Maxon DS-830 Distortion Master

There's only three knobs to work with, just like most pedals worth owning. Easy switching unlike some Boss or Ibanez that I know.

The Maxon Distortion Master's tone is the best distortion pedal I have ever owned. It's got heavy, searing tones, but allows the voice of the guitar to shine through nicely, much more so than, say, a Boss Metal Zone.

This pedal is totally noise-free and works well with all my other pedals. My only major gripe is that it lacks the midrange that I would have put into it, but some people will really like that. Maybe a mid knob would have made this one perfect?

This one's been gigged hard for over a year. Alot of beer has been spilled on it; It's never showed any signs of wearing down. Also battery life in this unit is quite good.

I've been using this pedal live for over a year now. When I first got it, I was playing through a Fender Twin and it sounded like garbage, especially with the Bright switch turned on - ugh!

I probably would have laid to rest a while ago, but then I began using a Carvin Legacy. Only then did I see this pedal's character shine through. I read somewhere that the Maxon DM is meant to work with especially with the EL34 tube, and I can believe that now. If your amp has 6L6's like the Twin, don't bother with this pedal.

My main axe is Fender Strat Deluxe, and this pedal doesn't make me wish I had a Les Paul when playing G'n R. This pedal is perfect for 80's hard rock tone, which is what I use it for. It can really give you that Journey or Def Leppard sound if that's what you're in to. I suppose it would be good for heavier stuff, as I only keep the gain between 12 and 1 most of the time.

One night my tubescreamer crapped out on me so I had use the Maxon as an overdrive, with gain at about 9. It was no TS9 but it got the job done.

However, I'm giving it a 9 Overall for it's moderately outrageous price - $220 new

This is an update to my last review. Take the time to experiment & tweak with the settings. You'll realise it's worth it.

Since my last review, me & this pedal have bonded to the point that it's become my core OD/drive unit. As stated, I don't use much of the gain available, usually around 9-10 o'clock. I have my amp (Sovtek Mig 100H which is pretty high gain anyway) set to just-breaking up a la early AC/DC & I use the DS-830 to push it over the top. I believe the term is badass! Mean but not harsh. I love the fact that it adds no noise, retains touch sensitivity & doesn't noticeably suck any tone at all when bypassed, despite not being "true-bypass" per se. It imparts its own flavour while still allowing the core characteristics of your amp and guitar to shine through. It tightens up the low end without sacrificing any of it (unless you want it to, in which case you can turn the bass knob down) & sharpens the sound without the tedious Tubescreamer/OD-1 style midboost. Cool on its own, but SENSATIONAL in the mix.
I still wouldn't recommend it for bright'n'sparkly-sounding Fender Twin/Vox-style amps though. Too fizzy. This one cries out for a good dark'n'round balls-out Marshall/Orange/Sovtek/Hiwatt/Matamp/Bassman. Great for non-MV too.

In a word, yes. You'll know the battery's dying when the LED gets dimmer & you start having to turn the level higher for parity, but it doesn't nosedive Boss-style & thus is far less likely to give you gig nightmares. I also like that it's big enough to stomp on without worrying about knackering the knobs with your engineer boots.

Godlyke are friendly (and they deserve kudos for picking up Tokai guitars for North America), but I'm in Europe so they wouldn't be able to help me (and I'm told that the local distributor here is a tosser).

Probably not for everyone, but I love it. Point off for the price, but you really do get what you pay for. I've blown way more than what I paid for this on all the other OD/Dist pedals that ultimately fall short in some crucial way.

Fairly easy. Be prepared to spend some time tweaking the four knobs before you get the sound you're after. The controls are very interactive & surgically precise, which actually makes the job harder, as a slight tweak can make a dramatic difference. This seems to be a Maxon calling card (my old Maxon made Ibanez AD-80 is the same). I like the fact that it has a 2-band tone control, though I can't really envisage a set-up that would require putting the treble beyond 1 o'clock, as the unit sounds quite fizzy as it is.

I should say straight out that I haven't had the pedal long and so far, have only used it for a couple of rehearsals and some unaccompanied noodling sessions, so take my review for what it's worth. I play old-school punky rock'n'roll w/ P-90 equipped MIJ guitars into tube amps. I don't like very high-gain & prefer to be able to hear the notes in chords & generally retain dynamics. 10 o'clock on the gain knob gives me all the crunch I need from this pedal, so I guess you could say I use it as an overdrive.
There's a lot to like about the Distortion Master: As others have said, it's extremely powerful. Level at 10 o'clock will more than match your clean signal. Though it's a solid state unit, it doesn't really sound it. It blends in very well to your sound if paired with the right amp. It does a straight rock tone really nicely. It's scalpel sharp without being harsh, provided you set it right. It's also extremely quiet for a distortion pedal (though I suspect this can vary from amp to amp). I compared it to my vintage 70s MXR Distortion+ & was pleased to find that the Maxon sounded not only just as warm, but also smoother and a GREAT DEAL quieter. Not to mention that it doesn't have to so much as break a sweat to match the MXR's max level.
However, this is definitely NOT one for every amp. Through my all-tube class-A Ashdown Peacemaker 60 combo w/ G12H30s, the DS-830 sounded atrocious at any setting. Harsh, fizzy, & indistinct, with no balls & upping the bass didn't cure that, but just made it muddy. Literally nothing I could do could make it sound good. I thought my old Boss DS-1 sounded bad through this amp but the $200 Maxon is worse. No bull. I imagine this'd be the case for any other bright-voiced amp such as a Fender Twin, as one of the unhappy campers below discovered, but I expected better seeing as Maxon claim the DS-830 is tailored for the EL34 power tube & the Peacemaker runs on, you guessed it, EL34s.
However, this pedal brought a nice old-school Marshall vibe to the Blues Deville combo I tested it with in the store. It also made my Marshall Artist 3203 30W head sound fat & warm, is truly fierce through my Sovtek MIG100H w/ Vintage 30-loaded cab & surprisingly sweet through a 70s Musicman HD130 2x12, so it's redeemed itself. Would love to try it through a Hiwatt DR103 + matching Fane-loaded cab. Actually, f**k that, I'd love to HAVE a Hiwatt DR103 + matching Fane-loaded cab, who am I kidding?
I would take issue with some claims to the effect that the DS-830 retains note definition. I don't find this to be so, even at relatively moderate gain settings.
Definitely high-quality, but for now I find it doesn't really do anything for me that my $60 Boss OD-3 doesn't do just as well, or in some cases better. It's a cruel world.

Too soon to say. Definitely seems built for the long haul. I take pretty good care of my gear anyway.

I'm in Europe, so customer support doesn't really exist. We hardy Europeans are used to just shrugging our shoulders & getting on with it!

Been playing, ooh, 17 years? Since 1989, however long that makes it! Own a fair bit of stuff, probably less than half of which I actually need, but you know how it is. Or maybe you don't....whatever. I picked up the Distortion Master in the interest of experimentation & wanting to try a high-end pedal, a bit like wanting a fast swanky car. Boredom & spare cash are a lethal combination, but better a Maxon pedal than drink or drugs say I! I may sound disappointed with this pedal, but really I'm not. I just haven't had enough time to get to know it & play to its strengths. It's very 3-dimensional & harmonically...textured I guess is the word. I look forward to experimenting with it & maybe someday we'll really click. If stolen however, I wouldn't replace it, as it's very expensive & not really indispensable (I have other OD/drive units). One point off for the price, two points off for not being as amp-adaptable as certain other, cheaper, pedals.

gain, treble, bass, level.

This is an awesome distortion. Some manufactures would have called it an overdrive. Those are just words and they don't tell you a lot about this pedal because it is rather unique sounding.

If the od-820 is a more refined ts-808, this is a more refined D&S II (ibanez overdrive II). It has that sizzle like a good vintage D&S II. It straddles the line between overdrive and fuzz but its tone is much more complex and transparent.

I really like the unique sound of this pedal. Lots of original tones to be had here.

The guy who dumped on the reliability is a fool and has a serious case of sour grapes.

These pedals are made in Japan. Boss pedals are made in??? indonesia? china? They are to cheap to even pay tiawan labor anymore.

If he thinks the little plastic momentary switch in a Boss pedal is better than the industrial Carling brand switch that is stock in this pedal he is obviously not informed. For a Japanese company to buy switches from an american company when most american comanies would use the Tiawan Carling knock offs tells you something about maxons commitment to quality.

