MXR Micro Amp

Very easy to use, just put it at the beginning or at the end of your pedal chain. Have no experience with FX loop as I have a Bassman amp.

I use two. One at the beginning of my pedal chain and one at the end, then into the input of the amp (not fx loop). The one first in chain is used to improve the sound quality of my set-up. Some say there's no difference in tone when turned on, but somehow this pedal makes my sound better, more present, crispy, but not like the presence/crispyness you get when you turn up the treble or presence knob. It's hard to explain, but when you have it on for a while and then turn it off again, the difference is even bigger. You don't want to go back to your old sound again. I use the other one at the end of my chain to boost solo's. The volume boost is bigger than the first in chain and it seems to alter your sound less. So it's a real simple clean boost in that position. Gets only noisy at settings you don't need anyway

Looks sturdy

My set-up:
Ibanez LP '78 - Ibanez Artist '87 - Burny Monterey - RMC2 wah - Korg DT10 - MXR Micro Amp - Ibanez TS9 - Ibanez SD9 custom - Fulltone DP1 - MI Audio Crunch Box - MXR Micro Amp - Boss DD-7 - Boss OC-2 - MXR Micro Amp - Guyatone Bassman + 2xG12H-100 Celestions
Been playing for 22 years now, different styles: Metal, rock, pop.
I really love the Micro Amp as it does everything it supposed to do. I say everyone should have two.

Q: How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? - A: Very easy. Just step on the little silver button and twirl the knob.

Q: How about Editing patches? - A: Non-existent.
Q: How is the manual for it? - A: Fine, tells you everything you need to know.

Q: Do you know the firmware revision number? - A: What's a firmware revision number?

Q Has your unit been upgraded? - A: I had a vasectomy a few years ago. Was that an "upgrade to my unit"?

Q: What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with? - A: My set up is as follows: American Series Strat -> Morely Wah -> Boss TU-2 Tuner-> Ibanez Tube Screamer TS109 -> MXR Micro Amp -> different Amps depending on situation.

Q: Is it noisy? On what settings? - A: No, not noisy.
Q: Are the effects weak or do they always sound great? - A: Always good. The only "effect" is more volume, and it does that fine.

Q: What amp are you using it with? - A: various; the pedal is unnecessary if your amp already has a "lead boost" or a "solo boost" footswitch. All it does is bump the volume up. I currently use it with a Fender Hot Rod Deville. It has no sound, so no rating for this category.

Q: Can you depend on it? - A: Yes. It would be hard to damage this thing.

Q: Would you use it on a gig without a backup? - A: Yes I would and I do.

N/A

Q: What style of music do you play? - A: 70's, 80's rock, some newer

Q: Is this a good match? - A: Yes, helpful in boosting volume for leads.

Q: How long have you been playing? - A: 30+ years.

Q: What other gear do you own? - A: Too much to list.

Q: If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? Hmmm... this is a pretty specialized pedal. Like I said, it basically works like a master volume control. Put it at the end of your effects chain, just before going into the amp. It just takes whatever your signal is and kicks it up a few decibels.

Q: What do you love about it? - A: Its simplicity.

Q: What do you hate? A: The knob is a little awkward to adjust unless you are wearing pointy shoes.

Q: What is your favorite feature? - A: The quietness.

Q: Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? - A: Compared it to the Seymour Duncan booster. This one doesn't suck tone - when it's off you don't know it's there.

Q: Anything you wish it had? - A: ?

Q: Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way? - A: Helps.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share? Um... I once won a $5 bet by eating a grasshopper live.

Like me, the Micro Amp has an input, an output and one knob. Erm, and a stomp switch :oP

However, it's more versatile than it looks, provided your amp has an effects loop. Used via the loop (which brings the signal in after the preamp) the Micro Amp gives you loads of extra clean volume on either channel with only a tiny bit of natural breakup at high settings. The gain knob has a wide enough sweep to give you lots of clean volume before you get to this stage.

Instead, you can also plug your guitar through the Micro Amp and into the amp's input. This overdrives the preamp stage, giving you less overall volume boost (it's only boosting the guitar's own output) but loads of high-gain crunch on the clean channel. One slight drawback (with my Marshall at least; your amp might have different circuitry) is that there's little or no volume boost through the distortion channel when using it through the input, just extra saturation of the gain. This is a bit of a shame, my amp must have some kind of fixed level input into this channel. It does give you two different distortion options though.

I play a Maverick F1 Hardtail with twin humbuckers into a Marshall MG50. The Maverick's pickups are pretty quiet to start with so there's no hum for the Micro Amp to boost, but I certainly don't notice any extra noise with it switched on. There's not much tone alteration, except for a very slight 'fattening up', which is nice.

I'm really happy with the sound, especially when played via the preamp with a high gain setting. The overdriven sound is really smooth even through the solid state Marshall. I reckon it would be brilliant for giving you a crunchy 'channel 2' on a proper valve amp.

