Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

EET_FUK

EET_FUK

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These three brands are what I consider the benchmark for good pedals, at low prices. Yes, I realize that many other pedals exist, but for the sake of comparison, let's keep it t these three brands. So, let the games begin.

I figure we should split this in a few categories. First, OD, dist, fuzz, etc.

Second, modulation effects. Phase, flang, chorus, anything else.

And third, verb and delay.

How do the various pedals in these categories vary from one manufacturer to another? Please, share your experience with any of these brands.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

EHX - quirky pedals that do cool/unique stuff if you can tolerate a little tiny bit of noise.
Boss - Generic pedals from Roland's baby brother.
MXR - An elephant could stomp on these and they wouldn't get any heavier.

You just can't go wrong with MXR/Dunlop.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

Not sure how to "rate" these based on your thread but I'll say this...

OD, Distortion and fuzz...

If I were OD pedal shopping right now Id go Dunlop, I know you listed MXR but it's the same bunch of guys. I'd be looking at the Way Huge line but if you're going to be dead set on the MXR portion of the Dunlop line thats fine...Custom Badass Modified Overdrive is a rockin pedal for sure and a plain old Boss SD-1 would be my second choice.

Distortion...not much for dist pedals but again Way Huge would be my choice and again if you have to limit to MXR then the Distortion III is my choice.

Fuzz...gotta go Dunlop again with this and my first choice would be the JH Fuzz Face but if it has to be MXR then the Classic BC108 is pretty much the same thing. Second choice would be something nasty from EH...Boss fuzz boxes never impress me.

As for your modulation pedals

Phase-MXR or EH more specifically Phase 45 (or Phase 90 if thats more your speed) or Small Stone for me with the Boss PH-1r coming in 3rd.

Flange-Gotta go EH on this one...Deluxe Electric Mistress, MXR Flanger (full size or Micro, both rock) is my second choice-no Boss on this one for me.

Chorus-I'm gonna go Boss on this one. Chorus on my board right now is a DC-2 used in stereo only, mono chorus is a CE-2 however both of those are long time ago discontinued so if you want a new, can buy it now pedal I'm again gonna go MXR...either the Micro Chorus or the 5 knob Analog chorus with a older sheet metal box small Clone from EH being my very close second choice.

Verb/Delay-This is hard because I prefer spring very and tape delay but if I had to choose a reverb pedal then I'd go with the older, sheet metal enclosure Holy Grail. Delay, fav delay pedal right now is the Way Huge Aqua Puss but in the spirit of staying with your 3 I vote Carbon Copy if you want Analog and Boss DD-3 if you want/need digital.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

The BD-2 Blues Driver is my favourite OD, but I also really liked the SD-1 when I had one. The DS-1 / DS-2 both sound great to me as light distortion pedals. I would have to go with a Big Muff from EHX as the coolest fuzz sound though.

The EHX Small Stone is an awesome phaser. To my ears it's more musical clean than the MXR phase 90 or phase 45. I used a Boss PH-3 for a while that was too complicated for my needs.

The EHX Small Clone is an awesome chorus. I found it less bright and deeper sounding than the Boss CE-5.

Digital delays are ruled by Boss. The DD-3, DD-5, PS-2, PS-3 . . . they are all great sounding delays (with the bonus of the PS's being able to do some whacked out lo-fi devolving tone stuff.
 
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Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

I like both mxr and boss but for different reasons.

Dist - Mxr has a great dist, the superbadass. Very versatile and lots of rich tone. Here is the one category I dislike boss. I had all of there pedal at some point and never really liked the digital od or dist sounds. Yes, they were workable but sort of unexciting.

Mod - mxr analog stuff is great, especially the chorus. Micro flange and script 90 are useful but limited. Boss has nice stuff, too. Both are gig worthy and good for recording.

Delay/verb - mxr carbon copy is one of the richest sounding pedals I ever used. Brilliant for adding depth. It is not made for U2 or really long delays. Boss dd3, a great piece of digital gear.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

I avoid EHX like the plague, as stated above they are noisey. MXR have been one of my favorite pedal manufacturers since I first started playing. I would say a budget pedal that often gets overlooked is BBE they make quality pedals at reasonable prices.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

Securb said:
I avoid EHX like the plague, as stated above they are noisey. MXR have been one of my favorite pedal manufacturers since I first started playing. I would say a budget pedal that often gets overlooked is BBE they make quality pedals at reasonable prices.
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+1 The BBE Soul Vibe is a great pedal that is a lot less than a lot of vibe pedals and sounds great.

