MXR sig RR Polkadot Disto +?

[griff10672]

I am seeing tonight that pre-order is also available. A little surprised that there are no switches on this thing. Missed opportunity for a gain setting switch or set EQ curve switch. Maybe internally.

there just simply isn't room in this circuit to do much ...............plus switches cost money ....

I did a bunch of research on the Disto + when this thread came up ...... I had already built a few stock clones .... that didn't impress me at all .... so I breadboarded up a few variants .... added bass control ..... presence/tone control ..... different diode clipping configurations etc ....

none of them did anything for me ........ so I abandoned the thought of just doing a clone so I could put polka dots on it ...

it's a straight up nostalgia pedal that MXR will sell a ton of because of Randy ..... just my opinion

 

[psychodave]

I have a vintage D+ and it’s a cool circuit, but far from my favorite. Lots of simple mods to make it “better”…or just get a DOD Preamp 250 or a ton of other pedals based on the same design. I get the EQ curve they can add, but why not just use a 10 band EQ and get infinite settings?

 

[Speeddemon]

I got a 70's original for collection reasons (aside from a block letter OG Blue Box, I have the whole range of MXR pedals from back then), but the sound never impressed me. Also, it's hardly useable as a boost IMO, since it has trouble even reaching unity gain.
I vastly preferred the Distortion II, boosted by the red Limiter pedal.

 

[psychodave]

I got a 70's original for collection reasons (aside from a block letter OG Blue Box, I have the whole range of MXR pedals from back then), but the sound never impressed me. Also, it's hardly useable as a boost IMO, since it has trouble even reaching unity gain.
I vastly preferred the Distortion II, boosted by the red Limiter pedal.

As I’m sure you know, most MXR pedals F with the impedance of your input. I tend to run them in between buffers. They sound glorious this way.

Not gonna lie though, I have long preferred to just run into an MXR phase 90…not for the phasing, but for the tonal affect of going through the pedal when off. The true bypass fans will now be giving me a hard time.

 

[Racerxrated]

As I’m sure you know, most MXR pedals F with the impedance of your input. I tend to run them in between buffers. They sound glorious this way.

Not gonna lie though, I have long preferred to just run into an MXR phase 90…not for the phasing, but for the tonal affect of going through the pedal when off. The true bypass fans will now be giving me a hard time.

This is why my 86 SD1 always stays on my board. It's crazy the difference it makes, with my 72 Tremolo with the pedal on the board vs off.

 

[psychodave]

I got a 70's original for collection reasons (aside from a block letter OG Blue Box, I have the whole range of MXR pedals from back then), but the sound never impressed me. Also, it's hardly useable as a boost IMO, since it has trouble even reaching unity gain.
I vastly preferred the Distortion II, boosted by the red Limiter pedal.

Any pics of all of your MXR pedals ?

 

[Speeddemon]

@psychodave
See attached.
All original manuals are present too.
A buddy of mine modded the Distortion II so it could accept an 18V PSU, and the mod is fully reversible, so I still have the original power cord.

Still looking for a block logo Blue Box, but that one guy in Japan on Ebay asking $600 or so is nuts, when actual mid 70's Script logos sold for $300 or less recently...

 

[griff10672]

@psychodave
See attached.
All original manuals are present too.
A buddy of mine modded the Distortion II so it could accept an 18V PSU, and the mod is fully reversible, so I still have the original power cord.

Still looking for a block logo Blue Box, but that one guy in Japan on Ebay asking $600 or so is nuts, when actual mid 70's Script logos sold for $300 or less recently...

Nice Collection !!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I have a vintage D+ and it’s a cool circuit, but far from my favorite. Lots of simple mods to make it “better”…or just get a DOD Preamp 250 or a ton of other pedals based on the same design. I get the EQ curve they can add, but why not just use a 10 band EQ and get infinite settings?

I was going to say.. in the end, it seems like Randy's distortion + was one that was naturally tighter and not so woofy. They are likely gonna just model those components values..

But to psychodave's point, the improvement over the disto+ was very simply, dod250 as he mentioned lol. I know the values varied there too with some being tighter but overall, it is more usable.

That said, I'm getting one of these.. why? Because it has polka dots. That's it. That simple. Hopefully it will be tight but just seeing it on the floor in front of a plexi or 800 style amp and with an off white Les Paul?? Forget about it.

 

[psychodave]

@psychodave
See attached.
All original manuals are present too.
A buddy of mine modded the Distortion II so it could accept an 18V PSU, and the mod is fully reversible, so I still have the original power cord.

Still looking for a block logo Blue Box, but that one guy in Japan on Ebay asking $600 or so is nuts, when actual mid 70's Script logos sold for $300 or less recently...

So awesome. I’m jealous of your collection. I’ve never played the envelope filter, green delay or blue box.

 

[Speeddemon]

So awesome. I’m jealous of your collection. I’ve never played the envelope filter, green delay or blue box.

