Tech 21 XXL

If you have a plain solid state amp it is very simple to get great sounds. The Warp control does what it's supposed to and alters the balance of even and odd harmonics, with greater compression at the extremes. This is by definition a very subtle effect. The tone knob is AWFUL, however, if you have the wrong amp.

I play this with a Fender 60s strat and a Fender '65 reissue twin reverb. Without modification it sounds AWFUL. The reissue twin is very bright, with tight lows and very little midrange. The XXL sounds hideous through it, somehow too bright/fizzy and too muddy at the same time. The tone knob is useless, it simply varies the mud/fizz balance a bit.
I refused to give up because I heard something magical in the XXL when I played it through otherwise cruddy solid-state amps. With the Warp turned all the way to the left it sounded like a super-gainy Vox AC-30, full of crisp, regal detail.
What I finally did was buy a Boss LS-2 loop pedal and a Boss GE-7 equalizer. I used the loop pedal to activate a loop with the XXL going through the equalizer pedal. On the equalizer I turned the highest frequency band nearly all the way down, then boosted a few of the mid frequencies by about 8db. The two extra pedals cost a fortune, but I got rid of the very un-tube-like fizz and most of the mud.
For leads, my new setup is stunning. For rhythm parts, it's still just a little mushy and indistinct, but sounds very much like a huge Class A tube amp. I must say I love it now, though it takes a while to set up three pedals and all of the little patch cords on stage at live shows. Those of you who already have about 90 pedals in your rig won't mind, I'm sure.

When I first got it, I had the same problem with the bypass that everyone does. Tech 21 customer service were very helpful, however, and got replaced it for free. Since then I've had no problems and I use it all the time at shows.

Customer support is very good, though the guy did tell me that they tested it with '65 twin reissues and it sounded lousy. I wish that had been in the press that I read about it before I bought it, or better yet, that they had devised a better tone section to begin with. For this complex and high-tech pedal, one knob just won't get the job done.

I have a love/hate relationship with this pedal. I play in a US indie-rock band and though my style of music isn't dependent on a particular type of distortion, I really wanted something that sounds like an expensive class A tube amp. The XXL does a great job, but only with the ridiculous 3 pedal setup I have described. I really wish that Tech 21 had put at least a 2 knob tone section on there, if not a more elaborate series of switches for the various types of amp that one might play it through. If you are considering buying this pedal, I'd just like to say that it sounded its best through a Peavey 200 watt solid-state P.A. head and an SWR 8x8 cabinet. You can draw your own inferences from this bizarre fact.

1. Except for the Warp knob, the features are the same as any other overdrive/distortion pedals. Warp function is subtle. It's like a compressor fx. 2. Weak Point = No true bypass

1. Set Up : Fender Blues Jr. + Tri O.D + XXL + Boss Noise Supressor + Boss Digital Delay DD-5 + Ibanez TalMan Series Guitar 2. The distortion is good, but once again, the problem appears when you do not need it, No True Bypass!!!

Very Good Structured, but I do not have it for a long time, so???

1. The bottom line on this pedal : the distortion is ok, but you can find a better one. This is not The Pedal, it's just A Pedal, so try before buying. But you have to try a few days, not only at the store... 2. I would sell mine!!!

I found it easy but compare to a lot of review... it seem difficult.The booklet that come with it explained how to used it and how to use the warp button but it seem difficult for a lot of people.

The best I encounter so far in a stompboxe but wait here. This pedal sound good and I mean very good on professional equipment but it sound very different on every amp. You get five different amp and the pedal react totally differently on every one of them. If you try it in a Fender bassman and plug it after in a Marshall stack you would swear that it is not the same stompboxe. But it`s not a blues pedal so if you use high output pickup i`t's to crunchy but for low output one you get something close from zeppelin.(That`s with a Tele and a fender junior crank-up) This pedal react big time to is surrounding so before you get rid of it try it with something else.

I guess I could depend on it. I got problem with the ac plug-in that would stay on with I unplugged it so battery wouldn`t work and I had it repair by tech21 for free a year and half after I had it because I could hear the distortion when the pedal was turn off. They fix it for free. They even pay the transport both way.I live in Canada. It doesn`t like soap I clean mine with a rag and a good cleaning product and all the logo is gone so it look just like a silver pedal (Firebird dashboard)without anything written on it , cool look. As for backup, who use backup? I prefer to have one good pedal then two cheap one. I do around 10 to 20 show a year so I`m not going on tour for 200 night a year(I wish I was).

Very good. I dealt with them a few time for question or service (I also own some SansAmp stuff)and they are the best. They even beat Roland on that.

I play mostly hard rock and I been playing for almost 20 years I`m not the best guitar player but I know a good sound when I hear one this pedal will be rated in 25 year from now as a classic in the same range as the ts-9,big muff,ratt,metal zone(will be but I hate it`s sound), mxr distortion (hate this one to) and other. Yes I would replace it right away like I say it`s the best I encounter for my playing and my taste so far.I wish they would make it with two channel for lead and like I wrote earlier watch it`s surrounding.

Although there seems to be all this confusion over how this pedal works, it's really not that hard if you read the instruction manual (which is well-written). I think most people expect that turnung the Warp control as you play should radically alter the sound, but the manual makes it clear that it doesn't work that way.

This is one of three distortion boxes in my rig. Like othes who have reviewed this pedal, I have had an up-and-down relationship with the XXL, in that sometimes I have found myself both loving and hating it. But then I found the secret -- it sounds great at lower voltages (e.g., a weak battery). It totally smooths out the harshness of the sound and gives you the "Heaven and Hell" tone from The Who's Live at Leeds. The one thing I still don't like, however, is that as a note is held until it does out, the distrotion sort of crackles at the end and then just cuts out (even though your note is still slightly audible).

Very well built, so it must be reliable.

Very helpful.

Because sound quality is the most important, I'll use that as my overall rating. This is a pedal that takes time to "get to know." It doesn't surprise me that some people are turned off right away. But give it time (and some low voltage) and you may just find some really unique sounds in there.

like they say, it's a stomp box. How hard is that. However, I wish I didn't have to remove four screws to replace the battery.

I am a bass player. I usually use a Bass Driver for more traditional bass distorton, but when I'm feel like forcing my opinion on the rest of the guys in the band, I kick on the XXL. I play a G&L music man style active bass through a GK solid state amp. When i use the XXL I have to be sure to lower the volume on my bass. Otherwise it's just too much to handle. This way I can always turn up a tad to push things over the top. I turn the tone all the way down. I think the warp control is excellent. I can get either an intense overdrive sound or an almost fuzzy twangy Claypool kind of sound. I recently bought a big muff but I returned it that afternoon. The XXL is simply a better pedal.

i have not had any problems with TEch 21 gear. I thought it was dying at one point, but then a fresh battery cured everything. Now that I think about it, the battery light is kind of dim anyway. My bass driver shines brightly. I wouldn't need a backup, because it is simply a specialty pedal for me. i use it when i feel like it.

have not dealt with these people

GReat for raunchy bass tones. Can't use it all the time, though. The rest of the band would kill me. GReat for bass driven songs. We play everything from grindcore to country, kind of a Naked City thing. If I lost the pedal I may or may not replace it. I like to experiment and maybe I would look at other options. I am pleased with my purchase but I am not 100% faithful to anything. I would not pay full retail price for it. The way some people are talking, i imagine there are quite a bit of used XXL's around.

No problems.

Looks very cool. I'd like I could say this from the sound too, but I can't. I wasn't able to get one useful sound out of this pedal. The distortion is very hard sounding no matter what amp I used. I tweaked the knobs in every possible position but it didn't help. Gave it back.

Can't say since I gave it back, but the construction quality seems good.

For me this pedal didn't work. If you buy this one, then for the looks and not for the sound.

Very easy.The warp control takes some getting used to.

I play mostly blues rock,with a strat thru an old tube amp.For my needs,which are for a fat,warm overdrive,this pedal did not work at all.This is a modern 90s rock sounding pedal,think Bush.This pedal does have great string articulation,and incredible sustain.

Impecably built,very well done.

No experience.

Didnt work for me.I was disapointed.Although I have to admit there is nothing cheap about the way this pedal is built,wish I could say the same for my daddy-o.Sustain for days,give it a listen.

Very easy to use -- four knobs. Drive, Tone, Warp, Level. The only reason I did not give it a "10" is because you need to take the back plate off (with a screwdriver, no less!) to get to the battery. Not very convenient in emergencies.

