Product: Maxon OD-880
Price Paid: GBP 65 USED
Submitted
10/20/2006
at
12:48pm
by
Bernard
Ease of Use
:
10
A doddle. Can't get a bad sound. FYI mine is the reissue model with the LED.
Sound Quality
:
9
Mmmm...smmmooooth. I can see why they called this 'Soft Distortion'.
Bags of sustain for very little 'dirt', and tonally very much along the tubescreamer line although not as fizzy, more mid-rangey, with better preservation of the bass, but less top end.
It would be nice if it had a tone control to brighten it up a little, but I do like a pretty bright sound so others might not miss the top-end so much.
I play a strat into a silverface Fender twin and the sound is beautiful - it really encourages thoughtful, expressive playing rather than just banging out notes and chords. There's a real, nice springiness to the sound not unlike the rectifer sag you get with something like an old Fender Champ fully-cranked. Not suitable for heavy or aggressive rock playing as the amount of gain available is pretty mild - probably the least of any OD pedal I've come across.
For comparison I tried it against a Boss OD1 & OD3, Maxon ROD881, Visual Sound Route 66 and a Bixonic Expandora 2000R. I would say it was the smoothest, most 'vintage' sounding of the lot, but not as transparent as the OD3 or ROD881.
It sounds great with a wah before it - classic 'Shaft'. It's not true-bypass but I can detect no tone-sucking at all.
Reliability
:
10
Very sturdy; no worries there.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Dunno - this pedal was only made available in Japan originally and hasn't been manufactured since 1999.
Overall Rating
:
9
Not the most versatile of beasts, but a distinctive, highly musical sound. Definitely one of those pedals that inspires you to play with real consideration and certainly a cut above most of the tubescreamer-type pedals out there.
It's probably not to everyone's taste but that's a good thing - you can stand out from the crowd with it - and I don't wish it had more gain. It is what it is.
These pedals are pretty rare, the originals even more so (in fact the original may have been the very first 'overdrive' pedal ever marketed - back in 1974) so if you see one, get it.
If I could improve it I would make it true-bypass, add a tone control and make it more compact, but, as it is, it sounds great and has a great, back-to-basics, vintage look about it.
Product: Maxon OD-880
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
09/15/2006
at
02:18am
by
your mother
Ease of Use
:
10
It only has two knobs "sensitivity" and "level". Sensitivity is the gain control but it makes sense that it's called sensitivity when you use it.
Sound Quality
:
10
It has a certian sweetness that is hard to define. It will take you back to those 70's AM radio tones and i don't mean that as a put down. It's just sooo smooth and sooo transparent that it almost not distorted at all even though it is "overdriven".
No need for a compressor. No need to have your amp crunching. This pedal is a complete and polished sound all by iteself. Just throw it in fron of a clean fender tube amp with a touch of 'verb. Flip to the neck pickup or your strat and let the sacharine smooth cheese flow. Now your ready to play lead guitar for elton john, carol king, cat stevens ect...
Okay the music i play is nothing like that, but still you get the vibe. there is a comparison to the fabled ts-808, but that is selling it short. It has it's own thing going on. This is a very "pro" vintage tone. More aged but also more refined than the 808. Nostalgia trip like a 60's fender gives you. Dig it kids.
Reliability
:
10
Maxon knows how to build a pedal.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Japan only model. good luck.
Overall Rating
:
10
Very rare because it was never released in the US. At least not the reissue. Original I'm not sure but it's just as rare and very expensive. Overdrive junkies must check it out. I love it. I wish it had more output, but the idea is not to push your amp. It is a sound complete unto itself.
