The MXR Distortion II is an MXR distortion pedal. Close alternatives include the MXR Prime Distortion and the MXR M69P Prime Distortion. It pairs well with the Dumble Steel String Singer and the Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head.

MXR Distortion II

MXR · pedal

The MXR Distortion II is a hard clipping op-amp distortion pedal from MXR delivering the bright, hard-edged, harmonically aggressive distortion character that defined the MXR distortion sound. The distortion II provides a harder, more saturated clipping character than the MXR Distortion+ while sharing the op-amp topology that makes MXR's early distortion designs distinct.

  • distortion
  • clipping
  • bright
  • aggressive
  • saturation
  • consistent
  • reliable
  • op amp

Genres the MXR Distortion II is commonly used in

  • Rock
  • Punk
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Hard Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Metal
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Alternative
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Grunge
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Amps that pair well with the MXR Distortion II

Dumble Steel String Singer

Dumble

28% match

Run Dumble Steel String Singer after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth

Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head

Revv

25% match

Where this leans bright, Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head answers back smooth

Orange Little Bass Thing

Orange

tonal match
$708.76via Reverb

Run Orange Little Bass Thing after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Fuchs ODS II Custom 25/50 Combo

Fuchs

tonal match

Run Fuchs ODS II Custom 25/50 Combo after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm

Fender Prosonic

amplifier

tonal match

Fender Prosonic's warm balances out the bright tone

Gibson GA-50

Gibson

tonal match

Where this leans bright, Gibson GA-50 answers back warm

Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp

Orange

tonal match
$747.19via Reverb

Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp leans warm right where the bright tone needs it

Orange Terror Bass

Orange

tonal match
$782.78via Reverb

Orange Terror Bass leans warm right where the bright tone needs it

Pedals that stack with the MXR Distortion II

Catalinbread SFT

Catalinbread

19% match

Catalinbread SFT's warm balances out the bright tone

Behringer Chorus Symphony

Behringer

19% match
$90.90via Reverb

Keep Behringer Chorus Symphony after MXR Distortion II in the signal chain, clear of MXR Distortion II's own gain stage

Shin's Music Dumbloid

Shins Music

18% match

Shin's Music Dumbloid leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

Rocktron Big Crush Compressor

Rocktron

17% match

Rocktron Big Crush Compressor's own smooth character is the real reason this is worth trying

Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler

pedal

12% match
$263.70via Reverb

Keep Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler after MXR Distortion II in the signal chain, clear of MXR Distortion II's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte

Caroline Guitar Company

11% match
$199via Reverb

Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte's pristine voice goes after MXR Distortion II in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with MXR Distortion II's own bright character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Dunlop Echoplex Preamp

Dunlop

tonal match
$135via Reverb

Dunlop Echoplex Preamp leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive

Solidgoldfx

tonal match
$159via Reverb

SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it

Alternativessee all similar tone character →

MXR Prime Distortion

MXR

88% similarity
$76.69via Reverb

Shared character: aggressive_playing, bright, distortion

MXR M69P Prime Distortion

MXR

84% similarity
$82.87via Reverb

Shared character: aggressive_playing, bright, distortion

RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion

Rhc Audio

74% similarity

Shared character: aggressive_playing, distortion

Tone City Wildfire distortion

Tone City

73% similarity
$51.71via Reverb

Shared character: aggressive_playing, distortion

Vox Joe Satriani Satchurator

Vox

70% similarity
$50via Reverb

Shared character: aggressive_playing, distortion

Donner Dark Mouse

Donner

70% similarity
$39.99via Reverb

Shared character: aggressive_playing, bright, distortion

MXR Distortion+

MXR

70% similarity
$169.99via Reverb

“The distortion II provides a harder, more saturated clipping character than the MXR Distortion+ while sharing the op-amp topology”

Catalinbread Katzenkonig

Catalinbread

68% similarity

Shared character: aggressive_playing, bright, distortion

Aria Lil' RAT Distortion

Aria

68% similarity

Shared character: aggressive_playing, distortion

Dunlop Distortion III

Dunlop

94% similarity
$94.75via Reverb

similar tone character

Dunlop MXR M94SE Super Badass Distortion

Dunlop

93% similarity

similar tone character

Walrus Audio Fundamental Distortion

Walrus Audio

92% similarity
$75.35via Reverb

similar tone character

See all alternatives to the MXR Distortion II (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the MXR Distortion II?+

The closest matches in character are the MXR Prime Distortion, the MXR M69P Prime Distortion, the RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion.

What pairs well with the MXR Distortion II?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Dumble Steel String Singer, Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head, Orange Little Bass Thing — Run Dumble Steel String Singer after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth.

Compare

Related searches

MXR Distortion II — NodeTone