All the companies above make great pedals and they make bad ones too. There is no pedal company that is flawless across the board

For dirt the MXR Badass series is nice, and the boss sd1 and ds1 are classics, if slightly uninspiring these days. The power stack and combo drive and newer boss pedals i like. For EH the big muff is an obvious classic fuzz, as is the above mentioned classic fuzz from mxr. That being said I find the distortions to be these brand's weakness, as increasing your budget to around $150-$200 will get you noticeably better dirt sounds.

for the other categories, I like the MXR Phase 90 and Carbon Copy. The Boss DD3 or DD7 are great digital delays. The EH memory man/boy/toy delays all have a unique sound to them. The Small Clone is a great chorus, as is the boss ch1. My favorite flanger from them would be the MXR EVH Flanger. Has the Unchained button!
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

OD/Dist/Fuzz: MXR without question. Their current line is full of excellent choices.

Modulation: if you're talking current production, I again have to give it to MXR. Their phasers, flangers, and choruses sound much more rich and "natural" than the other two. However, if we're talking historical (i.e. including pedals that are out of production) I'd say Boss and MXR are tied.

Verb and Delay: Boss is dominant in this category, and if I had to pick a delay from these three lines it would be the DD-20. I'll give MXR an honourable mention for the Carbon Copy.

You'll note that I didn't pick EHX in any category. They're not terrible pedals, but I find that aside from the Muff they have nothing that appeals to me (and even then, there are companies that make Muff-like fuzzes that work better than a current production Muff). I find their modulation effects to be waaay too in-your-face, and their delays and verbs fall short of nearly every other competitor.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

OD/Dist/Fuzz: Boss Blues Driver for OD or any MXR OD. MXR again for fuzz. EHX now offers a Klon clone so there's that. No distortion pedals for me.

Modulation: MXR for flange/phaser. EHX for phaser/flange/chorus. EHX phaser & flanger sound alot different for MXR stuff, so it's up to personal taste. My Boss gt10 is my main source for trem/vib/univibe/rotary & even chorus sometimes

Delay/Verb: MXR/Dunlop has quite a few now. EHX has the mighty DMM. Boss has DD3/7, many pro's use them on their board. My Gt10 delays are also cool. Not a reverb pedal kinda guy. I like spring reverb from the amp.

Noteable mention also goes to TC toneprint & nova repeater pedals here although they aren't included in the OP but they do perform great, same with digitech hardwire lineup. Both are usually inexpensive on the new or used market.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

Can't say I'm surprised by the results here. EHX was never really known for OD pedals, but I'm eager to try out their latest few additions.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

EET_FUK said:
Can't say I'm surprised by the results here. EHX was never really known for OD pedals, but I'm eager to try out their latest few additions.
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i'm definitely looking forward to trying the soul food.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

Since i never use a dirt box I have no input there.
On modulation effects the Rocktron stuff is where i go! got spoiled on rockton modulation effects when I ran a VooDoo Valve and a Chameleon Rocktron rack rig. I will absolutely NEVER have a boss chorus on my board and loath those crappy sounding thin metallic POS sounding Boss Chorus units.
The Rocktrons are DIRT cheap and warm rich and smooth in tone.
On a Delay a Boss DD3,6 or 7 is a solid bang for the $ Delay. One of the biggest surprise pedals I have ever owned was the Berringer Delay Machine and Reverb machines. DIRT cheap new and both solid performers!! Another really good sounding inexpensive analog delay is the full size Danelectro Dan Echo.
Digital Verb I REALLY like the Hardwires.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

Dist/OD/Fuzz definitely goes to MXR. Even when you don't count the Dunlop and Way Huge branded stuff. It's literally bad ass.

Modulation could go any which way. I don't see a front runner here personally. Maybe a script logo Phase 90 takes the cake if I had to choose only one.

I've never tried any Verb pedal so I can comment there. Delay is another story. As much as I want to like the Carbon Copy, I can just never get it to sound the way I want. I'm constantly taking it off my board for the old Boss DD-6 it was supposed to replace. I'm just much happier with the sounds I get out of a digital box I guess.

