Tech 21 XXL

I bought this pedal used with a manual, but you dont't need one. With only four controls I let my ears do the walking.

The pedal has very high gain cirduitry. I read all of the other reviews and agree with only one. I've benn playing for over forty years and have owned just about every type of Distortion pedal or floor processor you can imagine. My two favvorites are a Korg AX 30 and this pedal. The pedal is not noisy and adds no new tones to your guitar. It sounds natural, which is what I wanted. I use it with either a Polytone Mini Brut IV , Fender Concert or Lab L-9 depending on my mood. It simply has a great overdrive. The warp contol to my mind is a compressor. My favorite position is to leave the DRIVE, and WARP at their lowest postion, move the Tone to the 9 o'clock position and adjust the Level to a little more than even gain with the switch on. I am a nut for sound quality, I own an Eventide GTR 4000, Digitech digital delay, rackmounted parametric equalizer and a Digech harmonizer. What can I say, I love it, it gives me the sound I have looked for and like.

I haven't owned it for long, but I do own one other TECH 21 Product, the SANSAMP, and it appears to be rugged. Tech 21 did not scrimp on parts for the XXL, the electronics are housed in a very rugged metal enclosure.

Don't know. No problems.

I play all types of music, but this pedal will be used for Rock & Roll and Blues. I would buy one again. It outshines any pedal I have owned in the past.

na

excellent see last, this is a revision.

very

I should revise my previous and say that the customer support was very good. They sent me a pdf file of the manual.

I placed an earlier review some time ago. At that time I was impressed with this pedal. I am even more impressed now that I've had it a while. The sell it as emulating vintage tone which it does a good jobe at, however, where it EXCELS os as a preamp device. I recently purchased an old Silvertone 1472 tube amp. I plug in this pedal with my "muy grande" equipped strat and OH MY GOD!. You can't believe the tone. With warp all the way on and and frive off I get a wicked ACDC fat tone. Turn the guitar tone pot down and voila, "money for nothing. Turn warp allt way off and get VOX AC-30. It sings and sustains like you wouldn't belive. Again with warp off I turn the guitar vol pot to 5-6 and I get a singing, sutain-happy Santana tone. I think this pedal differs from most other tech 21/sansamp products in that they emulate a tube amp where as this pedal complements a clean tube amp in the extreme. You can't get a really saturated MesaBoogie or nu-metal tone but thats not really the point here. They have discontinued the product but you can still get one on ebay. Also the current Tech 21 Double Drive does essenially the same thing with slight different nob function. If you want to add some zing to that old vintage tube amp of yours this pedal is for you!

No the most user friendly pedal I've ever come across, the tone, level and drive controls are self explanatory but warp? Has Mr Sulu designed a stomp box? It interacts more with the tone than the drive in my experience, its suposed to bosst and cut harmonics with a poition of about 10 o'clock for the nuetral setting.

Sounded terible with my Trademark 10 but fantastic with Les Paul and Fender Blues Junior.

I think it really thrives on Valves...

I give it a 10 for the sound with the blues Junior and 4 with the Trademark 10. So an average of 7 is awarded here....

Great pedal with the right Guitar / Amp but very ordinary with single coil guitars and solid state amps (not tried it with a digital amp yet.

Easy to use in the sense that it's a stomp box and what could be easier. The difficulty (and fun) lies in playing around with all the knobs (including your guitar volume and tone) in order to get the sound you want. It this respect it's very versatile

I'm plugging in a custom made fender strat with Muy Grande pickups. Sometimes I play through a digitech RP-5 in order to add compression, chorus, etc and sometimes straight through to a crate G40 CXL. Either way this pedal sounds great. I can go from an almost Metallica crunch to a farty "money for nothing" tone depending on the combination of settings. The warp knob really does affect your tone if you get a feel for it. The X-factor is really affected by the tone setting on the box and on your guitar. You also have to experiment with playing style as this will make a difference. Once you get a sense for all of tne subtle nuances of this pedal you really can get a beautiful tone.

I have only had it a couple of weeks but I bought is used on ebay.These things came out in '97 or so. I guess it's lasted this long and I haven't had any problems with is.

Not much experience with the telephone support but I have emailed a couple of times and gotten no response.

I love this pedal. It's been fun playing with all the settings and seeing what kind of tone I can get. It is extremeley versatile and yield a very (several very) tube-like distortion for those of us who can't afford a tube amp. It sound awesome when I run it throught my RP-5 (which has been criticized on the site for it's bad distortion) and add effects. All around a fun, fun, fun pedal with a great sound.

Very smooth overdrive on most positions.
No real distortion, and certainly no fuzz.
This may be due to myself using batteries rather than
an adaptor. I believe that slightly different voltages
will have a big change of tonal characteristics.

The sound I was able to dial in were good, nothing to rave about
and certainly not as good as my Laney TF300 preamp.
I agrea that it is very analogue sounding, way different from
digital distortions. Sustain is REALLY incredible.
I also agree on the dynamics and sensitivity : this pedal lets
your playing technique really shine through.
I wanted fuzz. I haven't found anything usable for me :
when cranking the gain knob past 3:00 you have harsh distortion
Before you have creamy, smooth overdrive.

VERY nice people.
The marketing manager responded within 24 hours to my mail.
Top notch !
I'll certainly check all their production line.

I don't want to come and fart among all these raving reviews but I'd like to give my opinion as well :
I've had this pedal for a couple of months and sold it recently.
Whereas it sounds good it doesn't sound great.
There's NOTHING spectacular about this pedal.
I repeat : NOTHING SPECTACULAR
It's a good overdrive in a box but most preamps
will sound better. (even my shitty Laney does, excepted
for the smooth sustain this pedal provides)

The warp knob does nothing special.
I can hear a slight effect and as other people mentioned
to my ears, it's a compressor effect rather than anything else.
(When you use heavy gain you won't hear any effect at all).
I've tested the pedal under several of situations with several
completely different guitars, amps, direct, headphones, digital preamps, ...)
Used in combination with my Sansamp classic it does nothing
the SA classic doesn't. They don't compliment very well.
The XXL seems redundant in this situation.

I don't hate anything about this pedal.
It's just that I don't need it.
I wanted to get a fuzz pedal to compliment my gear
and it's NOT the kind I needed.

I highly recommend it for smooth, creamy and sustaining lead play,
especially if you're an analogue snob :=)

I like Tech21 products.
I have the original Sansamp and I intend to get the Tri-AC for live play (I liked the way it sounded direct into the PA at the store). And I'd like to find a deal on the PSA-1 (currently going used for 450?). I'll buy one when they drop to 300? ...

Super easy for me. Put everything at 12 o'clock except the level knob, that should be at about 11 o'clock. The manual is very good and gives you many different options to start with.

This pedal kicks so much a$$! It sounds great on every bass rig i've ever played thru (using my 1978 Fender Jazz). The old bass player in my band took this pedal from me to use because it was the ONLY distortion pedal he ever played thru that retained low end and still cut the overall mix with smooth crunch.
On guitars it is equally powerful. Although it never sounded good to me on my 1973 Fender Dual Showman. Right now i'm using it exclusively on my Matchless Spitfire clone that i built. Just perfect tone. Sounds like a Vox AC15 but with so much more gusto. That's the word for this pedal: Gusto. I have also used it on a 1958 Gibson GA-30 amp. The tone of the GA-30 is already pretty dark. With the XXL it just got bigger and darker than any amp i've ever heard. A great contrast for my amp arsenal.
Guitars used: 1998 Gison SG standard. 1989 Fender Strat. A Strat I built with Hot Rails and Fender Lace pickups. 1978 Fender Jazz bass.

Built like a small tank.

I have two of these pedals and one had a circuit problem. I sent it to them and they repaired it for $40. But it was worth it. And they guaranteed the work.

The pedal sounds great with rock, punk and metal. The overdrive can get pretty thick which i don't really prefer. Too much of the WARP knob sounds like total amplifier sag. This is a good thing when used properly.
I've used this on bass, guitar and even vocals for recording and the pedal has always done what i expect. Great tone, great tube amp emulation.

If you read the manual, you're find a good examples of how to get good sounds to begin, and specially, the use of the warp. Without the manual, would be difficult. Like all products with special features (warp), takes some time to get used with it.

I'm using basically a Gibson LP Special (SD Antiquity's humbuckers) and a 62'RI Strat, with a 68'Fender SR Blackfaced. Is very quiet on lower drive, not noisy at all, but some noise start when you pass twelve o'clock. But you must consider that this pedal offers a lot of overdrive, even if it was on zero drive, you will get an AC/DC "Back in Black" sound.
To get a Marshallesque tone, I need an equalizer to mid the boost, because my SR has lots of low end and highs, but not mid enough to kick ass like marshalls. But if you're looking for Mesa Boggie sounds, this pedal had it. The Fuzz Face is good, but I don't use it so much. The warp control is good to emulate a Class A tube overdrive (think on Vox AC30), a Marshall/Mesa Boogie (class A/B amps) or a sag sound a la Neil Young.
I had an exaustively comparison between the XXL and a Bottle Rocket Mesa Boogie of a friend of mine (US$200 tube overdrive, twice the price of the XXL), and the sound was almost identical in some settings. The Mesa was a little bit warm, because of the dynamic range of tubes, instead of solid state in XXL, but the XXL was more clean when I turn down the volume of the guitar. With a help of an GE7 (Boss equalizer), I can get all the tones I want, included the "woman tone" (intro of "Sweet child o'mine"), just have to boost the mids, bass on the middle point, and turn down a little the highs. Without the equalizer, I can't get that tone because of the logarithmic (I think) behaviour of the tone control, but with the equalizer, it's no problem. When I use the strat, I turn the warp control in minimum, and with the LP, in the double arrows. Bottom line, this pedal has TONE and TUBE FEEL like no other in that price range. I always forget that there's no tube inside of the unit.

It's very strong and well built, but the DC position isn't well located, and I need to unscrew the bottom faceplate to replace the battery, so if I'm on stage, it's difficult. If you use a DC, you don't need a backup.

I know the people on Tech21 are great.

I play classical music, jazz, bossa nova, classic and hard rock, pop. For what I play, and with my gear, is a perfect match. I've playing for about 15 years, and I have a 68 Fender Super Reverb (blackfaced), a Gibson GA10 (50's tweed class A tube amp), a 57'Gibson ES125 with 2 P90's and a Bigsby talpiece (my favorite guitar), a USA 62'RI Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul Special with Seymour Duncan humbucker Antiquity's, a Ibanez SA100 (ES335 copy), a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby, a SD1 Super Overdrive Boss, a boss CE5 (Chorus Ensemble), a GE7 equalizer, and a VP500 Yamaha volume pedal. I would buy it again if it were stolen, or would try the TRI AC, the GT2 and the Double Drive. What I love on this pedal, is the dynamic and capability to traduce the intensity of my playing, the different sounds I can get using the guitar volume, and the tube feel. I've compared to a Mesa Boogie Bottle Rocket, a Vox overdrive, a lot of Boss overdrive and distorsions, and this is by far the best at this range of price. I wish it had a equalizer included, but would be on another price. This pedal changed my way of play, now I am more focused on get overdrive when I need, to accentuated the intensity of phrasing on my solos and even rhythm, using the guitar volume or playing soft to get clean, and hard to get overdrive.

This pedal is all about tube sag...like Hendrix Live. The thing is
just old style compressed tone that is on the verge of "De-Construction. The manual is good.