Unlike Boss and others Maxon doesn't just subtitute parts with whatever's cheap. They select thier components to sound good. You will see things like texas instruments chips where they could have used a cheap chinese chip. That is what keeps thier products consitant. For instance when panasonic quite making BBD chips most manufactures started using cheap chinese BBD chips. Not maxon. They began manufacturing thier own BBD chips to keep the quality high.

The enclosed switchcraft jacks are the best made for pedals. Would he have pefered open jacks so noise can get in? again the guy just doesn't know what he's talking about and I'm sure he didn't even look at the board and wouldn't know what he was looking at if he did.

To put it simply Maxon makes the highest quality mass production pedals in the world bar none. period.

Another great pedal from Maxon. Love it.

it's pretty easy, but may take some time to dial in your sound, it's just like most pedals out there as far as hooking it up.

76 fender twin, gibson les pual special. this thang is noisy if you crank the level knob up all the way. but roll it back and it's not that bad. not as good as my 82" tube screamer but it'll work for now.hang on to it for a few months and your opinion might change.

ok, here's where this thing is total bullshit. on maxon website they say the reason why there pedals cost so much is becuase hard to find parts. (ha ha ha ). i took a look inside and this thing is garbage, we're talkin crappy plastic input jacks and skinny tiny little wires on crappy curcit boards. it might last if you never use it, or drop, or or or or maybe even--just don't take it out of the box. basically by it used and then mod it when your drunk ass freinds spill there drinks on it and it dies.

a yea right --can u say "lower your prices please. i've heard rumors.

i've been playing for 20 or so years. been all over the world and to evrey state in this country at least 4 times.in a professionall situation this thing would die fast. save your money and just get a boss ds-1 for 40$. or get a nice hand made pedal for 100$. just becuase something cost alot of money don't mean shit.when your payin your bills with what you make at the end of the night ---(FUCK THIS PEDAL).

Good... God. I cannot even tell you how many times my rig has changed. I got rid of this pedal for awhile... and ended up going back to it. It's easy to use. It's stictly a question knowing how to match it to your amp.

Easy.

This is by far the best sounding crunch distortion ever. It's dirty... it's ballsy... and it doesn't cover up your amp. This pedal goes from my new Spector ARC 6 Guitars... to my H&K Duotone/Orange Cab. There is other pedals in between... Digitech WH-1, Maxon Auto Filter, Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde, Maxon Rotary Phaser, Line 6 MM-4 (Keeley Modded - Do it... you won't regret it), Line 6 DL-4 (also Keeley Modded), and Boss RV-5.

I use it for a very aggressive Marshall-esque tone. Think more along the lines of A Perfect Circle, Primus, type stuff. Does EXACTLY what I wanted it to. It is very possible to get extremely soulful blues, vintage rock, and even dirtier jazz sounds. HUGE BOTTOM END... which is why I got it... as the amp I use DOESN'T have a alot of low end.
Of course the treble control can be harsh... don't turn it up, IDIOT.

I DO NOT use this pedal for solo's or single line stuff... because the settings I use for main parts is usually just a tad to harsh... but I would rather have two pedals that do two different things with AMAZING quality, then one thing that does 3 things in a mediocre manner. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS, NOT EVERYTHING IS A SWISS_ARMY KNIFE... I judge products on how well they do what they were intended to do.

I've taken this pedal all over the country. I have dropped it... spilled stuff on it... stored it is sub-zero temperatures for days, I have done everything you shouldn't do to a pedal, and this thing is still GREAT... it doesn't look very nice, but still works FLAWLESSLY. I do have back ups for my LINE 6 six stuff... so I do feel the need to do that, if something isn't up to par.

I have contacted them, and to be honest their support isn't that great... but when you compare them to people like Line 6 or Boss... they are pretty good. I won't rate them... because I don't think I'll ever need to contact them regarding THIS product. I wanted info on dealers in my area... so I can't rate this.

