Friedman BE-OD vs MXR Super Badass Distortion
The Friedman BE-OD and the MXR Super Badass Distortion are both pedals sharing tight, sustaining, clean boost. The Friedman BE-OD leans bright and mid-forward. The MXR Super Badass Distortion leans crunchy and dynamic. Current prices: $169.99 vs $99.
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Blended 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.49% — somewhat different
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Metal
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- tight
- sustaining
- clean boost
Friedman BE-OD
Friedman · pedal
MXR Super Badass Distortion
MXR · pedal
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$169.99via Reverb
$99via Reverb
The Friedman BE-OD is a high-gain distortion pedal that puts the sound of the Friedman BE-100 amplifier into a stompbox, built to emulate the cranked, modded-Marshall tone that amp is famous for. It offers Volume, Gain, Tone, Presence, and Tight controls plus an internal trim, giving a wide and aggressive EQ that stays focused and amp-like across the gain range. From gritty mid-flavored crunch to balls-to-the-wall modern high gain, it delivers tight, articulate distortion that cuts through a mix without turning muddy, with smooth creamy sustain on leads and buzzsaw grind for rhythm. Favored for hard rock, modern metal, and prog, it suits players chasing a British, mod-Marshall voice into a clean amp or neutral front end. Its specialized voicing prioritizes that signature character over broad versatility.
The MXR Super Badass Distortion is a versatile analog distortion with a three-band active EQ and a wide gain range, designed to cover decades of dirt from one box. With the distortion low it produces a bold, beefy clean boost and light crunch, and as gain increases it moves through classic-rock midrange grind into harmonically rich, saturated, scooped-mid metal roar. The Bass, Mid, and Treble controls reshape the voice dramatically, going from thick and beefy to bright and aggressive while staying tight rather than flabby. Notes remain clear and dynamic, responding to picking. Suited to rock, blues, punk, and metal, it is praised as a do-it-all distortion with warm, sustaining tone. Its only real coloration is a trace of modern distortion character across its range.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Hard Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Classic Rock
- Rock
- Blues
- Punk
- bright
- mid-forward
- saturated
- crunchy
- dynamic
- transparent