MXR Distortion Plus (A Yellow Box With A "+" On It. It Must Be Good)

MXR Distortion Plus (A Yellow Box With A "+" On It. It Must Be Good)
Here's a pedal that's been around for a while. Randy Rhoads played it. Dweezil Zappa has played it. So it can't be all bad. Well, that's what I aim to find out in this week's gear video.
The pedal is very simple, with just a gain and a level, plus an on/off switch (which can come in handy). I generally like simple pedals.
Hope you enjoy!
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[@MrPolevaulter]

Check out more gear videos here: kzbin.info/aero/PLNaLwTdlpQNFGz5Eesm0Ey_pDAL1F5y21

[@gkol69]

Very nice!!! The MXR Distortion+ is almost the same circuit with the DOD Overdrive 250 which is what the Yngwie Malmsteen overdrive is based on. The difference is that the Dist+ has germanium clipping diodes while the 250 has silicon clipping diodes with the same LM741 chip and that's why it has lower output. The Distortion+ sounds warmer with more low end, especially when played through a clean amp. Other players of the Distortion+ are Slash in G'n'R, Carlos Cavazo in Quiet Riot, Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) and K.K. Downing (Judas Priest).

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers :)

[@Auen73]

Interesting.......love little history tidbits on this stuff.......cool.

[@djefferson5669]

Bob Mould from Husker Du, Sugar, and the Bob Mould Band has used one for over 30 years..

[@lespauldisciple3349]

George: Alex Lifeson used the D+ on the 'Moving Pictures' tour. (I read that in the tour program that I bought at the concert in New Orleans, Easter Sunday, 1981.)

[@Felipe_Silvva]

Slash?????

[@gaborporempovics2415]

This pedal should be handled like a vintage fuzz. They are not so easy to handle, but once you find the sweet spot, they sounds real amazing. Usually they sound like crap out of the box, and you can be very disappointed. Here is my hints on this pedal. I always follow this guideline in finding a good tone with these sort of vintage pedals. 1. This pedal suites for a Marshall like amplifier. Using it with Fender style, scooped, cleanish amps can be difficult. An EQ placed after the D+ with a mid boost can help for those amps. 2. I like to use these sort of pedals with an amp that is close to its break-up. Slightly crunchy. 3. Your sound will be always the combination of the pedal and guitar controls. Plus the amp, off course. But you already set it for a nice crounchy tone, so let's forget about it for now. While we don't have tone control on the pedal, the tricky thing is, that we use distortion and guitar volume/tone controls instead. For example: The distorted sound is muddy. Increase the distortion and decrease the volume on the guitar.(Bass loss during volume roll of is an advantage this time!) Adjust the Output to achieve unity , or slightly over unity gain. If the distorted sound is way to bright, you can try to decrease the tone on your guitar. This way you get a highly compressed sound. But I tend to decrease the distortion and increase volume on the guitar and adjust output to unity or slightly over unity gain. This way you get a rich, complex and dynamic sound. 4. Don't use more gain than necessary. Ok, if you have some trouble with the tone (muddy) you might need to increase distortion and roll of volume on your guitar. But then again, try to decrease distortion, and increase volume and output. Trust your ears. It's kind of an iteration, but you will find really cool sounds this way, I guarantee.

[@damiankacprzak6211]

Even before finishing watching the video, the like button must be click for mentioning "don't eat the yellow snow" by Zappa. 🤘

[@MrPolevaulter]

:)

[@sashatrees4055]

- and here's my clean tone *playing distorted sounds*

[@PendelSteven]

That's a Marshall Plexi for you. Wouldn't say it's distorted, but well, it's lightly overdriven.

[@KAISERSIGMAX3]

MXR trend.... Simple, but sounds good. Lifeson used it for distorted tones on Hemispheres.

[@lespauldisciple3349]

Alex was still using it during the 'Moving Pictures' tour as it is in the equipment list in my tour program from the show.)

[@dylanhighwood7458]

Let’s go! Just picked this up today and found out my 2 favorite guitarists use one ( Rhoads and Lifeson )

[@noisepuppet]

I like this pedal for low gain crunch and shimmer. On simple jangly surf twang stuff and open chords, it's less brittle than most distortion pedals. I guess that's the darkness you're talking about. I never expected the Blizzard of Oz pedal to be any good for this application, but there you go.

[@mabbatic]

The new one sound just like I remember my old script units sounding.