I bought it second-hand and haven't gigged with it yet, but it's just about the most solid bit of guitar gear you can buy and feels like it could win a fight with a housebrick.

Haven't dealt with MXR/Dunlop, and probably wouldn't bother. The only things you're likely to break are the knob or stomp switch, and both are easily replaceable with help from Maplin and a soldering iron.

I'm really tempted to replace the knob (which pulls off easily) with a Tele-style knurled chrome one, or perhaps a skull!

As it's a clean boost, you could probably use it for any style of music. I play mainly heavy rock, and some more melodic arpeggiated stuff, so the occasional solo boost for between riffs or for knocking out fills between vocal lines is very handy.

If there's one thing I'd change it would be to give the control knob a little bit more resistance to help keep it stable when the thing is being kicked around the floor. Very minor point though. Guess I could find my favourite setting and just tape the knob in place.

I love the simplicity, build and sound quality. It could be more versatile if it had separate gain and volume controls, but then you're in overdrive pedal territory. An EQ would be better for shaping the tone more, especially if you want to boost your mids for solos etc. As a simple gain booster with no mucking about this is spot on.

One knob -- Simple...The only thing is you need to figure out where in your chain to put it...I like it inline between guitar and amp, after compression and overdrive...that works well for me

Phenomenal...takes your sound and makes it bigger! It does add fuller low end and sweeter highs, but it remains clear...I think this thing is better than using a compressor --

I am 38 years old, been playing since I've been 14. Whenever you try something new in your gear and the first response is "whoa, that sounds better", then you know you have something...for $80, talk about a steal...this thing can compete against any boutique pedal if all you need is a bit of gain add or volume boost for solos..

Just got it so I don't know how well it stands up for live use...I would think it would be solid..it's MXR for crying out loud..they've been around forever

No problems so far...

For clean boosts or for pushing the front end of your tube amp for some extra gain, this thing is amazingly effective for a small, simple little box. I think people get caught up on the hype of boutique stuff and flash...give this thing a try. The key is that this pedal works "with" your guitar and amp, and not "against" it..you know what I mean?? A lot of pedals will really subtract from your sound...i.e, ToneBone Classic...

Are you a moron?? One knob, that's it...how easy is that...Other than that, the only thing YOU have to figure out is where in your effects chain you want it -- use your ears...that part is up to you..

G&L Tele -> JD-10 for smooth overdrive -> Keeley Compressor -> MXR Micro-Amp -> Peavey Bravo -> Peavy Bravo Effects send -> Fulltone Tremelo -> Digitech Digital Delay -> Peavy Bravo Effects Return

You guys who don't get a volume boost by putting this thing inline between guitar and amp --> Are you freakin nuts?? You must be overdriving the snot out of your amp already and the natural tube compression is kicking in...For a clean boost with a little breakup, a setting of 12 o'clock or 2 o'clock, the boost is substantial. If you need more, than you're a stage hog whose pissing everyone else off with your ego-manic guitar-god fixation.

You really have to play with position in your chain. I had the MXR feeding the Keeley comp..guess what?? It was pushing the gain and kicking in the compressor to early and squashing the hell out of everything. I put the Keeley first, THEN the micro-amp and VOILA!! The delays and tremelo BELONG in the effects loop, if you indeed have one. If putting the MXR in the effects loop works for you, great...but you must have gain staging issues if you can make it boost inline ahead of the amp - plain and simple..

Others have commented on this thing boosting the low's a bit...yeah it does, but not in a muddy way...The Micro-Amp just really beefs up your sound without mucking your original tone. For Telecasters, low end is usually weak, so the MXR with a Tele is a nice alternative to the compressor angle because compressors usually kill your tone and dynamics way too much...Check out Brent Mason's page and see how he has the Keeley compressor set -- The sustain is at 9 o'clock and volume at 12 o'clock... get the point!!

I almost got sucked into get a Sparkle Drive after getting the MXR. At some point, you gotta stop the hype and focus on what sounds good to you...The BEST is to always let your guitar and amp to most of the talking!! The effects should be there to compliment that, not take it over or change it...If you want something different, change your guitar and amp -- it's that simple and that true!!

Have had it for one week...what can I say, it feels sturdy enough

No applicable yet...

For $80 or whatever, buy it, try it and return it to the Guitar Center or Long & McQuade if you don't work for you...BUT BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF...just because it doesn't have a flashy coverplate and boutique reputation, doesn't mean it won't work for you...

One Pot and one Switch, surely it can't get much simpler than that. Hey if you can't figure that out are you sure you should be playing the guitar?

Most learners when they get on stage seem to make the mistake of playing those solos at the same volume level of the rythm, in other words the solo gets lost. This little baby fixes that problem, that is if you have an effects loop in your amp read on.

