Dunlop MXR Distortion III, model M115 vs Fender Full Moon

The Dunlop MXR Distortion III, model M115 and the Fender Full Moon are both pedals sharing high gain, transparent. The Dunlop MXR Distortion III, model M115 leans tight. The Fender Full Moon leans saturated and crunchy.

Similarity
citedBlended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.

46% — somewhat different

Shared genres
citedGenres both listings are associated with.
  • Rock
  • Metal
Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • high gain
  • transparent
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
0%
0%
Price
—

$175.75via Reverb

Description

The MXR Distortion III, model M115, is a distortion pedal from MXR by Jim Dunlop that delivers a moderate-gain drive tone reviewed as sounding closer to overdrive than high-gain distortion in character. The M115 covers classic overdrive through medium distortion and works well as an all-purpose moderate-gain drive into a tube amplifier. It features Output, Tone, and Distortion knobs on a straightforward control layout. Reviews from Sweetwater, Audiofanzine, and Guitar Pick Reviews note its excellent tone quality for blues lead lines and all-around rhythm guitar overdrive, while also noting it loses low-frequency content when engaged, making it less ideal for bass applications.

The Fender Full Moon Distortion is a high-gain distortion pedal from Fender, part of the Hammertone series, delivering aggressive, heavily saturated distortion suited to hard rock and metal applications. The Full Moon Distortion provides wide Gain and Level controls alongside a three-band active EQ and a voice switch that shifts the tonal character of the distortion between two distinct frequency profiles. The high-gain circuit with three-band EQ gives players detailed control over the distortion character for both rhythm and lead applications across metal and hard rock genres.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • Classic Rock
  • Blues
  • Hard Rock
Tonal lean
  • tight
  • saturated
  • crunchy
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Dunlop MXR Distortion III, model M115 vs Fender Full Moon — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone