, with plenty of suboctave fuzz in-between. My only complaint is the noticeable drop in volume when the effect is engaged. That can easily be remedied by placing it in front of a booster. This pedal works great with my rig. I use a 72 Fender Tele and an 80's Epiphone Dot. They both sound great with the Blue Box. I play through a Roland JC-120 and '56 Multivox Premier 50 (for vibrato) and they both sound great. I have way too many pedals to list but, one that makes some really quirky sounds when used with the Blue Box is the Boss HF-2 Hi-Band Flanger. This flanger only really affects the higher level frequencies and generates a subtle flange effect by producing a tone one octave above the original signal, if that makes any sense. When mixed with the Blue Box which produces some tones two actaves below, it sounds really cool. (I apologize for not being too knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the HF-2, I just know it sounds good with the Blue Box.)

This thing is an original, and its a tank. Don't think I'd be needing abackup any time soon....unless it is stolen.

Never had a problem, lets see what the future holds.

You can't really say that this box fits with any particular genre, but it can really add color to any one's sound. This is not some thing that you would want to use often like a TS-808, but when it comes time to kick in the solo, this is a refreshing alternative to the Tubescreamer.

No manual...don't need one, this aint your usual "i wanna sound like..." pedal, Two knobs; Level and Blend (which they should re-name "Road to hell")! Easy!

This is an oddball, the signal is not boosted with the pedal on and this is a downright shame coz this pedal is a motherfucker! I performed the C11 mod on mine which does boost the volume slightly, however you can boost the sound with a Tubescreamer after it. It's not a noisy pedal, the fuzz is nasty with an onboard soundgate that makes it "break-up" rather than sustain gracefully, it's a good fuzz sound. Then there's that blend control which adds a two octaves below effect. It seems to loose tracking though so it jumps about, and can sound like a demented Nintendo game going through a fuzz box, up full is complete hell, unusable in the concept of music. If this pedal was loud it would be one of the most evil things man has created.

Like all MXR pedals, this pedal will will probably "outlive" the owner.

Never had any problems.

I've been playing 16 years and have used valve amps, i'm bored with traditional sounds so i searched for an evil lo-fi fuzz. This pedal delivers but the volume is a big shame. I would definitely replace this if someone was foolish enough to steal it (it's the sort of sound that could give you nightmares for years to come), I've played a Gibson Les Paul Junior and Fender Music Master through this and it sounds evil everytime. On full settings everyone thinks i've blown a valve or my amp is fucked, the exact reaction i wanted!! ;) I could not compare this pedal, i've tried loads, as i said it's an oddball/a one-off.

As simple as can be. Two knobs - one for level, one for insanity. As for how easy it is to get a good sound out of it... it depends on your definition of a "good" sound. Some people would probably hate this thing and consider it useless. I think it's fantastic and sounds great no matter how you tweak it.

Not sure if this is the vintage or reissue. I think it's the reissue though.

Raven RP450 Hollowbody > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Vox Wah > MXR Blue Box > Dano Compressor > Proco Rat > Ibanez TSDX9 > Dano Vibrato > EH Small Stone

Crystal quiet in my setup, doesn't seem to mess with the tone more than any of my other pedals have. Quiet all the way around, effect always sounds good.

With the blend knob all the way to the right, you get a nice solid fuzz tone. Start turning it left, and it's like Satan appeared in your amp. It's an octaver of some nature, but switches frequency at random, creating some very interesting sounds. With the blend knob all the way to the left it creates a dark, ominous tone that you can hear jumping frequencies. I keep the blend at about 11 o'clock for some nice Atari on Acid sounds.

The reason I run this right after my wah is because if you use the wah, it allows you to almost control where the frequency jumps. It's freakin' awesome! This pedal is fantastic, great for spacy jams. I use it a lot during spacy, psychedelic jams when I need something to scare small children and animals.

Built like a tank. I'd gig without a backup as it's not a huge part of my sound.

N/A - Haven't needed to talk to them.

This pedal is fantastic for what I use it for! I needed something just plain weird and unique because I like making strange sounds. I had gotten a Digitech Synth Wah before this because I really wanted a synth tone, but this thing beats that out. The Synth Wah had massive volume swells and just wasn't doing it for me. This isn't a true synth by any means but it does what I want it to do. It's just plain weird!

I play a variety of music, largely jamband oriented, but with influences ranging from Phish & the Dead to Metallica & Slayer to Miles & Coltrane to electronica.

As others have said, it's the height of simplicity - two knobs, one controlling output, the other controlling the effect. The only way it could be simpler is if there were no knobs at all.
The only reason I deduct the one point is because of the strange reverse function of the Blend knob - it's a bit counter-intuitive. Usually the leftmost area of the dial is no effect, and the rightmost is the largest amount of effect.