I am extremely disappointed in this pedal. I heard a guy use one with a Strat Plus, through a little Fender Deluxe amp and was completely blown away with it! I had to have one!
Well, when it arrived, I was shocked at the sound. I have a PRS CE 22 bolt-on with a Crate VC-3112 (class-A, all tube, 30 watt combo) that's really not far from the Deluxe that guy was using.
It sounded like garbage. The only way I could get a usable tone was by turning the "tone" knob all the way down. Then the pedal was just too dark, it didn't let the guitar come through. With the tone set anywhere above 0.5 you get this nasty fuzziness on top of your sound. It just doesn't sound anything like what I heard when I saw that dude playing one. Maybe he modified it....
Anyhow, some people here have said that it gets mushy with tubes, and I understand exactly what they mean now!
I sent it right back to Musician's Friend within a week. And trust me, I tweaked, and tweaked, and tweaked. It had plenty of chances to impress me, but didn't.
There is a lot of gain though, and can be great for sustain. If only there wasn't soooo much fizz on the sound.
Warp knob does a good job replicating the "sucking" sound a tube amp makes. This pedal is definitely for people who want fuzz.
As someone stated earlier, this is probably better for people playing leads, not distorted rhythms.

No idea.

Not a clue.

Please, please, play one before you buy it. I saw that guy again (by the way, his name is Bob Margolis, and he plays mostly blues and jazz) since I sent mine back, and I still think his sounded great! I don't understand......he said it wasn't modified.
Try one -- it might be just what you are looking for!

4 knobs: Level, Tone, Warp, and Drive. The Tone knob is a little tricky to figure out at first, but it is effective. As you turn it from the max postion to the 12 O'clock position it boosts the lows. Turn it further, it starts cutting the highs. Normally, Tone knobs are supposed to just cut a particular frequency. I would rather it have 2 EQ knobs, but this arrangement works well. It just takes getting used to. All settings sound pretty good. The manual gives sample setting to create different sounds. From there, you should find your way. You will definately find a LOT of cool sounds out of this box. I give this category an 8 because of that Tone knob.
The Warp knob behaves sort of a swell/compressor. If you max the Warp knob and pick a string hard, you'll notice that the output level is, at first, reduced and then the note kind of swells in. If you dangle the note long enough by bending the string, you'll notice that your guitar sounds like it's spinning. Cool!
The box is kind of hard to use at first because the controls don't work in a conventional manner. However, the manual explains what everything does. It gives plenty of helpful sample settings and explains pretty well what each of the knobs do. You just have to play with it for a while and see what the knobs do for yourself. Once you master how the controls work, you'll wish every distortion box worked this way!

The sound is awsome! The distorions are very smooth and refined. It sounds just the way my Ibanez Tube King would if only it had more gain! And that is the reason why I bought the XXL! The Tube King is great for classic overdrive tones, like AC/DC or Boston. But if you want higher gain, the Tube King just doesn't have it. That's where the XXL comes in. It has the gain and the fuzz. If you looking for classic 70's style fuzz and 80's style hard rock/heavy metal sounds, the XXL is the way to go! It sounds just like the guitar on my old favorite songs, like Foreigner Hot Blooded, or Tesla Modern Day Cowboy. You'll also get really good Metallica and Iron Maiden tones out of this box. The gain and tone is there for all of that!
I like playing with the Warp control. It's a little tricky to figure out at first because it responds to your ATTACK on your strings, not mainly to the overall tone. So, if you strum your strings and turn the Warp knob, you won't notice much difference because the attack event has already passed. It does have SOME tonal characteristics, but it mainly acts as a sort of compressor/swell. If you dangle a note by bending the string, you'll get some cool harmonics out of it.
You will also get cool distortion sounds by setting the Drive all the way down and by turning the Level knob about half way. Play with the Tone knob and your there! Turning the Drive knobs will add more grit if you go this route. Very Nice.
This box sounds a little bit better on my Solid State amp rather than on my tube amp. A few other people have mentioned this also. I have not noticed any distorted signals leaking through when the effect it off,however. The bypass seems to work well for me. Maybe they changed the circuit since the other people have bought theirs.
This category gets a 10. The sound is unbeatable!

It's built in a nice metal case. The top of the case is a nice polished design. I wouldn't want to scratch it up, though. It looks really nice. The footswitch is heavy duty and the knobs feel solid. This baby should last a long time.

Never dealt with them.

