Tech 21 XXL

It takes a while to make sense of the "Warp" knob. I don't hear so much of an effect on the sustain tone but it has a big effect on attack, from a quick gun-shot to a many-level death star explosion. (Yeah, I read guitar mags.)

I use it on everything, in a home studio. It is awesome on drum sounds; it turns kicks and snares into industrial-type explosions. On guitar it's a good hard rock fuzz with lots of character (Fripp, Mould, whatever.) It has tons of high harmonics, more the "bite" frequencies than the "rubbing styrofoam" frequencies. (Which I like, don't get me wrong-love that MXR Distortion+.) Like someone wrote already, it's too raw if you go direct into a mixer. It's not a static fuzz tone, there's a lot of life and motion in it.

I've got two; both going strong after 5-6 years.

Some of the early models had some leakage in bypass. I took it to their office in NYC and they swapped out the board while I waited.

It's got its own sound, and a good one.

Fairly simple setup of 4 knobs: Volume, Tone, Gain, and "Warp". The warp took me a little while to figure out, but it is one of the best tone shapers I've ever used... It alters harmonic tone within the overdrive and totally bends your sound. Other than that everything was standard.

I take everything simple... 1979 Gretsch BST-1000 into an Acoustic (that's the name... Not a big name, but it sounded huge and a lot better than most of the other halfstacks I tried) 4x12 halfstack with another 2x18 peavey Black Widow cabinet. It's pretty quiet unless you have your pickups right next to the box... Never had a problem with it on stage or in the studio. The effects aren't as crunchy as I'd like for rhythm parts, so I use a DOD Tech 8 behind it. When it comes to lead or soloing, however, or when I wanna tear up some blues, I kick my multi and just use this. It's got great overdrive tone with amazing clarity. If it weren't for this pedal my set list would have no lead guitar.

It seems pretty reliable, although I have babied this thing since I got it just to be safe. I've never had a problem with it, it's always kept its tone, and made my first studio tracks sound perfect. If I had to I'd gig it without a backup, but to be safe that's a risk I'll never take... You can never be too prepared... it's the nature of electric instruments.

Never had a problem I needed to deal with... However I've heard they give good advice on tone and setup, even aside of the problem.

I actually play punk, ska, rock, metal, and whatever hybrid comes to mind when I'm writing. It doesn't fit any in the rhythm area, but for lead it's a miracle worker. In the past I've had a DOD Grunge, which sounded so trendy I had to sell it, A DOD Tech 8, which most people give me looks about, but I love, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS/9. This is totally comparable to the TS, although the tones are like night and day. All it lacks is the reputation of Ibanez. This does, however, have the Warp control, which I think is the raddest thing in the history of distortion. It alters the odd and even harmonic tones to perfectly shape your tone to however you can dream it. This is a killer pedal. If you play lead, blues, or just want an overdrive, look into this. It's a great investment.

it's kind of complicated. the knob's setting is different. you might want to look up a manual before you try. after that, it is still little bit complex to use at a gig. the level control makes big difference on actual volume. so, i use my toe to turn it around since i am lacking with volume pedal. other than that is alright.

my setup is cort classic (a les paul copy) to XXL to boss ch-1 chorus to pearl analog delay to the amp Peavey envoy 110 or marshall vs65r.
i also use dunlop wah gcb-95 and psk metalzone which is exact same replica of the one from boss. The XXL alone sound way too brutal and raw. it does have a very decent distorted sound between fuzz and ordinary high-gain overdrive but too much of noise and feedback. But, when i tried it with a chorus, it worked out fine. XXL offers a serious dynamic and beautiful tone and it's perfect for backing and lead. well, i think it's not for any metal, though.

very depndable. it's got a hugh microchip inside and 4 knobs.. well, very simple structure. and, it's also very consistant.

i haven't met with them yet.

very exciting od box i ever tried. it's got dynamic and decent and distinctive tone and works with other analog effects well. it seems working best with a hmbucker. I play blues and classic rock mostly and little bit of jazzy chord work sometimes. when i got it, i acutally regreted and told myself that i should have gotten that TS-9 or a rat or something like original od-1. but, more i spend time with this, the more I like. try it before you buy it, please. and after you got it, spend a lot of time with it before you decide anything like selling it back. well, since they are not making this any more, its resale value tends to remain high..

Takes a man without a nervous hand - and also with eyes to read the manual !

Gibson LP DC-Copy. It's NOT noisy if you know to play straight and "clean". I'd say it's lively-yes it is ! Not every position of the warp effect can be used but it has indeed a variety of sounds it can offer. I'm using a Marshall VS 65 in the clean channel with the tone-button pushed down. It needs a bit of mids a lot of bass and less highs. I didn't get the Metallica sound - Sorry ! But I got something that might be better - for me. I'm satisfied with the sick fuzz and satisfied with the hard'n'heavy sound- it forces me to play better !

If I had a Mesa/Boogie Rect. or a Marshall TSL 100 I wouldn't need this box. I prefer to keep the equipment easy.

Not dealt with them yet.

Don't laugh now: I'm playing Black Metal and everything from Punk over Hardcore to Grunge (what's the main difference anyway?)