[@evinambala937]

The MXR sounds really good and dark.

[@leeforrester466]

You made them both sound great! Awesome playing even with cold hands! The Malmsteen overdrive sounded smoother. The MXR D Plus is a classic and has its place. Good demo!

[@lovingpeace9715]

I still have my MXR Distortion+ that I bought in '81. If you use it with a JCM800 or more modern high gain amps you should use the low gain input. As to why your D+ is so dark sounding is strange. Mine is all treble. Keep in mind Randy Rhoads used a EQ pedal with his MXR Distortion+. You really need a tone control for this pedal if you want the Randy Rhoads tone

[@Andreas_Straub]

I still have one of those pedals from the 80s. I refreshed it (removing the disintegrating foam inside and replacing the connectors). Tried it and hated it from second one. This has not changed since. In the meantime I avoid all diode or OpAmp based Overdrive pedals - they all sounds the same and this means that it is not good. I bought a 10 year old Bogner Ecstasy Blue pedal using JFETs for distortion and giving me the feel of playing a real amp! The search is finally over 😎

[@Cancun771]

2:14 "And here's my *clean* sound!"

[@almostliterally593]

MXR Distortion plus was pretty much designed for edge of breakup amps to push them into metal territory.

[@jussioman]

Distortion +, SD-1 and ts 808 - classic od pedals one needs to own.

[@larslevinberget9558]

plus the RAT...though I don't use it much, it may save your ass in various situations

[@lionchamp29]

He could of used ts as a tone control

[@daddyosink4413]

@@larslevinberget9558 I have had a Rat on my board since 1989, the most versatile pedal on earth. Dont leave home without it.

[@PendelSteven]

The Boss BD-2 by now is more than 25 years old. Also a classic overdrive.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

I actually like this tone thru your amp. Maybe I wouldn't if I were in the same room. It just reminds me thru my AKG in ears that this is the tone I would kind of dial in. It sounded really touch sensative too when you turned down the volume on your guitar. 😛👍 Great review sir. 👍💝👍

[@MusicAbio]

"this guy" can really shred :D

[@MrPolevaulter]

:D Cheers!

[@officialangelblackvideos332]

That pedal wasn't made to run a clean amp. That pedal everybody ran on the dirty channel for more gain kind of like using a Tube Screamer.

[@maxmustardman298]

I tried the TS in front of a clean amp and got a decent driven tone, nothing wrong with that. Can't say that about the MXR though.

[@onelovelylad]

@@maxmustardman298 he meant using a ts with an amp’s distortion

[@GuillaumeVrac]

I think the one I like the most for the Yngwie stuff is the grey DOD 250 from what i’ve checked out, but it is crazy expensive. Luckily there are some good modded version (grey specs) that are good too (Modest Mike’s Mods) at a lower price. The new Yngwie’s Fender seems to have more treble but maybe for fans of the early Yngwie’s tone the old DOD would fit better. In the end, as you said it’s a matter of taste ! Thanks for this review of the MXR.

[@MrPolevaulter]

True. And thank you :)

[@KaosPoet]

The distortion plus has been around since the early 70s, so all these other pedals that you are comparing them to, well they should be compared to the MXR.

[@TheHiphopdrunkie]

i owned an original 70s distortion+ and used it for years. i found a newer reissue and it sounds identical to the original. my favorite pedal for od/ distortion

[@KingCrimson1981]

Great job man. Your English is fantastic, as is your guitar playing. You convinced me to buy the MXR and run it in front of my Marshall DSL40C. Thanks brother, keep rockin'!"

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you very much :)

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

I had one of these in the mid-seventies. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to use it correctly at the time. Then later on when I had a Hi-Watt half-stack I ran it into the amp set totally clean. Oh man, if I knew then what I know now. I probably could have gotten some great tones with it.

[@eldesgraciado6690]

4:53 Sounds sweet.

[@davidjorgenpedersen8010]

I Used them in the *0's Thru a Yamaha 4/10 Cobo and a Mesa Boogie MarkIII, Nice Overtones on Your Rig!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers :)

[@razoredge6476]

Great video. I love this pedal . Your English is flawless brother.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers :)

[@TroyNaumu808]

I love the hoodie sweater. It is said that Kurt Cobain once used this pedal at least once at the Astoria Theatre in Londan England on December 3rd 1989 during the Bleach tour. He was also using the Boss DS-1 also.

[@goobiecaro8135]

Love my Distortion +. I find it works best with my non master volume amps and lower output pick ups.

