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MXR Super Badass Variac Fuzzplay button

MXR Super Badass Variac Fuzz

MXR

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The MXR Super Badass Variac Fuzz is a dream come true for guitar players chasing vintage fuzz tone. This tasty fuzz is aggressive and biting, and with the twist of a knob, you can drag it into that “dying battery” territory much prized by tone chasers—no need to manage a collection of half-dead batteries.

To create the Super Badass Variac Fuzz, the MXR design team dusted off a rare vintage circuit, tuned it up, and added a Variac control so you can set the pedal’s voltage anywhere from 5 to 15V. For that wonderful saggy fuzz effect you get as a 9V battery loses its power, just lower the voltage by turning the Variac knob counterclockwise. Increasing the voltage raises the effect’s headroom, opening up the fuzz for a more transparent sound at 15V.

The Super Badass Variac Fuzz’s simple interface is rounded out with Tone, Output, and Gain controls, and it all comes in a road-ready housing with true bypass switching.

Open Box MXR M236 Super Badass Variac Fuzz Guitar Effects Pedal Level 1

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • Set voltage from 5V–15V
  • Lower voltage for “dying battery” effect
  • Increase voltage for more headroom and clarity

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

4.31

13 Reviews

83%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Most Liked Positive Review

5

Dirt chasing is over

I have been on a quest for a versatile dirt box. I have tried the BOSS DS-1, Fulltone OCD, EHX Soul Food, EHX Big M*ff (apparently you can't write that word in these reviews) and enjoyed all of those but they didn't quite get me where I wanted to be. I now, have finally found just the sound I was looking for with this fuzz pedal. At first I thought I wanted overdrive, but couldn't get the thick bite I was looking for. Then I thought distortion was what would suit my playing, but it left me with thin sounds. the MXR M236 Variac Fuzz is capable of cleaning up really nicely for some compressed distortion but can be pushed to the most brutal, filthiest limits of gain. To give you some background, I've been playing guitar since 1999. I run this pedal through my VOX AC10-C1 playing on a Gibson Les Paul Studio 2013 left handed. The pickups on the guitar are Gibson coil-tapped 490R and 498T. This pedal sounds great through both the humbucking and the "single coil-esque" tapped state. I enjoy playing music in the style of Thin Lizzy, T. Rex, David Bowie, The Black Keys, and Blue Oyster Cult. I can imagine you could also use this pedal for more doom-related rock styles. The tone adjusts the high frequencies by adding (clockwise) or cutting (counter-clockwise) them from the mix. The output knob gives you a boost in volume, especially at lower voltage settings. The gain knob allows for more or less compression depending on your needs. Where this pedal really stands out is the Variac knob, which allows you to adjust from super thick dirty fuzzy goodness of 5V all the way up to the more "clean" distortion-like tones at 15V. At 15V, the variac knob provides a little more headroom. It gives a lot of variety without sounding harsh or shrill. The chassis is a very sexy dark purple with glitter and would look great on any board. On the website it looks more red/burgundy but in actuality, it is purple, albeit dark purple.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

2

Not as versatile as I thought it would be.

Very limited amount of tones can be dialed up and most of them are unpleasant. Totally cuts the treble out.

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Home Studio4
  2. Performances4
  3. Amateur Recording3
  4. Professional Recording3
  5. Outdoor Events / Games1
Cons
  1. Limited Selection Of Effects1
  2. Poor Sound Quality1
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced6
  2. Professional Musician2
Pros
  1. Excellent Sound Quality6
  2. Responsive5
  3. Versatile5
  4. Compact4
  5. Good Selection Of Effects3

Reviewed by 13 customers

  • Bang

    5

    submitted2 years ago

    byOwen

    fromRichmond, Va.

    This thing rocks man.

  • Lots of cool sounds.

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted2 years ago

    byTim

    fromMichigan

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    Lots of possibilities for creating fuzzy sounds.

  • Great fuzz

    5

    submitted4 years ago

    bySteve l

    fromNy

    Best I've heard..and I've heard many..

  • Only works well with a great tube amp

    2

    submitted5 years ago

    byJC

    fromPhiladelphia PA

    Unless you have an awesome tube amp, you won't get that thick fuzz you hear on the video reviews. It sounds thinner on high quality solid state amps.

  • Not as versatile as I thought it would be.

    2

    submitted6 years ago

    byWinston

    fromHartford

    Very limited amount of tones can be dialed up and most of them are unpleasant. Totally cuts the treble out.

  • A Vari Good Fuzz

    4

    submitted6 years ago

    byCamjam

    fromAlbuquerque

    Great pedal, I love the Variac feature but you do need an OD to pair with to get the best sound. I also have an EQ pedal and this boosts the mids well. I noticed that to get a good creamy fuzz I needed to keep the output fairly low on the pedal and rely more on the amp and EQ to boost sound but it has a few cool sweet spots.

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