Took me a while to tweek it to my tastes, but nothing difficult, just a little trial and error.
Manual is decent with some good baseline settings to simulate various type of amp overdrives.

I have two amps:

A Carvin 50 watt tube (3 12 AX7's and 2 EL 34's for power) combo pushing a 5150 4x12 cab. I use this for gigging with friends and sometimes home practice. My other is a small 15 watt solid state Marshall, that I use only for home practice. I use Monster cable Jazz cables everywhere.

My main guitar is an Ibanez RG which I rewired with a Dimarzio tone zone and an air Norton.

I have found the XXL to be very noisy with the vol level maxed, but this thing has a TON-TON-TON of vol boost within this one control and so I never turn it up close to that high. I set the vol boost level at about 30-40%, and it is actually on par with the quietest OD stompers I have tried.

I can get a lot of full dist tones out of it... from metallica to ACDC, this is its strength. Palm muting makes sone serious chunk. This pedal seems to work best with a warm sounding guitar and a bass heavy amp/speaker cab. At full gain settings I have to turn my Carvin presence control down to about 20%. The carvin amp works well with the XXL. Its presence control is centered at around 5000-8000 Hz, and is at just the right point to dim some of the solid state fuzziness in the XXL.

Some of the mild low gain ROCK tones like Rush, Hendrix, QUEEN sound too fuzzy. Even with a bass heavy amp/cab/guitar, I still CANT get a classic rock sound I like. just too fuzzy above 4-5 Khz at lower gain settings. i guess have been spoiled by a good tube amp.

Lead guitar lines and solos come alive through this box. Unlike just about all other solid state OD stomp boxes, this one really projects pick attack dynamics. Very much like a good tube amp. This is the first solid state device I have found that does this. It has that great in-your-face musical quality I like about my carvin tube amp. This is its biggest strength and what sets it apart from other distortion stomp boxes.

Built like a tank... reminds me of my MXR pedals. Solid metal case, with a nice polished stainless faceplate.

it's pretty conservative on battery power too. But I still use an AC power supply anyways.

Not needed yet.

I've been playing metal and classic rock since 87'. I also play blues and some clean Jazz at times just for kicks.
For metal and hard rock the XXL is the best solid state OD I have played.

For classic rock I'd pick a real set of tubes over it any day. .. its just too fuzzy for my tastes. I haven't tried it as a level boost for my tube pre-amp yet... like in a TS-9 role.

I love its full OD chunk, palm muting is massive. With the presence control on my carvin amp turned down, the full gain setting on the XXL comes very close to a tube OD. This is its strength. Plus I love the way it projects pick attack. I have found it to be very quiet and transparent in my rig, even at full gain settings. minimal hiss and buzz.

I hate its solid state fuzziness at the lower gain settings. It's nowhere near a TS-9 / 5, or a good tube circuit.

The only other thing I compared it to is a Boss MT-2. I chose the XXL over the MT2 because the Mt-2 just floods everything in a jumble of overdriven distortion mess. The XXL is very musical in how it projects pick attack and musical detail... kind of a less-is-more atttitude. Amazing pick attack dynamics for a solid state box!!!

It's bottom end chunk is amazing, and will rival that of the best tube pre-amps, with the XXL tone control turned down just a little below 12:00. but you NEED A BOTTOM HEAVY CAB AND AMP TO ACCESS THIS FEATURE OF THE XXL. (seriously can't emphacize this enough)

The only thing I wish it had would be a presence control and a treble control... maybe one at 3Khz and the other at 5-6 Khz. This would help to tone down the solid state fuzziness at lower gain settings. A 4 band EQ would be nice but would probably put it up in the $150 range.

Aside from the strangely functioning Tone knob, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to get a nice creamy overdrive out of this box. Definitely read the manual.

I use a Gibson DC LP and an old Strat through a 1983 Marshall JCM 800 head and cabinet. I have a Boss DS-1 and a MT-2 and a ton of other effects like a Q-Tron and a Vox wah among others. The only thing I use my metal zone pedal for is chunky riffs and rhythms. I use my DS-1 for leads, but I'm thinking about using the XXL primarily for leads and ringing distorted chords. You get a really smooth sustaining overdrive that sounds awesome at different picking dynamics. Loose strumming sounds different from palm muted riffs. The only crappy thing is that this pedal amplifies guitar noise when it's turned on. I found that I got crackling noises out of an oxygen free cable that's brand new. The Warp control is just a compression type unit. It's not a wonder knob and I wouldn't buy this pedal based on the hype about this effect. It's a great feature, but it shouldn't be your reason for buying it. I strongly suggest trying it before you buy it, as this pedal isn't for everyone.

I haven't had it long enough to depend on it, but I think I could get through a show with just this pedal (I used to use only a DS-1).

I play rock that calls for a dose of heavy riffing as well as smooth jazz/funky clean sounds. My styles go from Tool to Hendrix to the Grateful Dead to Bela Fleck. This pedal should be test driven to say the least. I totally agree that each one of these pedals sound different from the rest, so try before you buy. Overall I love the creamy sustain and overdrive, but you aren't going to get James Hetfield's sound out of this. It's versatile in the alterna-rock category and the Warp feature is a neat little addition to get some weird buzzing/flame thrower type sustaining sounds. If you want a Limp Bizkit or Korn type of sound, buy one of those dime a dozen shit boxes and get a seven string guitar. If you appreciate a pedal that let's you slam fuzzy open chords and still hear each note, then give this a try. Don't go by the web site, try this *before* you get it, pleeeeeease.

