MXR "Custom Badass" Stomps - Confusion & Clarity

[LLL]

Nevermind, totally different circuits from the actual service manuals,I have the electronics degree and have tried them, but since you have a PhD who am I to argue.

A "fudd" ("PhD") has zero bearing on guitar gear, tone or anything related... nor does it carry any weight.

An electronics degree does.

 

[devastone]

I realize that, I just shouldn't have brought it up in the first place, not worth the effort.

 

[LLL]

I realize that, I just shouldn't have brought it up in the first place, not worth the effort.

I'd state it anyways. F em if they don't like it. :smokin:

 

[Dave Locher]

You left out the Super Badass Distortion. The silver one. Decent high-gain sounds but the super-powerful eq (+/- 18dB 3-band) makes it extremely flexible for boosting amps. A little touchy, though, because each eq knob covers so much range.
A lot of internet armchair experts say it's a Marshall Gov'nor clone but it sounds nothing like mine and the eq on the Gov'nor isn't the same at all.

 

[LLL]

You left out the Super Badass Distortion. The silver one. Decent high-gain sounds but the super-powerful eq (+/- 18dB 3-band) makes it extremely flexible for boosting amps. A little touchy, though, because each eq knob covers so much range.
A lot of internet armchair experts say it's a Marshall Gov'nor clone but it sounds nothing like mine and the eq on the Gov'nor isn't the same at all.

Yeah I have zero experience with that one.

 

[Dave Locher]

Try it, you might like it! I certainly preferred it over the '78, probably because I could eq it for my amp & preferences. Might be too compressed for your taste, though. I found it too smooth for that reason.

 

[devastone]

The original Guv'nor (big black box, not the gold one, never tried one of those) was awesome, as was the original Shredmaster (more hard rock than metal).

 

[NegativeEase]

Guys, you are missing the real secret of the MXR Badassidry.

The real tone difference is in the kind of rubber feet shipped with your pedal...

Avoid the 2013-2016 versions using Nitrile Rubber
Avoid the 2009-2010 versions using EPDM synthetic rubber
1995-99 is meh, it utilizes a silicone footing.
What you want is aftermarket Neoprene or Natural feet to get the best tone.

 

[DKSEARS]

There's a lot of misinformation out there (go figure) regarding two of the MXR "Custom Badass" stomps.


The pedal modding/cloning community has determined that the:

- MXR Custom Badass Modified O.D.

Is a somewhat modded Zakk Wylde OD (ZW-44)...
... which, in turn, is a modded BOSS SD-1

and the:

- MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion

Is a modded BOSS DS-1 (the DS-1 came out in 1978) a la Keely "Seeing-eye" mod

Thanks for this. I have owned both of these pedals for a while and never really thought about their origins. I think it helps me understand why I enjoy one a bit more than the other.

 

[ErikH]

The original Guv'nor (big black box, not the gold one, never tried one of those) was awesome, as was the original Shredmaster (more hard rock than metal).

The original black Marshall pedals were so much better than the gold ones. I've used both as I worked in a music shop and me and another guy did a side-by-side. While you could get the sound of the original out of the gold one with some tweaking, it's still different. It didn't seem as big sounding to me, maybe a little more generic. The black versions though, each one has their own distinct character.