MusicRadar Verdict
If you're after a value-for-money distortion, it's a worthy contender.
Pros
- +
Decent build. Pocket-friendly build. Works well with bridge humbuckers.
Cons
- -
Abrasive tone control.
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This US-designed, Chinese-built stomper from Xvive isn't quite what you'd expect - while you probably associate classic rock with bucketloads of mids, the CR scoops them out.
"There's a smooth distorted tone at mid-gain settings, up to huge, sustaining solos at higher levels"
Nevertheless, it delivers a smooth distorted tone at mid-gain settings, up to huge, sustaining solos at higher levels.
For us, it sounded better with bridge-humbucker beef than single-coil spank, but either way, you'll need to keep the tone control low: it adjusts only the extreme highs in the signal, so gets abrasive very quickly.
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