[@liys540]

And other marshall amp with little gain like jcm900 , jcm 800

[@fredn2735]

At 3 yes it warms up Elmo , break out the hamburgers and hotdogs fire up the grill. At three it sounded awesome I forgot to mention that

[@KennyLarvitz]

This pedal was one of my first overdrive, I kept it many years and finally sold it. I’ve had 2 old gray Dod 250s , real monsters but I bought an old disto + from the 80’s and I must say I prefer the mxr now , just warmer and mellow, more consistent, less « flabby » , really nice pedal ! And I’m a huge fan of Yngwie ...

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool stuff :)

[@MattD86]

Sheesh what a shredder

[@popsfereal]

In the 70's you HAD to have a Distortion plus, DiMarzio Super Distortion p/u's, and some kind of LP.

[@jordanlucasthemusician]

So I saw one at goodwill (large chain second-hand store) for 39.00. I pulled up an ad for an mxr-prime distortion (sells for about 40 used). I suggested that was even an upgraded model and that the d+ may have been mis-priced by mistake. The manager caught my drift and let it go for $20. I didn’t realize I was saving myself that much until I got home and assessed everything that had happened. Either way I’m a loyal customer there and never hesitate to shell out cash so I don’t feel like I pulled a big scam on them or anything. Just sharing my story (and maybe patting myself on the back a little bit)

[@guitartheeasywayllc582]

Great playing

[@lizzietheheretic7831]

Well if they’re so close sounding..guess the fender malmsteen is my choice...which I already have...great comparison video 👍

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@liys540]

This pedal works really well with marshall amp with little gain . Secondly , this pedal can work well with other amp which marshall vibe or english type amp like orange , laney , friedman (maybe ) , cornford

[@tittitocci]

This is the review I've been waiting for .... Thank you Elmo! \m/ \m/

[@MrPolevaulter]

And thank you :)

[@DaveWestGuitar]

Hey Elmo. The MXR Dist+ sounds great in front of my JCM 800, which is dirtier than a plexi. I use a Marshall Govn'r overdrive though for the JCM 800. My JVM410 doesn't need a pedal to achieve the level of gain I need, however. I have a DOD YJM (the black one), but I really don't use it.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool bananas :)

[@guitartheeasywayllc582]

Great Playing

[@aleksandrekaishauri9977]

Great review man! Basically came here to see if anyone has the same output problem as me :D seems like a common issue. Definatley looking forward to see your other vids. Great playing btw :3

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks :)

[@SteveMavronis]

The circuit arrangement itself is virtually identical to the late 70s grey DOD 250 with the 741 op amp chip, just some of the resistor/capacitor/output pot part values are different. Because of this DOD250=Yngwie and Dist+=Rhoads.

[@Auen73]

Interesting........love it.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool :)

[@fastacesus8499]

Good review. These have to be used in the right way and are not for beginners, that lack of a tone control for one is an issue. Put in front of a crunchy Marshall and set your EQ and there is a sweet spot to be had

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@Mysticblade-n5o]

You should do a review on the evh overdrive mxr

[@MrPolevaulter]

I have. The 5150.

[@Mysticblade-n5o]

@@MrPolevaulter in your opinion what would be the better pedal to get for the 80s tone mxr distortion plus or the evh mxr overdrive I'm a fan of both randy rhoads and Eddie Van Halen and haveing a hard time chooseing lol. Rip Eddie Van Halen

[@godzillasimpson8357]

That’s also a really thick metal sound out of a single coil strat

[@Bowietrope]

Elmo....you may be cold, but your fingers are on fire! Brilliant playing as usual. Wow, crazy thing, back around 1983-84, I had an original Dod grey 250 (though I'd swear mine was green, go figure) I traded it to a guy for an MXR distortion +, which sounded great to me (though some moron painted it black) but alas wish I hadn't made that trade with the value of those original 250s these days...sigh.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@majorgiroux]

The Output is more of a gain reduction on this pedal. Maximum = unity, drop it and you reduce volume. I always have mine to max and play with the distortion knob. It's indeed the first hard clipping distortion and the DOD 250, Morley Distortion One, DOD YJM308, and Fender yngwie malmsteen overdrive are all "inspired " by this

[@gaborporempovics2415]

Actually, that's not true. This pedal doesn't have high gain on the output, that's true, but you can set it is over unity. Minimum Distortion and maximum Output setting is unity gain on this pedal. As you increase distortion you will get more and more harmonics in the high and the low ends, and this pedal gets "louder" this way.