It's a very cool box. You just have to read the manual and learn exactly how the controls work. Once you master them, you can recreate just about any classic rock or metal tone. You just can't be afraid to turn knobs.
I compared this to a BOSS Metal Zone, Rocktron Rampage, Danelectro FabTone and DaddyO, and a Bixonic Expandora. The BOSS MetalZone made my guitar lose all its punch and get lost on the mix. The Rocktron Rampage sounded horrible! I'm surprised because Rocktron products usually sound good, but they totally missed it this time. The Danelectro pedals sounded too buzzy on high gain settings. The Bixonic Expandora sounded pretty good, like ZZ Top, but $169 for a solid state stomp box, they could keep it!
This pedal sounds great and is a great way to recreate all your classic rock and metal tones. If you like the way a Tube King sounds, but wish it has more gain, this is a way to continue from where the Tube King leaves off. I would definately buy this pedal again.

An excellent manual describes in detail the advantages of Tech 21's unique addition to the basic distortion controls (level, tone and distortion) mysteriously named, "warp". It is this which lifts the XXL above the multitudes of subtly varying boxes, adding a degree of subtle variation itself. With warp set to the middle (helpfully indicated on the box), the XXL distorts away with the best of them, producing an even, rhythmic fuzz. Crank it up and all sorts of hidden harmonies are accentuated, making chords thick and expansive or deep-frying your picking. The actual process of the warp control is best described on their web site but suffice to say that it's use won't be immediately apparent when you first try it. It is difficult to get a bad sound out of the XXL and it responds well to different pickups, ranging from a little fuzz to huge, meaty distortion.

The first thing to consider - almost no noise. It's as if it were noise gated, especially with humbuckers. Don't expect the warp control to give you every possible distortion sound. Although it does do grunge, thrash and nutty voodoo-fuzz, the XXL is best suited to meaty weezer rhythms and even Radiohead solos. Don't be put off by the single tone control - the manual claims to have created some weird futuristic type of sweep on the knob - it scoops nicely to the top, evens things out and gives a huge pounding bass tone to the left.

It's made of metal, the knobs are ABS and the switch is of the round metal hurt-your-toes variety. It's rock solid but I still wouldn't dare test it's strength for fear of scratching the gorgeous laser-effect front. It's never broken and although I usually use it with an adapter, it makes the best of its battery on the occasions I have used it.

Never dealt with them.

I'm a big fan of Radiohead and don't particularly like grunge, so the even, meaty spread of the unit suits me fine. It's great for Weezer, Radiohead, Placebo and many of the newer alternative acts. As for value for money, if you just want to dirty up your sound go for a boss or a dod - you can find the style you want with more precision there. But if you want the chance to choose your own distortion style, or be able to cover most sorts quite closely without too much tinkering this is the place to look. If you're a distortion fanatic, get this and something else for good measure.

Some initial fiddling required. The unit is well into distortion at the lowest setting, so you must adjust at the guitar end, too. The manual is essential for understanding tone control vagaries.

Using either a Les Paul or a Giles with a hacked BBE 381 preamp run clean into a Hafler P1000 power amp & Celestion Vintage 10's. The XXL is easier to use with the Giles & Lace TranSensor pickups. Les Paul output is a little higher than needed here. With DRIVE past 3 o'clock, the distortion is too saturated; pickup noise is a problem at high drive levels. Sustain & compression are excellent, though. At lower drive levels, the WARP control has major effect. Right now, I like to set the knobs at 12 o'clock and adjust from the guitar, but you can push the tone around easily with the DRIVE control alone. I nailed the Fuzz Face & Boss Blues Driver sounds easily. DRIVE at minimum gives good soft distortion with little grit. A little pre-compression goes a long way to cleaning up the sound. Summary: very versatile vintage fuzz sound.

Otherwise dependable. Battery clip broke, store replaced the unit. Am using a wall wart now. Seems well built.

no experience. Don't want any, either. Since this XXL was bought used, I pulled it apart, saw very high quality construction. If it ever breaks, you MUST send it back to Tech 21 since the major circuitry is cast in epoxy. I believe this to be for purposes of obscuring their technology rather than reliability. The issue of harmonic content versus clipping symettry is well understood, so the circuitry is probably trivial and needs hiding to deter copiers.

Okay. It's strongest point is versatility. You can probably dial in any vintage fuzz sound you want if you know what you're looking for. Not a TS-9 or a metal screecher, more of a thick chewy bluesy vintage sound - good for solos, not for rhythm work. It exaggerates pick noise more than other devices, so slow & clean riffs are the mandate.

It's very easy, it's only a stompbox. The manual is VERY clear about the warp knob, everybody who is complaining about that knob probably didn't read it

It is one of the noiseless distortions I've ever used.It has a very original distortion definitly not for everybody. You will either love it or hate it. The people that say they didn't hear the warp are deaf or have very weak pickups. I also noticed that it works MUCH better with SS amps, it absolutely KILLS.It's throaty, meaty, it's awesome on every setting.With tubes it's kinda muddy. I have a Tech 21 Trademark 60, wich is a SS amp, but it uses the SansAmp tube emulation technology.It doesn't sount that good through it. I tried it with a friend's cheap SS amp and it blew me away. I will give it an 8 because of that strange behaivour. As some other reviwer noticed it doesn't have a very good bypass, you can hear some fuzzy notes when you play clean. I noticed that the problem can be solved by putting another pedal in front of it (a BOSS pedal) that is off. Strange!?!

It is very solid, bigger than BOSS pedals

I talked to them through E-mail they were VERY nice

Great pedal, as I said, not for everyone. You should try it with your amp. I play hardcore, metal(think about Sepultura's "Roots"). I love it's throaty sound. All my guitar player friends were impressed. I own some other BOSS pedals, this the throatiest of them all. Too bad it doesn't work that good with my current amp

This pedal offers a wide variety of sounds with minimal effort. However, the warp control in conjunction with the dirve control can be a little tricky, yet convinceable "tube" and cool "fuzz" tones can be achieved

I DO agree with some of you about the dissapointment when using this pedal. There is some irresponsibility with the advertisement because my pedal does not "sing", then "expand", "dilate" and "contract", however it is useful in getting really good overdrive sounds thru a tube amp ( I use an Alamo Jet vintage Amplifier and Mesa Boogie Subway Blues loaded w/ Sovtek EL-84's and 12AX7WXT+ "Telefunken" style preamp tubes and get a "hell" of a sound with both of them), either with a strat or les paul-type guitar. It is not my TS-808, but that is why I like it. It does produce good tones, and I'm sick of reading negative reviews and am truly sorry most guitar players out there want to sound like "Dimebag Darrell", 'cause this pedal "ain't gonna do it". Read Guitar Player's interview in 1997 (cannot remember the issue) for the XXL. At least they did not trash it the way some of the reviewers did. I think the product is pretty cool, and would love to debate the worthiness of this product on my on E-mail site.

Not at all worried about it's construction. It is built solid.

I'm sure that they would be extremely helpful. Their other products always recieve great reviews.

Compared to the "boutique" pedals out there, this is a good pedal to have for the money. If you cannot afford a vintage TS-808 Tube Screamer or cool fuzz, this pedal will come pretty close to the sounds you are looking for. I cannot believe some the bad writeups on this pedal. Some of you people need to have your head examined.

Just like a standard distortion/fuzz/overdrive box...... 3 knobs.... of course with the addition of the Warp knob I found the Warp to be.... subtle but very useful.

As of right now, I'm just using a tiny Pignose..... please don't laff =-) But this thing really kicks with it =-) I had tried it out with a small tube amp at the store i bought it from and it was even better =-) So I know that all I have to do is just get a better amp faily quickly. Just one thing...... whenever I have the Warp knob maxed..... and I have a Vox wah first in the chain..... it kinda cancels out the wah effect. It's still there, but not as dramatic compared to when i either have the XXL off or if i turn down the Warp. Btw.... having the Warp maxed out is where it sounds best, IMHO. II also run it with the drive turned down. So basically I haven't explored ALL the options of this device. But for what I use it for, it rox! =-)

I'm kinda unsure about the footswitch....... i thought it was an old style stomp box switch until i took off the back and had a closer look at the circuit board. The switch is soldered to the board and the on/off button just has a spring attached to activate the switch. Whenever I had a TS-5 Tube Screamer, i had to return one of them cuz of a faulty switch like that. But as of yet, the switch on the XXL hasn't failed me yet =-) And other than the switch, it seems to be built for the long haul =-)

Haven't had to deal with them yet..... so i'll have to get back to you on this one.

