The MXR M115 Distortion III is an MXR overdrive pedal. Close alternatives include the Catalinbread CB-Distortion and the Maxon OD808. It pairs well with the Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head and the Ampeg SVT-CL.
MXR M115 Distortion III
MXR · pedal
The MXR M115 Distortion III is a versatile gain pedal spanning sweet, singing overdrive through to heavier distortion crunch, with simple Level, Tone, and Gain controls. Its distortion character is natural and amp-like, described by reviewers as transparent enough to let a guitar's own character shine through rather than imposing a fixed fuzzy voicing. It's built with durable components, a metal housing, and a reliable footswitch for road use. It particularly excels as a high-quality crunch and blues-lead pedal rather than a dedicated metal distortion, with reviewers split on whether its character reads more as overdrive or true distortion.
- overdrive
- distortion
- blues
- crunch
- sweet
- reliable
- metal
- simple
Genres the MXR M115 Distortion III is commonly used in
- Blues
- Classic Rock
- Metal
- Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the MXR M115 Distortion III
Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
24% matchStack Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward
Ampeg SVT-CL
Ampeg
24% matchThe Distortion III's sweet, blues-voiced crunch pushes the SVT-CL's growling tube stage into real breakup.
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchFeed a crunchy signal into Ceriatone HRM 50 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchStack Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50 on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward
Peavey 112-6 1x12
Peavey
tonal matchPeavey 112-6 1x12 takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Roland Cube Street EX
Roland
tonal matchRoland Cube Street EX pushes a crunchy tone toward mid-forward
Mesa Boogie Mark I
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchMesa Boogie Mark I pushes a crunchy tone toward mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchFeed a crunchy signal into Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the MXR M115 Distortion III
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
21% matchStack Browne Amplification Gritador on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward
Greer Southland
Greer
21% matchGreer Southland pushes a crunchy tone toward clean boost
Wampler Cory Wong
Wampler
18% matchWhat Wampler Cory Wong brings here leans toward clean boost — that's worth building a pairing around
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
15% matchCaroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo's clean boost voice goes after MXR M115 Distortion III in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with MXR M115 Distortion III's own crunchy character
Catalinbread Epoch-Set
Catalinbread
11% matchKeep Catalinbread Epoch-Set after MXR M115 Distortion III in the signal chain, clear of MXR M115 Distortion III's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb
pedal
8% matchBoss RV-5 Digital Reverb's spring voice goes after MXR M115 Distortion III in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with MXR M115 Distortion III's own crunchy character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Laney TI-Boost
Laney
tonal matchInto MXR M115 Distortion III, Laney TI-Boost is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
J. Rockett The Dude V2
J Rockett
tonal matchInto MXR M115 Distortion III, J. Rockett The Dude V2 is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Catalinbread CB-Distortion
Catalinbread
73% similarityShared character: higher_gain, sweet, aggressive_playing
Maxon OD808
Maxon
73% similarityShared character: guitar, crunch, classic_rock
MXR M193 GT-OD Overdrive
MXR
72% similarityShared character: higher_gain, singing, simple
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
72% similarityShared character: guitar, singing, aggressive_playing
ProCo Fat Rat
Proco
71% similarityShared character: distortion, s_build_quality, metal
Mad Professor Mad-Sdo
Mad Professor
71% similarityShared character: sweet, aggressive_playing, distortion
Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition
Suhr
71% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, crunch, distortion
Dunlop MXR M104 Distortion+
Dunlop
70% similarityShared character: singing, simple, classic_rock
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
70% similarityShared character: sweet, singing, metal
JHS Pedals Kilt 10th Anniversary
JHS Pedals
69% similarityShared character: higher_gain, crunch, classic_rock
ProCo Sterling Vermin
Proco
69% similarityShared character: sweet, aggressive_playing, distortion
Wylde Audio MXR WA44 Overdrive
Wylde Audio
69% similarityShared character: durable_construction, aggressive_playing, s_build_quality
See all alternatives to the MXR M115 Distortion III (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the MXR M115 Distortion III?+
The closest matches in character are the Catalinbread CB-Distortion, the Maxon OD808, the MXR M193 GT-OD Overdrive.
What pairs well with the MXR M115 Distortion III?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head, Ampeg SVT-CL, Ceriatone HRM 50 — Stack Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward.