# MXR vs BOSS Pedals everything about them here!



## Procter2812

Well... there are some Boss pedals i love and there are some I hate.

But i think that every single pedal by MXR is good!

Today i tried both the MXR Phase 90 against a Boss Phase shifter? The MXR has one knob and the boss 5... basically i could get every sound out of a one knob pedal over a five knob pedal? this thing was awesome.

Then i tried the Carbon Copy Delay and this thing actually rocked
real warm delay... and the modulation button is genius.

I have had various pedals by Boss eg.. Tuner, EQ,Chorus,Delay but got rid of the last two becuase they were highly average.

Anyway what are your views on MXR vs BOSS


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## rhys_wtb

havent tried any mxr pedals

do like the boss pedals though

ds-2 distortion, i can get that pop punk tone out of that

dd-7 delay is good

tried quite a lot last week, only one i didnt like was the dynamic wahh


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## tm0099

Agreed on the MXR carbon copy delay which I ended up buying. I own a total of 6 pedals and only one is Boss (Chorus CE2 which can't be beat IMHO). 
All the others are a mix of Voodoo, Budda, EH, Mad Prof.
I've always looked at Boss coz so many guys rave about them but almost always ended up with something else because either haven't liked the way the equivalent Boss sounded and/or didn't have true bypass. But that's just my opinion.


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## BluesRocker

+1 For MXR, got 3 of them on my pedal board. I have a total of 3 boss pedals, Where are they? In a box in the closet.


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## Purgasound

MXR's are definitely built better and are more rugged. So far I haven't used any MXR products I didn't like. I have plenty of both, but Boss does make plenty of junk too.


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## DC135er

MXR all the way. I use Marshall pedals but this is a war between MXR and Boss. 

Come to think of it, I need to A/B MXR and Marshall. Ah, purpose in life...it's a great thing.


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## V-man

Had a BF-2 and it sucked. Covered "mid-range" flange adequately, but it had no aggression. Got a EVH 117 and there is no comparison. On top of that, it's pseudo channel-switchable (A - your settings, B- EVH). I also have 2 MXR 108 EQs. The Boss EQs look flimsier by comparison and only cover 7 bands. 

The one place I will give MXR grief is the M104 Distortion Plus. It requires an OD and EQ to be truly useful and sucks volume out of the signal. I wager the DS-1 would beat it for a standalone unit, but that's the most credit I'd give Boss. 

They are the pedal for people who don't want to buy the bottom of the barrel, but are content with "mediocre" rather than spending more for good.


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## Purgasound

I don't think you can really compare the DS-1 to the M104. I've got both and even a Keeley modded DS-1 couldn't even grab as much gain as the M104. The tones aren't even close to each other also. I agree the M104 zaps high end from your tone but I don't see how it sucks volume especially if you turn the output knob all the way up the signal is boosted louder than coming from your guitar originally. I do have to admit though, I do pair it (M104) with a TS9 in front of it. I like how the treble boost of the TS9 makes up for what the M104 doesn't have in that department. They do sound good on older Marshall NMV amps that are really bright. Randy Rhoads is pretty much the one who made that one famous. 

The Boss digital delays aren't bad at all. The Noise Supressor and EQ from them suck. Stock Metal Zone pedals have the most awful mid range squelch and if not dialed in perfectly can have the fizziest tone of any distortion pedal out there. Modded MT-2's can sound great when tweaked just right. I've got the long gone Heavy Metal pedal also. It kind of sucks, but it's one of those pedals that sounds so bad it can be good. I have a Boss Compressor/Sustainer but I really can't say much about it because I haven't heard other compressors because this one made me never want to use another one. Wasn't terrible, but I felt it could be sterile at times and maybe it was just the way I was using it, but I felt it took away from the nuances in my picking style. 

The MXR Micro Amp is one of the simplest but greatest boxes they make. It adds balls to anything you want to play without coloring the tone whatsoever. It is nothing more than a clean decibel boost, so if you want more distortion from your amp without mods or distortion/overdrive pedals then this is the pedal for you. I just got one a while ago and love it.

Currently the only Boss pedal that I use would be the tuner. I have drawers full of Boss and other effects but I never seem to really want to throw them away even though they may never be used again. 

The MXR's of today is closer to the original from way back. Before MXR went out of business they were cheapening the products. Now that they are owned by Dunlop they are making higher quality stuff closer to the originals.


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## JimmyPage

Is it worth springing the extra money and time searching for the old 120v AC MXR original pedals? This what I have been trying to do, am I wasting my time and should get the new equivalents? The old ones just have a 120v plug straight in lol I just think that sounds awesome. 
I want to get as close to Rhoads' sound as I can. The boss pedals are great, they've taken a really stupid amount of beatings, and with a little patience for all the knob tweaking, can sound really awesome... but somehow I know it's just not the same as what I really want. Often I hear a tone I really like and when I get a look at the board there's at least two MXR pedals!


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## Purgasound

Not all the old MXR's had to be plugged in. The typical 9V battery was standard in most basic units, but MXR makes a lot of stuff that needed to be 18V which led to them just being just plugged straight in so they wouldn't have to make a bunch of AC adapters since none of the vintage MXR's had them at all.

I like the new ones since they all have ports for AC adapters whether it's 18V or 9V


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## 80's Rocker

Ok, I have a question for the MXR Carbon Copy Delay users. How will this work if I plug it in the front of my 800 since I have no loop? Also would this be a good pedal for the slight slap back echos that you hear on most of the songs from the 80's with guys like Whitesnake and RATT? Examples would be like Round and Round, Lay it Down, Your In Love, and from Whitesnake Still of the Night, Slide it In, Here I go Again.

I am really thinking this is the pedal I want to go for when I have a little more money and so far I have heard a few good things about it but I want some more feedback.


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## Purgasound

80's Rocker said:


> Ok, I have a question for the MXR Carbon Copy Delay users. How will this work if I plug it in the front of my 800 since I have no loop? Also would this be a good pedal for the slight slap back echos that you hear on most of the songs from the 80's with guys like Whitesnake and RATT? Examples would be like Round and Round, Lay it Down, Your In Love, and from Whitesnake Still of the Night, Slide it In, Here I go Again.
> 
> I am really thinking this is the pedal I want to go for when I have a little more money and so far I have heard a few good things about it but I want some more feedback.



The pedal will function the way it should regardless whether it's in a loop or not. In front of the amp it affects the clean guitar signal, in the loop (series) it will affect the signal after the preamp. That's it.

The location of this pedal in the lineup is all personal. I don't use loops unless they are series, and if my amp did not come with one I will not mod one to have it (if it's vintage). Delay's sound fine up front. Most people throw them in the loop. Remember, pedals and effects existed long before effects loops were conceived. Just experiment with the placement of it, as in placing it before or after other effects in the chain.


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## Procter2812

American Viking said:


> The pedal will function the way it should regardless whether it's in a loop or not. In front of the amp it affects the clean guitar signal, in the loop (series) it will affect the signal after the preamp. That's it.
> 
> The location of this pedal in the lineup is all personal. I don't use loops unless they are series, and if my amp did not come with one I will not mod one to have it (if it's vintage). Delay's sound fine up front. Most people throw them in the loop. Remember, pedals and effects existed long before effects loops were conceived. Just experiment with the placement of it, as in placing it before or after other effects in the chain.



+1.

It also depends on how you run your amp.... eg get gain from your pedals or the amp itself.


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## Procter2812

I got myself a Phase 90 today...

I have to say this thing is awesome! Its got one knob and has every sound possible!


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## Lespaulnmarshall

Well MXR is better build and sounding. The reason why they are better is the price. BTW, I love MXR flangers they are awsome anyone elso also does ?

I think there are only 5 good boss pedals, let's compare them to MXR pedals:

CE-2 Just awsome kick's MXR's ass! Boss CE-2: 5* - MXR Chorus, 4* 
DD-3,6,7 Good, but the MXR Carbon Copy is a lot better ! Boss DD 3,6,7, 3* - MXR Carbon Copy, 5*
GE-7 Great pedal, but the MXR 10 band EQ Rocks 10 times more. Boss GE-7, 3* - MXR 10 band EQ, 5*
SD-1 Awsome ! Some guy's like it over the TS-808, but the Dist+ is just as good but 2 times more expencive. Boss SD-1, 5* - MXR Dist+, 4*
BD-2 Great pedal if you want a good OD pedal clean boost don't like the sound of a Tube Sceamer. Boss BD-2, 4*- MXR 1* (they have nothhing to compare w/ MXR LOL)

Conclusion:

MXR is the best but Boss makes some pretty good pedals too !