A reviewer of the Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster in Guitar Shop tested it out with one of these boxes. So I was intrigued. And then I seen it for the price i bought it at. Was intrigued even more. Then I finally tested it out for myself on my future guitar, a creme white American Standard Strat. i LOVED it =-) It may be premature to say, but i THINK i've finally found the distortion sound i've been looking for for the longest time. And to all the others who hate this box....... I belive you should've kept it around a bit longer to fully absorb and hear the subtlety of the sound it generates with the Warp control. Although like i said, it's subtle..... but it's very effective, IMO.

This is a great pedal. It brings up all the old style distorion of bands like Kiss and Hendrix and Humble Pie and old Aerosmith. All you do is plug in, crank the drive up, turn the warp to 11:00, tone at high noon, and level around 10:00-guitar volume all the way up, tone at whatever you want and your there. It belts out the sweet, raw grind you hear on early seventies Alice Cooper. You can make it sound like crap if you turn the tone all the way up-it flattens everything out and kills your eardrums. The manual is void of humility though... it does do everything it supposed to, but they set you up for an overdrive sound that won't happen unless you turn you guitar down to about 2. This is a distortion pedal and it has the best I've heard I also have a mesa-boogie V-Twin that has serious gain, but it turns my amp into a mesa-boogie and that's not why own a super reverb.

I'm running a squier Jagmaster through a fender mid-seventies super reverb-that's all, except for a small stone I occasionally hook up. I like the thick, warm fluidness the warp control floods into the signal especially with the drive turned down. Drive, turned up alone creates fuzz galore and sustain. Add the warp and everything gets bigger. If you hit one note and leave it down it changes shape, like inverts. This is a cool unit if you like distortion-it's got those gold sounds you'd hear on vinyl garage rock and great bands like Pavement and Guided By Voices today.

I haven't dropped it or kicked off the stage yet but it seems to be made out steel and has one of heavy duty footswitches. You have to wait a few seconds after you plug in for it to activate. It feels solid, nothing rattles.

No problems.

Overall I love this pedal's sounds. But I definitely don't like the the fact that after you turn the thing off some fuzz still bleeds into the line-you can hear it quite clearly though it's weak, it's annoying. Even with all the controls turned off it still doesit I have to unplug it when I go clean until I can set up some kind of bypass. That said, I would still buy it again, definitely. The V-Twin is a good preamp pedal, it's really sweet and toneful, but it doesn't go where the XXL goes in the fuzz and grind and ripping department, though it has an enormous gain channel it's all mesa and nothing else. This pedal LETS you play whatever you want from psychodelic wastescapes to big punk hooks-it's all there.

It is very easy to use the XXL to get a completely saturated distortion. But if you're looking for anything else, it takes a lot of fiddling around to get what you want. The subtleties of this pedal are lost at high saturation. I leave the Drive knob all the way down.

I use a solid-state bass amp (w/ guitar) for low-end punch, and it brings much-needed warmth to my tone. Again, the Drive tends to be too much; but I find turning down the guitar's volume (gasp!) works to clean it up. Exception--using the XXL as a preamp for a miked acoustic guitar beefed up the signal enough to get through my other effects, etc. The Tone control keeps the high-end fuzz from getting too loud, and turned all the way down, the pedal makes a good boost for bass. It responds very differently depending on playing dynamics; adjusting the Warp control changes how much punch each note's attack has. It does not sound like a good tube amp. However, to my ears, it was more warm, alive, and responsive than most of the other dist. boxes I tried (and all the ones in my price range). This pedal does wonders through bass amps! It's hard to get an interesting tone, but once you do, it's really fat and sweet.

I spilled a mug of hot chocolate on it, dropped it, left it in a sub-zero car trunk, and it's fine.

N/A

I would buy this pedal again. I would rather have a pedal that has more gain than I need & sounds I can't use, but with some really good tones given some work, than a pedal that only has one sound. Just roll back that volume knob and try it.

It's true, there isn't much in the way of a clean overdriven sound, but I just use another pedal for that (for now, the DOD Classic Tube). As for the infamous warp control, past the median it does put some chunk into the bass, and below it, it seems to give a little more control. My main problem is the footswitch. The switch isn't high enough or something--it's hard to just tap on it with my toe. At the same time, it doesn't "snap", so it's easy to tap the button twice. I fixed this by propping the front end up with an Altoids case.

A well-engineered tone control saves this pedal; at 12'o'clock, it boosts the bass without affecting the treble, past this it gives more of a fuzz sound, and below it attentuates the treble for a heavier sound. The distortion itself is gnarly, but not as gnarly as a Big Muff, or maybe in a different way. The level and drive knobs certainly provide a healthy boost. Personally, I think this pedal sounds fuller with the fuller grittier tone of a tube amp, but it sounds good enough with a solid state. I found a particularly sludgy lo-fi noise combining this effect with the boost channel of my Marshall Valvestate, with the bass turned up and treble turned down. As for feedback, I usually play through an Epiphone Sorrento, but with careful tweaking, I can keep it under control. This pedal is probably better suited for humbuckers.

I dropped my pedal on a hardwood floor, and now the level knob is crooked and doesn't move very easily, which might allow for better overdrive adjustments. I took it into Mojo, where Chris said the knob was held in place with a plastic washer that he couldn't fix.

A very peculiar device hated by many, perhaps someday the XXL will be a collector's item. That said, the XXL is roughly a lighter (in tone and shipping weight) version of the Big Muff, an important distinction if you walk to practice. Not for everyone.

it's straightforward to use, but who cares when your promised tweed and vox tones and get totally disappointed

i wouldn't recommend buying it, unless your after a pretty fuzzy monotone distortion. after all the promises in the advertising, i must say it's a pretty demoralising pedal. i mean it's supposed to be dynamic according to the adds. what a joke. the only possible way i could get a dynamic sound out of this thing was to play ever so slightly to stop it breaking up. i normally use an ibanez super tube, which kills this thing in terms of dynamics.

yeah that's ok, but the tone considerations override this as a consideration

no comment

don't buy it. unless you like havy metal sounds.

Pretty simple, as far as distortion boxes go. It has the usual Output, Tone, and Drive control, but the "warp" control is a little misleading.

Great sound quality. Tech 21 really know what's going on and have some great devices. The XXL has a very nice "voxy" overdrive to it. Can't afford an AC-30? This and a Peavey Classic 50 will still get you the gig. The "warp" knob does a neat, but subtle effect, similar to some sort of compression, where if the control is maxed, while playing staccato riffs, the sound sort of pumps and sucks like a compressor. Still, it's a unique effect. My only complaint, and it's a big one, is that the Drive control does two things: very dirty and extremely dirty. there's no cleaning this thing up without rolling your guitar's volume down. Why this pedal was designed this way, I don't know.

It's a very solid unit. Well built.

I'm sure Tech 21 is pretty helpful. Never had a problem, however.

A great distortion unit, if you can have another unit (Tube Screamer?) for cleaner stuff (or don't mind rolling th volume knob down).

It's realy easy to use. It's almost hard to fail getting the sound that you want.

It sounds realy good, and it has a realy cool knob that controls the "warp" which is like an overtone generator (it rely fattens up the sound). There's only one bad thing about the XXL, and that is that the battery does not have anything that holds it in place, so when ever you step on it the battery moves and you can hear it move. But it's so easy to fix, so it realy doesn't matter.

100%

Never had to deal whith them, and isn't that the way it's supossed to be.

OK, you're probably going to want to turn the tone control down to about nine or ten o'clock. That's about it. Not hard.

I'm posting this because I saw the "it sucks, I boxed it up and sent it back the same day" posts. I've had this unit for about a year and I like it more than ever. If you only play with it for a little while I can understand why you might not appreciate it. The warp is subtle and not something you really use that much. It's just a great sounding distortion box. Very tube-like. It's true that distortion is always present, even with drive all the way down (a setting I especially like). It's not a Tube Screamer. I don't do gigs, I have a home studio and record direct. What really hooked me on the XXL was when I plugged it into a SansAmp GT2, into my Mackie. I set the SansAmp to a clean amp setting and use the XXL (or a Tube Screamer) for distortion. I'm getting better tones than I ever got from my tube amps. (Of course, if I had a Matchless and lived someplace where I could turn it all the way up, I wouldn't be saying that.)

Tech 21 makes solid little boxes.

Haven't dealt with them.

I wouldn't ever want to be without my Tube Screamer, my Cry Baby wah, AND my XXL. By the way, Tech 21 should consider making a SansAmp with the XXL distortion sounds. (And they should give me a PSA-1 for having such a great idea.)

This is perhaps the least versatile pedal you can imagine. The advertising claims the number of tones that you can dial in are infinite but this is not the case. The 'warp' knob is a load of toss. The gain knob is a joke. At minimum setting it still was too much. Why have any knobs at all Tech 21? It just baffled me.

This things sucks tone out of a guitar like you wouldn't believe. I recently converted to the BOSS BD-2 and in comparison, the XXL was a joke. The response to my playing in this unit was far below what you would expect for the price. I suppose if you are looking for a lead pedal, this may be it but only if you like 'whiddly-diddly' crap.

I suppose it was OK while I had it.

No Idea.

I would not buy this thing again. I like a dynamic style of playing and this was just not possible with the XXL. If power chords are more your scene, this pedal may suit you but take my advice, there are better units out there.

This is a classic stomp box. I replaced a Big Muff Pi with it, and have been sorely missing loud distortion ever since. The sound is almost impossible. By that I mean that it is always to muddy or to shrill. The warp control is useless; I can hear the differences but they are by no means desireable. The sound flat, so I keep the knob at 12 o'clock.

I use a Parker Fly Deluxe, having only two humbuckers. It isn't noisy when the amp is turned low (no hiss) but if it is turned up it "feeds back" (the only way I can describe it) in a bad way. Its like sticking a microphone right up to its speaker. The distortion knob is pretty helpless, as it is hard to tell when you have turned it or not..

I haven't had any trouble with it (except when the battery was low and I didn't notice). It acts weird when it gets low on juice. The battery rattles a bit in the case, but it has rubber feet so no problems.

I never contacted Tech21. I never had a reason to.

I don't think I would ever buy a Tech21 product again, just because I could never get any sound that I loved from the unit. Don't buy it if you are looking for a decent distortion pedal; try a big muff, one of those boss pedals, or the Art XTreme thing.

Simple, it's a stomp box, just plug it in and go! If you bought this unit based on the "hype" ads you've read, you're probably going to be disappointed. The manual is easy to read and give some usuable suggestions for dialing in this effect. If you don't read the manual, you're going to get really ticked off with the WARP Control. READ the manual before you end up throwing this unit across the room.

The sound really sucks! You've followed the instructions. You can hear the subtle tone changes with the Warp control but the distortion is mushy and the unit is very noisy. Your guitar tone disappears and is replaced by something awful. The Manual states that the unit is good played through either a Tube amp or Solid State. I have only Tube amps and no matter what I did I could not get a tone I could stomach. Perhaps a solid state amp would sound better. If you put a compressor and a wah in front of this unit all you'll hear is hum and lousy distortion. Forget this unit with single coils way too much noise. I tried Alkaline, Carbon and DC Convert poer sources. There was some change in tone but nothing to keep me from getting rid of this unit.

It's built solid and unlike a previous reviewer I didn't have a problem with the battery compartment. There's a fatter foam pad that hold the batter just fine. Maybe they improved this.

Didn't have it long enough to need Customer Support.

I would not buy this unit again. I followed the instructions, tweeked it for hours and played it for a week just to see if the problem was me, my guitars or my signal chain. It's the unit so I sent it back for a refund. I've been using the Ibanez TS-9 for years, the Tech 21- XXL doesn't even come close in my rig.
If your searching for a distortion box try as many as you can with your gear. Maybe this one will work for you if you have the right combination. Probably solid state amps (cheap ones)

Yea, the 4 knobs,are pretty self-explanitory. although there is all this hype about this warp / X-factor thing, there are small subtle differences in sound at extreme settings, but i usually leave that warp knob at mid settings anyway.

it's not noisy at all. but i can get good feedback out of it. i use a strat with a seymoure duncan hot rails neck/middle pickup in the bridge position. with a solid state 65 watt RMS fender delux amp. i can make my guitar squeal like hell with this pedal. the distortion this pedal also produces is really sonic. depending if you have humbuckers. battery life is excellent.

yea, it's pretty sturdy. but one thing that really bugs me is the hollow cavity inside the pedal where the battery is stored. the battery keeps jiggling around in there as it seems there is nothing sturdy to hold it in place except this somewhat effective sticky pad used to keep the battery from jiggling around in the inside. but overall, the pedal itself is very sturdy.

havn't had any problems with this pedal yet!

i'd buy it again. i really love the distortion and feedback i can get out of it. i compared it with this boss hm-2 pedal, and sonically, the boss hm-2 is muddy. this tech 21 pedal is good for leads, and power chords, but i wouldn't reccomend it for straight on major/minor chords, for it can get a bit noisy.