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MXR GT-OD Overdrive
List: $175
What’s green & is the epitome of external tube driving? Before you say ‘Tubescreamer’, be aware that there are now more than a handful of green drive pedals in the market to kick your tube amps into turbo mode, the green tinge isn’t about to dislodge itself from the overdrive association hence the addition to this fold- MXR’s GT OD.
Build/ features
It is rather obvious that the GT OD originates from MXR’s Custom Shop selection (read the stated label- duh!) but we thank the manufacturer for not tagging it with a Custom Shop price. The GT OD has a simple 3-knob layout & battery access is still via the base plate removal but the rigid physique still holds. What’s different here is the complete absence of the base plate grip padding which comes as an accessory- use it if you must; leave it out if you choose to velcro the pedal to your pedal board. The only exclusive feature is the knobs’ slit markers- these glow in the dark…
Rating: 85%
Tone
The ‘GT’ suffix here would allude to a charged up performance of a typical race car but the drive on offer remains non-accelerated. This GT OD barely roars in its upper gain reaches but in the overdrive domain, that maximum output would be deemed aggressive. In an isolated use, the pedal remains non-vehement; blues crunch fans would be pleased with the smooth break-up tone, nothing too different from BOSS’ Blues Driver/ Marshall’s Blues Breaker II but the degree of smoothness is its unique offering, quite absent from the latter pedals. The drive sweep on offer is also impressive, one can dial up an almost clean break-up (very inviting for jazz type neck pickup runs), as well as some raunchy single coil pickup crackle.
The real application of the GT OD should be a drive propeller. In this application, the GT OD serves the player quite differently; any gain levels up to the half-way mark accentuates the amp’s drive smoothness while excessive amounts would manifest more crunch in the mix. This is one of the very few pedals in the market right now which offers minimal transmutation of one’s primary drive source. The other plus factor would be its low noise nature both in isolated use and in combination with others (the amp’s drive or your other drive pedal).
Tone test equipment:
• Guitars: Ibanez RGR321/ ESP Eclipse II/ Fender ST72
• Amps: Epiphone Valve Jr/ Marshall MG15 MSII/ Marshall JVM
• Pedals: Marshall Guvnor Plus/ Carl Martin Crush Zone
Rating: 85%
Final say
Pedals of this ilk has a limited appeal to players who are into major drive augmentation; the GT OD is too mild to provide a major thrust in isolated use & its supplementary role would benefit the discerning players who are already quite content with his/ her set-up, just needing that extra drive kick for the current operations. Nevertheless, the GT OD differentiates itself from the average Ibanez Tubescreamer because it is more than just a midrange mobilizer & it’s nothing excessively influential in its upper reaches. Despite its Custom Shop attribute, the GT OD is another player in the populous drive turf.
Final rating: 85%
Product availability: Ebenex
Likes:
• Dynamic drive sweep
• Glow-in-the-dark indicators useful for poorly lit performance venues
• Base plate grip padding comes as an accessory & not factory fixed
• Low noise performance
Dislikes:
• Base plate removal battery access
• Satin green finish prone to scratches
Worthy competitors:
• BOSS: Turbo-Overdrive
• Rocktron: Sonic Glory
• Digitech: Bad Monkey
• Ibanez: TS-7
• Toadworks: Little Leo
• CMATMods: Tube Slammer
• Behringer: TO-100
• Beta Aivin: OD-100
• Carl Martin: Rock Drive
**PS: other comments/ pics available at the blog site indicated below
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