This is a great pedal for hard rock, and alternative styles. I love it. It's the only pedal that gave me a great MAIN crunch sound that rival kills my $2000 head. This pedal gives me MY SOUND. Not just another distortion pedal... truly one that will do down in history.

four knobs: gain, bass, treble, & level. some stompbox devices w/four potentiometers (say, for instance, flangers) can be very complicated & necessitate quite a bit of time figuring out how the dials all interact w/each other. not so w/the ds-830. gain--most guitarists know what this knob will do, and, in addition, where they will want it positioned to give them "their" sound. bass & treble--again, most people who are music enthusiasts of any type -even those who only listen to music but are not afraid to mess around w/the eq on their home stereos- will be able to guess how the sound will be affected when twisting one of these knobs. level--output level. seemingly the most straight-forward of the pots; let me admit here that it took me awhile to understand the concept of "matching" the input volume w/the output level knob on effects devices, or increasing it SLIGHTLY to produce some extra drive. my long-held attitude toward this dial was: "i want it as loud as possible... this knob should ALWAYS be DIMED right from the get-go!" turns out i didn't really know what i was doing. imagine that.

set-up when posting this review: 1976 gibson s-1 w/lindy fralin p-90s > radial dragster > doobtone mcbuffer > maxon ds-830 > mxr m-108 10 band eq > isp technologies decimator > bbe sonic stomp > 1961 gibson ga40 tube amp. sound quality? how about "WOW!" it's hard to describe the FEELING-- as if the ds-830 is actually an accelerator pedal under my feet. even though i have the mxr eq turned on, i usually just leave the sliders at the detente (or "flat") setting; the maxon posesses enough variation and power in & of itself. i prefer to have the gain knob in the 12:00 to 3:00 range; less than 12:00 & the sound is too much like overdrive for me. (i am NOT a fan of overdrive-type sounds, whether generated by pedal or amplifier). w/the gain knob higher than 3:00, the sound was too fizzy & unfocused. i suppose the fact that i am not raving about the sound produced by a large percentage of the dial would be fodder for guitarists who slag this pedal; here's the thing: i don't care for jack-of-all-trades stompboxes. i don't mind owning several pedals of a certain type (e.g. "wah-wahs"), so long as the ones i own deliver a certain sound that i think is both unique AND kicks ass. the "swiss army knife thing" is not what i'm looking for in a pedal. so, to me, the sound of the ds-830 in its 12:00 to 3:00 gain range-- w/the bass & treble knobs @ 10:30 to 1:30 (most natural sounding to my ear) & the output level set @ 1:30 or 3:00--is something to behold. quiet (the ds-830 is EASILY the least noisy gain device i've ever played through), yet powerful (full-on marshall-like distortion). & by the by... match the ds-830 up w/its siblings in maxon's "vintage" collection (ph-350 phaser, cs-550 chorus, ad-900 or ad-999 delay) and be the posessor of sounds here-to-fore undreamt of (& this is coming from someone who's wasted a sh*tload-a time dreaming about guitar sounds). let your wallet's conscience be your guide.

after quite a bit of a try-this-&-discard-that kinda methodology re:distortion device experimentation, i think i have the two pedals that're gonna be keepers. i suppose it's quite obvious at this point that one of 'em's the ds-830. right. for those of you out there (all three of you) who're dying to know what the other one is, the envelope please... it's emma's reezaFRATzitz. i have recently posted long-winded review, should you need a double-dose of ill-informed frothing at the mouth. so why own both (i'm supposing you would ask)? well, here goes: the FRATzitz, while very powerful, is like a european 5-speed automobile. sure, you're haulin some SERIOUS ass, but if you listen very closely, you can HEAR the engine huffin' & puffin'. when riding our motocross cycles as teenagers, this is what we called "gunning it". conversely, the maxon is the equivalent of an american car w/automatic transmission & a big block under the hood. maybe not as quick, but can easily match the euro speedster MPH for MPH w/out even breaking a sweat. no huffin' & puffin', if you get my drift. so, it's the anxious "she's gonna blow" sound of the FRATzitz vs the relaxed confidence of arnold schwartzenegger blowing away the competition @ the mr olympia circa 1975 (or the aural equivalent of just such an event... c'mon, you know what i mean, doncha?) & hey, i dunno 'bout you, but i NEED both of those sounds. really, i do.

Easy to use. I get three distinct sounds from it with minor twists of the knobs. Has seperate low and high adjustments- very handy- you don't just cut lows or cut highs.