If you use this inline from guitar to amp what you get is more growl but no more volume. MXR say that this box can equalise the power from say a single coil guitar and humbucker guitar or perhaps boost the signal in a long effects loop. Unfortunately I have never tried either because the most affective way to use this baby is to stick it in your effects loop.

Do this and set the pot to abot 12 and your solos should cut through loud and clear, well as long as you have a decent amp of course : ).

For a long time I had used a boss volume pedal, which was good because you could set the minimum volume - so no sound wipe outs. However I found that it sucked my tone, and its size was a little prohibitive as well with the Mic stand in front of me.

This little babay works in a completely different way set you volume on the amp for all your rythm work and then set the volume level on the MXR for the solos - brilliant - just a clean boost to the volume.

100% I own five other MXR pedals, all built like tanks and so far have have never let me down

Unknown

In conclusion this is a great little pedal, for the price. Its simple and does its job with no fuss.

However you need an effects loop on the amp to make it work, but that should not be a problem because most amps worth gigging with seem to have one of these anyway.

I am a Vocalist/ Guitarist in what is essentially a 'local' rock band. I use a Gibson Les Paul and Marshall DSL 100 Head with 1936 cabs.

One knob. If you can't figure this out, throw out your guitar. :)

It's very easy to use, just plug in and dial in the amount of boost you want. It's extremely clean, so it's just like turning up the volume on your guitar. Amazing.

I use this with various guitars, typically a Fender HSS Strat, Tele copy, or Epiphone Casino. Works great with all of them. I run them through my pedals...DE-7, CE-5, BD-2, this, Sovtek Big Muff, Dyna Comp, DOD Octave, and PT-100....into a '65 Twin Reverb Reissue. Great stuff.

I pretty much keep this on all the time. It's a great boost, brings out my leads. Gives gain to my BD-2, but a volume boost to the Muff. Works great for either. Then I switch them all off and just ahve a louder perfectly clean tone. Awesome.

I've not gigged with it, but it seems sturdy. The only thing I'd be worried about is the stomp switch, but even that isn't awful. I baby my equipment, if your nice to them, they'll be nice to you, ya know?

Never dealt with MXR before, this and my Dyna Comp are my first batch.

I play a lot of stuff, blues, jazz, and country, to the full spectrum of rock...surf, hard, modern, alternative, and a lot more. This is an amazing pedal, gives great clean boost. It'd probably drive an amp into OD, but not this Twin. More headroom than an elephant (bad joke) :(

I was on a search for a while, went from BBE, to this, etc. THis is the best there is.

one knob, one stomp, very very easy...

I use it everytime, on clean or crunchy sound, right after the guitar. It's magic on a strat-like guitar(I play strat, 70's stratoid eagle, Burny LP, epi lp customized custom and other japanese oldies). The purpose is to boost your sound by a stomp without changing the general color and dynamics like a TS9 can do it. When you play a crunchy sound and suddenly want to run a solo, it's really wonderful, the boosted sound is just wider, a bit thicker and with miraculous dynamics. If you want a smooth boost, clean that don't change your general sounding and settings, that's what you need.
It's so cool that I use it permanently on clean and rhythm light crunch sound because the sound is simply better on my 8080 marshall, using a 12 o'clock setting with no real boost.

Be careful, the more powerful your guitar pickups, the less worth it.

The low impedence output seems to guarantee a good presence of the high freq at the end of the effect chain and, again a wider, deeper and full of dynamics sound

bought it used...and aged also, built like a german panzer!

Great for blues specially for strat, good for clean smooth sounds on any guitar. Less worth it for heavy music but i'm not a specialist. I give an 8 because it's not really for any kind of music style and any kind of guitar. 10 for blues, 10 for strat.

Simplicity at its finest!
Beautifully simple: one knob(vol, one switch (on/off)
Didn't read manual.

Does just what it claims to....provides clean volume boost.

Not noisy at all.

Note: You run it thru effects loop for volume boost while maintaining tone/distortion of amp; run it thru guitar line for gain/distortion boost, but not much volume boost.

I run it thru effects loop on my Orange Rockerverb 50 head. Provides perfect volume boost during solos and for various scary effects and monster pickslides!

Bombproof, bullet-proof...

small, solid, simple.
Perfect.

n/a-
no need

Perfect 10. Said it all above.

The only nitpick here....there's no LED indicator; that would be ideal, let the user know when on/off!

So this pedal provides the perfect solution for anyone who has a killer tone already, but wants a little boost during solos (without altering tone)!!

Very easy to use only one knob. There was no manual so actually there is no manual needed cause there is only on knob. But there two ways to use it.
1. Just plug into amp input your sound will have more gain
2. Plug into your FX Loop your sound will be louder so it will work such as an volume pedal

I use the pedal to receive more gain for solo parts so it's plugged between guitar and amp(Marshall Valvestate 8100). The amp sound is truly boosted and other effects
do not change quality. In fact, I used a CS-3 to boost my leads which was very noise the micro amp gives me the same effect but less noisy. In combination with my NS-2 there are no disturbing sounds.