Very easy - Hit the clean channel of your amp (tubeamp, for god's sake!), set the tone, set the desired gain, then alter the sound by using the the last knob. Five minutes.

I only use this for leads: Valley Arts Custom Pro (EMG-85 pick-ups), TC Electronics SCF+, XXL, Boss DD-5, Marshall TSL-100. I've turned the knobs on the XXL to approx. 2.30 pm (except the level). The SCF adds a little depth and the DD-5 provides a subtle delay (don't ever let the delay control your solos, unless you want to hide your lack of skill). I've I always wanted the hi-gain distortion sound (I hate the overdrive-sound - it's lame) and the solo-sounds I like is of artists such as Lukather, Sambora, and David Gilmour (the solo on Comfortably Numb is the best ever). The connection to Lukather should be obvious in my choice of gear. This pedal offers me the Distortion I've always sought but never really found before now, so it's a ten for the sound quality.

I've recently bought so I can't really say anthing in this department

Never used it.

It's a one-use-only pedal. Why the hell don't they produce a great sounding distortionpedal with multiple-choice level settings and/or distortion settings? This is very annoying. Anyway - there's only one problem to this pedal: I think the knobs are a little to easy to turn, which means that you have to check the settings before playing, because anything can put them out of place. But when that is said, then this pedal offers the perfect distortion and that is its only intended purpose.

It took a while but I finally got a good sound out of it and it is my main distortion pedal know. The warp is great but it takes a while to get a sound you want out of it.

The sound of this is awesome. I use a Godin SD guitar with an effects loop in this order: Crybaby535Q, DS-1, XXL, HM-3, Ibanez chorus/flanger from the 80's, and a reissue Boss PH-1; all into a Crate amp. It sounds like heaven. The XXL is my favorite I always end up using it. I can get many sounds I like. The distortion is very smooth I can get a smooth sound out of it like John Fruciante and Hillel Slovak from the Chili Peppers but it has a smoother tone ,as I mentioned before, than the DS-1 which they use.

Bought it used and have had it for a year still works great.NO COMPLAINTS!!!!

Don't know.

I play funk and grunge a kind of alt-mix if you will and it works perfectly with my Crybaby has that killer tone. If I lost it I would probably kill myself because I probably couldn't find one because I heard it was discontinued. I compared it with my DS-1 and I like it better I still use my DS-1 when I want a harsh sharp tone but the XXL has the best sound, tone, and is as smooth as hell.

No ratings in this review as I'm still looking to test all the many depths of this box. If you look on Tech21's website (www.tech21nyc.com) you'll notice that this pedal is NOT IN PRODUCTION! anymore. I got mine about 4 months ago, but started really using it about a month ago.

I know, most people don't read manuals. But with Tech21 products you really are better off reading them. It doesn't mean their products are not "easy to use" it just means they're not like everything else - see below.

I love some of the smooth lead sounds I can get from it with my Trademark 60 (Tech21 combo amp) and my modified Yamaha Pacifica and Epi Les Paul Custom. I can get really "singing" Brian May type of sound, with lotsa harmonics and "good", controllable feedback. I can get better rhytm/crunch sounds with my SansAmpGT2, XXL is more of a solo pedal to me.

Some people said it was too bright, I thought so too, when I used it initially, that's why I haven't used it for a while. If you read the manual, you'll notice that TONE control is flat on max. When you roll it back to 12 o'clock it boosts lows and past that it cuts highs, or the other way around, look in the manual. That means, that it's a completely different type of control, more interactive, so experiment some more. I like it now, usually setting the Tone on 12 o'clock. It can be somewhat noisy, when you crank the drive, but isn't that the case with most fuzzes? It's probably just amplified guitar noise, anyway. It's still very useable with Drive at 3 o'clock or less.

It was used. Solid metal. Still works. Never had a problem with any of Tech21 products.

I've dealt with Tech21 on many occasions about hookups, accessories, settings etc., as I own quite a few of their products - Trademark 60 amp, SansAmp GT2(nice!), SansAmp Bass Driver DI(try it to record upright with piezo) and have SansAmp Acoustic DI on order - and they are very friendly, helpful and knowlegdeable, they respond to e-mails.

This is yet to follow, I will definitely review this pedal (with ratings) when I explore it some more. I already see, that it can definitely help one make music. Being discontinued (that's what NOT IN PRODUCTION! means, right?) it will probably grow in price, just like Tech21 said - "future vintage". But maybe not, cuz there aren't so many great artists around these days to make this vintage and also digital takes over everything. Time will tell.

Very easy to use, it's a distortion box. Plug it in and play. Has a LEVEL knob, TONE, knob, WARP knob and Distortion knob. The "WARP" knob is hard to explain, so just try one out. It's cool!