It does what it does very well....and since it's the only one of its kind, you can't compare it to anything else. Totally silent for me. May not track perfectly on the 2nd octave, but that's part of the charm.

Heavy metal casing...but you have unscrew the bottom plate to change the battery. This is the only apparent downside. Use an AC adapter! Otherwise, as tank-like as Boss.

N/A

A strange pedal, not terribly useful (how many times do you remember hearing it in songs you like? OTHER than Sonic Youth or Zeppelin's Fool in the Rain? Exactly)... but still QUITE interesting to play with. If you get one cheap, and have some time to kill, it's good to play with. Maybe a nice musical result could come from it. Based solely on what it's meant to do, it's a great pedal.

Comon dudes... 2 knobs, I mean... Level amd Blend... Duh!

Okay...
Here's the real deal.
If your into playing stuff like "The Beatles", or if your like "the finnest distortion in the world is never found"... Then this effect is NOT for you... Its a noise maker... It makes noise, and makes it sounds pretty damn good. Not people have mentionned thid but I finf that this peddle is THE peddle to get that weird "John 5 solo" sound from Marilyn Manson. His music is AWESOME, but let us stay focussed on the effect. It makkes a really weird kind of nois (make that noises). sounds really neat (as in "wow, that's a guitar your playing?".
THIS PEDDLE IS THE SHIT!!!!
AWESOME

hmmm... make of steel... life: 900+ years

Never dealt

For Marylin Manson music: AWESOME
For "the true distortion": Not so good.
Makes really weird noise, makes noise sound good.

It did not take me too long to determine how the knobs interacted on this lovely contraption. On the downside, it is necessary to remove the backplate to change the battery and the AC jack is in a potentially awkward place.

The lower octave tracking in this beast is insanely bad ... which makes it an EXCELLENT noise pedal. The tracking actually seems to get worse the more you blend in the octave (turn the "Blend" knob to the left). Also, the internal gate is fairly harsh, so it is easy to get retro arcade game/synth sound effects at certain settings ... and it should react with digital amp modeling devices without producing unwanted hiss. The only drawback here is its curiously low output level (even with the "Level" control dimed). This leads to a volume drop when the pedal is engaged, but can be compensated for with post eq, a boost, or another fuzz after the Blue Box in the signal chain.

This thing is pretty much a solid steel brick ... but I have only owned mine for about a month, so only time will tell.

Have not needed to contact them just yet.

MXR struck gold with this design, IMHO. The only missing component would seem to be a sufficient amount of stock output gain (volume).

-2 knobs + an on/off switch......

Sound qualiy???? I use this pedal to basicly play noise, which is great for tring to enulate Wolf Eyes, Hair Police, Lightning Bolt etc........

Don't know just got it.

never dealt and dont think I ever will.

Dont buy this pedal if you have conventional playing in mind. More options are always good but in this case
If you like the end of Mildred Pierce By SONIC YOUTH you will not be disapointed by this pedal.....(i'm not suggesting this pedal was used on the track though, even though Thurston does use them ).

It's very easy to use. Mine came with the wrong directions (they gave me Cry Baby directions)but within 10 minutes i was able to get the sound i wanted out of it. The two knobs control output and blend. Output is obviously how loud the effect is and blend controls how much of the octave effect is mixed with the distortion. Extreme left on the blend control gives you Atari music on the high frets, and on the low frets it sounds like a Floyd Rose tremolo pushed all the way down so that it's touching the body. Extreme right on the blend control gives you a strange distorion. Both sides ARE useable, and with the blend control in the middle it gives you a great balance between the distortion and octaves.

This is the reissue and i was worried it wouldn't sound like an original, but it does. On their site, www.jimdunlop.com, they have a sound clip of the reissue. Currently i'm using the following setup: Gibson SG>>DOD death metal FX86>>MXR Blue Box>>Cry Baby>>Alesis NanoVerb>>Peavey Butcher (120 watt all tube)>>Crate 4x12. However, i have a DOD fx56 American Metal distortion pedal, DOD dfx5 Digital Turbo Distortion, and a DOD fx40b EQ that i just won off ebay and should be arriving soon. i also want to upgrade to a Peavey 5150 II. As you can see i only use DOD and MXR stompboxes (the Alesis reverb unit is rackmount). This unit is very quiet because it has a build in noise gate. The only audible noise it makes is a very quiet clicking sound when you arent playing and the effect is still on. Unless your amp is cranked, everyone around you is quiet, and your not playing, you wont hear it. If your playing in a band nobody with ever notice. The effects this thing produces are perfect. The distortion is a little strange, but so is the octave effect, the whole thing is strange. Don't buy this and expect to get the classic MXR distortion, because it isnt there. The distortion is colored by the octave effect. This is what Jimmy Page uses on "fool in te rain", and it allows you to pull off some Tom Morello tricks (he uses the Digitech Whammy, which is similar to this unit). Tom Morello is my favorite modern guitarist, if you have never heard him you should. He was with Rage Aginst the Machine and is currently with Audioslave. Download "Ashes in the Fall" "Down Rodeo" and pretty much anything else by Rage to hear some these tricks. Head from Korn also uses this effect. You can check out Morello and Head's rig at www.guitargeek.com.

