MXR M103 Blue Box Octave Pedal Reviews

This synthy, glitchy, sub-octave fuzz is a lot of fun to mess around with. It forces you to think outside the box to come up with musical applications. Usually I'll stack it with some kind of modulation pedal and get a passable synth sound (single notes only; this pedal is not polyphonic), or fatten up a lead line. Using the neck pickup with the tone knob rolled down a little, and putting it as early in the signal chain as possible will both help to mitigate the inconsistencies in tracking, but sometimes it's just more fun to embrace the chaos and make noise. Music should be fun, right? This pedal is fun.
Sweetwater as always has great customer service and this product was shipped promptly in great condition.

Very Interesting Pedal. Lots of Creativity to be had with this one. Also sports a a very cool sounding fuzz. The Octave effext can get out of hand quickly but with minor changes it can make some highly usable sounds. Also does "Fool in the Rain"

One of the first "guitar synths," if you will, this box is a ton of fun and not too pricey. If you like it deep and dirty, this one will bring you smiles- put the "BLEND" past 75% and it will start to glitch out crazily.

The MXR Blue Box.. touted as being used by a handful of big name guitarists in the mid-70s (Zeppelin is mentioned in the description) is a very simple box, that when a slight amount of output is added, with the blend all the way down, you get a slight fuzz to fuzz/octave. Increase the blend, and it transforms your notes or chords into what can only be described as a glitchy, broken early 80s arcade machine. Perfect for a glitchy fuzz, or blended to the max y with a looper or Delay, you can achieve some really interesting and fun results. It is exactly how it is described and shown in the demo. Not sure I could think of a reason for guitarists playing traditional rock or blues to grab one ASAP, but if you want to try something interesting that always has a unique fuzz option at its least weird, go for it. I love mine!

I got this from Sweetwater about a year ago now. It's had a spot on my pedal board for most of that time. I like pedals to have a noticable "effect" to them and this little blue box does not disappoint. Most useful as a crazy fuzz octave solo effect, or to create a unique part in a song. Not something you will use all the time, but when accompanied by a solid fuzz pedal, this adds that extra kick and nuance you need. Not really a true fuzz pedal and not really a true octave pedal, but something altogether unique. Tons of fun for the meager price.

The MXR M103 Blue Box is a lot of fun to play around with. I wouldn't use it on stage even though it's a unique sound because I'd rather use a normal fuzz like the Big Muff. This gives you a video game sound and that's what it's meant to do. You could maybe do a Jack White type of thing but there's better options for that as well. I wouldn't recommend this to a friend unless the video game sound is what they're going for. It's built well and feels like it'll last, but the sound is limited.

It's appearance I think, is meant to be deceiving. Just a lil' blue box. It sings on repeated thwacks, and croons heavy blues on the bends.

The output knob has to be 75-100 percent up or it will muffle the sound when it's low. (A Boost put after will bring out the sound) A lot of interesting crazy things happen when you tweak the blend knob. It just has the right amount of glitchy characteristics, it is definitely what makes this pedal. Experiment by how hard/soft you thwack the strings, I think it is meant for monophonic sounds/solos. Playing muted strings is something to try too! You can recreate some 8-bit sounds!

The only thing I had a gripe about was, It sometimes decayed notes faster than usual. It's plenty of fun, buy it, try it out for yourself.

Great pedal, if you have a particular purpose. Otherwise, it is a pedal you noodle with to find an inspiration. But I suppose most unusual effects pedals are that way. Love MXR products.

Exactly what I was looking for. Makes your guitar sound like an 8bit Nintendo. Beware, significant volume drop when pedal is engaged. Performing an r11 mod will get your volume back and expand the synth-sounds out of the pedal. Would buy again.

All of the review videos pretty much capture the whole spirit of the pedal. It's uncontrollable, glitchy, monstrous, and incredibly fun. I actually play my ukulele through this pedal and it sounds great. Tracking is a little delayed and sometimes can't decide which octave it wants to go to, but that's perfect for my sound. A little Jack White-y, and little Beck-y, and, of course, Led Zeppelin...y (Fool in the Rain). A straightforward pedal for a great price, though I'd recommend trying it out just to feel it before you buy it if you get the chance.

this pedal blew my mind. i watched the video and other reviews. i had a good idea of what it would sound like. the video portrayed it to be a tight thick fuzz when the blend knob is all the way up and two octaves low fuzz bass sound when the blend is all the way down and blend of the two in between. What you get is a a fuzz that sounds battery starved, it get intense, and on the low end you get a pedal that cant decide if its an octave down or two octaves down. its really all about how you have your neck pickup set up with the octave sound. this pedal is great for those nasty experimental solos but its not for everyone. If you like the edgy experimental rock/indie stuff and off the wall solos this pedal is yours and i reconmend it toanyone looking to toy around with a new sound. this pedal is one of a kind.

This pedal is beyond great. If you want something unique, look no further! The fuzz is very gated like a Devi ever kind of sound. Roll back your tone knob and it is a classic fuzz sound. Octave down fattens up single-note riffs and 100% wet sounds like an analog synth. Use the neck pickup or roll back tone for better tracking. Also, cutting out the capacitor marked c11 will make this pedal louder and cooler.

Very simple, rugged pedal, with a very wide range of potential tones. A little time spent getting to know it's quirks and it is capable of smooth expressive tracking. If that isn't your bent, it can get weird and glitchy too, varying pick attack yields wild octave jumps. Unique character sets it apart from other octave pedals.