Whats Not To Like
When first looking at this pedal, it is impressive. It looks like it means business. It's a painted aluminum case with pinstriping. Metal everywhere and really solid feeling knobs. It has a super solid feel and weight to it, so when you plug it in you expect great things. From the get-go, this pedal sounds familiar. This pedal has a hard clip that make me think of the 80's. For playing the songs of a time when hair was big and men wore fishnets, this pedal is pretty prime. However, if that is not what you are going for then you might find it a little troublesome to bring it down into something a little more subtle.
There Are Some Things Not To Like
The pedal it's self is pretty nice, but the effect is a little too familiar. What I mean by that is that it sounds like another pedal. Basically, the pedal could be a stand in for a Boss DS-1. I know there are fans of the orange box, but I've tried just about every mod for this (the DS-1) pedal and never really found anything that made it a keeper. I don't know for a fact that it is a clone of the DS-1, but it sounds so close that its uncanny. True bypass is a great addition, but you are paying for that switch. The MXR pedal runs a little more than the Boss unit. And then there is the matter of the power supply jack being next to the input. This is extremely bothersome to me personally. There most those that don't mind much, but it causes problems when arranging pedals on my board.
The Conclusion
If you are looking for something like the DS-1, but like to keep everything true bypass, then this might be what you are looking for, given that you don't mind have your 9-volt jack in an inconvenient place.
The DS-1 and the MXR Prime sound completely different. The DS-1 is colder, has less mids and sounds like a saw. The Prime ist much warmer, has more gain and is a real Marshall in a box.
ReplyDeleteThe DS-1 and the MXR Prime sound completely different. The DS-1 is colder, has less mids and sounds like a saw. The Prime ist much warmer, has more gain and is a real Marshall in a box.
ReplyDeleteGreat treble bite if desired. Punchy miss really pop though a dense mix. The bass is full and tight for chugging. Plenty of gain on tap for anything 70's and early 80's.
ReplyDeleteThe Prime distortion doesn't turn into overcompressed fuzz. The DS-1 unfortunately does. The Prime distortion has a much smoother midrange. The DS-1 has less mids.
ReplyDeleteThe Prime distortion has a less of that ice pick treble response.