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## tonello

I've used a couple different Boss pedals (The Metal Core, Phase Shifter, SUPER Chorus, and the DD-3 Digital Delay) and then tried out the comparable MXR pedals (Fullbore Metal, Phase 90, Black Label Chorus, and the Carbon Copy). To me, the MXR's are just built better. All of them are made in America, have true bypass circuits, and are much easier to use. Like you said I could get any tone out of one knob for the Phase 90, versus having to deal with 5. That's pretty key when testing out pedals.


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## AudioWonderland

They have their purposes. The Classic Distortion and Classic OD for example are decent enough but seem to have a hard limiter/limiting in the design. The more you turn up the drive the more compressed it gets. The SD-1 on the other hand still has a good bit of dynamics


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## rjtm

American Viking said:


> MXR's are definitely built better and are more rugged. So far I haven't used any MXR products I didn't like. I have plenty of both, but Boss does make plenty of junk too.



+1. Theres only a few good boss pedals compared to how much they make, but pretty much all of MXR's pedals are great


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## JSJ900

Doesn't mxr solder the jacks directly to the board and use plastic shafts on the pots of some newer pedals? I think both companies have good stuff but I don't like the noisy switches or MXR pedals. I returned my MXR phase 90 script reissue because it sounded good but was way too noisey. Maybe I just got a dud. There's nothing like an MXR Flanger but it's too big and pricey for me to justify, cause I would only use it for VH stuff. I've heard everybody rave about the carbon copy, but I actually like my delay to sound exactly like what I just played and I like the programability of the DD20. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect chorus and want to try the BLS or the blue MXR which is the same, sans bullseye paint. Boss makes some lame stuff and while I think true bypass is largely hype, some BOSS and other pedals have truely crappy buffer circuits. For now I use mostly BOSS stuff but my wah is a Dunlop. It's all personal preference I guess.


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## HOT TUBES 70

I like Boss pedals !!! ...................after I MOD the fuck out of them !!!!!


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## Wyldefan916

I have tried a few BOSS pedals, and only 2 MXR pedals. I own an SD-1, had (and plan to get again) a Metal Zone, and used both a Chorus Ensemble and Super Chorus. For MXR I've only used the Phase 90, and the noise gate, both of which I plan to get for my board. IMO, if ur a studio/home guy, like myself, either one gets the job done as far as durability, but MXR's do seem to be more "road-worthy."


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## Lespaulnmarshall

Wow, found an old post of myself he. My oppinion boss compared to MXR changed quite a bit! When I posted on this thread almost two years ago I still liked my DD-7. I hate that thing now. Can't even find one single usable tone in it now. 

IMO always boss makes a consistently good pedal. Usually not the best, but almost all boss pedals have some good, usable sounds in them. I could do a gig with a boss only bedalboard without problems. But MXR is a much better and a bit more expensive. But totaly worth the extra cash. They even have a boutique line (way huge electronics) wich is brilliant. The aqua puss is a crazy good sounding analog delay, the pork loin is a very fat and creamy sounding booster/mild overdrive that can be tweaked very precisely with the internal trimpots.

MXR's 'regular' line is awsome too. The phase 90 is one of the best pedals ever made. Even the reissues are great. Both custom shop and non-custom shop. They do sometimes need a 'mix/level' knob, but I understand why they don't put those on them, they're classics. You can easily solve that problem without any mods by putting them in the loop of a prallel FX looper pedal. (e.g. Xotic X-blender) The flanger MXR makes is very usable too. Personally I don't have a use for any flanger, but if I needed one i'd get an mxr micro flanger. The carbon copy is a killer analog delay, and it's great for slapback. These are just a few of the pedals MXR makes. But all of them are awsome. I'd take an MXR over a boss pedal any day.


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## jvm210guy

tm0099 said:


> Agreed on the MXR carbon copy delay which I ended up buying. I own a total of 6 pedals and only one is Boss (Chorus CE2 which can't be beat IMHO).
> All the others are a mix of Voodoo, Budda, EH, Mad Prof.
> I've always looked at Boss coz so many guys rave about them but almost always ended up with something else because either haven't liked the way the equivalent Boss sounded and/or didn't have true bypass. But that's just my opinion.


 

Try the MXR Analog Chorus pedal, it's fairly new. I still get blown away by this thing...


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## jvm210guy

Ya, I owned all Boss pedals just maybe one year ago. They make good reliable pedals... I'd take an MXR over a Boss pedal anyday, but I wouldn't cry if I had to use a Boss pedal..


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## Bieling3

I've always been partial to Boss pedals as far as the Boss vs MXR argument goes. Boss is hands down a better built pedal and I'm surprised to see many here think otherwise. The buffers in Boss pedals are decent for the price range and as long as you know how to place them in the pedal chain. This something I see constantly flipped on its head... I've also never had a Boss pedal shoot sparks when trying to plug them in... I've had this happen on more than one MXR pedal and the Carbon Copy is notorious for shorting out in this way. I definitely lean towards the more utilitarian Boss pedals, NS-2, GE-7, TU-2, SD-1 etc, etc, as far as value goes, but the DM-2, RV-3, DD-3, CE-2 and OD-1 are classics.


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## Moose Lewis

Better... worse ~ different!

FWIW, I ran all Boss pedals (everything but the multi-effect units) in the late '70s up until the '90s (well... I did use a Sho-bud volume pedal and a Crybaby). They were convenient and reliable. Now, the only Boss pedal I own is a Volume pedal. When I ran a more compressed, overdriven sound I liked them just fine. The more I changed to a dynamic, natural tone I liked them less. They 'seem' to shave more of the overtones or acoustic character from my guitar, which is specifically what made me look elsewhere. MXR rocks... but so do a lot of other pedals.


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## Khaos

I haven't tried MXR pedal. I've only used Marshall pedals but know I'm beginning to like pedals as the likes of MXR more. Because in the end you want an acessible pedal. A pedal that can do alot with little tweaking.
There are pedals (like Marshall pedals) that are awesome but in a giging situation they can turn out somewhat useless cause you want to be able to ajust settings on the fly and there are pedals that you must set them before a performance.

So in the end in Boss vs MXR my vote goes for MXR.


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## Stringjunkie

I have a boss tuner and a OFA modded SD1, both are great, and I have an MXR ZW chorus, MXR custom badass distortion, and an MXR phase which all do exactly what I am looking for. All good pedals that seem built very well.


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## DSL100 Dude

I have both, I use both. Moose said it best with they are not better or worse, just different.

There are 4 pedals that I keep in my gear bag as my "just in case" items. They have stood the test of time and come through in both older versions and modern versions for me every time I have needed them.

*BOSS DS-1

MXR PHASE 90

Ibanez TS-9

Dunlop Crybaby*


The *BOSS SD-1* and *Fulltone OCD* also receive honorable mention but the ole TS-9 has been my OD pedal forever.

Oh, and the *BOSS DD-7* is a great digital delay. Perfect for what I need a delay to do on the extremely rare times I use it. A great analog delay is a completely different monster in my book. I have always looked at other brands for that.


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## Moose Lewis

*Forgot about my Boss TU-12 Tuner. That thing's been beatin' around for well over 30 years. Every time I get excited about a new tuner, I'm reminded I have one that has never let me down and is spot on.


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## joe web

i had two or three boss pedals in the past. a HM-2 dist. pedal, which had a brutal metal tone, but that was all it could do. there was not much midrange left - sold it.
the next was a chorus pedal, don´t remember which it was. it was very clear sounding and did a good job - sold it.
and the last pedal was a AC-2 or AC-3? it was o.k. for getting a piezo sound out of a normal guitar and by simple setting it up somewhere in front of you amp - sold it.
now i use Music Man guitars with a real piezo pickup - great!

and of course it´s MXR vs. Boss....
the pedals i use in front of my roadster head: MXR dyna comp, ZW overdrive, phase 90, EVH flanger - all pedals do an awesome job!
now i built a pedalboard for my JCM800 2205 and because i love the sound of my MXR pedals in front of my roadster, i decided to go with a similar setup and use the evh flanger, evh phaser, (ordered the ZW chorus), the ZW overdive (but will change it to a custommade overdrive with more low-end) , the MXR / bradshaw Linedriver in the loop to push the level for solos. maybe i´ll get a carbon copy in the near future as well.

so that MXR is made by JimDunlop, i think it´s o.k. to say, that i love the cry baby models. i use the ZW wah with the mesa and the EVH wah with the marshall and of course i still have an old original cry baby.

all those pedals work great, sound great and the customer service is also great. 
my first phase 90 pedal stopped working after 6 month, MXR send my a new pedal right away - that´s customer service to me.


