MXR Distortion II

I tried & tried & I cant get a good sound from this box.

Ive tried just boosting my tube amp,Ive tried using the distortion,I think maybe there is something wrong with it cause mine sounds like shit.I see they are getting alot of good reveiws but mine sounds horrible,I think I'll have someone look at it.

If mine is working properly, I'll give it a thumbs down.

This is a very minimalistic pedal for the amounts of tones it gets. I have yet to find a bad tone for one genre or another. Its really easy for me because I just turn everything up to 10.

Holy Shit. I am using this with my Warmoth Humbucker telecaster with the Iommi and a Sovtek Mig 50 with a THD reactive rectifier.

This is a really really really great pedal. I max out everthing and get the perfect sound for me. Its really articulate. It dosent have the normal squashed sound that most distortion boxes do such as losing definition and getting lost in the mix, but it has the benefits, such as a good palm mute and a smooth sound with sustain. With my setup, I am able to get really great original tone. I wouldn't compare this sound to any amp I have ever heard, except for maybe for a JCM 800 2204, if it was tube rectified. But it seems to be even more articulate and fuller than that.

Built Great
I would use it without a backup, but I want another just in case.

Yeah right. The company when kashploosh.

I play in a punk/garage/new wave/nick drake/reggae/jazz/zepplin band. I have been playing guitar for 6 years. If it were stolen I would buy as many as I could get my hands on. I would also steal alot of them. They are getting really really expensive, however. Mine was. I love that I can get it to sound like anything, and that everthing sounds great. It really helps me make music because it is just the sound I am going for, and it is simple.


I would NOT recommend this pedal for modern metal. It sounds too good.

The MXR Distortion II is like the more common MXR Distortion+,but with four knobs instead of two. They are in this order: Drive, Resonance, Filter, Output.

My setup is as follows: 70's Strat reissue into the MXR Distortion II into a Vox AC15TBX amp. I was using a Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal that sounded quite good, but the MXR Distortion II took my overdrive to another level. By that, I don't mean it necessarily has more overdrive, it just means that because of the Filter and Resonance, I have a wide range of sounds I can dial in, emulating anything from an Ibanez Tube Screamer to a full on distortion box. Since someone here was kind enough to share his favorite setting, here is mine: 2 o'clock, 1 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock. As said, the different overdrives and distortions I can dial in with this unit is simply incredible. I can perfectly emulate the overdrive/distortion guitar sounds from classic 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s rock bands. This pedal really is timeless. The only thing it can't do is fuzz, but that's what Big Muffs and Big Cheeses are for, right? :) I play rock for the most part, but I had a friend over who plays only blues and he was completely blown away. While the MXR Distortion II is called a "Distortion" pedal, to me, it really is an overdirve, as you can set it so that when you hit the strings softly, you get a clean tone rich in harmonics and overtones, and as you hit the strings harder, you get a dirtier sound. Whereas "Distortion" boxes sound distorted no matter how hard or soft you hit the strings. So for players who value their dynamics, you get a searing guitar sound without the overcompression that usually accompanies distortion pedals.

As someone here said, you could hammer nails with this box all day and take it out to a gig in the evening and all will be well. This box is solidly built. I don't need a backup with this box, but I would love to have another one just for the sake of it. Of course, these pedals are getting very hard to find. Mine is in quite good condition with a few character scratches that actually makes it look really nice, definitely has that vintage 70's vibe, and I love it!

MXR went belly-up a long time ago and somehow, I doubt that the Jim Dunlop-owned company would support this pedal, nor would I expect them to.

As said, I play mostly rock, and this pedal is the best overdrive/distortion pedal I have ever owned/tried/used. And the list of pedals I've had experience with is quite extensive (ie. Ibanez TS-9, TS-9 w/808 mod, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Jeckyll & Hyde, Route 66, Boss OD-1, Boss SD-1, Boss OD-3, SansAmp). I noticed something interesting as a personal observation, that for some reason, to my ears, TS-9's sound great with Fender amps and horrible with Marshall/Vox amps, whereas the Boss SD-1 sounds great with Marshall/Vox amps and horrible with Fender amps. But the MXR Distortion II sounds great with both Fender and Marshall/Vox type amps. Being a producer above being a guitar player, I have very high standards when it comes to tone, and while I'm still not a great guitar player (been a keyboard player for over 10 years), I do have a definite opinion of what sounds good (and hopefully an informed one). If this box were lost or stolen, I would definitely get another one. In fact, if I can find one for a good deal at some point, I'd like to have a backup but as said, these once-neglected gems are being discovered. Billy Corgan has been playing with one lately, which has generated renewed interest and enthusiasm for this pedal and as a result, has really upped the going rate on the D2. For quite awhile, I played my Strat straight into my Vox amp, and I'm very particular about what goes into my chain. The MXR Distortion II has earned its place in my chain.

4 knobs. Turn up, turn down. Sound comes out. Easy!

