When I was a kid, I took guitar lessons from Randy Rhoads. He told me I had to buy an MXR distortion plus, like if I didn’t have one my life wouldn’t be worth living so I ran out and bought one. It was my first pedal, and I still have it. Back then it felt like a magic box. Years later, I had to clean out all that damned foam. I always think of Randy whenever I see it, or use it.
@@216trixieSo I was just going through my stuff yesterday and found a box or cassettes. I found one of my lessons I recorded with Randy, one of his picks, and a Cheap Trick pick. I figured all these years I had just given them away. I did give a pick and cassette to a Japanese girl who came here to visit Musonia and his grave, but I thought I gave her the original tape, but I guess I made her a copy, and I guess I had two picks. I listened to the tape. I was just a beginner and so amazingly slow at picking up the simplest idea. Randy was an angel, because he was so patient. I, of course, could never have realized how slow I was unless I heard that tape. He was the nicest guy, and very humble. It makes me happy so many people love him.
I've seen you post this some where before ,I was just thinking about that guy that took lessons from Randy ,and your distortion + story .Then bam here it is .That's literally the next pedal I'm buying because of your post .Thanks for sharing .
@@STRATMAN1969 Ya, I guess I have posted in a few places lately about Randy. It is the first time I've been doing that, and, because he is so popular and loved, he just comes up, so I thought I would share my experiences about him. I'd bet loads of people have great things to share, but they just find writing difficult. I think finding the pick and tape of him, and then seeing a vid about MXR made me want to watch it. Josh's vids are always pretty interesting, anyway. I would suggest looking at lots of different distortion pedals first. At the time, that was the only game in town, but I think there might be even better pedals out there now that are more versatile. I'm not a big distortion guy, so I can't recommend anything, I like overdrive, but I'm not sure the MXR is necessarily the greatest pedal out there anymore. The only distortion I would not recommend is the Boss DS-1, but, then again, it might really work for you. Take care, stay healthy.
I understand why you would limit this episode to the "vintage" era of MXR. But seriously, by this point the Carbon Copy is now such a classic it could rub shoulders with the vintage guys.
Wow, giving some love to MXR! I grew up in Rochester and my first pedal was a beat to hell Micro Chorus (still an overlooked but awesome versatile pedal). I still have it,, complete with crumbling foam. I also have the reissue, which is close to the original, but not identical. Your analysis was hilarious. I love MXRs simplicity. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized the magnitude of MXR’s influence on pedal design. You also can’t undervalue the ease of changing values with your feet - that rubber bumper on their knobs is dope! I took my micro chorus in to an electronics shop to fix the battery clip in the mid 80s and the guy there offered to swap out a component with another value because he had worked at MXR and always like that particular part better than the one that shipped with it. Until then I didn’t know they were from Rochester but it seemed totally normal. But it made me feel special.
My introduction to MXR was actually not guitar but synths. Tony Banks of Genesis was an early adopter of the MXR Phase 100 which he built into his RMI Electra piano (as can be heard for the first time on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway record). From 1977 onwards he used the Phase 100 as replacement for his Leslie speaker, in conjunction with a Boss CE1 chorus. The Distortion +, 10 band graphic EQ, and Dynacomp pedals were mainstays in his rigs till 1986. Mike Rutherford used the pedals and the rack units too (the flanger on Follow you Follow me is MXR rack flanger), and of course Steve Hackett adopted the MXR Phase 90.
Breaking news: Josh has now confirmed that he is, in fact, NOT our mom. A shocking revelation that will change how Josh doesn't tuck us into bed at night.
My Micro-Amp is the typical MXR build, but I have a "Phaser" built in the 80s that's in a black plastic box with a footswitch under a big rubber pad. It has the old style AC jack with "Speed" and "Regen" knobs. I have no idea how it relates to the other MXR phasers. I think this was a line of pedals that probably only lasted one run. This Phaser is the only one I've seen.
@@thedeadonmusic1 that foam wasn't MXR. That was all that was available at the time. There's tons of electronics and lab equipment from the late 60s-mid 70s that have that same dissintigratingfoam
Hüsker Dü and Fugazi are my favourite distortion+ bands(that pedal was used on most if not all the records of both bands while they were active). Such an iconic tone
Thanks for doing this, I worked at MXR back in the day and went on to work at A.R.T. after that. Rochester has been a center of the music industry for a while. Ashly, Whirlwind, MXR, ART just to name a few.