I haven't used this enough to be able to judge the reliablity. It is very solid looking. Take it apart and look how thick the metal casing is. It comes with rubber slip-ons for the plastic knobs, which look very cool. I would definaltey gig without a backup, and i wouldn't worry about it.

Never had to deal with Dunlop (MXR is owned by Dunlop). Never had to have it repaired. the guy i bought it from shipped it to me in the original box with the warranty slip that you fill out and send in. I wont be filling it out, waste of time.

I play many kinds of music. Everything from Nu-Metal(slipknot) to ska(sublime) to classic rock(Hendrix)to Old School Metal(Anthrax) to Alternative(Incubus)to Blues(Leadbelly)to Grunge(Nirvana). This thing can be used in all of these styles in one way or another. It's especially good for Nu-Metal and Alternative. Ive been playing for at least 8 years. i own all the gear i've already stated, and some strat knockoffs, an Oscar Shmidt acoustic, a crappy Rouge distortion that ill be selling soon, and some other little things. The Gibson SG is my most prized possesion. I would buy it again if it were stolen, its just as usefull as a Cry Baby, i don't know why more people don't use it. Probably because it's not a very well known effect. Everyone i tell about it thinks it's called a "Blues Box", and that it makes blues overdrive. I love everything about this pedal, there is nothing i wish it had. I originally wanted to get a DOD fx33 Buzz Box, but they are in the 150 dollar range used, and damn near impossible to find. This effect is more musical than the Buzz Box and much cheaper. This should be on everybody's pedalboard. like the Cry Baby, this is a pretty weird effect, but it can be used in so many ways that it amazes me why not many people have started using them as much as Wah type effects.

Very easy to use. Almost too easy. It's blue. It's a box.

This effect is the Missing Link. It acts like the Missing Link, it looks like the Missing Link, it sounds like the Missing Link. And oh what a discovery! Yes, Jimmy Page already had it all figured out in the 70s when he layed down that unforgettable solo on "Fool in the Rain." But Jimmy Page had a lot of things figured out before anybody else because he was a studio rat. What's amazing about the Blue Box is it can go from THAT sound to one of the meanest distortion sounds you're going to hear. I run this one a couple of spots behind a Tubescreamer and oh my Gawd it is mean when the dials are all the way up. Dogs will howl, children will cry, and the paint will peel. Or dial it back down some and it's like playing with a melodious octave pedal on the fritz. It's an absolute delight. And, as so many others have noted, it's unpredictable. And that, my friends, is KICK ASS. When it's not being used, it is as quiet as cat fart. In fact, I think it's a bit of an introvert, because it seems to become awfully withdrawn when it's not in use.

Yes. MXR. Can't find anything better.

MXR don't need no stinkin' customer support.

The MXR Blue Box is a pervert on acid. And your signal is the hapless victim. Whether you are a tone addict or a noise maker, this little contraption can bring a smile to your face. Beware, it can make the other pedals on your board look frightfully pale in comparison.

Tricky one to answer this - I think it's incredibly easy to get a good sound out of, but then I like what it does. Two knobs, blend and gain. Despite what some people have said the gain control DOES boost the signal, BUT because this thing work sat low frequencies, you need to crank it to make it cut through - therefore the more you roll the blend off the more volume you need to roll on.

AND

If you don't like the sound (see below) then you'll never get a good sound out of it. Horses for courses.

Setup - I use either a re-issue Jaguar or Mex Tele, through (in sequence) Turbo Rat - Blue Box - Boss Hyper Fuzz - Old Russian Big Muff (green one) all in front of a Marshall 2554 valve amp (not the silver one though) and then (all boss) supershifter, DD5 delay, and flanger in the effects loop.

Normally this thing isn't noisy when off - but at the moment it's bust (see below) so it is.