MXR standard

dunno

If you want to push your sounds for leads in a easy way so go and buy MXR micro amp. You can push for more gain or more volume!

MXR Micro Amp.
Only one knob and one switch. Very easy!
No secret - I dont need the manual to find the ideal sound.
If you is looking for a boost pedal for solos, this one is the best thing. No doubt.

It doesnt change the sound when putted in action. It just increase the volume of my amp. I put it in front of my amp. If you put it before of drive pedal it only will increase the gain... Although many people uses the pedal for this function.
No noisy!

I didnt notice difference in delay, chorus, reverb... I think it doesnt change too.

Important
If you want to use the Micro Amp to increase the VOLUME of drive channel of your amp... You must plug it in send/return - So I will work finely in channel drive too... If you plug it in input It will just increase the gain of channel. Be careful.

I never had problem!

I never had problem

Excellent for me!
After I purchased the Micro AMP I gave up the search for volume pedal.
It is great for my solos and It never change tone of my amp... This is important for me.

Advice: Buy it... Dont waste your time... It does the job perfectly!
Dont use a TS9 as booster - TS9 is TS9 - Booster is Booster...

1 knob, doesnt get any easier than that.

I just purchased mine from a music shop in Haight (San Fran) I live in England and we dont quite have the choice of boost pedals over here that were in the shop to try out. In fact every time I have been shopping in England (usualy at a sound control or similar) when you ask if they have any boost pedals in stock they reach for a ts9 and when you say 'I already own one' thay look at you funny.

Anyway, my mxr was $99 and i compared it to a boost pedal made in san fran by small company forget the name that was $359, The mxr was by far the better pedal. The boost was 'crisper', clean when you want it to be but responsive enough to give the tone a 'push' when needed.

I am currently running the pedal in a chain with a guyatone comp, ts9, daddy o, boss digital delay (japanese) and a messa v twin. Mxr works well as a boost for the clean channel, for clean soloing, but works especially well with ts9, allowing for 2 different volume settings.

I play a custom strat with noiseless pick ups. The pick up out put is quite low which is good for certain tones but the mxr placed in the correct position in the chain drives the effects that bit harder.

Sounds great with my fender deville and my groove tube stpg.

This pedal is a must for anyone who uses a ts9 for rythm and soloing. The most common mistake of amateur guitar players is that there is no disernable change in their rythm andsoling volumes. The mxr fixes that problem.

Doesn't get much easier than this.

This is the single greatest pedal I have ever purchased, bar none. I've been playing through a Fender Super Reverb reissue for two years now and, while I adore the clean-grit of the amp (with the volume at 6 or 7), I needed something to push the tubes a little harder without totally compressing my tone and sucking out the bottom end. This Micro-Amp was my answer. Basically it makes my amp sound like it's running at 9 or 10 without increasing the volume overly much. I generally keep the knob set at 3 o'clock, though there's a wide swathe of usable settings between halfway and full. Yields a decent amount of good harmonic feedback, no noticeable noise or hiss, and it doesn't destroy any of my natural guitar or amp tone at all. My setup: Fender Telecaster -> ProCo Rat (when a total explosion is needed) -> EH Dlx Memory Man -> MXR Micro-Amp -> Fender Super Reverb.

Totally dependable. Built like a brick shithouse.

Never dealt with MXR, though with a pedal this tough I don't see why I'd ever have to.

My band plays a fairly eclectic and technical mix of hardcore, metal, and art-rock, with an emphasis on jazz harmony and complex meters. The other guitarist plays a barrage of pedals through a JCM 2000 and generally covers a lot of the textural parts, whereas I'm much more of a bare-bones player; thus the Micro-Amp is well suited to my needs (though it's probably not sufficiently over-the-top for my co-pilot). I've been playing for 12 years. I would replace this pedal immediately if it ever (knock on wood) disappeared.

This product is extremely easy to use.

It seems that most of you have overlooked many of the features of this product. The Micro Amp is far more than device to provide a solo boost. This is a great active preamp.

- The output from the Micro Amp has a slightly lower impedence than most pickups directly. Most effects pedals and stomp boxes are driven better by this slightly lower impedence.

- By putting it first in your effects chain, the combination of the slightly lower impedence and higher output means that you can drive long chains or effects or longer cables without a signal loss or rolloff in high frequency tone.

- If you switch between guitars you know how different pickups provide very different output levels. The micro-amp, allows you to quickly equalize the output from various instruments. So if I move from a Les Paul to a Telecaster for example, you can boost the preamp to mainatin your overall volume, overdrive levels, etc.

