The MXR Jail is an MXR fuzz pedal. Close alternatives include the Lovepedal MK12 Super High Gain Dirt Box and the Caroline Guitar Company Wave Cannon Zero. It pairs well with the Soldano SLO 100 100-Watt Tube Guitar Amplifier and the Port City Pearl 50.
MXR Jail
MXR · pedal
The MXR JGD1 Jail is a specialty gain pedal from MXR associated with the Jail Guitar Doors charitable organization, delivering overdrive or distortion character in a format that connects to music industry charitable causes. MXR has produced specialty and charity-themed limited pedals as part of their broad Custom Shop and signature product range.
What stands out
“Build quality is consistent and reliable across the product range”
— from the community notes
“MXR maintains consistent quality with Dunlop's reliable American manufacturing”
— from the reviews
“The MXR JGD1 Jail is a specialty gain pedal from MXR associated with the Jail Guitar Doors charitable organization, delivering overdrive or distortion character in a format that connects to music industry charitable causes”
— from the listing
“MXR is one of the most trusted American pedal brands, combining classic circuit heritage with modern Dunlop manufacturing quality”
— from the community notes
“Classic and modern MXR designs both benefit from the brand's circuit knowledge and Dunlop's production quality”
— from the reviews
- distortion
- overdrive
- road worthy
- classic and modern mxr
Amps that pair well with the MXR Jail
Soldano SLO 100 100-Watt Tube Guitar Amplifier
Soldano
12% matchSoldano SLO 100 100-Watt Tube Guitar Amplifier leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Port City Pearl 50
Port City
12% matchWhat Port City Pearl 50 brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp after MXR Jail
Magnatone 510
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Magnatone 510 after MXR Jail
Pedals that stack with the MXR Jail
Walrus Audio Eras
Walrus Audio
8% matchWalrus Audio Eras leans toward lush, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Fulltone OCD
Fulltone
8% matchFulltone OCD's own full character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress
Electro-Harmonix
7% matchKeep Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress after MXR Jail in the signal chain, clear of MXR Jail's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Ashdown Studio Compressor
Ashdown
6% matchAshdown Studio Compressor's own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay
Dunlop
5% matchKeep Dunlop - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay after MXR Jail in the signal chain, clear of MXR Jail's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Empress Echosystem
Empress
5% matchKeep Empress Echosystem after MXR Jail in the signal chain, clear of MXR Jail's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp
EarthQuaker Devices
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp after MXR Jail
Alternatives
Lovepedal MK12 Super High Gain Dirt Box
Lovepedal
56% similarityShared character: brand, distortion
Caroline Guitar Company Wave Cannon Zero
Caroline Guitar Company
53% similarityShared character: distortion, overdrive
Tech 21 SansAmp Character Plus English Muffy
Tech 21
49% similarityShared character: distortion
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
Electro-Harmonix
48% similarityShared character: distortion, overdrive
Death By Audio Destruction
Death By Audio
48% similarityShared character: distortion
Electro-Harmonix Flatiron Fuzz
Electro-Harmonix
46% similarityShared character: distortion, overdrive
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker
pedal
44% similarityShared character: distortion
Zvex Fuzz Factory P025
Zvex
42% similarityShared character: overdrive
Rocktron Sonic Glory
Rocktron
42% similarityShared character: distortion
Fulltone Custom Shop OCD Gold Standard LTD
Fulltone
42% similarityShared character: distortion, overdrive
Tru-Fi Rangemaster Fuzz
Tru Fi
41% similaritySimilar role and voicing
EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Reaper V2
EarthQuaker Devices
40% similarityShared character: distortion
See all alternatives to the MXR Jail (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the MXR Jail?+
The closest matches in character are the Lovepedal MK12 Super High Gain Dirt Box, the Caroline Guitar Company Wave Cannon Zero, the Tech 21 SansAmp Character Plus English Muffy.
What pairs well with the MXR Jail?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Soldano SLO 100 100-Watt Tube Guitar Amplifier, Port City Pearl 50, Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp — Soldano SLO 100 100-Watt Tube Guitar Amplifier leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.