This is one groovy distortion unit. The tone is superior to, and far more tweakable than my Distiotion+. This is one distortion that does not wreck your tone but really works *with* it to produce a very workable, stable and repeatable tone(s). My "trick" to really making this sound awesome is this: (optional)Compressor >>DistortionII >>a Zoom PD01 clean boost/overdrive. I assume any good OD/Boost would work. I know some FX chain gurus want the distortion after the OD but for me, the OD after the Dist. , beefs it up and removes the bit of *raspiness* you typically get from a distortion. My chain is thus: (Franken)Strat>wah>Dyna Comp>Dist II>Zoom OD > Tube Amp >>line out>>MXR Green Analog Delay>(sometimes)Line6 Filter Mod>Ibanez CS9 chorus>>EH Delux Mem Man >> Solid State Amp. Sound good?? Oh yeah! The combination of the Dist II and the Zoom OD are near the end of my search for OD and dist. The both sound great, alone or together, and with them I get most of the tones I need.

I hammer nails with it every day and then gig all night....

Gave MXR a 10 here, thanks for the memories, guys!

Seems the word has gotten out about these, as you can see the prices are going up up up. This is the one distortion I ever owned (and I've owned quite a few: I bought my original Dist+ in 1974!), and it's the only one that seems to always work right. Sometimes I have to tweak the rubber-booted knobs on the fly to get more gain or less drive etc, but this unit is just smooth, sweet, and nasty as you want it to be!

With four knobs - it's easy to get a sound. I usually leave mine at the following settings:
Drive - 11-12 o'clock
Resonance - 10 o'clock
Filter - 2 o'clock
Output - 3 o'clock

this has worked for me in a Music Man 410 RD, an ADA MP1, a Mesa Boogie V-Twin, and a Fender SF Princeton. Great sound!

since I bought this new back in the early 80's, I've used this with a bunch of different amps and it has worked really well for me in a Music Man 410 RD, an ADA MP1, a Mesa Boogie V-Twin, and a Fender SF Princeton. Great sound!

I've never had a backup for this, and with its own AC cord, you never have to worry about a battery going dead. I haven't had any problems with switches or jacks, and I've had mine now for a while..

MXR was around when I bought it, but has since been Chapter 11; some employees went on to found ART Technologies, and Jim Dunlop bought the assets and makes some of the pedals still. I've thought of having a true bypass added, but no real burning need.

I play garage rock - everything from Green Day to the Who to Zep to Talking heads. I like the sound of the Distortion II as well as its ease of use - the rubber speed knobs let you change your settings with your foot without having to kneel down while you're playing!

At the time I bought it back in 1982, I was using a Univox Super Fuzz, which I got rid of for some reason. Now they're collector items... but where the Super Fuzz had the ratty distortion thing going for it, the MXR's is smoother, which I prefer - it's a little different from everyone that's out there.

Anybody can figure this one out.

Super Greenday sound, I use it with a 94 strat or a Generic 70's tele, through a tube mace 212 or sunn half stack. I went from a green muff to this & I still prefer the muff. But still very cool. YEAH it's noisy, but what the fun in a quite pedal? EXCELLENT GREENDAY SOUND, AWSOME FOR FOR PUNK!!

Mine looks like it's been to hell & back but it still works perfectly. I never gig with a backup anything cept guitars.

NEVER NEEDED IT!

I play, Stuff like Nirvana, the presidents, Smashing pumpkins, sonic youth, greenday & such. Good enough match, I don't care I just want feedback. Ive been playing for 5 years, I own a few other fuzzboxs & such, lots of guitars, amps, & drums, to much to list. IF IT WAS STOLEN OR LOST I WOULD NEVER FIND ANOTHER. I would prob just fall back on a muff. I wish i had a furr coat........

4 knobs pretty simple, volume, resonance, filter, distortion. No major complications here, I just turn the filter up all the way and turn the resonance all the way down, distortion is at 1:00 and the volume is set to taste (2:00). I use a bassman and i love this harvest gold box. I've had it since I was in high school some 17 years ago, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Well, I primarily use this, I have a slew of distortion units, and this one is my benchmark for tone, i.e.; clarity, distortion and overall tarnsparency, I have used this for all types of music from Heavy metal to country. It never seems to "not fit" into a style, or tone category. My only problem, is finding a backup incase this one happens to die or disapear on me.

had the input and out put jacks replace once, thats it. This box has been everywhere in the country and europe, zip-tied to a Maple (nitro coated of course) pedal board, and I've nevr had a problem with it.

Well, I can't actually give a rating on this, I own a few old MXR effects and have nevr had to call C.S. for anything. So, I would have to guess that they either are very good or are going postal, like the Maytag man on T.V.