I am a long term pro and always use a Micro Amp. In fact, I connect my Micro Amp to an MXR 5 band graphics equalizer, to a Digital Delay, to an Ibanez Chorus, to an MXR Phase 100. This goes directly into a Fender Tone Master head connected to a Fender 212 bottom outfitted with JBL speakers. I also use a Music Man 112 RD-65 amplifier.

I primarily play blues and use a '67 Guild Starfire IV outfitted with Dimarzio PAF humbuckers, a stock Telecaster, and a Les Paul Deluxe also with the Dimarzio PAF's, and a 1981 Stratocaster.

In most concerts, I tend to lean towards the Starfire and the Telecaster. I also switch between them often during a performance. The stock tele has significantly lower output than the Starfire, so I use the Micro Amp to equalize the output between these two guitars.

From time to time I add an MXR Micro Comp compressor to the mix when I'm forced to play at low volumes such as in very small rooms. In these cases it is not alwats possible to drive the amps to a nice bluesy sustain. The compressor adds sustain and give me a chance to sound really loud at low volumes.

I have had mine, built by the original MXR Factory for nearly 30 years without a single problem!

n/a

Hola, escribo en espa?ol porque creo que mi idioma es bastante conocido en todo el mundo.
MXR micro amp, muy facil de usar. un pulsador de on-off y un pot de gain solamente, pero tremendamente efectivos.
Solida construccion.

Es un booster tremendamente efectivo, realza el sonido de la guitarra, sin modificar la ecualizacion.

Nunca he tenido que usarlo.Solo lo tengo unas semanas, aunque creo que en Dunlop no hay problemas en caso de averia dentro del periodo de garantia.

Toco Hard Rock, Jazz-Rock, Jazz clasico Y mi amplificador es un Mesa Dual Rectifier.
El micro amp es un fantatico complemento de mi amp.

Understand the application of this pedal first. If you are a bedroom wanker that needs a Zepplin or a Ride the Lightning sound, this pedal is not for you. Serious musicians only, please. Where it shines is 1) on the front end of a non-master volume tube amp, where it can slam the preamp with so much gain that it'll sound like that old tube amp is going to explode, or 2) in the effects loop of a master volume amp to serve as a solo boost.

I'm playing this through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The amp has a clean and dirty channel, along with a gain (distortion) boost. It can achieve three really good sounds, but solos get lost on stage. With the little MXR in the effects loop, though, I can add the right amount of solo volume. It works great! I also put it in front of an old 5-watt class A tube amp and I sent that thing into super overdrive! The pedal is quiet and no "pop" was heard when switching it on or off with the pedal plugged in.

The box seems pretty sturdy, and there's just not much to break. I don't feel like buying a second one right now, so yes I'll gig w/o a backup. Giving it a 9 just because I haven't had it very long.

N/A

Rocked-up Texas Country/Southern Rock. This pedal lets the solos shine. Been playing for 15.5 years, and I'd buy another in a heartbeat if it got lost or stolen. I love the simplicity of it. There was no comparison to any other model. This is it!

Just like everyone says 1one knob one switch. Good clean boost if in the right place in your chain.

I use three different guitars depending on my mood and sound I want. I have a G&L Comanche, Class 5 Les Paul, and a Heritage 555. I have a Diamond Pedal J drive, Keeley Blues Driver, Keeley DS-1 Ultra, original Big Muff, Vodoo Labs Micro Vibe, Keeley CE-2, 2 Keeley DD-3, then the micro amp all going through a GCX switcher. All going through a THD Univalve into a 2x12 cab loaded with 12" Tone Tubby Alnico speakers. I use the Micro Amp after one of the DD-3's for a lead boost with any combination of the Distortions I use. I use it as the last thing befor the amp. I tried it before the delay but it made the sound just a little thinner. After I moved it I got what I was looking for a nice boost that didn't color my tone. I have the knob set to about 11:00. I have the tones I want so I all I wanted was a nice clean volume boost fo solo's.

I opend the back when I got to make sure there was not a battery in it. Since I use it with the switcher I have a power adapter on it and it sits on a shelf in my rack system. I noticed that the foot switch was right on the PC board. I could see where this could be a problem if you are consitantly on the switch. I don't have to worry about that because it is always on so it should last the life of this set up and further. I will give it a 7 because I do thing the switch position is asking for trouble.

Never delt with Dunlap

I play mostly Rock and Classic Rock type stuff. I have been playing for over 20 years and have put in my time in the bars and clubs. If it were lost I would buy another one. I know there are other boost out there like the Keeley Java Boost but for the price and what I want it to do this is a great buy. If all you are looking for is a clean volume boost then this is the guy.

Very easy, just like everybody else has said. 1 dial and 1 switch - anything else would just work against you in this case.

Depends almost entirely on the equipment you use it with.

