MXR M103 Blue Box Effects Pedal

Works as expected for a really good "used" item price. Thanks GC!

This pedal is awesome. You can add in the amount of lower octave with your dry signal, to create a variety of cool stuff. With the knob all the way to the right, it works as a modern fuzz pedal. It doesn't have alot of power though. I have to run it before my Green Rhino for it to have the same volume, otherwise it's too quiet even with the level knob all the way up. Give it a try if you want a totally unique sound, but it's a bit difficult to find a good riff or intro or something to use it with.

I'm not going to sugarcoat anything here - this pedal isn't for everybody. I have used it in practice and in the studio and it has become one of my secret weapons. I like to use it primarily in the studio to add color to rhythm tracks, and it never fails to add a little weirdness to leads (I use it sparingly in this way). I like to double single note riffs and mix it a tad back and fill things out a little bit. People always scratch their heads and ask, "What the hell is that sound?!" I think that head scratching is worth the price of admission. Now, the pedal has its obvious sweet spots and there really aren't many - but they are worth it in my opinion. Just using it simply as a fuzz reveals a squishy tone with a sometimes unpredictable decay (depending on where you're playing on the neck, and pick-up types) - but I find it to be absolutely charming. Make no mistake, the octave voice (which truly sounds like no other octave/fuzz out there) is the pedal's bread and butter, but I find the fuzz useable enough to make me call this a decently versatile pedal. As always with MXR, the pedal is in a solid box, affordable, and smooth. MXR really cranks out a quality product at a price for budget-minded players.

If you put the blend nob all the way to the right you really hear the 2 octaves down it sounds like another bass guitar almost its perfect for those solos where u want like a powerful last note cause it changes and its just amazing i got a used one for $60 bucks at guitarcenter yes i got ripped off yea its coo ltho

...in a good way, of course. I bought this pedal because I was looking to buy an octave pedal, like an Octavia. But the Blue Box sounded so different than anything else I've ever heard before, I had to have one. It does take some getting used to, like what pickups to use and whatnot, but once you get, you really start to have fun with it. It can sound like a nice fuzz, or dial it in and it almost sounds like youre playing an Atari. Its definitely a unique sound, and judging by the other reviews, its not for everybody. But if you wanna sound different and unique and maybe annoy some squares, get the Blue Box.

In the hands of an expert, like Jimmy Page, this might have some possibilities, (Fool In The Rain, etc.), but it's so hard to get a good sound out of this thing, that I'm guessing most people will be disappointed. The effect only handles one note at a time, (two confuse it, and the output tone is almost random), and it's so sensitive to pitch that wherever you set it, you only get a few notes' range that will work before it starts cutting out on you, either high or low. I can dial in something that sounds ok (very artificial, and not all that pleasant) but only for a very small range at a time. I'm guessing there are octave effects that are more usable than this one.