MXR M104 Distortion + Pedal Reviews

Simplicity at it's best, with only two knobs and performs just as good, if not better,than those pedals with a "hundred" knobs. I love it!

If you are thinking getting this unit will give you Randy Rhoads' tone in a box, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed. That's where I think the flack for this unit comes from. It's not a high gain, heavy metal distortion on its own, but can be used quite effectively for metal when used to suppliment an already overdriven amp.


On its own you can dial in some classic tones. If you like 70s and some 80s hard rock, this unit is for you. It works well with blues and southern rock as well.


Don't plug this in and expect to instantly have the roaring tone Randy Rhoads got from this and two cranked Marshall stacks right in your bedroom. It will be a great addition to your board if you're trying to emulate his tone though. Especially if you play a Les Paul like Randy. LP's tend to run dark and this distortion is pretty bright and cuts through nicely so the combo compliments each other well.

Beyond metal though, I'd say if you like classic rock, blues, punk and even some 90s jams like STP or AIC, you'll be happy with this pedal. Especially if you're looking for a classic sound. Don't get a pedal that imitates a classic, just get this. The actual thing that many 70s and 80s guitarists used themselves.

I love this pedal, I don't think it gets the credit it deserves. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from it, but I'm glad I took a chance on it. It's probably most well known for being used by Randy Rhoads, but it's very useful for lower gain uses as well. Two things I had heard about this pedal are true though: it is a little quiet (barely gets to unity gain) and it can be a bit bright when the distortion is cranked. I use a CopperSound Pedals Gravity Bomb boost after it for some extra volume and just roll the tone knob back a little to tame the brightness a bit, as needed. It's exactly what I was hoping for.

Classic distortion
What's More to say!!! Awsome!!!!

One of the best I ever used...I used it sparingly just to give crunch to my chords using only a 60 watt amp set on 4. Solos on the front pickup would sing. I would buy it again if I was still playing in a band.

This is just what I was looking for in terms of sound. It can go from light overdrive to a pretty thick distortion that is not too piercing. I guess some guitar greats have used this pedal and I can hear why. It just doesn't have a grating high end like some do, and it also has a nice compression kind of like tubes do. It can break up late and then clean up too depending on dynamics. Awesome little pedal!

Arrived on time . Great pedal I use one of these back in the 70 on my plexi Marshall and the late 70s it gave my amp that extra edge that I wanted

This is the pedal Randy Rhoads used that's all I need to know. Built like a tank and it sounds great especially the gain at max You can use it different ways of course.

One of the best I have used. Great range of distortion in this little box. Dial in right and provides a great fuzz tone. I got it set up behind a wah pedal and sounds great. Simple little pedal but really great. My 7 and 8 strings sound really good thru it. Thanks again to Micky my sals rep for speedy service and to Donn Car for the great demo on this pedal. Great Stuff.

If you want to hear this pedal, check out Sugar's "The Act We Act", off of 1992's Copper Blue. That is about the most ungodly perfect distortion sound ever.

i've always been interested in trying to get Randy Rhoads sound, and this was a major improvement going for a Zw-44 overdrive to this, but i use both in my pedalboard and still get a great sound! the footswitch is durable to an extent, i'm thinking about modding the switch to somthing a little more durable such as the berserker switch on the ZW-44. but otherwise its an amazing pedal!

I found this pedal to be very durable and high quality. In my opinion this unit adds just enough distortion to make your tone sweeter without being too fuzzy with variation. If you want fuzzy you will probably want something else. It really just adds to your tone. I was very pleased with this distortion pedal.

I have a MXR distorion + my dad used in a grunge in the 90's. He bought it used in 1985 so I knew it was old but recently I did so reserch and they only sold the model of distortion + I have in 1981. I was blown away at how long it had lasted. My pedal had lasted more than 30 years. MXR makes quality pedals that will last lifetime the distorion + has great tone great look and a over all great sound. If your looking for a cheap distortion pedal the distortion pedal is the way to go.

It's still a go to pedal when you are looking for that classic sound,
even Randy Rhoads had it in his set up.

I know, back in the day everybody had to have one of those green petals or a rat, but I thought this was more refined and cheaper. The point is that a lot of the pedals are designed around fender guitars on fender amps and you might need a different solution.

If you are looking for another sonic weapon in your arsenal, you can't do better than the MXR Distortion +. From subtle to full on grit, this pedal has a range of uses and tones. Dial it down and you have a nice bluesy grit, crank the distortion and you get into classic and hair metal distortion area. If you are a heavy metal head...you probably won't get enough gain (no such thing as enough!), but if you are looking for a bright, tight, classic sounding distortion, this is it. Not to mention, when you stack this baby with an overdrive in front like the MXR Il Torino, or get crazy with a MXR Blue Box, something interesting happens. It just tightens everything and adds some high harmonic clarity and chime to darker effects. Fuzz pedals always tend to be bass heavy sounding, very dark, but run one into this baby and dial in the right amount of distortion, and the harmonics shine on both pedals. And with such a nice price tag, you'll find a ton of uses for this, even if you don't run it as your main distortion.

For the money and most forms of music, this is the distortion pedal to get. Most cheap pedals sound cheap on nice amps. This one holds up. Are there better high end models for professional tone tweakers? Sure, but this works for most. Check it out.

I think this pedal remains a good basic distortion pedal for rock players. In the end, paint jobs and endorsements aren't very important as its all about tone.

Sounds great on a overdriven tube amp the way RR used it. You do get alot of feedback noise when both the pedal and your amp are cranked.

Works good, all i need for closet playing !

Beware, this pedal will NOT make you have randy rhoads tone. it leans more toward a fuzz, not distortion. it is NOT the creamy smooth type, but jagged sounding. which is fine if that's what you want. It does sound GREAT as a "blues type driver", with the output on full and the dist. at 9:00, you'll get a bite if you dig into your strings and it will clear up if you attack softly. But as a distortion, Get the Bad Ass 78 for real creamy style or the "la machine" for fuzz. otherwise, very well made.