[@richsackett3423]

The MXR is my bass guitar fuzz. Beats everything I tried including any of the DarkGlass stuff. Not my favorite on guitar. The Fender pedal sounded fizzy by comparison, with the MXR hitting way harder. Can't imagine the Fender fuzz wouldn't suck in a mix. BTW, you sure know your way around a scalloped fretboard. Nice.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks Rich :)

[@chrislanier7304]

Light verses dark these decision's are too much for 6am in SC . Just waking up to coffee and tunes . Enjoyed the video as usual. Have you tried any pedals from Walrus ? Iron horse 2 wondering your thoughts

[@RickMichaelis63]

Eternal Flame Try Long Beach California bro

[@MrPolevaulter]

I haven't, no. Probably will at some point.

[@godzillasimpson8357]

This is I believe the same pedal Carlos cacao’s from quiet riot used in their heyday

[@ral8031]

Carlos Cavazo

[@timhowell4870]

I smiled when you started playing Gary Moore. You have good taste friend!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you :)

[@83RED_]

The volume drops 'cause this pedal does not has a buffer at the output to match the right impedance. That's the mod provided by Pete Cornish at Randy's pedalboard - the buffer to correct the mismatch impedance. Probably your noise gate i buffered, so it keeps up the right level while maintains the high frequencies intact.

[@Crunch0123]

Dude, what is the pink pedal, the last one on the left a top of Marshall? It looks really cool!

[@MrPolevaulter]

On the left is the Strymon Sunset.

[@Crunch0123]

@@MrPolevaulter 🤣 no, the other left! The pink one! 😅

[@robertbarrass7519]

Maybe you could try a mk 1 Danelectro transparent OD.Apparently it's a "direct" rip off of a very famous boutique american OD,cough!.Anyway judging by the sound you prefer i think you may like it,also as a pedal for kicking your amp into an extra gear.Great pedal(Also the mk 1 dan overdrive is tres bon too!!) I,m talking European b4 we get kicked out!!!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks for the tip :)

[@Auen73]

Had to log into my KZbin account just to leave a thumbs up.........but the yellow snow comment made me laugh.......so it was worth it.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D Thanks!

[@michaelbarber590]

This pedal used as a boost makes my Egnater Tweeker 15 sound amazing, while a tube screamer (as a boost) works better with my PRS MT15 and a Boss SD-1 works better for my Marshall DSL100HR. Go figure? PS - there's actually a very simple mod that addresses the "slightly dark" sound that some have have complained about since the old script logo version (and first of the original block logo versions) where slightly redesigned to give it a little more bottom end.

[@jessetate9701]

Randy used it

[@Deadite8593]

I've been curious on how the fender yjm and dod250 compares to the mxr dist+, thanks for making the video! I really enjoy my dod yjm308 pedal but I could see trying the mxr for a slightly different flavor. The new fender version is probably a little different too lol

[@pitaorj]

elmo in my quest for the yjm tone i´ve purchased a attenuator... and along with fender yjm od FULL ON TUBES seems to be a huge part of his tone (huge compression, amazing sustain...) . I´ve tested with my 5150iii 50w and the Savage 60w and it was so much closer to the original. my amps are running on 6l6 and kt77, so there was no EL34 wonder here, but still very close. my kt88 arrived for the marshall major... in a few weeks he´ll be back. but I Still need something EL34.

[@MrPolevaulter]

A proper Plexi is where it's at :)

[@danpena4472]

They sound exactly the same expect the YJM pedal is brighter.

[@josephpickard3108]

Can I just check if anyone else thinks this is a 'quiet' pedal? I have to have my volume way past half-way just to reach unity gain. Still love it though.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Not sure.

[@yallevereatenbeans2723]

Mine is quite quiet too, unity is damn near to having the volume cranked on mine

[@ihop4no14]

In the States the price is $89.99.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

They both sounded I don't know,,,, hairy??? Your playing is great. I love the shred, and metal tiff's. Do you run the middle all the way up on your amp? If not it would brighten up the mxr.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I have mids on 8.

[@luisgoregonzalez7394]

Yeah!

[@Savior.Mountgreen]

Hi what do you think of the Dawner Prince Red Rox Distortion?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haven't tried it.