Thanks man. The Analog Delay is pretty dark, I hooked it up after laying out all the pedals. It gets a bit clearer when you lower the delay time, so some rockabilly slapback echo is possible.
Blue Box, I do have the RI version...it's more of a gimmick pedal really. And I effin' *HATE* the Zep song 'Fool in the Rain'. It's like Robert Plant was thinking, "you know what? I should try to sound more like Billy Corgan"...and the groove of the song rubs me the wrong way to no end.

 

[CarlF]

Thanks man. The Analog Delay is pretty dark, I hooked it up after laying out all the pedals. It gets a bit clearer when you lower the delay time, so some rockabilly slapback echo is possible.
Blue Box, I do have the RI version...it's more of a gimmick pedal really. And I effin' *HATE* the Zep song 'Fool in the Rain'. It's like Robert Plant was thinking, "you know what? I should try to sound more like Billy Corgan"...and the groove of the song rubs me the wrong way to no end.

Pat Travers used to use the MXR Blue Box with a Phase 100 to great effect. As far as the Distortion+, The only way that sounded good was with the 10 Band EQ as Randy used.

 

[psychodave]

Pat Travers used to use the MXR Blue Box with a Phase 100 to great effect. As far as the Distortion+, The only way that sounded good was with the 10 Band EQ as Randy used.

He is so underrated....

 

[psychodave]

Thanks man. The Analog Delay is pretty dark, I hooked it up after laying out all the pedals. It gets a bit clearer when you lower the delay time, so some rockabilly slapback echo is possible.
Blue Box, I do have the RI version...it's more of a gimmick pedal really. And I effin' *HATE* the Zep song 'Fool in the Rain'. It's like Robert Plant was thinking, "you know what? I should try to sound more like Billy Corgan"...and the groove of the song rubs me the wrong way to no end.

I never got the delay since the delay time isnt long enough for me... and I do know longer delay times create more noise with the reticon BBD's. Still want one though. As I mentioned, I use a buffer before and after vintage MXR pedals and it cures that impedance darkness. There is still a tonal change that isn’t much…but I find it pleasing.

Not sure if you saw this thread, so I'm posting a link.

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/converting-117-volt-mxr-pedals-to-18-volt.312108/

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

He is so underrated....

Definitely, the guy grooved.

 

[SteveGlitch]

That's cool...I did not know that was a thing. About all I do is play along to backing tracks and sometimes it's a pain in the dick finding one.

Yeah, it's a thing anyone can do with their smartphone now days. Some Burger King worker was telling me that he had a second job charging people to make songs/tracks/beats. He was saying he made more from doing that than working at the BK lol

Maybe MXR will just clone this..

I don't think so, that doesnt sound anything like Randy's rig and the pedal does nothing gain wise until half way. It's a horrible pedal.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

A bit of a let down.. it is just a " true to spec", " meticulously" rebuilt distortion + that still sounds like a fuzz. I thought they had a chance to do something cool like build in some small side switches for tight or his signature EQ curve.

 

[SteveGlitch]

A bit of a let down.. it is just a " true to spec", " meticulously" rebuilt distortion + that still sounds like a fuzz. I thought they had a chance to do something cool like build in some small side switches for tight or his signature EQ curve.

It's pretty unique. I tend to like MXR's stuff. I woke up to an email from MXR telling they are sending me one so I'm excited to get it!

To me, it doesn't sound anything like a fuzz, it sounds like a unique distortion along the lines of the Way Huge Geisha Drive which is a pretty strong distortion (even with the drive knob all the way down) but I review and post demos for pedals/pickups from various companies/brands that send me. About that particular demo video from B's Music Shop, that his clean tone was muddy, same with the other review video. So imagine the character of the pedal depending on the amp.

The only thing I disagree with him on is that it will sell out fast, I don't feel like they will. The Way Huge Deep State did but this isn't an overdrive.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

It's pretty unique. I tend to like MXR's stuff. I woke up to an email from MXR telling they are sending me one so I'm excited to get it!

To me, it doesn't sound anything like a fuzz, it sounds like a unique distortion along the lines of the Way Huge Geisha Drive which is a pretty strong distortion (even with the drive knob all the way down) but I review and post demos for pedals/pickups from various companies/brands that send me. About that particular demo video from B's Music Shop, that his clean tone was muddy, same with the other review video. So imagine the character of the pedal depending on the amp.

The only thing I disagree with him on is that it will sell out fast, I don't feel like they will. The Way Huge Deep State did but this isn't an overdrive.

I might still buy one anyway and display the booklet in a frame with a pic of RR just for fun in my home studio but I think they missed a chance to make a really cool pedal. but I guess if they included an EQ curve on dip switch, they'd miss the chance to sell an EQ pedal. If these are popular enough, I wonder if they will do an EQ and Chorus. Might as well cash in.

 

[SteveGlitch]

I might still buy one anyway and display the booklet in a frame with a pic of RR just for fun in my home studio but I think they missed a chance to make a really cool pedal. but I guess if they included an EQ curve on dip switch, they'd miss the chance to sell an EQ pedal. If these are popular enough, I wonder if they will do an EQ and Chorus. Might as well cash in.

I'm surprised no dip switches on this as well, his sister said "other surprises" but she might have been talking about other pedals (maybe your guess isn't too far off). The fact that only 3200 are made is sweet for collectors