MXR Classic Overdrive

I know that a lot of money is spent on boutique pedals, especially overdrives, but I think this little green box might be the best $30 I've ever spent at Guitar Center. You all really owe it to yourself to check one out.

It's a good pedal for the money! Heck, it was still a good pedal when they raised the price to $40!

How would you compare it to the MXR Zakk Wylde OD? I've been looking to have a secondary OD pedal, just have a different tone, right now I have the ZW OD pedal. I was actually thinking of getting the EWS Lil' Brute Drive, but it's about $130 on ebay. The MXR Classic sounds good?

I'm not the one to ask about comparisons, but I will say that it sounds good to me. I use the pedal to just put a little fur on the notes. I use my amp for the balls to the wall sound. The pedal is a Guitar Center exclusive (unless you can find one on Ebay), and Guitar Center has a 30-day return policy. The worst case scenario is you try it, don't like it, and get your money back.

I'll have to go to GC and try it out! I've been also considering the MXR GT-OD (I think that's the name, it's the green one. I'm getting some good OD out of the ZW OD, but just want to have some other option. You know how it is, looking for the perfect tone!!

Thanks for the info!

Shadow.Se7en said:

How would you compare it to the MXR Zakk Wylde OD? I've been looking to have a secondary OD pedal, just have a different tone, right now I have the ZW OD pedal.

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Electronically, it's the same exact pedal! It's actually the same exact pedal as the GT-OD and there's a switch inside that turns it into the Zakk Wylde OD. All three use the same PCB and components.

REALLY?? Wow, I never would have guessed that. Thanks, you just helped me decide what to get. I think I'll just get the lil' brute overdrive. I heard some really good demos on it and I like the fact that it's small in size. I also like it because it has just one knob.....less tweaking.

Thanks for the info!

There have been some detailed discussions with pics and schematics on other boards.

Also, the GC exclusive MXR Classic Distortion is the MXR Distortion III.

Had this pedal and it is worth every dollar. For $40, you can't go wrong. I sold it because it was not going to take the place of my Fulltone OCD.

UPDATE: I let a friend borrow my MXR Classic Overdrive, and it's taken the place of a BB Preamp on his board. He's a much better player than I am (I'm actually more of a drummer, but I'm addicted to guitar gear), and his tone is always top notch. He's pairing it with a Barber LTD. I'm not sure of the order, but he loves it!

They are great pedals for $30-$40. It's like is was made for a Mesa or a Marshall. I also have a Fulltone OCD and I can make them sound near identical, but at high volumes, I prefer this pedal.

It is the same pedal as the MXR custom shop GT-OD and a Wylde ZW44 for a lot cheaper.
There is an internal switch to set the circut to the ZW44. Some guys have installed an external mini toggle to flip it on the fly. The ZW44 is a bit tighter in the bass response, which is good a high volumes.



GC also just reissued them in enamel cream like an OCD, so the green ones will soon be all gone.

I got the GT-OD mainly because of the sound and the green casing (yeah, I know... childish decision :lol: ), althought there was a Classic Overdrive available at the time, at about the same price. You cannot go wrong with MXR overdrives, they sound really good.

Saw one of these at GC yesterday and picked it up. I think the stock version of this pedal sounds better than my modded SD-1.