[@Savior.Mountgreen]

@@MrPolevaulter ok

[@meleinmusica]

On neck pickup - and here's my clean tone Then you switched to the bridge pickup.

[@MrPolevaulter]

?

[@Auen73]

First off.......Killer tone and playing! Secondly......You really have that Yngwie sound dialed in......wow. Can't believe how that Fender/YJM pedal just....."gets it done!" A little more noise than the Dist+....... but the trade off is totally worth it. Maybe that Dist+ sounds clearer/brighter with humbuckers?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you very much. The MXR might be better with humbuckers yeah, although the Seymour Duncan YJM Furys are hotter than the old DiMarzio HS-3's.

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Maybe You Could Try Pigtronix Pedals

[@MrPolevaulter]

Maybe. I have a bit too much line up at the moment, but maybe later.

[@Amazology]

Yellow 👍

[@markmarshall7939]

Randy Rhoads used an EQ pedal after his Distortion +.

[@instrumentalist28]

Mark Marshall makes sense, as there is no tone knob, which always baffled me about these pedals

[@dstfno]

@@instrumentalist28 because it’s made to be an always on pedal for hard rock guitarists. Set the drive to the desired level and tweak the tone on the amp’s controls, without caring how the amp will sound like when it’s off.

[@sommerssamantha]

Thank You so much! Very nice review!!! But ... Elmo! Are you really Finnish guy? You are too quick! But when I found out that you were playing so quickly with your frozen fingers, I believed that you were a real Finnish guy! LOOOL

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D Thanks :)

[@joeisitt1904]

Very nice. The A+ has less output and is not as bright and the germanium diodes are a bit less dynamic, less is less, lol

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D

[@blunzenstricker1]

hei, you have the beste videos, gratulation

[@KAISERSIGMAX3]

MXR trend.... Simple, but sounds good. Lifeson used it for distorted tones on Hemispheres.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@spoiledmilkfilms4164]

How does the mxr distortion + do with tube amps specifically the Marshall mg30cfx?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Dunno.

[@chrishenderson9130]

MG series is solid state?

[@sotiriskordas1072]

Since I see the Roland Cube in the backround I really have to ask because I have the same amp. Are there any pedals that would sound good with that amp AND with a tube amp? :P

[@MrPolevaulter]

Not sure. Haven't used too many pedals with the Cube. Just a bit of boost.

[@sotiriskordas1072]

@@MrPolevaulter Could you try one overdrive maybe? Anyway thank you very much for you reply. It's a decent practice amp, but I'm gradually upgrading gear

[@MrPolevaulter]

@@sotiriskordas1072 Not sure. I'd say that the SD-1 probably would sound good on most things.

[@PendelSteven]

From what I hear I also think Vivian Campbell used one on Dio's Last in Line album. We Rock, anyone?

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Ah damn. I'm at the doctors office. Can't watch now. I could never get this pedal to sound good for me, however I've heard others use it and it worked fine. This happens all the time. Anyway, can't wait to watch when I get home.. By the way. I now have to set up my Ibanez SV 470 and it has a thicker neck than normal S series Japanese Ibanez guitars and it has a 2 point trem like your fender from Gotoh. So, I need to get a humbucker in the neck that sounds like a single coil to get that strat single coil tone. My guitar is hsh routed. So unfortunately I have to use a humbucker for neck.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Hope all went well at the doctor's.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

@@MrPolevaulter Thank you kind sir. I'm old. 😛

[@PendelSteven]

Vai, Morello, Gilbert, Cobain, Molko & Slash. So erm.

[@ericportillo8277]

Lol your thumbnail

[@MrPolevaulter]

:D

[@uriahmantis9507]

That end!!!👌👍🤘👊👏💥💣

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you :)

[@djefferson5669]

I would be nice to hear the pedal with a clean tone at it's base. Your clean tone is not very clean at all.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Really? You don't say?

[@djefferson5669]

Elmo Karjalainen I didn’t even bring up the noise gate.

[@1993reefblue]

To be fair, just about any thing will sound good through a Plexi.. lol

[@kingstreets5652]

star wars music

[@thomasfarmer1730]

Turn the delay pedal off buddy.

[@GaryTolodziecki-f8i]

Sounds the same,if you play loud and miss a note,who cares?

[@redseadiver43]

To my ears sounds really good. Smooth. Besides Elmo could make sound good a can full of coins. There is a 2nd hand pedal like this for sell near my town, old 1992 made in USA. I wonder if it could be ok??