@@theelectrodefunhouse4651 ART was created after MXR closed shop. MXR ended up turning into two companies ART and Alesis in a round about way. There are a lot of similarly in early rack mount ART gear and MXR rack mount stuff. The slider equalizers, the pitch transposer and a few others. They for all intents were just MXR guts with ART outsides.
@@johnshotwell3803 No, sorry. I remember hearing the name. I am by no means an expert on all things Rochester audio industry. 😃 I will have to look them up.
@@peterbrillian3291 If, in researching the company you happen across any of their direct boxes for sale, I am interested in acquiring more of them. By the way I live in Buffalo, so a trip to Rochester is possible to get them. Thank You.
The Distorion+ is on some amazing records,all of Rowland Howard's stuff is just a Distortion+ set like a boost and the occassional Blue Box for weirdo freak noise. Greg Sage from the Wipers used a Distortion+ similarly to overdrive his Ampeg guitar amps and it sounds soooooo amazing with his SG special.
All of my Love was actually written by Plant for his young son who died and he considers it the greatest Led Zeppelin song. Also the album is unique as it was almost entirely driven by Jones and Plant as Page and Bonham we’re struggling with drug and alcohol addiction respectively and would only come in in the evening to record their parts.
It's a phenomenal album. JPJ musical literacy is all over that one. Smart dude. Maybe it should have been "Jones/Plant" instead of "Page/Plant". I have a plant. Just thought I should mention it.
Funny, this is the only Led Zeppelin album I never bought, because I didn't really liked it whenever I heard it being played. Apart from 'In the evening', which is one of my favourite songs. Maybe I should give it another try.
If you're going to go about making bold claims like "I'm not your mom" you're gonna have to give me some proof you're not my mom. I am ready for my DNA test if you are?
Love my MXR analog Carbon Copy! Fool In The Rain remains one of my most beloved Led Zep songs. The syncopation, vocals, and clever, relatable lyrics are both unique and quintessential Led Zep all at the same time!
And the album that inspired me to buy a Blue Box ... which was a pedal that was virtually impossible to dial in. Thought I would sound like Jimmy on Fool in the Rain. Nope!
@@RMosack Nobody ever mentions that it doesn’t sound as if it is only a Blue Box, it also sounds like a phaser is employed on it with the Blue Box. That’s what my ear always hears anyway. Another cool seventies sub octave effect example is on Jeff Beck Wired album on Come Dancing.
@Busta Speeker The MXR Blue Box was (is?) a simple fuzz pedal that provided an octave down sound too. Heck, maybe it was two octaves. I can't remember anymore. But the big piece for me is that it was very finicky.
@Busta Speeker It's essentially a sub octave fuzz. A normal octave fuzz clips your signal so it's pretty much square waves, and then puts them through a circuit like a bridge rectifier, which phase inverts the signal. This flips the negative side of the wave cycle, which has the effect of doubling the frequency. The Blue Box instead uses a simple logic chip to count the heavily clipped waves coming in, and only passing through every third one I believe. It's a pretty simple circuit, and notoriously difficult to control.
These videos keep crackin' me up! Humor and historical education combined! 🎸🎶🎶🎶😆🤣😂 I do wish, however, you were still repairing effects pedals, as I have a La Grange pedal that needs repair: I bought it off eBay for my brother, and all it does is shriek & squeal. Somethin's BUSTED inside the dang thing, and I'm pretty SURE 'you' Mr. SCOTT, are the man for the job! And it doesn't have far to get to your shop either!
Ok. Just watched the end of this video. Scooped. Nice job, JHS. You nailed it. Talk about the classic Flanger. EVH and Alex Lifeson (Spirit of the Radio) use it. Still my favorite Flanger.”
Favorite record with MXR Distortion+ is Sugar’s “Copper Blue.” I remember reading a Bob Mould interview in Guitar Player right after that record came out and finding out that was THE pedal.
Everything comes together in Achilles, every member is reaching as far as they can. Yes, Led Zeppelin always did that, but this is the best example in my opinion. I few years ago I learned all the guitar parts and recorded it, there were so many more parts than I originally realized, I'd listen a little closer and "yep, there's another part I gotta learn".
