MXR M236 Super Badass Variac Fuzz Pedal Reviews

I absolutely love this fuzz!! I've tried many different types of fuzzes but this one is by far the most versatile fuzz I've ever used. I can dial in anything from a nice Fuzz Face/Tone Bender type 60s sound to the gnarly '90s Muff style grunge sound I grew up with. The Variac control is a game changer as you can sweep it to a sputtering gnarly fuzz tone to a smoother overdriven Rat Pedal style fuzzy-distortion with ease. This is one pedal that will always have a home on my pedal board!

I didn't find it as versatile as other reviewers but did get one great setting that's unique to my rig. A very Robin Trower 70s fuzz with tons of sustain. For that one tone I give it 5 stars.

I own all the mini fuzz faces from Dunlop and an MXR 108 fuzz. This pedal can do all of them by just adjusting the Variac and tone control. Works so well with any guitar I throw at it. Strats are especially nice. Amazing clean volume roll off tone and excellent fluid lead tone ala EJ with the volume pot all the way up. This pedal is also on JF's board from RHCP. I tend to like maxing the Variac out, maxing tone, output around 8 o'clock, and gain around noon. My fuzz search has ended.

I'd see this thing pop up from time to time but I'd never seen any demos or anything, I only picked it up because I knew what a variac does (Van Halen used to use one before attenuators were a thing) and thought it would be interesting. But this thing could use more hype! The character of the fuzz is kinda like a JHS crayon or other desk-pre type mixed with fuzzface but honestly I prefer it for it's bang up job as a heavy pushing boost. It makes a great signal driver. It could be your Swiss Army Knife of the chain for gain stacking or beefing up any anemic part of the signal path. And it gets loud!

I have a dozen fuzz pedals, all good ones, but this will replace all of them. I can get more great sounds than I can use out of this pedal. Fabulous!

This pedal marks the first real design advance in fuzz since it was invented.
The Variac function lets you augment the voltage applied to the effect circuit - this provides an entirely new harmonic to the fuzz.
Don't let the small & simple description deceive you, this feature and sound is BIG!

I"m a fan of MXR pedals. I use the Carbon Copy, the EQ, and the 78 Distortion all the time. This just caught my eye, and had to try it. It"s amazingly versatile! You can get anything from slight overdrive out of it, all the way to full on doom fuzz. The Variac knob really sets this apart from other pedals. It"ll take it from a fizzy type tone down to chainsaw grind. If you want something versatile to cover a wide range, this is it!

I have dozens of boutique fuzz pedals, most of which I really like... but this is THE one, and it's available at a reasonable price. So indispensable that I purchased a second one for my lightweight rig. Effortless blooming spongy fuzz that cleans up to bright/overdriven with minimal volume change as you roll back the volume on the guitar. The variac knob is what sets this baby apart from everyone else. I like to keep that variac at about 9 o'clock. Do yourself a favor and buy this one.

After playing around with this fuzz for about three hours, I'm getting out the Velcro and putting it on my main gigging board. The range of fuzz sounds that you can get with this thing is incredible! It can go anywhere from raspy, spitting lo fi to mild distortion/ fuzz with the turn of a few knobs. From mild to aggressive, there are so many usable sounds to choose from that this fuzz covers a lot of ground.
I use humbuckers and many fuzz pedals sound dull with them. Not this one. The tone knob works extremely well in making sure this pedal cuts through the mix and the low end on this thing makes me smile every time I turn it on.

I've probably have owned 20 fuzz pedals and this one is tops for it's wide range of outstanding usable sounds, compact design, ability to cut through and versatility.

Once again, MRX hit it out of the park!

It provides a sweet, warm boost at lower settings, but can crank up to a crazy fuzzy solo tone.

I've been been playing in bands for 30-plus years and have been looking for a fuzz pedal I could bond with for some time now. My frame of reference is the Fuzz Face tones of Jimi Hendrix, Doyle Bramhall II and early David Gilmour (Time). I've tried all the Dunlop Fuzz Face minis as well as the Wampler Velvet Fuzz. I'd almost given up on fuzz, I was never quite satisfied with any of those. Enter the Super Badass Variac Fuzz. I really like that this fuzz has the variac and tone controls. Their addition makes this fuzz more tweakable than the others I've tried. Also, the overall tone is pleasing to my ear, and the pedal seems to work well with my amp (Vintage Sound blackface-style) and other pedals. I'm still experimenting with the pedal, but I'm very happy with this purchase. I'm able to get some very convincing Hendrix, DB II and Gilmour tones. The pedal also works equally well with single coils and humbuckers. I highly recommend it!

I've had this pedal for about 3 months and have yet to regret buying it you can get sounds from low gain classic rock to 80's hair metal sounds depending on what you want.

I just purchased this pedal from Sweetwater and couldn't be more impressed with the variety of fuzz tones possible with this thing. I own the MXR classic 108 fuzz which is great in its own right, but the Super Badass Variac Fuzz is just so much more versatile it's almost mind numbing. From tight and gritty at the 15 volt setting to spitty and sputtering at 5 volts and everywhere in between. Not to mention the dark purple metal flake is beautiful...and appropriately dark and funky just like the tones you get. If you are looking for fuzz and fun for a fair price, look no further.