Now for the actual sound - as everybody say, think Nintendo/Atari music. It makes a buzzy analogue synth sound, and constantly "flicks" between the octaves creating a glitchy sound. It's perfect if you're into repetitive riff based stuff, similar to Sebadoh's Flame. My favourite trick is using this with my pitchshifter set to harmonize one or two octaves back up, but half and half with the orginal signal - It screws around with the sound even more, and cures all the problems with it cutting through - you realise exactly how loud it is with it on full volume!

Doesn't get used much, partly because when my band kicks in most of the effect gets lost, but it sounds great if a section features it, normally a repetetive riff.

Well I've had it for 10 months and it's having a wobbly now. In the process of getting it repaired. Basically, even when off, some of the signal is coming through, plus if you touch the casing it gives the "buzz" as if you touch a guitar lead when plugged in.

Also as mentioned on other MXR problems - the space for the battery is WAY too small, squishes all the wires up, plus you will really struggle to fit a square 9 volt battery in (as opposed to those with the rounded corners)

Waiting to see what happens with the repair.

See above - asked Dunlop direct for help - received nice e-mails back, but unfortunately no service centre in the UK, so I'm sending back to the shop. The did offer to fix it if I'm prepared to send it directly to them though. Can't be arsed though, the store can deal with it!

I love it. I'm extremely mad that it's bust at the moment, and miss it immensely. The kind of music I play is a combination of stripper down bluesy/punk coupled with noisy "space" rock sections. It's great for both, but unfortunately due to the all out noisiness of my band it tends to get lost in the all out rock explosions. It's just too low!

Great fun, I'd recommend it to anyone who has an imaginitive streak, doubt you'll use it much within songs you already have - but I guarantee you'll write a song "for" it... I've written loads!

Some may say it's impossible to get a "good" tone out of this little box, but I think that's rather the point. It's such a unique sound, it's hard to compare it to anything else.
That being said, the setup is simple: Output and Blend knobs (huge, easy to futz with them with your feet) and a switch. Cant get much more simple.

I play an Ibanez AF75 hollowbody and and a modified Nelsonic Tele through a Crybaby 535, an MXR Distortion + and the Blue Box into a Peavey Classic 30. The Blue Box is noisy and hard to control, but again, that's the idea. It creates notes 2 octaves down from whatever you're playing, and switches between them seemingly at random. Almost unusable for rhythm playing, but sounds really, really cool on leads. I found that with the wah before it, if you engage the wah after the BB, and park it somewhere in the middle range of it's sweep, the octaves stay more solid and don't drop out as much, if you want a sound you can reproduce any time you want.

It's an MXR, if these things can stand up to touring with Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr, they can take whatever you throw at them.

Never dealt with them.

I play a wide range of rock music, hardcore stuff to poppy Replacements style rock and roll. The Blue Box gives me something weird enough to stand out in any situation without having to mess with a million FX. I would absolutely get another one if this got stolen, esp if I could get a good deal like I did this time.
I love MXR pedals, and I'm always on the lookout for more toys from them

The blue box is ridiclously easy to use. There are two huge knobs: "output" and "blend. These knobs are so rubbery and massive that you can move them with your feet while playing. and theres just an on/off switch. yeah. its easy to use.

I am playing this between one of the larger fender princeton amps and a strat or thinline telecaster. one annoying thing is that its not true bypass, and you can hear it very softly when its disengaged. The sound quality is good...for a blue box. a good word for this effect is confusing. it makes everything sound all synthy and drops your original note an octave. playing chords with the blend knob anywhere below the maximum sounds pretty much terrible. this can do some cool tricks on jazz runs on the higher frets. this pedal is the definiton of experimentation.

its an mxr so its built like a tank. the only thing wrong is that my lcd broke, which is a pain in the ass.

n/a

this is a good match for experimental music. if it was stolen or lost theres a good chance i wouldn't buy this again. i just dont use it that often, even though it makes for a good fuzz pedal. its kind of like an octave divider, a ring modulation and a fuzz pedal all mixed in to one satanic pedal.

2 knobs. As other said, "blend" is the key of this effect

I use a mexican tele > Dod fx80b comp-sustainer > Nobels overdrive special > Big Muff (nyc reissue) > blue box > Aria stereo chorus > Zoom 505II (for delay and ring mod). Simply incredible, the funniest effect I never played with. And it's quiet, I mean there is no noise. My only complain (that's why I gave it 9 instead of 10) is that it do not have enough sustain, but I use it in couple with the dod comp, and it sounds still good. Like other effects (as the muff) sounds very good plugging the head of the cable in yr. hand and playing with the "blend" knob, it makes some weird bass noises.

It seems a heavy blue brick

I play a mix of grunge and noise, and my main inspiration is Sonic Youth's music. I'm very happy to have bought it, it's really great (even if my bandmates do not like it) and helps me a lot making strange noises.