Now for construction I say Boss wins, only because out of the three brands, I've never had a single problem with any of their pedals. By comparison, I've owned 3 MXR pedals with bad footswitches within weeks of buying them new. And that's not counting the bad Fuzz Face and Crybabys I got too.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

For modulation and delay I think I'd pick EHX. I'm a really big fan of the EHX Small Stone, and their chorus unit is just about the only one I've ever been able to find usable sounds out of (given that I usually hate chorus, and I was given this one when I was called as a switch hitter for a gig).

The Holy Grail was the only pedal I had in my chain for a really long period of time, I've found it to be one of the most simple and beautiful reverb units I've tried. Given, it's a bit on the expensive side and I'm sure better stuff has come out since from other brands. I know that the Boss delays are supposed to be the top of the line units, but I've always had a thing for the lowfi sound of the EXH Memory ---- series. Mind you, if I really wanted that sound I'd splurge a bit more on something a bit more expensive that would sound better.

For the ultimate in inexpensive pedals, I'm a big fan of Mooer, for about £50 they make really decent clones of high end pedals. I did a direct test against the Phase 90 when I bought my mooer orange 90, and honestly it had a sound that was 95% as lush for a third of the price. I think I would pick them for just about anything that wasn't a main part of my sound (eg if I only needed phaser for a bit of my set and didn't want to invest in a £200 pedal). That being said, their yellow compressor pedal straight up killed the Boss I owned and kicked an MXR dyna comp off my board for top spot as a natural compressor/tonal boost.

OD is hard for this one, because all three brands produce really unique and important tones, there really aren't too many overlaps in them. That being said, modding the Boss DS-1 has been a guilty pleasure of mine for years and at some point I want a muff or muffclone.
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

OD/Dist - By brand, these days I'd have to say MXR, followed by a couple of select Boss pedals. They all have some junk. Boss has a lot, MXR a little, EH really doesn't play here.

Fuzz - EH all the way. They win the "extremes" category.

Modulation - Overall I have to call Boss; They have more and better overall mod pedals period and win Chorus hands down, have a great Flanger, and a perfectly functional flexible Phaser.

However, there are notable exceptions as each has a couple real classic gems as alternatives
- EH has the CLone (if you dig that one sound) and the Electric Mistress
- MXR obviously with the Phase 90 or 45 (again - if you dig those ONE sounds; MAny do!)

Delay/Verb: Boss with a couple of notes. The DD series is tough to beat, especially the 3. Boss Reverb is great too.
- MXR Carbon Copy; Best analog in those brands
- EH Holy Grail; Best reverb period
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

Dr. Vegetable said:
EHX - quirky pedals that do cool/unique stuff if you can tolerate a little tiny bit of noise.
Boss - Generic pedals from Roland's baby brother.
MXR - An elephant could stomp on these and they wouldn't get any heavier.

You just can't go wrong with MXR/Dunlop.
Click to expand...

To expand on this:

EH - Quirky pedals that do interesting things and work the extremes of sound
Boss - Road worn staples that are probably the best flexibility and range for their price in terms of pure usable sounds
MXR - A number of single trick classics in a sea of mediocre, but what classics they are!
 
Re: Ultimate Inexpensive Pedal Thread: Boss vs MXR vs EHX

OD/Dist - If I was going for an OD I'd go MXR. I just prefer the sounds they push out, simple as. Such tasty drive sounds!
However, for distortion I'd go EHX. I use a Metal Muff for my full-on saturated sound and it's just punchy as hell! That being said, the Metal Muff really is a one trick pony; it's all or nothing with that thing.

Fuzz - I'd probably go MXR on this one..

Modulation - I have to admit that I use an EHX Clone, Memory Toy and I'm looking to get a Small Stone. I find them easy to work with and they are great for getting simple, usable sounds (although a part of me will always love the MXR Phase sound). I also find the knob lay-out easier to adjust on the fly, Boss pedals are too fiddly for my fat fingers.

Delay/Verb: As before I use an EHX Memory toy. Reverb-wise, I have owned a Holy Grail and it's a great pedal, but I find the reverb overwhelming. I like the smallest amount of it. So on that front I can't really talk.
 
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