The sound is GREAT! This pedal has very smooth and rich distorion. When I first got the XXL, I had to mess around to find my "sound." But after a little tweaking of the knobs, I found it. I find that the "WARP" knob really does allow one to have a versitile tone. It can go from a warped fuzz to a just old distortion, BUT BETTER!
My current setup is: Ibanez RG/Peavey Predator, Cry baby 535Q, DS-1, Tech 21 XXL, Rocktron Rampage, Dano Fab Tone, Pro Co Turbo RAT,Boss BF-2, Dano Cool Cat, Ibanez DE-7, BOSS TU-2. Sounds awesome!

The pedal is very sturdy and I would gig without a back-up. The battery life is good and I find that when the battery is about half used, it sounds the best. Weird.

Haven't talked with 'em.

Overall, this pedal is great! Awesome! Just is a good pedal to have. I play Creed, Simon Says, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, and my own stuff(which is like Creed, Simon Says and GoDsmack rolled together). If you are looking for a distortion pedal, definitely check out this one. You won't be wastin' your time!

no opinion yet...

same....

I'm awaiting the return of my pedal so I
can't fully answer the above questions thoroughly, however...

Their Customer Support is outstanding! Among the best customer service I've experienced.
Not much else to say, the techs speak with you by phone, return phone calls, listen, give (ahem..) sound advice and it's basically obvious that they genuinely CARE about serving their customers!
I'm a fan of this company and will look forward to purchasing their products again.

Can e a little touch with the level and warp controls, but once you get the hang of it is very easy to master

Plugged into a Fender something or other at the store and it sounded great. Brought it home to my Fender Twin and it took a bit of work. Eventually got there though. I believe there are variations in production. One review here stated that it was a bit on the bright side, mine tends to be a tad on the bass-y side. Probebly a combo of the components used and the amp. I play dynamic rock, and have three main tones. I have my TWIN set dirty so that when i play soft it actually sounds clean, and the harder i hit the more drive i get. I use that sound dry, with reverb or my MXR Phase 90, and a heavy crunch tone ala early grunge sort of stuff like Stone Temple Pilots. I use the xxl for the crunch as it is heavy but not muddy, and individual notes shine hrough. Also fantastic in combinations of amp dirty and deep reverb - believe it or not turns into a great blues tone

Switch feels shonky but it is still going and i give it some harsh treatment. Thats 3 years it has lasted with out a problem

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For the range of styles i play this definately adds an extra depth to my tonal variations. Really makes my Iceman sound huge too (again, the pickup on that a really good so that is probebly a big part of it). I love the thickness of the sound without loss of string clarity. I do believe though this is not a fix for poor tone from poor equipment. It should be used as an addition to an already well setup configuration. for example it is the last effect in my chain which is crybaby - mxr phase 90 - digital delay. if it was nicked i would look at other pedals and use the xxl as a referance point

I plugged it in,fucked with it for a minute...and BAM!Kick ass tone,It has a nice easy footswitch so you don't have to pound on it to get it to go .......

I like tube bass amps,but I also use it on my apt.practice amp which is the marshall/maiden name thing you know....it's a little bass amp w/ a 12" in it,which actually gets better tone than most "vintage"amps i've played thru...It is a little noisy,but it's a distortion pedal,if it wasn't noisy it would be useless right?It has the ability to change sounds as you change sounds,if you are a dynamic player get it.If you play on one volume and are one dimensional...you'll miss the point.When I lean into the strings when I start goin' out there it goes with me and eggs me on,which makes me go further,and when I level off and fly around a bit it chills with me,and when I want to soar it soars too.With the warp cranked it magnifies the odd harmonics,and it gives a kick ass sustain for days,wih a red hot Early Stooges type tone like "Funhouse"with compression I get a kind of Zappa like burn.

I've had it for years w/ no problems yet.I have a MUFF which was my baby until I found this bad boy...(I really found it!)and I always end up using the XXL instead.In it's defense,Every person who trashes this pedal in the reviews on this site use really cheese laden amps,and no doubt the sonic masterfullness of this pedal would be lost on the transistor tv dinner sound they got goin on there...or like I said before if someone plays on one volume and is a one dimensional spinal tap kinda player,it would be lost.

never had to deal with them on that kind of level,but I have met the guys who created it,and they were good guys,I remember buying them a drink I believe.

I play from very quiet bluesy shit,to balls to the wall shredding not very metal though,more of a psychedelic burning red hot volcanic molten type thing.With a lot of bending,sliding in some country licks or moroccan licks here and there.

very easy to use. Warp control is a mystery initially, but sounds good in the "notch" position. Easy to recreate the same sound every time.

Sounds great. No noise when off. Use the output knob to get a good signal boost. Not as good as a Big Muff PI, but more consistant. I use it with a Fender Twin and a couple guitars : Les Paul, Telecaster, SG. Sounds good going into a WAH.

Totally reliable. I've gigged with it for four years.

Power Pop / Rock. It *was* stolen two years ago and I replaced it. I compared it to many other distortions and it was the best for live gigs because it sounds good and it's easy to set the knobs to recreate the right sound. However, Big Muff PI sounds better - but that's wild and has touchy knobs that make it hard to control.

It's easy to use, it's hard to use well. The warp control is (as stated in countless preceding accounts) tricky to get the hang of, and the tone control is a bit quirky too.

First and foremost, don't rush out and buy a DC power supply. It makes completely different sounds depending on whether it has a fresh high-output "comercial" 9 volt, or a crummy "generic" one. Admittedly I am not the most sensitive person in terms of tone, but the difference between the crappy SHUREFINE 9V and the Energizer I replaced it with was astonishing (I'm sticking with the SHUREFINE for now). It seems to create less trebbly more usable sounds at slightly less than 9V. Second, whatever amp it is that you run this box into really seems to make a difference. My 1960 RI Les Paul had a variety of good experiences with my DSL100, and I could probably say the same for my S.A. Strat. On the other hand, my little solid state Princeton Chorus sounded like a damn bee hive no matter what guitar I played through it. Some setups sound great, and others just don't. I'm not a big distortion pedal (or overdrive) sort of guy, but in some situations and some settings this pedal makes some very usable tones. If you can't make this pedal sound good inside of a hour or so of dial fiddling, forget about it.

The footswitch just seems like junk but it hasn't quit yet. The only real problem I have with the unit is that the battery isn't secured well at all and it can easily rattle around inside (against the circuit board).

I bought this product to expand the range of tones I have available at any given time, and, set properly, it fills that role quite nicely. I set mine Level = 10.5 o'clock
Tone = 8.5 o'clock
Warp = all the way left (subject to change)
Drive = all the way left
This yeilds a nice creamy overdrive that sustains quite well. Even with the drive effectively @ 0 the pedal still has a nice little overdrive kick and rolling off the treble is absolutely necessary through my Marshall ( otherwise it becomes painfully peircing ). I believe these are good pedals, but I suspect they are inconsistent from one to the next in terms of what you can expect in different settings. My suggestion would be to get a couple of different batteries and by all means play it through your rig before you buy it.
If I lost it, I'd have to think real hard before I bought another (but then again, the next one I bought might be even better).

I finally decided to submit a review after acquiring one of these for myself (I'd previously had a loaner from a friend.) Simple to use, four knobs and a stomp switch. The volume, tone, and drive knobs work as labelled, though the tone knob works differently from the simple hi-cut you find on most distortion pedals. The curveball on this box is the warp control. It's supposed to be a control for the ratio of even/odd harmonics, but advertised as a major tone shaping control. Depending on your playing style, the use of this control may be easy or hard, obvious or not. On the whole, it's a distortion box, so it's fairly simple to use.

Use this with Strats into Fender amps. The effect is noisy when the drive control is turned up near max and the volume is increased. There hardly any middle ground with this pedal; either you hate it or love it (I fall into the latter camp.) The XXL is a very dynamic pedal; depending on your guitar's output level and your picking style,
the distortion can be light, throaty, or harsh, in no particular order. Digging into the strings with a Strat's bridge pickup predictably produces harsh overtones, but lightly pick and strum chords, and you get a nice round OD tone. Crank up the drive with the warp control fully counterclockwise (emphasis on even harmonics), switch to neck pickup, and wail away. Again, if you bash your strings really hard, the pedal is apt to get harsh in the high end, even with the tone control at 12 o'clock (cut treble; fully clockwise is a flat EQ.) With the tone control turned down, the tone gets predictably darker and thinner, but not midrangy or muddy. The biggest contention with the XXL is the warp control. Does it do much, does it do anything? If you take it to its two extremes (full left, full right) with the drive control maxed out, the difference is readily apparent. Whether it lives up to its marketing hype is another story. Overall, you can get a variety of overdriven tones by adjusting your guitar's volume and tone controls and varying your picking style. This is not a plug in and bash away fuzz pedal, though.

All Tech 21 products seem reliable, but the unit is not true bypass, and the footswitch has a mushy feel to it, requiring light actuating pressure, not a hard stomp. The case is hard metal painted black, with a top plate for the logo & labelling. The insides are built on a large PCB with board mount pots and surface mount components. Consumer grade, but not troubling. In the 8 months I've been using the loaner, no problems.

In terms of product support (after the sale) Tech 21 is solid in this area, having mailed me manuals for other FX purchased used. Can't say anything for their repair department, however.

Works well for rock and blues styles, distortion is fairly transparent, retaining all the nuances of a pick or guitar type. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Good in its "limited" versatility (it's just an OD pedal, after all), bad if you're looking for a totally different sound.

Since the knob functions are unorthodox, it takes some time to find a sound you'll like (if it's even there).

I only owned this pedal for several weeks before selling it. At the time, I was looking for a death metal/major saturation type of sound, and I read a glowing review of this pedal. It's fairly saturated, but not what I was looking for. Then again, I use a solid state Crate head (hope to get rid of it soon). The EQ is a perfect example of a company trying to be unique without using common sense. the EQ was my major gripe, but I don't own any additional EQ's, which would help the sound. As you turn the EQ knob counterclock-wise, the treble begins to roll of, eventually sounding like you're listening to the amp from outside of your house.

Check it out for yourself. It's not the best, but far from the worst pedal. If tech 21 would include a better EQ, and boost the distortion a bit, I might dig it.

It's a straight-forward box. Quadriplegic monkeys would find it simple.

