If you ’ re in search of dirty , dirty fuzz that ’ s fit for the grungiest , sludgiest music on the face of the earth , then look no farther than MXR ’ s new Super Badass Variac Fuzz . On the other hand , if you ’ re in the market for fuzz with a bit more restraint , just a bit of compression , and a fair amount of head room , then look no farther than MXR ’ s new pedal . What ’ s that ? How can the same pedal do both ? Through the magic of variable voltage and with a bit of tweaking to a vintage circuit design , MXR has produced a distortion which lives up to its name . Indeed , it is both “ super ” and “ badass .”
The Super Badass features the usual trio of controls : the Output ( careful here , the pedal is loud ); the Tone ( from crisp and clear to thick and heavy ); and Gain ( for dialing in reasonable or totally insane amounts of fuzz ). But the Super Badass also features a special fourth knob which controls the voltage level going into the distortion circuit . But what the heck does that knob do ? Why would a person want a low voltage current flowing through their precious fuzz circuit ?
To answer that question , I ’ m going to ask another . How would readers like to play
around with some of the gnarliest , most compressed fuzz they ’ ve ever heard ? Well , if they ’ re so inclined , then I recommend that they take a listen to the Super Badass fuzz , because in its low-voltage settings , it pumps out some of the thickest , heaviest fuzz MXR has yet delivered . MXR describes this distortion as its “ dying battery ” tone . The fuzz circuit is so starved for voltage that the signal doesn ’ t quite get through in one piece , which means that it ’ s highly , highly distorted .
The Super Badass surprised me because even in the low gain modes , the lowvoltage distortion was loud ,
MXR
SUPER BADASS VARIAC FUZZ
REVIEW BY DAVID A . EVANS STREET PRICE $ 129.95
If you ’ re in search of dirty , dirty fuzz that ’ s fit for the grungiest , sludgiest music on the face of the earth , then look no farther than MXR ’ s new Super Badass Variac Fuzz . On the other hand , if you ’ re in the market for fuzz with a bit more restraint , just a bit of compression , and a fair amount of head room , then look no farther than MXR ’ s new pedal . What ’ s that ? How can the same pedal do both ? Through the magic of variable voltage and with a bit of tweaking to a vintage circuit design , MXR has produced a distortion which lives up to its name . Indeed , it is both “ super ” and “ badass .”
The Super Badass features the usual trio of controls : the Output ( careful here , the pedal is loud ); the Tone ( from crisp and clear to thick and heavy ); and Gain ( for dialing in reasonable or totally insane amounts of fuzz ). But the Super Badass also features a special fourth knob which controls the voltage level going into the distortion circuit . But what the heck does that knob do ? Why would a person want a low voltage current flowing through their precious fuzz circuit ?
To answer that question , I ’ m going to ask another . How would readers like to play
around with some of the gnarliest , most compressed fuzz they ’ ve ever heard ? Well , if they ’ re so inclined , then I recommend that they take a listen to the Super Badass fuzz , because in its low-voltage settings , it pumps out some of the thickest , heaviest fuzz MXR has yet delivered . MXR describes this distortion as its “ dying battery ” tone . The fuzz circuit is so starved for voltage that the signal doesn ’ t quite get through in one piece , which means that it ’ s highly , highly distorted .
The Super Badass surprised me because even in the low gain modes , the lowvoltage distortion was loud ,
56 GEAR REVIEW // MXR Super Badass Variac Fuzz