MXR M75 Super Badass® Distortion

Product Information

For a fat, warm tone that pairs perfectly with the sound of a quality British valve amp, this is the distortion pedal for you. Of all the pedals on our list, it’s probably this one that gives the most uniquely distorted tone, and we love it. It sounds so very Marshall, and indeed you could probably replicate the sound of an overdriven Marshall without the right amp - it’s that good. The Boss DS-1 pedal should need no introduction really. This is one of the most famous, popular, and well-reviewed distortion pedals on the market, and has been for almost 40 years now. It’s an absolute classic, and is likely to continue as such for a very long time yet. So, let's break down what to look for when choosing the best distortion pedal for your needs. What is a distortion pedal? We also love the crunch button, which unlike a lot of pedal buttons, does exactly what you’d hope it does, and more, to the point that the first time you try it out, you won’t want to switch it off. Ideal if you want a few more lows and highs to build out your sound.

It is worth noting that distortion pedals are different from overdrive pedals, which are meant to push your amplifier past its headroom for a slight crunch or very subtle distortion. Distortion stompboxes offer extra grit or dirt to your signal without having to push your amplifier, giving you that signature distorted sound even at low volumes. With a name like ‘Super Badass’, you’d almost expect this to be a pedal that delivers nothing but straight-forward distortion, but you’d be wrong. Very wrong. This MXR product is one of the most versatile pedals around, being capable of giving you everything from very light overdrive, to screaming, full-bodied distortion. OK, so the SF300 distortion pedal is unashamedly inspired by offerings from Boss, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it certainly isn’t when you get this much pedal for such a tiny price. This thing is basically a catch-all for fuzzy distortion. It can do light 60s fuzz, from the time when overdrive was still seen as a bad thing by a lot of guitarists, to meaty, stoner fuzz that is super distorted. Although MXR pedals are known for their reliability and high quality, there are other great choices from its competitors such as the Boss DS-1, TC Dark Matter, and the Pro Co RAT. However, the M75 holds its own and is praised as one of the best sounding distortion effects in the market nowadays. Despite its pure analog circuit, the MXR Super Badass Distortion can pull off modern tones and is a great fit for any rig. This MXR Super Badass Distortion review will provide you with everything you need to know about the stompbox. Should You Get It?It’s a fairly simple thing physically, with just the two knobs for output and distortion, and a nice big LED. It all looks nicely laid out, is incredibly well finished (including the knobs) and the bright yellow chassis really evokes the spirit of those 80s shred guitarists. Think the legendary Randy Rhoads, who incidentally did use this pedal in some of his setups. Typically you’ll be using a distortion pedal for heavier styles of music, and it’s a common question to ask which is best for metal. We’d say it all depends on your particular genre of metal. There are a lot of different styles of metal and thus, a lot of different tones. So have a look at your favorite guitarist's pedalboard and see what they’re using for more inspiration. It does this by giving you controls for both level and gain, as well as treble and bass. There are also two fuzz options, for either a classic sound, or a grungier feel, and a boost one too. It’s really very good - the tone might not be the greatest that the market has to offer, but it’s ideal for someone who just wants to play with this kind of effect, or wants to sue it selectively.

This unit hasn’t changed much on the outside since the 80s, and that’s no bad thing. It’s heavy duty, and we would not be surprised if it’s currently sitting on the pedalboard of some seriously famous touring musicians.

Tech Specs

This clipped signal then goes through to the amp from the distortion pedal, and you get the distorted sound, with more sustain, and a broader range of harmonics. Simple in theory, but there are lots of different degrees to which this clipping is done, and ways in which it is performed, which is why there are many distortion pedals on the market. Overdrive vs Distortion Pedal A distortion pedal can be used anywhere in your effects chain to really give your tone an entirely new sound, and they’re really very easy to use. Unlike some effects pedals and other guitar peripherals, there really isn’t much difficulty to using one. The MXR Super Badass Distortion is a perfect choice for guitar players who want a reliable distortion pedal that's ready to go out of the box. It's also a great choice for those who want more sound-shaping capabilities in their distortion pedal. The M75 has EQ controls that most distortion stompboxes don't have, which is why it's the go-to of people who are after a specific tone.

Would be cool if anyone can explain to me the distinction between Custom and Super and whether this is actually a proper subset of MXR or simply a marketing vehicle! What is not in dispute though is that these are some truly great sounding Overdrives, Distortions and Fuzz. And I’ve seen many a player cite the Modified Overdrive especially as one of their favourites of all tine. A signal wave normally looks like a smoothly undulating wave, with naturally curved peaks and troughs throughout the range. Distortion happens when these waves are clipped for any reason - that is that the highs and lows of the waves are cut off - and is essential when the ‘quality’ of the sound is reduced. When it comes to distortion pedals, this is, of course, a desirable effect.On our list, we’d recommend the MXR Super Custom 78, MXR Super Badass, and MXR Distortion +, along with the Boss DS-1 and ProCo RAT 2 as being the pedals that offer the biggest chance for some really high gain sounds. That’s not to say this list is exhaustive of course - you’ll find plenty of other high gain pedals on the market. It is reasonably versatile too - if you really crank it up, you end up with some real fuzz that sustains well, but on the lower end, it can sound like a quality overdriven tube amp. Just a very nice sound all-round. For the price, there had to be some compromised somewhere, and they come in the form of the pedal’s construction. It’s by no means bad - everything is laid out and finished well, including the footswitch, but rather than the usual metal, the SF300 is made from high impact plastic. It feels fine, but there’s a reason touring musicians will buy only pedals with a metal chassis.