I've tweaked knobs on the damn thing and on my amp (which is a solid-state) and on my guitar to the point of insanity, yet this god-awful pedal refuses to yield any good sounds. I've run it through trans-tube amps and tube amps and all my friend's guitars(even a few basses) and it still does nothing but suck ass. And it sucks ass hard! The only good thing I can say about it is it gives off that tooth-aching screeching feedback very well. I gave the little sparkly bastard its fair share to show me it was worth a dime, but it failed horribly every time. I'm still trying to tweak something good out of it, months after I bought it, all to no avail. Methinks it is stubborn and should be melted down to make the world one more Boss Power Driver.
Unless you're in the newest incarnation of the Spanish Inquisition and you want an innovative and technoligically up-to-date way to torture people, don't waste your money on it. Save some more and buy anything else but this. Like Neil said, " it was a piece of crap."

I wouldn't use this thing in front of more than three of my closest friends for fear of near-death mortification. It's that freakin' bad, folks! But if I were somehow lobotomized, I think it would stand up for a while, although looking at it closely, it looks pretty cheaply constructed.

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If some of you out there like it, and can get decent sounds out of it, power to you. I however, loathe the creature. I've never used it jamming cause I couldn't ever get a good sound out of it practicing in my room. I play everything from blues and pop to metal and industrial to glam-rock and country. Despite my eclectic tastes and playing, it has yet to offer anything of value to my jam sessions. Unless you want to count the time Jon was being a dick and Marc wouldn't stop playing that lame-ass song so I cranked her and let the screeching feedback bleed their ears while I got a drink. But that's a slightly unorthodox use.
If any of you XXL lovers ever lose yours, call me and I'll sell you mine cheap, which is fitting.

An addition to my previous posting: I contacted Tech 21 about a replacement manual and the person who I dealt with was very polite and accomdating.
Also, I've played a few more gigs with this thing--the more I play it, the more I like it. The tone and sustain are better than Chandler rack-mount Tube Drivers. This pedal could become the next Tube Driver; sought after and collectable.

This isn't a hard pedal to use. But I gave it a 7 because you have to get used to it, and you have to understand a bit about Class A and Class B distortion (I didn't, until I got this pedal). The Tone and Warp knobs do some strange things, but they're well documented in the small manual.

I had to give this a 10. But here's the deal for all of you that hated it when you got it home: TIME. When I first got this, and played it next to my DOD Super American Metal (or whatever cheese-o pedal I had at the time), I didn't think I had enough distortion. turns out that the pedals that I was used to using were just so damn bad that I din't realize how good this one is. Most general distortions from Boss and DOD seem to be made to sound 'heavy' at lower volumes (ie: those you'd use around your parent's house). The XXL sounds like pure tube distortion. But it did take me a while (and a lot of walking away to 'clean out' my ears) to fall in love with this.
I think that this pedal sounds better through single coils than thru humbuckers (humbuckers just sound a bit muddy, but you can use an EQ).
I primarily play an AmStd Strat with Lace Sensors (blue/neck, silver/mid, red/bridge - Similar to a Strat Plus) thru a Marshall 8080 Valvestate and this sounds fantastic. Using the Tone and Warp knobs, I can go from Brian May's tone on 'Tie Your Mother Down' to Clapton and Townsend to AC/DC to Pearl Jam without a problem. This is not a Pantera pedal, but short of that, it really does a nice job with alomst all sounds.
I have a DOD 7 band EQ box in front of the XXL. Its set to boost the mid and top frequencies a bit for soloing and does an excellent job. (you could fiddle with the EQ and get a passable Poison tone as well)
I also have a Big Apple Strat (2 Seymour Duncans) and an Epi Les Paul, and I don't think they sound QUITE as good (maybe a 7 out of 10), but keep in mind that I lean towards single coils for their definition, and the XXL is better than anything else I have for these. Playing with the tone and warp yeilds a very usable 'bucker sound.

It's been dependable so far. In as much as I'd never play a gig without a backup, I'd have to say no. But I wouldn't worry about this breaking.

My playing has improved dramatically with this pedal. I can hear individual notes without getting lost in slop. If it were lost, I'd definitely buy it again. I suppose there are lots of things I WISH it had (2 separate channels, so I could have a dirty-clean setting as well), but for the price, and considering what you'd have to pay to get something that sounds better, this is worth every penny.

--How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?-- If you like high-gain overdrive, then it's really easy to get a good sound out of this pedal. With the gain at lower settings, the sounds are surprisingly warm for a solid-state pedal. I agree with many postings here that the range of sounds is not quite up to what the ad says, but tweaking the "Warp" and "Drive" can create some very cool sounds.
I've set up the XXL as my "solo" pedal. I play in an experimental band with three guitarists. I can't get a good tight sound out of this pedal, but that's not why I bought it. I use a Boss OD-2 for tight sounds, then when I want my sound to stand out, I kick this mofo in. The sound is similar to the lead channel on my Boogie Mark III--very tube like, organic, and intense.
The "Warp" control is compression. If you are not a dynamic picker, you will not notice the compression as much. I notice it a lot in my playing and with my setup. It "squishes" the attack and adds sustain.