I first used this pedal with an ART SGX2000 pre-amp for a more
"natural sound", when I was recording my first album. The XXL adds
air around each insturment.
I am currently using it now and then in my live set-up of Bad Horsie 2
Electric Mistress and NS-2. The sound of this pedal is VERY Unique!

I have been using this box non-stop for seven years. No problems.
I trust it on any gig without backup.

I have never had a problem with this box. I have spoken to
the sales people at Tech 21 and they are nice and friendly.

I am playing in a great band. We produce the best metal and pop
music ever! This pedal is used only now and then to spice a solo.
The XXL is unique in it's tone flavor. It does have a big volume boost
even with the level at 7 or 8 o'clock. I think this box excels at lead
work and solo lines. When hitting chords it is muddy.

Level, Tone, Warp, Drive. Ste them all an 12 o'clock for a good starting point. Anyone who can't figure it out doesn't have a brain.

I use it with the best amp of all time, a '78 HIWAT DR 103 (and sometimes a '69 Marshall SLP 100 or a '65 VOX AC 30 TB). Guitars are a '78 Gibson LP Custom, Gibson SG with P-90, Rickenbacker 350, '67 Gretsch Double Anniversary and some Fender (Strat, Tele and Jaguar).

I use a lot of stompers (MJM London Fuzz, Klon centaur, Cornish Rangemaster, Fuldrive 2 and lots of others).

To put it short, the XXL (stupid name) is pure magic.

This highly underrated pedal has got to be one of the best distortion devices of all time. Don't be fooled by some of the reviewers here, who "tested" it with small transistor combos or the likes.

This is a high gain stomper, I use it with the Drive at zero! It has a lush, pristine high end sparkle all of it's own. Doesn't colour your basic tone (no mid hump) and let's the beauty of a good guitar and a good tube amp shine throuhg. It is very touch responsive and cleans up beautiful if you back down your guitar volume.

Another big plus is, that it doesn't cut the bass. A lot of pedals sound thin and buzzy, but not this one. It leaves all the low end intact.

Contrary to what has been said here, the warp effect isn't subte at all! It is a very pronounced effect, anyone who can't here it is either stone deaf or has equipment like shit.

The warp knob is in the neutral podition at 12 o'clock. Turn it up and it compressesand sags like an old hard driven Fender combo with a tube rectifier. Sounds a lot like Neil Young ("Cortez the Killer"). A great setting for solos, but can be a bit too much for rhythm.

Turn the warp counter clockwise and it compresses more gently, not unlike a Vox.

I leave the warp in the neutral position at 12 o'clock, because I like my guitar sound big and chunky.

The XXL has a buffered bypass, I couldn't hear any unwanted coloration when the padal is off.

The switch is a bit weak and makes a popping sound sometimes, but nothing to worry about. Rock'n Roll.

I have it since 10 years or so, never had any problem. It is of solid construction (PCB) - not like a BOSS, but ok.

Never dealt with them.

I play since 30 years. I've had so much equipment that I hardly remember all the stuff. This one is a keeper. If you're looking for a high gain hard rock sound (not the scooped metal type), look no further. If you find one used, by it - you won't regrett it.

Pretty simple, just takes time to match it up properly with your gear

I have a Fender Prosonic which already has a wicked drive channel (very Mesa like)so I use this to drive my clean channel for a tottally saturated singing, saggin compressed Neil Young sound and it nails it in spades. The warp control is the key to this sound. I find once you have a great basic sound you can push it over the top with the warp.But it does take a fair amount of fiddlin to get there.I love it for that sound and don't really use it for anything else and certainly not all the time (only when I feel urge to squeal like Neil)

1 year-no prob

don't know

Excellent for the sound mentioned above. I use different drive, dist, fuzz pedals for different sounds. One pedal doesn't do it all as far as I know. Besides its fun collecting pedals (cheaper than amps or guitars) I suggest you try it out if you can find one for under $100