NPD!! MXR Super Badass

agentzero12

agentzero12

New member
I love it. Did a lot of online looking before going to try one. First time was through a Roland cube and cheap Yamaha near it. Today I went and asked to run it through a rig similar to mine. Got an lp and ac15 in the store and cranked it.

It's pretty transparent for a distortion. Ton of gain on tap too. And unity is at about 11-12 on the output. 3 band eq is a huge plus, and its very responsive. Gonna practice with it tomorrow and gig with it next week. Ill post more about sitting in the mix later but so far it's really impressive for a $99 pedal.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

Can't waight for the Slightly Later in 78 Super Badass Distortion+

IS there a vid of all MXR's offering in this zone these days?

Glad you dig it. I run pedals through the Blackface on my Cube usually. Is it a Distortion monster? I assume so with that EQ setup.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

I have no idea what he's saying! Or why he's using a pedal for distortion through a Mesa!

 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

Haha. I saw that video too. It's a pretty big sounding distortion but not really "metal". It does QOTSA and mastodon sounds really well and covers the heavier side of foo fighters too. It has a lot of gain on tap but is best around 2-3 o'clock for higher gain settings. Anything above that gets to be a bit much.

Distortion pedals are always tough for me because I like high gain sounds and prefer distortion more than overdrive but its harder to get a really good sound and high gain from a single distortion pedal under $200. This one does the trick for me though. Definitely worth checking out.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

Played it at practice today so here's my thoughts.

Played my explorer with jb9 through tiny terror and Marshall 1936 cab. I don't have a ton of experience with pedals to compare with, but I will say for the price it's one of the most natural sounding distortions I've come across.

I had output around 1:30, gain at about 11:30, bass at 11, mids at 12, and treble at 2. Compared to my distortion III, it's about twice the gain and a lot more output. It kept up with the gain on my rat set at 3 (my rat is set to be nasty). All in all, great rhythm and leads. I'm really happy with it.

I will try it out with some p90s next week.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

It was similar base tones but the three band eq made it much more expressive. The distortion III has more mid scoop than the super badass. I kinda felt like the super badass pick up where the distortion III stops. The super badass is clearer than the dist III, too. More articulate.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

I've been looking for a ballsy thick distortion lately and I will deff research this one, I was thinking the Malekko Sloika but its a little pricey for me at the moment
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

misterwhizzy said:
I have no idea what he's saying! Or why he's using a pedal for distortion through a Mesa!

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I don't care how you slice it, but speaking German and then following each sentence with "badass" is the most badass thing that any one person can do. It just makes it sound evil. He could have been talking about how all MXR Badass pedals are handcrafted by fluffy bunnies in a field of daisies. It just sounds eviler.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

agentzero12 said:
It was similar base tones but the three band eq made it much more expressive. The distortion III has more mid scoop than the super badass. I kinda felt like the super badass pick up where the distortion III stops. The super badass is clearer than the dist III, too. More articulate.
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I'm very impressed with the distortion III. I like the fact that it's thick and organic, and is relatively dark. If only it had more gain, then I would retire my Marshall Shredmaster.

Do you think the super badass is better?

Not sure how similar it is with the dist III when you stated "similar". If "similar" = pretty close, then this might be my next pedal purchase. I will probably push back on my plan on getting an zoom MS-50G
 
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They are different pedals but they are close. It's not gonna sound like a dist III with more gain. It's voiced differently but it's in the same ballpark. And with the 3 band eq you can definitely make it similar to the dist III. Head to head, I like both but the super badass is definitely better for me.
 
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I'm really liking the demos so far... Though it seems like the dist III is more organic, kinda like a BB preamp. I guess I will just have to try one out.
 
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to me it sounded like a 78 badass crossed with the fullbore metal. Where the 78 sounded scooped but not super agressive, and the fullbore sounded agressive and thin, the super badass had the gain and aggression of the fullbore but the low end of the 78, plus more tone control. I thought it sounded like a $99 distortion pedal, decent, but didn't have me running to the atm.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

superpete said:
to me it sounded like a 78 badass crossed with the fullbore metal. Where the 78 sounded scooped but not super agressive, and the fullbore sounded agressive and thin, the super badass had the gain and aggression of the fullbore but the low end of the 78, plus more tone control. I thought it sounded like a $99 distortion pedal, decent, but didn't have me running to the atm.
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And I guess that's my issue - how many "slight variations" do they have?!?!?! Then again, maybe one is perfect for you.

How is the full bore?
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

Aceman said:
And I guess that's my issue - how many "slight variations" do they have?!?!?! Then again, maybe one is perfect for you.

How is the full bore?
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I know people who like it, but i really dislike the fullbore metal. It's like they tried to get Dimebag's piercing but chunky sound, forgot the chunk, and just made an incredibly thin trebly pedal. My favorite metal pedal of that style/price range that people seemed to have slept on was the hardwire tl2 metal distortion. i thought it sounded great, like a fuller metal zone. got one for $10!!!
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

superpete said:
to me it sounded like a 78 badass crossed with the fullbore metal. Where the 78 sounded scooped but not super agressive, and the fullbore sounded agressive and thin, the super badass had the gain and aggression of the fullbore but the low end of the 78, plus more tone control. I thought it sounded like a $99 distortion pedal, decent, but didn't have me running to the atm.
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The 78 badass actually sounds good on the crunch mode. Otherwise, it's meh. Fullbore, from the demos, sounds rather really thin. So I guess you would give the super badass a thumbs down eh?
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

fretburner said:
The 78 badass actually sounds good on the crunch mode. Otherwise, it's meh. Fullbore, from the demos, sounds rather really thin. So I guess you would give the super badass a thumbs down eh?
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i'd give it a thumbs in the middle. it's not for me, but i could see why people would like it and have it in their rig. the fullbore is a thumbs down and the 78 badass is a thumb headed up. it's good for the price but there are so many better gain pedals out there not made by mxr.
 
Re: NPD!! MXR Super Badass

Here is a demo I made of the MXR Super Badass!!
 
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