--What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?-- My main guitar is a custom Music Man Silhouette with HSS EMGs (85, custom, custom). My amps are a Boogie Mark III and a .50 caliber.
--Is it noisy?-- No. Considering that the sound is so tubelike, its silence is one of its best features. I've been using a Real Tube pedal for soloing for years now. The XXL just might replace it.
--Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?-- The variety of tones are all useable in some situation or another. It doesn't die, even with the gain turned all the way down. So yes, it has range, but no, it's not the all-in-one wonder that the ads claim it to be.
--Can you get the sound of your favorite artists?-- I don't want to sound like someone else, that's why I got this pedal. It reacts to my playing.

--Can you depend on it?-- It seems pretty solid; metal casing with four screws on the bottom to replace the battery.
--Would you use it on a gig without a backup?-- If this were my only distortion pedal, yes.

--Customer Support-- I have not yet dealt with Tech 21, but I'm going to ask them for a manual and see how cool they are about it.

--What style of music do you play?-- Rock, metal, punk, funk, disco, jazz, country, pop, industrial, whatever.
--Is this a good match?-- It's good for rock and for the occasional over-the-top Parliament-type guitar parts.
--How long have you been playing?-- About 18 years.
--What other gear do you own?-- My current effects setup includes: Digitech XP100, Real Tube pedal, Boss LS-2, DOD analog delay.
--If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?-- If I could get another one for $50 or less, I'd do it. If not, I'd save up and by Z Vex' "The Machine," which takes the "Warp" concept to an extreme level.
--what do you love about it?-- It's a first-rate overdrive (better than a hot-rodded TS-9, IMO) with very good compression built in. I love the way a note sounds when I dig into it, then hold it, hold it, hold it--it's a very intense, squishy sound.
-- What do you hate?-- Nothing. If this were my only distortion pedal, though, I would not like the fact that it's so intense. I treat it like a special effect, for certain applications only.
-- What is your favorite feature?-- The Warp. Maybe it's because I'm using EMGs and I am a very dynamic picker. I DOES respond to my playing, with very noticeable changes in the attack and decay of each note.
--Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?-- I compared it to "The Machine." The XXL is like the little baby version of "The Machine." I got the XXL because it cost one fifth what the other one did.
--Anything you wish it had?-- No. Asking for one distortion pedal to cover all tones is ridiculous.
--Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?-- It helps when I need a very intense distortion sound that stands out.
--Anything else you'd like to share?-- The ad copy for the XXL is very misleading, making out to be an all-in-one distortion pedal. If they advertised it as "An intense pedal with tube-like sounds ranging from creamy to screaming, with a compression control to change the response to your picking style," then people wouldn't be bitching so much that it didn't give them the world. I mean that as a dis to Tech 21, not the people who complained.

It's pretty much plug and play, but there is a little experimentation involved. The warp control takes a little experience, but it's very easy for me since I almost always leave it all the way to the left (most extreme even-order setting).

It's tough for me to come up with a number in this category since I'm very picky about tone, and in absolute terms, if a flimsy, mucky ten watt Kustom combo rates a 1 and my Victoria Tweed rates a 10, then this would be about a 6.5, but if you factor in several things, namely: 1) this thing has no tubes (therefore no output transformer, which makes it small, light, and 9V powered)
2) this thing is filled with (gulp!) integrated circuits
3) it cost me $98 then I'd give it about a twelve. To make a long story short, if you're looking for the proverbial "stack-in-a-box" you're not likely to find anything better in this price range. The distortion is rich and has the round clip of tube overdrive, and the tone of your guitar comes through much better than on the average transistor stomp. When I compare it to my insectoidal late eighties Boss HM-2 (which, incidentally, Jerry Garcia inexplicably marred his tone with on a regular basis), the XXL is like a Lambourgini next to the Boss Datsun. Once again, in the transistor pedal arena, I think few things (except something much more expensive like the Klon Centaur or Lovetown Brown Source) let through more of the guitar itself. One comment I've heard is that this thing only works through clean solid state amps, and I disagree, though I would add that as far as the drive aspect of the tone, the XXL likes to run the show. In light of this I think it sounds best through a high quality clean tube amp, in which case it functions as a convincing drive channel for those tube amps without one (the tubes in the amp add warmth, while not changing the distortion characteristics). When comparing it to my main setup of a Boss GE-7 equalizer into a Budda Phatman with American tubes, putting both setups into a Victoria Tweed, the Budda wins for woody warmth, dynamics and overall drive quality, but the XXL still produces satisfying enough crunchy chords to get used, and is thicker (more like power tubes) than the Budda, though it is a bit edgier and stiffer, and fuzzier than the Budda, and doesn't "breathe" with as many natural sounding harmonics. The warp control is interesting, and for anyone who cares, there are charts at the Tech 21 website showing the harmonic structure of the sound with the warp control set at opposite extremes, and there is definitely something going on there. If you start at the extreme even-order setting and rotate, you can hear the subtle effect of more and more odd harmonics coming in, making the distortion a bit rougher and more toothy, which can be nice for certain things, though I prefer it very smooth. You can go from "suggestions" of AC-30 Top Boost, to Boogie Marks, to Marshal stacks, though these differences are not nearly as drastic as switching between those amps. Still, it is something to play around with. Another interesting thing is how much mileage you can get out of this unit with the volume way down on your axe. In fact, to get moderate overdrive sounds I really prefer doing this with the drive control full on instead of taking the control down on the box. You can get some really chimey, warm chords with it this way. One more thing--with a little e.q. to weed out the fuzz, this thing is almost frighteningly tube-like plugged direct into a board. It doesn't work for leads, but for big, brash rhythm parts, it works well enough to use it like this even if you don't have to. Oh---and it has a pretty huge output, WAY more than my Budda.

It has really solid pots with nice beefy knobs (I was surprized by this considering the price) and the silent FET swith feels reliable. It also does pretty well with battery life, considering the output.

Overall I'm giving this a generous 9 because of how unlikely it is you'd find all it has to offer in a box of this ilk. And it gets a ten for appearence, with its little miniature amp knobs, its sparkly, holograph-like pattern on the face, and it's mellow red indicator light that looks like something off a Fisher Price toy. Like I said, if you need an uncanny, cheap stack-in-a-box, I think you'll like it.

Four Knobs: 1. Level 2. Tone 3. Warp 4. Drive
The warp is supposed to screw with you guitars harmonics, but it's so subtle you'll really have to play with this for a while before you begin to notice the changes in sound...

EBOW USERS!!!!! This thing will make you Ebow/Ebow Plus SING! It has this rich tone I have never been able to duplicate anywhere, and after you take the ebow away from the string it still hums beautifully into a slow decay....
Nice fuzz. I use it in at the end of a chain of distortion pedals (usually big muff then the XXL) for some really killer lead distortion.
After tinkering with it for a while, I did notice a really dramatic difference in the way the sustain sounds on a distorted note, but only when a distortion pedal is used with it.

Thick metal = Reliability

don't deal with it

I bought this pedal because of a full page ad in guitar magazine when I was younger... the ad said "It will make your guitar sing"... It's not worth $120... But maybe if you are a hard core EBOW fan it is...It does some really fucked up shit to your tone when you put other distortions before it... by itself it is pretty weak...

This pedal has many usable tones in it. It hasn't got the most obvious user interface, so that could be a problem for some. The manual gives a good overview of how the controls work with useful startup settings. Once you get the hang of it, it is a powerful box.

Others have commented that the XXL has a very reactive dynamic aspect to it. I agree, and think this is the most appealing feature. It really shines with humbuckers but is fine with single coils also. It is best paired with a neutral sounding amp that is not set up for too bright a tone. The normal channel of a 4 input Marshall or Fender have been my test subjects. I haven't tried it with a solid state amp. The Warp knob really does some cool things although not necessarily to the extent of the hype in the ads. To my ears it will do a pretty convincing Fuzz tone albeit a more polite, refined version. Distortion settings are also robust and meaty. Especially nice is the way one can set it up for a saturated tone that cleans up to a crunch rhythm with the guitar volume knob. Many pedals make claim to this ability, and the XXL delivers. One especially good application is direct recording in tandem with a Sansamp GT-2 set for a clean tone. I was able to achieve a convincing "AC-30 on the verge of exploding" rhythm tone.

I am a little suspicious of the footswitch upon opening up the pedal. The pc board is neatly laid out as are the pots, etc. This is really a specialty item for me, more for recording work than live use. It is built sturdily but i haven't really tested it in a band situation. I derive my distortion from a Mesa V-Twin for live work.

I picked mine up used and felt a need for the manual. I rang up Tech 21 and they mailed one out for free. Nice people.

I play mostly aggressive pop and harder styles of spacey rock. Occasionally i'll work in an ambient dance or sound collage setting. The XXL holds a firm niche in my stash of distortion boxes. I'd be upset if it were lost or stolen. I enjoy the way it reacts to my attack on the strings. It is unique in this aspect

The instructions did a decent job of explaining the functionality of the pedal, however it takes a bit of tweaking to get the full scope of the 'warp' and 'tone' controls. Dependent on settings, goes from warm, tube-like overdrive to fuzz.

My main amp is a Carvin MTS tube combo (which I'm absolutely elated with), however it's not very practical for casual playing, as it only has two modes (off and LOUD). My practice amp is a Vox Pathfinder solid-state. The Vox's overdrive is pretty good (for a solid state), but nobody's going to be fooled into believing there's tubes in there. Enter the XXL.
With the XXL in front of my Vox, I swear I'm listening to tube overdrive. With the settings just right (tone @ 12, Warp @ 11), I get a big, fat, tube-like overdrive. It's hard to believe what I'm hearing is a little transistor pushing a 10-inch speaker. The tube emulation is simply outstanding. Max out the 'Warp' and I have a pretty good sounding fuzz (WAY better than a Soundtank Fuzz). I can't offer anything as to how it sounds in front of a tube amp (as I havn't tried it with my Carvin), but matched with a solid state amp, this is the most tube-like overdrive I've ever heard from a pedal. I would suggest you try this pedal with YOUR amp though, as you may get different results.

I've only owned it a couple of days. It's used, and it works.

N/A

I've been playing for 15 years. My musical style is primarily hard, bluesy rock. I've used a number of OD/Distortion pedals (various Boss, Soundtanks, Ibanez TS-10, Ross, Daddy-O, Fab-tone, Tube Works), but this is the best OD pedal I've ever heard. Would I replace it? Yeah, no question.