I'm using it in the efects loop of a Marshall DSL401 (40W 1x12 all valve combo) and originally bought it to provide a "lead switch" on the OD2 channel in the same way that my Mesa Single Rectifier has a "solo" button to provide a volume boost. Since plugging it in, however, it's effectively converted my amp from 3 channels to 6:

Clean = Standard Marshall clean
OD1 = Light rock distortion (Status Quo sound!)
OD2 = AOR and classic rock rhythm / lead
Clean + MicroAmp = Boogie "pushed" sound (crunchy distortion)
OD1 + MicroAmp = Heavy rock rhythm (louder than OD2 but less overall gain)
OD2 + MicroAmp = Rock / metal / shred lead solo tone and boosted volume

Obviously, another amp will respond in a different way, and the sound you get depends on how your amp likes being overdriven, but my Marshall sounds great with the gain boost, so yours probably would too!

It's suggested in the manual for this pedal that you place it in front of the pre-amp, but with that setup, the volume boost is much less, and given the high-gain amps and active pickups that are common these days, it's feasible that the increase in gain will either go un-noticed or just translate into feedback and noise. Having said that, try it, it might be just the thing to give a lower gain amp some more bite...

The bypass of this pedal is the best I've heard, and the switching is near-silent; it's actually quieter and faster than the channel switches on the amp's foot-pedal itself, which makes it a very good "solo" or "lead" switch, as you don't get a pop, or a drop in volume when you use it.

There is some hiss when the unit is in use, but it's nothing that you'd hear over your playing, and it should probably be turned off in quiet parts of a song anyway!

If you think you can get the same effect by using a Boss GE7, you're wrong - I tried it, and this is in a whole different league.

Seems very sturdy, and the switch on mine is metal, not plastic as other reviewers have stated. I'm guessing that it should be dependable.

The switching is silent and the bypass is as true as I've heard, so I assume it's well engineered. Plus, at heart it's an op-amp in a box - how difficult can it be to get that right?

I fully intend to gig without a backup, mainly because if it failed I'd manage without just as I did before I got it!

Never contacted them - it's the first MXR / Dunlop pedal I've ever owned.

It doesn't really matter what equipment or musical style you play in this particular case. If you want more input gain or a volume boost to the power amp, and you like the tone you have already, you'll probably love this pedal. It does exactly what it says, and nothing more or less. I suppose it might interact with other effects, but I don't use any, so I can't comment.

My amps are a Boogie Single Recto 50 and a Marshall DSL401, and I got so used to the lead switch of the recto that I wanted one on the Marshall too - this pedal has provided it without altering the fundamental sound of the lead channel, plus provided a way of adding some extra power tube distortion to other channels as an added bonus. In all, I think it's a great product!

That said, some may not need it - I wouldn't use it on my recto (because it's got a lead switch and tonnes of distortion already) and I certainly wouldn't try and overdrive a transistor amp with it... just because!

If you have a valid reason for owning it, I don't think you'll ever look back. If you think it's a distortion stomp-box, you're wrong, and you'll be disappointed.

Easy enough. :) One knob, but do you put it in your effects loop or right in front of the amp? I'll get into that below...

I use Jackson guitars, all with humbuckers, straight through a Carvin X100B. This is my only pedal. It's pretty noisy past the 3/4 mark, but...you don't need to turn it all the way up, in fact, please don't...the world has enough louder than hell guitar players! Anywho, I put it through the effects loop as a lead boost, and boy does it boost. No complaints, it does the job just fine without sacrificing your amp's tone. If you put it in front of the amp however, you get a completely different effect. It almost acts as, well...another gain knob for your amp! It compresses the signal a bit and adds some nice sustain...creates even more feedback for ya, the good kind.
SO - if you want this to boost your volume, put it through the effects loop and adjust to your liking. If you want to subtle "gain boost", put it in front of the amp. Rarely will you need to go more than halfway either way.

I have a brand new version, the one with a plastic on/off switch...it's lasted these past 8 months, but common sense should tell you the older version with the metal switch is much more reliable. Keep that in mind when you're reading others' reviews. It has lasted a while, but I'm not very keen on the plastic switch.

If you need a volume boost for your leads, and don't want to mess with your tone, this is the pedal for you - just make sure to hook it up through the effects loop. It's not noisy at all as long as you keep the gain knob at a reasonable rate. I personally would like another to put in front of the amp and have on at all times...at the lower settings, say 2-3, it simply provides more balls without distorting the signal of your amp. I really like this pedal, and although it's very simple in design it's pretty versatile if you think about it. Price tag's a bit steep. Cheers!

Simple operation which immediately gives you what you need, which for me is for going between rhythm and lead.

I use an SG, and LP or a G&L Legacy through one of two vintage Traynor heads (EL-34 and EL-84) with no master volume. Of course it is noisy at rest with the pedal engaged to close to max level, but that can be expected from an additional 30db of input gain hitting my amp. That being said, it?s no worse that single coil hum, so you don?t notice it when you?re playing. It sounds great because it keeps the integrity of my amp and guitar?s tone (I use no effects) and makes my leads scream.

