MXR M104 Distortion+ Distortion Pedal
MXR's Distortion Plus pedal creates a whole mess of overdriven tones with just 2 knobs. Crank it from sweet breakup to gritty crunch to fuzzed-out insanity.
$99.99
- No Credit Check6 x$16.66
- No Credit Check4 x$25.00
Overall User Ratings (based on 72 ratings)
Submitted November 20, 2022 by Gerry B in Sharon, TN
"Sounds great after 40+ years"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The MXR Distortion Plus has been my distortion pedal since I heard a dude demo one in a large music store in 1979. I was 13 and had been taking lessons 4 yrs. and had recently received a '73 Strat and Peavey Classic 50. The Strat & amp sounded good but I wanted a heavier sound like Schenker, Sabbath or Priest. When I heard that dude play Rock Bottom with a Strat thru a Roland JC with only a little yellow box in between, I knew I wanted that sound! As far as the new M104 sound, it's actually a more defined saturation that lies somewhere around 7/10 on the overdrive to extreme metal scale. My 79 model has a little dirtier sound with a little hum not found in the new models. Considering it was Randy Rhoads choice of distortion pedal has made many collectors pay serious bucks for 1st gen M104s. I've been using mine for 43yrs and it sounds exactly like it did when I got it home. If you're thinking about a new distortion pedal, you won't go wrong with a MXR Distortion Plus. And 40yrs from now you can leave a review, because your M104 will still be rockin
Musical Background:
Been playing guitar on and off 40 plus yrs
Musical Style:
Took Classical lessons from age 9 til 13 when I really got into Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, Uli Roth, Alex Lifeson, and
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Submitted January 15, 2006 by a customer from gmail.com
MXR M104 Distortion+ Customer Review
Sound
The sound is real warm, unlike alot of other pedals. It doesnt require an Eq to shape it either.
Features
Only having two knobs doesn't seem like alot but its enough for this pedal.
Quality
Built like a tank, havent had a scratch on mine and its been all over the place.
Value
I got mine for $99.00 Cdn. Worth it. Alot cheaper than most distortion pedals.
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Rock
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Submitted February 19, 2017 by Renee Whaley in San Jose, CA
"MXR M104 Distortion"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
it is the perfect distortion box. . clean sounding crisp but not too fuzzy, the variation of the overdrive to the distortion is just enough. It was exactly what I was looking for and you just can't beat the price and payment plan zZounds offers.
Musical Background:
been playing guitar for 37 years, played in orignal bands with bass , taught begining guitar.
Musical Style:
Classical Heavy Metal, Neo- Classical, Pop, Blues, everything mostly
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Submitted August 13, 2008 by a customer from GMail.com
"Reverse Retro Rocker..."
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I love this pedal, its perfect for the beginner, or the seasoned veteran looking to broaden their palette. It's not too deep in your pockets, and it's easy on the eyes, if mine were lost or stolen I would replace it immediately! It's THAT good...do yourself a favor, and before you go and drop some serious cash for any other pedal, give this one a demo at your local dealer, I PROMISE you, you WON'T be disappointed!
Sound
I love this latest addition to my arsenal of pedals! It's so innocent looking but if you really open it up you'll find out there's a whole palette of different sounds & textures at your disposal. It's an all around great pedal, that can hang in the arenas of garage rock, punk, grunge, metal, and blues,...yes even the blues! It's got this "grit" to it that just makes a Telecaster sing, through a tweed amp! But it also has the "rocks" to allow a Les Paul to blow a hole through the wall of the house four houses down!
Features
not a lot of features on this baby, but what's there is perfect! There's an "Output" knob and a "Distortion" knob, and then there's the footswitch, other than that, there's not much else, but these few devices seem to make this pedal become a tone machine, as you can go from soft, clipping, just about to breakup, gritty, smooth, overdriven, all the way to completely fuzzed our, metal, grunge,wailing and so on.
Ease of Use
It don't get any easier than this! Output & Distortion....and that's IT! You should be able to find a sound in this thing that's usable for whatever style of music you play.
Quality
I've dropped this thing over 100 times and the only sign of damage is the few scratch marks to the paint job, (I'm actually thinking about repainting it in a custom color!) Other than that and having it fall from the 4th floor of an apartment in the Bronx, onto the concrete, and STILL it works, there's nothing left to say....can you say "M-1 Abrams Tank"??
Value
Are you kidding me?...you'd better buy these BEFORE someone wises up and starts charging 3 to 4 times what it's going for NOW! Like I said before I own quite a few pedals, some "boutique" and some just "fillers" but this one actually sounds better than some of the boutique pedals that go for $200 - $400!!!
Manufacturer Support
I've never had to deal with them so I don't rightly know if they're good or not, but I'm going to give it a ten, because anyone who builds pedals like THIS must SURELY have a great Customer Support Department....no?
The Wow Factor
I like the "vintage" look of the pedal, the color yellow actually helps give it a more 60's - 70's -ish kind of vibe, very retro looking knobs and the size & shape also help to contribute to it's "old-ness" factor, all in all it's VERY desirable!!!
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Blues/Rock
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Submitted December 27, 2004 by a customer from yahoo.com
"i really enjoy this pedal and i think it is a great deal for everyone trough beginers all the way to pros you should buy it if y"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
i like it overall and if i lost it or it broke i think that i would just buy a differnt one just so i could test it out because i like change and i just like to see if htere is any thing better out there yes it really does help my music out it gives it a better sound for my band and i like it alot and i dont thik that i will break for quit some time and if it does i will simply buy another peadl
Sound
i like the sound but it could be a little bit better but it is worth buying it is a great beginners pedal and i think that it is awsome if you like a heavy metal grunge sound
Features
it should have more effects but other than that it is great
Quality
it has an awsome quality it is made out of metal and that is one reason i bought it for her is because she is rough on things and i dont have to worry about her breaking it and all of the knobs work perfectly and it is very well built
Value
yes it is a great deal
Manufacturer Support
well i havent had to talk to them yet so if i do i hope they are a perfect ten because i really like this product and i would hate it if they where a bad company
The Wow Factor
well i think it is pretty cool but it does look like your average pedal and yellow is a color that really stands out so i think that making it yellow cought people eyes to buy it
Musical Background:
active musician in a band lead guitarist
Musical Style:
grunge
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Submitted June 16, 2020 by Joseph Cordeiro in Snyder, OK
"Not the old Distortion + by any means. Inside are things that have the same value on paper for the circit..but are not if the p"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Allright for a person needing a distortion box for their guitar..its not good enought for serious players and pros whom demand and require a perfect signal chain. . It tone sucks on or off. And just dont sound authentic due to its modern garb indide..im giving mine to a kid.. quess i will have to save up 300 bucks and get a real genuine vintage one with the real goodies inside pre Dunlop. Not returning becuse the seller did their part. And its not junk..just its not up to par for a real rig.
Musical Background:
Pro studio resident session player/ Trainer/perfomer/pro guitar tech with many lables
Musical Style:
Anything real
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Submitted August 27, 2008
"Try this baby before buying a new amp."
Sound
I'm a Strat player and this pedal gave plenty of "oomph" when I wanted to turn that warm stat rhythm tone to strong lead authority--I accidentally stole my first pre-script Dist+ at a confused multi-band gig and my dark side kept me from trying too hard to find the owner when I felt what this pedal did with a strat though a JCM800 and I still play and use it with the bottom-plate duct-taped. This pedal is a soldier that can keep strat-oriented guys from needing the Les Paul's elevated gain characteristics. If you need more buzz get a fuzz face but for my music this pedal pushes a good tube amp into the heaven zone and I have not even TRIED a rat or a Sparkle Drive because this one does the job credibly despite its low-tech ugliness. Get one and feel some joy! Eddie VH used this in the day as well, but most players can get good dist/boost in their signal chain using this stomper without needing a new amp or pickups.
Musical Background:
Obsessed
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Submitted March 22, 2004
"It's Alright"
overall, good enough for at least what I do.
Sound
its got that strong fuzz + distortion to sound heavy. I use an ibanez tubescreamer TS7 and the MXR M-104 Distortion + pedal. i use the ibanez for smooth sounds and then i turn on the MXR while the ibanez is still on to do some heavy sounds and solos.
Features
It only has two knobs and that is really much all you need so you wont go thru having to turn all these knobs.
Quality
its made well because i dont have problems with it not turning on whenever it is stomped on since it always goes on. sometimes when i step on my ibanez, it doesnt turn on, but a majority of the time it goes on.
Value
it is a bit expensive but it's worth it anyways.
Manufacturer Support
well, i give it that because i didnt need anby support by MXR because i support them enough.
The Wow Factor
its a good addition to my setup of pedals.
Musical Style:
Pop Rock, Punk Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative Rock
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Submitted March 5, 2004
MXR M104 Distortion+ Customer Review
Sound
its good to play in choruses, verses, interludes, and they help you with some solos. but if you wanna play advanced solos, you may need to add a slight distortion pedal like me. i hope thats common tho.
Features
its good. you can make it as quiet or loud as you want and only two knobs needed. i also dont have a problem with it not turning on like i do with my ibanez TS7.
Quality
its yellow and heavy enough so it wont move around when you step on the damn thing.
Value
well, its a lot of money and its pretty much worth it
Manufacturer Support
I am a big fan of MXR effects.
The Wow Factor
no sex appeal. but i just want it.
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