The MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion is a Mxl distortion pedal. Close alternatives include the Malekko Fetish MKII and the Fender Full Moon. It pairs well with the Hiwatt Custom DR20H and the Hiwatt DR103H.
MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion
Mxl · pedal
The MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion is a signature distortion pedal created in collaboration with the estate of Randy Rhoads, the legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist who died in 1982, designed to recreate the specific Marshall JMP-inspired distortion character associated with his iconic tone on the Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman albums. The Concorde delivers harmonically rich, powerful distortion suited to classic heavy metal and hard rock lead playing.
What stands out
“The Concorde delivers harmonically rich, powerful distortion suited to classic heavy metal and hard rock lead playing”
— from the listing
“Harmonically rich saturation with the natural, open quality of pushed Marshall amplification”
— from the reviews
“The MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion is a signature distortion pedal created in collaboration with the estate of Randy Rhoads, the legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist who died in 1982, designed to recreate the specific Marshall JMP-inspir…”
— from the listing
“A compelling tribute to one of heavy metal's most important guitarists with genuinely useful tonal character for classic metal applications”
— from the reviews
Trade-offs
“s tonal legacy find it a historically resonant distortion choice”
— from the community notes
“mxr build quality is consistent and reliable”
— from the reviews
- distortion
- metal
- harmonically rich
- hard rock
- lead
- genuinely useful tonal character
- saturation
- open
Genres the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion is commonly used in
- Metal
- Hard Rock
- Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Christian Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Death Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metalcore
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion
Hiwatt Custom DR20H
Hiwatt
30% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Hiwatt Custom DR20H pushes a saturated tone toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Hiwatt DR103H
Hiwatt
29% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Feed a saturated signal into Hiwatt DR103H and it comes out closer to tight
Comes later in the signal chain
VHT D-50
Vht
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack VHT D-50 on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight
Gallien-Krueger MB108
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger MB108 takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger MB150S-112 Bass Combo
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger MB150S-112 Bass Combo takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger MB210MK2
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Gallien-Krueger MB210MK2 on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight
Revv Dynamis D25 25W 1x12 Combo
Revv
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a saturated signal into Revv Dynamis D25 25W 1x12 Combo and it comes out closer to tight
Revv Dynamis D20 MkII 20W Head
Revv
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Revv Dynamis D20 MkII 20W Head takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight
Pedals that stack with the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion
Origin Effects Cali76 MK2 Bass Compressor
Origin Effects
13% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Origin Effects Cali76 MK2 Bass Compressor leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Xotic RC Booster
Xotic
12% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → clean boost)
Xotic RC Booster pushes a saturated tone toward clean boost
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Airis Effects 51-Filthy
Airis Effects
12% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → tight)
Stack Airis Effects 51-Filthy on top and a saturated tone tightens toward tight
Comes later in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress
Electro-Harmonix
7% matchKeep Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress after MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion in the signal chain, clear of MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Empress Echosystem
Empress
5% matchPut Empress Echosystem after MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion in the signal chain, clear of MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Alexander Pedals Radical Delay
Alexander Pedals
5% matchAlexander Pedals Radical Delay's pristine voice goes after MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion's own harmonically rich character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
NuX Masamune Booster & Kompressor
Nux
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put NuX Masamune Booster & Kompressor in front of MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Malekko Fetish MKII
Malekko
59% similarityShared character: hard rock, metal, distortion
Fender Full Moon
Fender
59% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, lead
Boss DS-1 Distortion (Japan, 1980s)
pedal
57% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion, lead
Morley MDB2 Dual Boost Distortion
Morley
53% similarityShared character: distortion
Maxon Sm-9 Pro+
Maxon
52% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, distortion
Demon FX Gladiator
Demon Fx
52% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, distortion
Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Boss
51% similarityShared character: metal, distortion
One Control Anodized Brown Distortion
One Control
51% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion
Mooer Rage Machine
Mooer
51% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, distortion
Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition
Fender
50% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion
Orange - Vintage Distortion
Orange
50% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion
DigiTech Metal Master
Digitech
50% similarityShared character: resonant, metal, hard rock
See all alternatives to the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion?+
The closest matches in character are the Malekko Fetish MKII, the Fender Full Moon, the Boss DS-1 Distortion (Japan, 1980s).
What pairs well with the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Hiwatt Custom DR20H, Hiwatt DR103H, VHT D-50 — Hiwatt Custom DR20H pushes a saturated tone toward tight.