The footswitch can be finicky once in a while and so too can the AC plug, it?s my only complaint about this pedal. I also have a Fulltone Fulldrive II, which gives me over the top overdriven leads and feedback (otherwise not achievable with the Micro Amp with my set up), and can also come in as a backup if needed. However I prefer the transparency and volume boost of the MXR.

N/A

I play blues, rock and hard rock and kick in this pedal to do 95% of my lead work ? it matches up really well with my amps. I?ve been in a band for 7 years and I keep coming back to this pedal, as no overdrive pedal can match what the Micro Amp does for me (no matter what, OD?s color the tone or drive it too much, even at low settings). It?s also a bargain compared to OD?s and other clean boost pedals. I also like the rubber knob cover which allows you to adjust your gain level by foot.

This is the easiest pedal in the world to use. One knob and a heavy duty foot switch.

Here is the total set up: '85 Strat/NEW! Gibson Les Paul 1960 Classic/Epiphone Sheraton II/Zion Radicaster/56 Gibson ES125/Jap Tele/Parker Fly P40>Keeley Compressor>MXR Micro Amp>MXR Smart Gate>Mesa Boogie Triaxis. Running MXR M134 Chorus>Alesis Quadraverb. I run a Boss NS 50 on a very low setting in line with the final output to a Marshall 9000 series power head (34's baby!) to two Boogie 1x12 cabs mono. I tried every guitar I have in this set up. It simply drives the front end of my preamp a bit harder. I am able to simulate tones of Brian May with my strat in "strat position". My LP snarls and scowls with harmonic monsterousness however, it was a little too over bearing with my hollow body insturments even at lower settings it pumped up the feedback(ability). The Jap Tele gets pretty crispy however, the versatility of a programmable preamp solves this problem by design. The Zion is a naturally high output guitar and really got a bit out of control initially. Once I backed of on the output, it really came alive with a good stable bottom end while maintaining that sweet strat sort of top end. Much like a my strat duh!, it also had a bad boy rock undertone with as sweet almost acoustic clean high end. When I switch the pedal off, it is very noticable in many ways. In some cases the volumes had a hard time matching up between the on and off position particularly on the hollow body guitars. Also, there is a presence that the Microamp brings out that is very solid sounding. Sort of a tighter over all sound. I have experimented around with it in various configurations and the one listed above seems to be the best. When running the Keeley Compressor and the Micro-amp at the same time (most of the time) it does get pretty noisy. This is why I have isolated the noise in my pedal board chain with the MXR Smart Gate (great little gate) as well as at the final output of the TriAxis with the Boss Noise gate that I bought years ago which then runs directly into the Marshall power head. I truly can't say enough about how much it has over all punched up my solid body guitars. I am dissappointed that I did not buy one years ago when I was gigging all of the time. I truly would have kept it on much of the time. Great "natural hot" sound because it is simply taking your preamp section and boosting what is already present in your amplifier. It is very hard to truly make a distinction between the tone that the pedal may or may not be adding or the overtones that it brings out in the natural elements of the various TriAxis preamp settings. I truly recommend the pedal for someone looking to beef up an already great sounding rig or if you just want to get insane amounts of gain at the front end of your chain. MORE GAIN MORE GAIN!!! That's what rock and roll is all about!

MXR's reputation speaks for itself.

No Dealings.

Various forms of rock including classic, metal, prog and blues. Been playing almost 30 years now. If it were stolen, I would replace at once. It's easy to use and really helps get a much more driven sound while pushing the natural elements of your preamp to higher levels. Think of it as a very strong cup of coffee in the morning...it wakes up your amp! For the price, it is an insane deal. I am reinspired by my rig and my instruments...like I said, I wish I would gotten one years ago but I just did not understand what it did in those days.

This one's obvious - 1 knob and 1 switch.

I use the Micro Amp as a volume boost for guitar solos. I'm using Peavey Wolfgangs with a Line 6 DuoVerb 2x12 combo. You must run the Micro Amp through the effects loop to get any use out of it. It works perfect for me when the knob is between 10 to 11 o'clock. The gain boost is 100% clean - a lot of headroom. It works well on clean, overdrive, and heavily distorted settings. This pedal is a must if you don't have a sound guy to turn you up for solos. It is not affected by other effects whether in the loop or between the guitar and amp.

MXR pedals are built like tanks. I gig regularly with this and it is bolted to my pedal board. I can't see it getting damaged or breaking - been using it for about 3 years and no problems. Probably wouldn't need a backup.

Never had to deal with Dunlop.

