MXR

I always thought back in the 80s that MXR were very professional units as a lot of top musicians semed to use them, but I gravitated towards the Boss camp and the rest is history. Until now! Well, occasionally I would peep at the Dunlop website and marvel at the size and simplicity of the standard series but last week I really dug up the dirt on them and when you mention Compressor, MXR Dyna Comp always seems to pop up. When you mention Phaser, the Phase 90 always gets the heads up when compared to most units be it Boss or any other brand. 

Phase 90

Where better to start than a classic and the Phase 90 is that. It's the Seventies smooth lush, analog 4 stage effect that you've heard time and time again on all your favourite records. This is my first MXR pedal ever. Why have multiple when one knob does it all!

Micro Chorus

The Police, Pretenders and lots of other 80s sounds are all under the hood of this little one knob analog box. It's got all the sounds you need in a great and simple design but in no way is it a one trick pony but a truly beautiful sounding chorus that's hard not to like.

Dyna Comp

The legend and king of comps, this is one of the most popular compression pedals ever and pros have been using it for years. With a rich, chewy analog squeeze making it ideal

for all kinds of music.

Distortion +

A rather mild Distortion and more like a classic OD sound, this box can push an amp into overdrive and give you a good rocking sound especially with humbuckers! It's a classic and was used in the 70s by Randy Rhodes and in the 80s by Iron Maiden's Dave Murray.

Micro Amp

Boosting a solo with OD is easy, but what if you play Country or want a super clean boost?

The the Micro Amp is your man. It does not colour the sound making it ideal and it may

very well be the greatest clean boost you can buy!

Custom Badass '78 Distortion

I hardly ever buy pedals with the word 'Distortion' on them nowadays but let me tell you this little bugger is a great warm sounding cruncher that satisfies the need! It's a nod to the

Boss DS-1 with a little bit more!

Carbon Copy Analog Delay  

A great bucket brigade delay that offers up to 600ms. It also has adjustable

modulation for that wonky tape delay effect!

Custom Badass Modified O.D.

Based on the Tubescreamer and the Boss SD-1, aren't they all, this golden monster can deliver the goods to get you overdriven to the max, and with a 100Hz cut or boost you can shape your crunch just as you like it!

Analog Chorus  

An analog chorus that suits all needs, from 80s to 90 to retro and present! That's a mouthful isn't it! It can also be used in stereo and that's where it truly shines.

Prime Distortion  

This has the big balls and sheer crunch you'll need for 80s stadium rock and hairmetal.

Is it good? Yes, it's good and I prefer to the Boss DS-1. It will make your single coils squeal like a pig and humbuckers will melt the walls! One of the cheapest MXR boxes and a

whole lotta of fun!

Carbon Copy Bright Analog Delay  

When people started saying the original Carbon Copy was too dark MXR decided to brighten it up and this is what they made the Carbon Copy Bright!

Smart Gate  

The Smart Gate is a noise gate with some very clever tricks up its sleeve! It has three modes of noise reducxtion, Full, Mid and Hiss, plus a Hi Trigger Range. Just dial in the Trigger Level and your off! It does not degrade your sound either. Smart eh? 

Blue Box 

Possible one of the most divisive pedals ever made, the Blue Box is a octave fuzz that will kick your signal down two octaves but, and it's a big but, use it wrong and it will poop on you witout a bother. A love hate affair, but damn, the machine like analog buzz is worth the asking price alone!

Super Badass Distortion

This really is a great Distortion, with 3 band EQ and a good amount of gain. It's nice in the way it cleans up and then drives like a mother, but it never goes into seriously heavy

Nu Metal territory thankfully. One my board and in good use!

Distortion III

With smooth creamy saturated tone and high gain balls of brass this is a superb unit that can be used for all genres. Never too nasal or ear-biting, the Distortion III also cleans up for a light touch of smouldering blues. I've heard that this circuit was used for the Black Friday edition Classic Distortion that was a Guitar Centre exclusive!

La Machine

An MXR Custom Shop effect that's not for the faint-hearted, La Machine based on the Seventies Foxx Fuzz Machine, this cookie delivers a massive fuzz with buckets of sustain. Then a push of the Octave button will take up to ring mod like madness and brazen molten grinding noise. A unique modern masterpiece! 

Micro Flanger

Another box of analog goodness the Micro Flanger is a simple and effective unit with lush rich modulation and tasty sweeps. All you need here is Rate and Regen and your off!

GT-OD

This green box is a classic with warm analog tones and nice saturation. It even has a switch hidden inside that transforms it to the Zak Wyld Overdrive! Another rumour is that it is very similar to the Classic Overdrive that was a Guitar Centre special run for half the price of course!

THE QUIET MEN!

This is a look at some Boss pedals that don't

make a big noise or even any noise at all!
In other words, units that don't change your sound!