@@plexibreath you know what, I never thought of it that way but it’s so damn true. Literally everyone in that song just goes all out and I think that’s why I love it so much. But yeah I mean even that intro has multiple guitars on it so you’d imagine the rest is pretty crazy
My favorite MXR record is "Crazy Train" ... Randy Rhoads through a dimed Distortion + into a Marshall. The Distortion + was also my first pedal purchase...circa 1980ish.
In 1980 my "pedal board" consisted of a Distortion+, a Phase 90, (duct taped to a 2X4) and a Maestro Echoplex. What else did I need? (Still have the D+ and it still works just fine!)
My earliest pedalboard, in the late '70s, contained an MXR 6-Band EQ, an MXR Envelope Filter, and a Noise Gate/Line Driver, along with a Univox Unicomp compressor and an EHX Hot Foot controller pedal, to use the compressor as both a volume pedal and a booster. The 6-Band EQ was labelled to indicate it provides 18db of boost and 18db of cut. Whether at all that was true or even realistic, it WAS rather easy to overdrive with the compressor, and that pair was my overdrive unit. But first, some MXR trivia: 1) The Phase 90 used a fixed sweep width, fixed feedback/resonance, fixed range, and fixed wet/dry blend. Earlier and later issues have *slightly* different sweep widths and resonance. One seems to be optimized for faster phasing rates, and the other optimized for slower sweeps, where a little wider sweep and more resonance improve things. The Phase 90 seemed designed as a compromise, that could sound decent at all speeds, with no further adjustments. 2) The Phase 45 uses an additional network around each JFET that improves immunity to distortion (since JFETs can clip if obliged to process hotter signals). A friend well-versed in the electronic aspects tells me that, as useful as the distortion-immunity can be, he finds the transition from clean to clipped rather sudden, and far prefers the more gradual transition to clipping of the Phase 90. But then, he specializes in synths, which tend to have much hotter levels than guitars, so maybe the sudden transition is something no guitarist would ever experience. 3) Many MXR pedals used tantalum capacitors. My sense - to be confirmed by others - was that the choice of tantalum caps was NOT for any sonic reasons. Rather, the pots, switch, and enclosures MXR used didn't leave much clearance between the controls and switch, and the back of the enclosure. So, using tantalum caps that could be easily bent over on their side allowed the circuit board to fit more easily. T'was all about saving vertical space. 4) Original Distortion+ pedals used a 10k volume pot. As a result, they sacrificed a lot of output level. Use of a 50k or 100k volume pot raised the maximum output level noticeably, so that you didn't have to dime everything to get a noticeable boost when you turned the pedal on. 5) For many years, the Envelope Filter remained my absolute favorite autowah, chiefly because, for an equal number of years it was the only one on the market with a variable Attack time, that allowed you to match the feel of the filter sweep to the needs of the song. As flexible as the venerable Mu-Tron III was, it couldn't do that trick. 6) The EHX Small Stone, also a brilliant pedal, was a 4-stage phaser with a multi-function switch and speed control, like the Phase 100. The Phase 100 employed 6 swept phase-shift stages, and 4 fixed stages. The 4-position switch gave the 4 combinations of more/less resonance and wider/narrower sweep. The Small Stone used/uses a 2-position switch that yields wider-slower sweep with more resonance, or faster-narrower sweep with less resonance. Unlike the Phase 90 and 45, the Phase 100 used photocells, instead of JFET transistors, providing a smoother and cleaner sound.
“I love mystery even though it haunts me” hit real deep for some reason and I got real emotional with a mouth full of pizza on my lunch break because I also love mystery despite being haunted by it.
In Through the Out Door was my second Led Zeppelin album. I got it as a gift somewhere between it being released and Bonham’s passing. I think it is underrated, but is a showcase for John Paul Jones. Josh has the same LP jacket mine came with (there were six different versions of the scene, one for each viewpoint of the characters). One cool thing about the inner sleeve it that those black dots are holing some watercolor pigment. You can take a brush with a little water and color the art!
Did you know there were multiple album covers for this record? There were about 5-6, all of the same scene, but taken at different angles at exactly the same point in time. The album was wrapped in brown paper bag so you could not see which version you were buying. Also, the swipe of "water" gives you another hint to a funky ink trick they used for the album inner sleeve. You can swipe it with a wet paper towel and the b/w print will change to multiple colors, allowing you to "finger paint" while listing to the tunes. I discovered that when I accidentally spilled a beer onto the sleeve and tried to wipe it off.
@@41DegreesSouth I have an original in through the out door album that was given to me, unopened in the cardboard sleeve with in through the outdoor lez zeppelin stamped on it and the angel stamped on the back, I still dont know which cover it is lol
This album package, similar to LZiii and Physical Graffiti, was Zeppelin taking full advantage of their contract, which stipulated the record company was obligated to cover all packaging costs...so they often went nuts...In Through the Out Door required Atlantic to print five different outer sleeves, a outer brown paper sack, and a watercolor inner sleeve...in the days when a gatefold was considered a luxury reserved only for superstar artists and double albums. Even with punk on the rise, LZ could still muster up something of extravagance...they took a lot of heat for it...considered by some, a testimony to their so called “bloated dinosaur rock”...yet, the music on the in side was some of their most personal and heartfelt. The outtakes from these sessions that would end up on Coda would be some of their most ferocious.
I almost totally trashed the inner sleeve of my copy of this underrated album by using too much water to reveal the colours - went kinda furry. Which is not nice. Still got it, though, complete with original brown paper wrapper. Never owned an MXR Pedal, mind ...
Dave Murray from Iron Maiden used the dist+ for solos boost, the 10 band eq as an always on boost (along with a boss FA1) with his Jcm800 and the phase 90 for some solos like in Powerslave, the intro lead in To tame a land and Strange world.
Don't get snarky with me! In Through the Out Door was the sound of High School for me. It was all over the radio when it came out. I still love All of My Love, it's just a song that resonates with a special time in my growing up. Lot's of other good songs too on the album, Carouselambra is a synth workout with a guitar break that works well. In the Evening uses a then new guitar effect the Gizmotron (a future episode???). I'm Gonna Crawl, is Zep at it's bluesiest. Hot Dog made the country charts! A lost gem because it was different.
For me, the first MXR pedal that always comes to mind is the Distortion Plus, and how it’s a key part of Bob Mould’s guitar sound throughout his career (Hüsker Dü, Sugar, solo work).
Some favorite recordings in which MXR pedals are used: In Through the Out Door - Led Zeppelin: MXR Blue Box Van Halen I, II, Women & Children First, Fair Warning - Van Halen: MXR Phase 90, MXR Flanger Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne: MXR Distortion + ...and many more!
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation, Live and Dangerous, Black Rose (there's Phase 100 all over those albums, on both guitar and bass) Randy Rhoads and Robin Trower both used the old M134 stereo chorus, the big yellow one with the built-in power supply - the only vintage analog chorus I know of that can self-oscillate (it uses a Reticon chip like the M117 Flanger, as opposed to an MN3002 or 3007 like most other chorus pedals of that era). They're really noisy, but they have a lot of range and headroom. Andy Summers used the Dyna Comp on pretty much everything The Police recorded. I think that, along with the Echoplex, is even more crucial to his sound than the Electric Mistress. Oh, and speaking of Andy Summers, he used a Phase 90 on "Hole in My Life", another favorite of mine. And think of how many great recordings were made using a Distortion+ and/or that blue six-band EQ. I believe Glen Tipton and KK Downing used those to boost their Marshalls, same with the Iron Maiden guys. Alex Lifeson used a Distortion+ from Hemispheres up until Grace Under Pressure (in front of Hiwatts, and then Marshall Club & Country combos). And all Vivian Campbell had for the first Dio album was a Distortion+ and a JCM 800. Before Tube Screamers and SD-1s, that was the typical go-to pedal.
MXR Dyna Comp is all over the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Later their guitarist John Frusciante used MXR Phase 90 for the album Californiacatrion and the live tours,especially for the chorus in the song Parallel Universe. The album By The Way soon followed where John started using the MXR Micro Amp on his board and has used one ever since. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_HPkEVTcuBk.html This is a leaked footage from the record studio Sangri La. It seems to show MXR Micro Amp and also maybe a MXR Dyna Comp Mini, Frusciante has used MXR pedals since 1989
I did. lol With c19 and a permanent job loss I live off of selling them. The 50 great ones are all gone. At 73 one just gets philosophical about it all :-) I spent my life doing my own original material so even had and sold a couple of 50's LPs, an original V, a 63 Strat, a Firebird and more great stuff . I always live in the present. I wrote 21 new tunes over about 3 years and am rehearsing my power trio to present them. I am on my third 50 watt Plexi. This one does not get sold! I have 70 pedals split onto 2 boards patch together to play live. I better stop here before I write a book.LOL
Great episode, great brand. Got the Phase 90 (with the cursive logo) and the Blue Box. Just amazing ! It's funny for when it comes to talk about the Blue Box, people always mention Led Zeppelin or Jack White, which is pretty cool but I would definitely talk about the Birthday Party (Nick Cave's first band, before the Bad Seeds), especially their Live 81/82. The sound is massive and aggressive, it is pure violence and the lead guitarist, Rowland S. Howard only uses two MXR pedals : the Distortion+ and the Blue Blox, making unbelievable devilish sounds with his guitars and effects. If you never heard of it, pease check this record out (and their studio albums).
You HAD TO cover the Flanger! Just as with the Phase 90, if was one of the first pedal flangers, and probably the most popular at the time. Probably the Flanger on Barracuda, and EVH used one.
I just picked up a bud box distortion +. The thing is almost mint. Crazy how someone painting with a sears spray gun still looks this good 50 years later
@@jerryyeaaah15 oh nice. I dont know if mines rare or not lol. As long as it still works then who cares what it looks like lol. It kind if reminds me of a rat pedal but ive never had a ratt so i dont know
I had an MXR Flanger which had a hardwired power cord. I think it was an M117R. I had it from about 1981 until my wife sold it at a yard sale in 2000 along with my Kramer guitar.
coffee in the morning!!! Your more interesting than the news!!!!!! I learning alot about pedals etc..... I know a seret trick on teh Mel 9 pedal worth a illion dallar sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just want to say that I love this channel so much. Josh and Nick are good guys, and they make good videos that give me good feelings. Thanks for making good things, Josh & Nick! Edit: and whoever is the great bass player that jams with you guys, they’re good too.
Could you do a show on Arion pedals please? And if you do, PLEASE don't forget the SFC-1 fat chorus, it was my first pedal ever. Yes, I know you based your JHS Emperor chorus on the SCh-1 and the Landau blah, but that's not important right now. FAT. Chorus. Cheers.
I got the Carbon Copy when it'd just come out. I was just getting into playing with effects and the guy at the shop told me, "This one's it. Forget every other delay pedal." Totally biased take, but I agree with him to this day.
@@magentalane27 I spent many hours watching Andys Proguitarshop on RU-vid, I didn’t realize how cool pedals were. The first pedals I really wanted 2007-2008 was EHX small clone, stone Russian Muff and Electric Mistress, and OCD. I’m extremely fortunate enough to say I’ve either owned or tried many of my dream pedals.
I'm putting 2020 into the same moldy box in the back of the garage that holds 2008... I'm going to try to forget they both ever happened, besides all the money that disappeared.
This video is like revisiting my three decades experience with pedals. I had an original full set of script MXR pedals in the 1980s. What I loved about them is they stacked well and were built like tanks. Compare an MXR pedal to a Foxx! I never liked the distortion, yet loved the Dyna Comp, Phasers, EQ, Analog Delay, Chorus, and Blue Box. Still do. I kept all the boxes for over twenty years, then lost them in a flood. All I have left from that set is an MXR ashtray the dealer gave me when I ordered the set! Make an offer.
Eddie Van Halen and David Gilmour are the big two who come to mind when it comes to the Phase 90, their use of the pedals are each so distinctive and both guitarists are the reason I wanted to buy the pedal for myself (And also Eruption and Shine On You Crazy Diamond have always been my go-to phaser riffs)
Tony Banks used to use a Phase 100 with his rig during Genesis' Peter Gabriel days to simulate a Leslie speaker cabinet. Guess he had enough to deal with lugging around a Hammond organ, Mellotron, electric piano and mixing system for all that, didn't want the extra piece of cabinetry, lol. Also, lots of disco records had Phase 100 on the guitars in the background. I could be wrong on this, but it sounds like a Phase 100 on "Turn the Beat Around", for example.
Oh my god. This channel is gold. How on earth can a man be so kind and spot on?? Im gonna buy some of his guitar pedals, and how can I send him some of my broken pedals? Love from Greenland