Definitely a 10 for doing what I need it to do - boost my volume for solos. Way better than a volume pedal since volume pedals don't add volume, they reduce it from your maximum. I also tried the Boss GE-7 graphic eq. for volume boosts but found it to be too noisy in the effects loop.

one nob, one button, easy enough!!! haha, as u can see by every single other review :P

The sound is great
I have this through an Epiphone Sheraton ii, vox wah, boss sd-1 and more pedals to come.
Note: as u know, if you're looking for a distortion pedal alone, this isnt it :P, this is simply a booster
I use this for clean rhythm playing, distorted lead guitaring, or just throughout an entire number just to keep the guitar sounding lovely

This thing is so strong (i wouldnt get it otherwise).
I can rely on it, and i dont know for using it without backup, i always have plenty of 9v's around, but i havnt changed the battery yet.

Havnt dealt with them at all. Hopefully i wont need to :D

This is perfect no matter what style you play.
If you have a rig with LOTS of pedals, this would be perfect to have infront of the amp to boost the signal. If it were stolen or lost, id cry for an hour, then buy another one.
I love the design of this pedal, the shape, size, simplicity, along with boss, mxr make my favourite pedals. It is possible to buy 2, one to boost the signal and one to boost even more! This thing has relaly expanded my writing of music!
Terrific

One knob for level plus footswitch to turn it on/off. Simple.

I was using this with a Schecter C1 Classic and Fender Strat, pedals are Boss Metal Zone, Crybaby and a few other misc pedals. Amp is Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (40 watts tube). Pedal was pretty transparent other than offering a terrific volume boost. The effect amplifies the noise as well, but that's only because my usual sound is a bit noisy. Much better than using an overdrive pedal for volume boost - bad idea.

The new MXR pedals are made with a cheap plastic switch painted to look like a metal switch. You'd think that since it's the part you use the most, MXR would make sure it could stand up to some abuse.
I stepped on it too hard and the switch broke. I have to buy a new pedal because it's too much of a hassle to get it fixed. Are real metal switches so expensive that MXR can't use them anymore? I would even pay a bit extra just for that, to know that the pedal would be a lot less likely to break.

Emailed MXR about my broken pedal, they took a while to respond and only offered a 800 number for me to call to get my pedal fixed. I would have preferred an immediate RA# and return address to ship the broken pedal, even if I had to pay for the repair.

The pedal is great, probably the best of its type, but MXR is skimping on quality and customers are suffering. Be careful how hard you step on the pedal, the switches on the new models are plastic and don't hold up very well under regular use.

Very easy to get the sound you want. Just turn the gain (level) knob to the volume desired. Only complain is the placement of the 9V power supply input. Unlike most Boss/Ibanez pedals, the power input is on the side right next to the guitar signal input. Can be awkward to place power chord and guitar chord into the pedal. I love how they didn't put a tone knob on this pedal. This would've made it harder to replicate your tone when the pedal is off.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard - Vox V848 - Pro Co Rat II - Ibanez TS9 - Boss BD2 - Boss DD5 - MXR Micro Amp - Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (1x12 tube). Not noisy at all unless gain is maxed out. Sounds are always great. The obvious use for this pedal is for a solo boost while performing live. Other choices are to engage the pedal if you have 2 guitars you're using at different times to raise the level of the quieter guitar to match the level of the louder one. This is very useful if you have a high output Les Paul and a low output Strat. Another choice MXR offers is to use it as a permament volume boost where your volume is dropped in a long effects chain. But the obvious use for this problem is to turn up your amp.

The sound quality is great on this unit. With the pedal on and gain at 0, it matches the exact level when the pedal is off. Once you turn up the gain, the volume starts to increase. However, the tone and exact sound is identical to your original. This is key if all you want is more volume with your original tone.

Very reliable. I wouldn't gig without some other device to boost volume though. At worst, I could just use an overdrive to do that. The only reason I wouldn't fully trust this unit is because it's not a Boss, which means there's no 5 year warranty, which insures you that this unit it sturdy and reliable. I've had mine a couple of days and have had no problems. And it really gives me confidence to see these exact pedals from the '80's that are still in perfect working condition selling on eBay. I hope mine can last that long too.

Great for any style of music where there might be a guitar solo, riff or lead, which is every style of music. This can be used for metal or country, which is rare when to find a unit that can suit both of these needs. Been playing for 4 years. This pedal is the best in it's class. If it were stolen, I'd definetly buy another. I love the easy solo boost that you can attain from this pedal. I NOTHING about it. My only suggestion is to move the power input to the top of the pedal like most companies do. But seeing that this has been the MXR design for many years, it's doubtful that this will happen.

I've compared this unit with the Boss SD-1 Overdrive and MXR Super Comp. The reason I choose this unit over the SD-1 is because I wanted a booster that would only raise my volume and not mess with my tone or gain at all. The reason I didn't choose the Super Comp is because I didn't want the clicky compressor noise that most compression units have unless you fork out money. I thought about and realized what I actually wanted, which was a booster, which led me to the obvious decision of getting a booster instead a compressor.

The unit is perfect for what it does. It won't make a clean signal distorted or even out your volume like a compressor, it simply makes you louder. Thank you MXR.