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## brandoz28

I've had several of both, sold a lot of both, and actually right now I have mostly boss stuff on my pedal board. 
MXR pedals I own/have owned:
Distortion+
ZW overdrive
10 band EQ
phase 90
fullbore metal

Boss pedals:
sd-1 overdrive
ds-1 distortion
ch-1 super chorus
ns-2 noise suppressor
an old octave pedal

Always used crybaby wah pedals, I just haven't found another one that I really cared for. 

The only reason that I have the Sd-1 is my ZW overdrive got stolen, I want to try that cheaper OD pedal that guitar center is carrying now. I've always kind of leaned towards MXR pedals because I usually just find a sound that I like better in them. 

That said my signal is as follows right now:
guitar>ZW wah>phase 90>sd-1>ns-2>amp
loop out>mxr 10 band>ch-1 chorus>loop return


Mix of both, I try not to get too wrapped up in the brand stuff, however I do like how a pedalboard looks with pedals of the same make/construction on it


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## RazorDave

I havent played a whole lot of MXR pedals, but enough to like them way more than Boss. Boss has a few killer pedals, but they have a lot of garbage too. I use the tuner, and pitchshifter. I agree 150% with Viking on the Micro Amp. Its a pretty damn good volume or gain boost, depending on where you put it. Uber transparent. Im looking foward to trying more from MXR. Of course this is just one opinion and nothing more.


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## JSJ900

I think it's funny how the MXR ZW pedals are basicly an SD1 and CE5 but the people who by them want to poop on BOSS. I like Zakk, but I actually liked his tone, songwriting and playing better when he was using an SD1 & CH1 and later an SD1 & CE5. To be fair, the BOSS choruses he was using then were probably analog versions - both models are now digital.


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## scat7s

i like boss pedals when they are on, i do not like that they arent true bypass. for that reason alone, ive gotta give MXR the edge. 

it sucks to spend $100 on a pedal, to find out that when inserted in your chain, your tone suffers when the pedal is off. 

i have a couple boss, and a couple mxr clones, the boss's are not included in my normal setup. nor are any non-true baypass pedals, with the exception of the TS to my marshall line. like moose said, when you start stacking up the boss pedals, the tone starts to 'change' real quick. less articulate, more "washed out" or something....just not as sharp and accurate.


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## Rahlstin

Ive got a mix of boss and MXR. Just ebay won a MXR wilde OD I bid on and ended up with....crap... going to try it out n see. I like my Boss stuff. Been using thier products for almost 30 years. As for toughness, I dont think you could hurt either products. I would however like to try the MXR chours and carbon copy.


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## Stringjunkie

I just got an MXR KFK eq for 40$ on CL, gonna try out the 2 outputs. Hope it's good stuff.


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## bluesfunk

wow...lots of misinformation on this one.
Firstly the people who are saying they like the MXR bypass better than the BOSS one, I don't know what you're hearing but all standard line MXRs (except the CC) are hardwired which sucks a LOT more tone than the buffered BOSSes, which are actually the best buffers I've come across anyway.
Secondly, the construction of BOSS pedals is leaps and bounds ahead of MXR especially since MXRs have the switch mounted right on to the PCB. For every non-functional BOSS pedal you find, you'll find at least 1500 MXRs.
Objectively, these two points alone make BOSS better but as far as tone is concerned, it's subjective so whatever works for you.
FYI I also think that BOSS has always put more emphasis on R&D and innovation than MXR. While I love some MXRs I've never seen them even attempt something like a Slow Gear or SL-20 or Step/Rise & Fall phaser.


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## Marshall_Watts87

Boss really needs to go back to ANALOG

the stuff they made in the 80's was gold.

so MXR only on my board.


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## Vinsanitizer

I will never buy another Boss pedal, nor will I ever buy an Ibanez guitar. Not to knock anyone who likes these products, to each his own, but for me they're both as sterile as sterile gets.

MXR if I have to, but they aren't exactly the end-all/be-all of pedals these day either. Pedals have come a loooooong way since the olden days. And with pedals, we're finally getting past that "vintage" mindset, which proves to me that there _is _a God.


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## Marshall_Watts87

ya i love vintage gear but it definitely isn't the only shit. i think T.C. pedals are the runner up. i just like MXR because their simple and traditional. not to mention I just love analog.


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