My rig goes like this- Tele/strat/335>Homemade clean boost> toadworks Mr. Squishy> Maxon DS-830>Addrock ol yeller>EH Holy Grail>Ibanez AD99>guyatone FL1>Boss TU2>Music Man HD130 (bridged)>Mesa 3/4 back 2x12 cab. Monster cables w/ george L patches. The pedal is dead quiet. Get the gain past 3 oclock, and there is a little hiss, but this beast packs 59db of gain. My MMhd130 loves it!<P> With the Strat- Gain at 7 oclock/ bass at 1/ high at 3/ level at 2= Henry Garza of LLB. Gain at 1/ bass at 12/ trebble at 1/ level at 12 = Jimi. The third tone I use is an original... This pedal creates your tone- just as your guitar, fingers, amp and cabinet are a part of it, so is this box. <P> It should be said that even though this is a high gain distortion pedal- it is not a shread pedal. It is very warm- at least through my rig. This is the first 10 I've give to a pedal... all I can say is- wow- its that good.

Maxon is very reliable in general and is one of the pricer mass production pedals. I'd expect no different from this pedal. I have nice gear, but it took me a long time to acquire it. I couldn't afford two of these- so it better hold up!

Have not had to call them.

I like a little of it all: blues, rock, country, and the in betweens. I don't have the chops for full on shred. I got this in as a part of a trade with the intent of selling it on ebay that weekend. I put it in the chain just to check it out and fell in love with it. I've bought a couple of modded pedals, trying to get a cheaper replacement pedal (rat/ keeley SD1/ analogman SD1/keeley bd2, but none of them have the warmth or the power of the 830- not even close. My tone is built around this pedal as much as it is the head, cab, and guitar. I've put it up for sale twice now, just because I'm cheap, but never could go through with it. It a keeper.

idiot proof small manual which isnt needed.

I'll just repeat what everyone else says. Lots of smooth manageable shimmery high gain distortion. I tried it on a couple of buddys amps and it REALLY blends into whatever your playing. Thats what you call transparent. I run it on the clean side of my Bogner Shiva being that the Shiva is not a super high gain amp, although I LOVE the dirty side of it. Blends awesome with other effects as well. It DOES have its own character as well, so if your not neccessarily looking for it to blend, you also have the option there. I wouldnt mind if it had a touch more gain though. Thats only a minor complaint though. I maybe wouldnt recommend it for thrash, but to anyone else I'd say check it out.

It still works. Had it about 10 months.

?? no.

I play a little of everything for 16 years so this is a great addition to my arsenal of effects. If it were stolen or lost I might get a new one. I love everything about it, although a touch more gain would make it perfect. I've tried a ton of distortion and od pedals. This is def one of the best. It looks cool too. Funky retro green. Spendy though. Most of Maxon stuff is.

I have had no problems whatsoever getting good tones from the DS830, but only because it produces nothing but good tones. The dual tone controls add an extra dimension of flexibility for tweaking the tone, yet the there is little coloration added by tweaking the controls. The sound can be made bigger, smaller, brighter, or darker, but the same basic distortion characteristics remain unchanged.

The degree of distortion is just enough over the top at the highest gain settings to be heavily saturated, but still quite useful. Most if not all of the range of characteristics are useful.

Like many of the satisfied reviewers, I'm using one of the newer Marshalls, the DSL50 with a 4x12 cab loaded with V-30's. In researching this pedal I learned that Maxon developed it to work with the El34 powertube, which was a factor in choosing it, although it's supposed to work good with with other tubes. I run it through the clean channel and it just rocks plain and simple, producing excellent overdrive tones--a rare quality in a high gain distortion unit--while producing tight, clear, well-defined crunch tones at higher gain settings. For lead work the notes are meaty with plenty of growl and sustain. Pinch harmonics are easily produced even at lower gain settings. My guitars are mahogany Ibanez SZ models, the SZ720, and the SZ2020.

I've thrown every other effect I could at the DS830, including an EH DEM flanger, an Ibanez AD9 delay, an EH Holy Grail reverb, an MXR Supercomp. The transparency of the unit makes it compatible with just about everything.

At the highest gain settings a little noise is produced, but as far as high gain distortion units go, the DS830 is extremely quiet.

Rock solid so far

No need for support.

I play hard rock and blues with plenty of overdrive and distortion. If you're a busy player who likes to get in and out, play a lot of notes, and switch between rhythm and lead with modern sounds as the goal, the DS830 is a good choice.

I had been using an H&K Tubefactor for several years, and while it has superb tube tone, I never really cared for the response it provided, meaning that I had trouble getting in and out of the pocket. The DS830 responds more quickly to what I'm doing due to less sag in the tone, and lends itself to a fluid, busy playing style.