MXR M69 Prime Distortion review

Stompbox in the pole position

  • £59
  • €78
  • $79
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The Prime Distortion is particularly suited to 80s metal sounds

MusicRadar Verdict

A lot of pedal for not much cash - it could make a worthy addition to your arsenal, even if it's not the only distortion pedal you own.

Pros

  • +

    Great value and build quality.

Cons

  • -

    Controls need more range.

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We were excited when we heard about the Prime Distortion: true bypass, metal enclosure and MXR's distortion lineage for £59? It sounds too good to be true, but this will withstand more abuse than most.

"While the dirt leans towards vintage, its voicing is fairly low in the midrange"

With the Prime Distortion's three controls - output, tone and distortion - set to noon, the pedal compresses and blooms like a cooking valve amp; reduce volume for a touch-sensitive overdrive with bite.

Single-coils shine through and humbuckers up the ante for more compressed tones. While the dirt leans towards vintage, its voicing is fairly low in the midrange, which makes it perfect for 80s metal riffing but less so for classic British rock, while more modern styles might require an additional drive or boost.

You need to be careful when adjusting the distortion level, too - the last quarter of the dial's range drastically boosts the gain, but the sound can get woolly. High-output humbuckers might cause problems when matching clean volume with distorted volume, as well.

A little more range on each of the Prime Distortion's controls could have made it a runaway success, but this is still a lot of pedal for not much cash, and could make a worthy addition to your arsenal - even if it's not the only distortion pedal you own.

Michael Brown
Michael Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.