PSM-5 Power Supply & Master Switch

This came out in 1983 as a device to power other Boss units on a pedal board and also act as a switch to kill the signal while you took a break from performance. It's long redundant but still a cool pedal. It's unique in that it came in a bigger than usual Boss box along with an AC adapter.

NF-1 Noise Gate

This late 70s unit was the first compact noise gate from Boss. It's pretty simple and effective in cutting noise when placed at the end of your chain. It's no longer needed today thanks to this...

NS-2 Noise Suppressor

When it made it's appearance in 1987 it was a hit and is still in production over 30 years later. Why? It's a great noise reduction unit that uses a loop to kill noise and it also powers other units. An essential box on any serious board.

TU-2 Chromatic Tuner

Having a tuner on your board is fantastic and very hand. This is a high quality one too and not only does it power other units it kills the sound as you tune so you don't annoy the fans at your gig! You can also use only the input if you have a Tuner Out on a volume pedal so you don't have to rune through it.

LM-2 Limiter

Another hidden Boss gem from 1987. This one does a fine job of smoothing out the peaks of your signal without altering the tone. At the time it was used more by bass players so Boss went and made one for bass!

EH-2 Enhancer

Probably one of the most misunderstood pedals Boss ever made and no wonder, when you turn it on you can't really hear anything but once you turn it off then you do realise it's special aural enhancement. It's probably best used for recording as it can add sparkle to guitars, bass and vocals. A funny beast but one worth investigation.  

RC-1 Loop Station

While it may not alter your sound, it can certainly alter your playing. Loopers have become a part of every day for musicians now and what better way to practise your chops or add a backing to a solo live performance. The RC-1 is the simplest Boss looper that gives you hours of loopy fun! 

LS-2 Line Selector

This is an invaluable tool to have in your setup as it offers 6 Modes of switching. Use two amps, use 2 effects loops, use for swapping guitars, etc, the LS-2 is a great device for hassle free switching once set up correctly! 

  

THE LITTLE GREEN GIANT!

Maxon OD-9 Overdrive

The OD-9 is perhaps one of the most famous and highly regarded overdrive pedals ever made and guitarists the world over know just how awesome it sounds. With it's smooth creamy drive and clear tone it's ideal for blues and classic rock, but it's still a very versatile effect indeed.

The circuit that gave us the 'first tube amp simulator' was designed by Maxon (Nisshin Onpa) in the mid 70s but that company produced units for Ibanez which called it the TS-9 which was known as the Tubescreamer and it was a hit with guitarists from the get go. Eventually when Ibanez started making their own version of the TS-9, Maxon started producing the OD-9 with the original circuit.

On it's own, this mild OD can rock the night away, but when used to drive a tube amp into breakup it can melt the walls, and if used as a boost with another OD unit it can give you a big ballsy crunch. It's probably a must have for any serious player and with it's rugged construction and easy to use layout the OD-9 is a true legend.

The OD-9 on my board to stay!

PEAVEY TRACER

The Bare Bones Shred Machine

When I first saw this axe a few months ago on a local advert site I was intrigued to say the least. Now 'hair metal shredding machines' are the kind of things I'd breeze past since they reek of late 80s spandex and poodle cuts. Then a strange thing happened. A wave of nostalgia came over me and for weeks I pictured myself plugged into a loud Marshall TSL amp with Boss Mega Distortion, Metal Zone, Metal Core, you name it, shredding like the devil. I couldn't get it out of my head. The colour, the flat neck, the simplicity of one humbucker was all to much and I started asking the seller questions and quickly giving him a deposit, after all the chicken pickin' for the last year or so, I secretly wanted to blow some steam in the high gain metal department. A few weeks later it finally came and when I opened the original Peavey plastic case, I smiled like an infant getting a chocolate bar. Boy, this axe was mint. I mean sometimes you buy an item online and it looks like it did in the photos, but this puppy looked almost new. I was shocked. Zero fret wear, no scuffs or scratches, no dings or cracks. This axe was well looked after. Even the case was in very good condition with it's built in amp still working like it was brand new.

The Peavey Tracer was produced from 1988 to 1994 and these guitars were 'handcrafted in U.S.A.' with poplar bodies and rock maple necks. There is only one humbucker in the bridge with a volume and tone. The bridge itself is similar to a Fender Strat with six cast metal saddles. There was no arm with this axe but that's no problem as I do not use the trem and blocked it down with a wood wedge. The plastic was still on the back plates too so this guitar was possible kept in the closet from rainy days! Once I stripped it down and cleaned it I strung it with D'Addario XL .10s and when I plugged it into the Marshall TSL 602 I almost melted the walls. The sound is massive, very clear and it's great to be shredding again! 

Peavey Tracer in Peavey case with built in Peavey 50w amp!  

The body is date stamped Jan 10, 1989 making it 29 years old! The pickup is most likely a Schaller along with the machine heads.

The built in Peavey 50w amp!

The built in Peavey 50w amp warning!

See my strip down, clean and rebuild video on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxjszwVRAY0

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