This is my most prized possesion. Not because It's a vintage pedal (I don't get into that), but because I've had this for literally decades and it has never failed me and is incredibly versatile.. country heavy metal, pop, funk, anything.. I wish MXR would re-issue one so I could get a back-up.

awesome pedal, always wanted one, got one and stil loved it,i paid 145$ for mine, buts its in mint condition and with orginal box and manual... the distorion+ has been associated with randy rhoades, but he actually used the D2, if u want to hear what this pedal sounds like,listen to the ozzy tribute album to randy, and thats it,little noisy,easy to use,great fat distorion, i also recomend the big yellow chorus(not the micro)from MXR and the purple or grey flangers<(not reissued!!! versions

I paid $90 for mine...they are getting harder to find. Very easy to get a good tone...highs all the way up, bass control off...distortion setting 1/2 way up.

I can't believe the reviewer who said this unit sounds like a distortion +.....its not even close! 2 totally diff. pedals. I'm using this through an AC-30 and Mesa Mark3 used in sterio. This is a great pedal for getting close to the SRV sound. The thing is noisy sometimes but usally a ground lifter solves the problem completely.

Its old, still works ...although the switch on mine(I think) is starting to go...no biggy, I'll just replace the switch. Its been very reliable, no backup as they are not that easy to find anymore.

na

I play blues rock and I could not do any of the SRV songs without this pedal. It gives a beautifully transparent shimmering overdrive that I use 60% of the time. Its sounds exceptionally excellent when I switch the Boogie over to my Fender Vibratone(leslie) cab, and run it sterio with the AC30

it's a stompbox. the only reason i'd knock a couple points off the rating is for the metal zone crowd. (thanks guys! your MT-2 reviews are real good for a late-night laugh, although not as amusing as the ones for the DOD death metal.) takes a bit of tinkering to get a great sound... although good and simply OK sounds are there right out of the box. (as was my experience.)

i've used this thing primarily with my SF fender deluxe reverb and bandmaster and have run both my hamer special FM and T-51 tele copy through it. what i was expecting from this box was a distortion+ with a bit more flexibility. but the sound of my particular unit is VERY different. this ended up being a positive thing. in general i find it to be less harsh and fuzzy than the dist+, more rat-like in nature. it's also far more flexible than a D+, not just because of the added filter and resonance knobs, but because it's a more organic sounding pedal. i think a lot more of the natural tone of the axe comes through. husker du never would have/could have sounded the same if bob had been running through one of these "upgrades--" close, maybe. but to be honest, i'd find a lot of their SST records more listenable if they *had* used this.
the pedal is shockingly versatile-- but within limits. it depends on how much noise you're willing to deal with. setting the gain up high produces a very crunchy, tasty sound. unfortunately, it also produces a sh*tload of hum and noise-- far more than my block-logo D+ at full crank. i don't know if this is particular to mine, if it's particular to the wall sockets here (i wish this thing had a 9V battery socket-- i *hate* being hardwired to 120VAC), or whatever. i would *love* to use this sound, but i just can't at present, as i need a noise floor of zero, or close to it, baby. i'm looking into either building my own, with 9V circuitry if possible, or seeing what i can mod inside the box to kill off some o' that noise.
where the pedal utterly astonished me is with the gain turned to about 11 o'clock or below. it's a *very* juicy, natural overdrive-- heavier than a TS808 but more realistic than a rat (my favorite pedal of all time up until now-- but now it's a hard call). it's absolutely perfect for ringing, dissonant chords (go ahead and throw in that Ab flat-9 sharp-11 chord), and very touch-sensitive-- you can follow up a sweet, tender solo with some blistering, just-on-the-edge power chord banging. it's just synthetic enough to push my old silverfaces into the modern age but definitely not grating or annoying. i can't speak for bluesmen, but i consider this to be the ultimate in lower-gain "indie tone," perfect for everything from pavement to neil young, and i don't know why this semi-rare pedal hasn't become a holy grail of sorts as opposed to a black sheep. you can't do this with any other overdrive or distortion pedal i've tried. you can come close with the rat, but it's still a bit more over the edge and "obvious" as a pedal than the distortion II.
like most MXR pedals, the volume had better be full crank, and even then at lower gain settings you're likely to lose some level when you stomp on it. i don't find the filter to be all that useful, and while i initially liked the resonance control up, i find it to be a bit too woofy above 9 o'clock now. still, it's handy to have those knobs around.

i would guess that the pedal has been around more than fifteen years and she works like a charm. (at least, she stomps on and off without a quibble and all the knobs work real nice.)

wouldn't bother. get yourself a schem and one of them there radio shack saw-do-rin guns.

this pedal is commonly seen for $40-50, and i think it's a steal. if i could get rid of some of the hum at high gain, or be assured that most DIIs didn't have that problem and it was just the one i already have, i'd buy three or four more, chain 'em up with different settings for all the various distortions i need, and leave everything else at home. don't pass this one up at your local pawn shop.
i almost wish this pedal would suddenly become a collector's item. perhaps then MXR would put out a less noisy "reissue." (or it might suck. who knows.) write your congressman and tell them that an artificial boost on the value and "collectability" of this pedal is needed NOW.