Today, I am going to review the MI Audio Crunch Box distortion pedal.
This pedal is designed to deliver a high gain, vintage British sounding distortion. The tone it creates is similar to a cranked up Marshall Stack, and as soon as you play it you’ll be wondering how they fit so much Marshall Tone into such a small pedal. The pedal has a lot of gain to it, and even when played at a mid-level setting, it still delivers some incredible distortion sounds.

The controls on the Crunch Box allow you to dial in some outstanding tones. It’s gain control provides very pronounced harmonic overtones, and some seriously crunchy distortion tones. The tone control can be used to really dial in the perfect sound of your guitar by adjusting the high and low end levels. The MI Crunch Box also has a cool hidden feature, the Internal Presence control, which is used to “shape” the dynamics of the pedal’s tone.

I had the opportunity to play through this pedal with a Gibson Les Paul, and let me tell you, the humbucking pickups and the high gain characteristics of the Crunch Box are a match made in musical heaven. The pedal really does a proper job of accenting the natural tones of the Les Paul, while providing some screaming distortion at the same time.

This distortion pedal, like all MI Audio effects pedals, is hand made and comes with a 5 year warranty. Each pedal is built by hand, individually tested and designed to provide a huge output signal. The heavy-duty  aluminum enclosure on the MI Audio Crunch Box makes it able to withstand some serious use. This is one of the best effects pedals I have played over the years, and really give it my full recommendation.

This video showcases the kinds of awesome tones you can achieve with the MI Audio Crunch Box Distortion Pedal. The guitar being used in this demo is a Fender Stratocaster.

Click here to shop for MI Audio Crunch Box Distortion Pedals

Sound Quality: This Distortion Pedal can achieve a wide range of high quality distortion tones. The sounds it creates are really amazing and most other Distortion Pedals can’t compete.

Example Sounds Settings

A warm sounding distortion is achieved when the basic EQ settings are at around noon, and the distortion level is completely turned down. It produces a tone that really brings out the natural sound of your guitar, and your playing.

Setting the mid range EQ down, and the distortion about half way up gives you a great mid cut range, and a heavy distortion. It is perfect for shredding at this level because of it’s high gain, and great distorted tone.

Pushing the pedal to the limit, and setting the distortion to max really shows off what this pedal can do. It creates a super heavy distortion that just sounds great, and is perfect for the heaviest of metal bands.

The Metal Muff is also great for pinch harmonics.  I found that some Distortion Pedals claiming super heavy tones, often can’t capture the sounds of pinch harmonics correctly. This pedal is perfect for them. Its EQ controls are also very impressive. They are very responsive and help you dial in your tone perfectly.

Features: The most unique feature on this Distortion Pedal is it’s high gain boost switch. It allows players to get a boost in their highs during solos, without having to switch pickups. It is perfect for nailing solos, and really makes your guitar scream.

If you are a metal player, you’ve got to check this Distortion Pedal out. It is an impressive pedal that can achieve a wide range of distortion tones that all sound excellent. It is something no guitar player should be without.

This video gives a great demonstration of the kinds of tones the Electro-Harmonix XO Metal Muff can achieve. It explains exactly how to set the pedal’s EQ settings to get the perfect sound.

Shop for the Electro-Harmonix XO Metal Muff Here

The defining feature of the White Stripe’s is the member line up, consisting only of Jack White on guitar and Meg White providing the rhythm section on drums. This arrangement though comes with challenges when playing live, and that is why Jack White uses such a variety of pedals to reinforce the sonic presence of their live shows. Below I have highlighted some of the most important effects pedals that Jack White uses to achieve his signature sound.

The DigiTech Whammy IV – Jack uses this pedal to achieve rapid  pitch modulations during his solo playing.

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Distortion – This pedals provides a very fuzz like distortion with almost endless sustain. This is Jack White’s primary distortion pedal, and I can speak from experience that this pedal is awesome. It is the one that I use and could not imagine playing without it.

MXR Micro-Amp – This effects pedal is used to boost your signal when playing. It is primarily used for Jack’s solo work, and can add a considerable amount of gain. It is great when some signal loss occurs because of long effects pedal chains.

Polyphonic Octave Generator (POG) – This pedal creates a polyphonic octave effect that Jack uses to thicken his sound. It’s effect is ultimately making a 6 string guitar, sound like a 12 string. The most noticeable use of this pedal is heard in the White Stripe’s song, “Blue Orchid”.

These pedals aren’t guaranteed to make you sound just like Jack White, but they are definitely enough to inspire your playing. Take the sounds they create and make them your own. After all, defining your own guitar playing style is what being a true musician is all about. Plug in and have fun!

The video below shows Jack White’s effects pedals in action. It is a great performance of the song, Blue Orchid.

This iconic red effects pedal is a legend among guitar players. It produces a tone that sounds like it came straight from the 60s. This is the Dunlop Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face Pedal, which is a remake of the fuzz pedal that Jimi Hendrix and other musicians used to achieve their legendary sounds. This Fuzz pedal closely follows the design of it’s forefathers that made their sounds so legendary. It is made to the original vintage specs, and has the same Germanium PNP transistor design contained in it. This Fuzz pedal rocks straight out of the box, and no extra mods are required to get real Jimi Hendrix-like tones.  Plug this into a Stratocaster, crank a Tube Amp and let the Purple Haze fill the room.

Overall Quality: This Fuzz pedal is definitely made to last. It has a steel case, and a very sturdy foot switch that could handle many years of abuse.  It also has a heavy duty rubber mat surrounding the foot switch to protect the pedal, and to give you traction if resting your foot on it.

Sound Quality: The sound quality of this Distortion/Fuzz Pedal is really amazing. If you are looking for a Hendrix, or Led Zeppelin type of vintage sound, then this is the pedal for you. It does take a little bit of manipulation between the volume level on your guitar, and the volume knob on the unit though to achieve the perfect tone.  I like to crank the volume on the pedal all the way up, and back off the level on my guitar to get the desired sound.

Overall, this is high quality Fuzz Pedal that delivers some awesome tones. It is simple to use, and produces great tones. It is perfect for any guitar player looking to achieve those class vintage tones made by the iconic rockers of he 60′s and 70′s. I highly recommend this Fuzz Pedal for the novice, to experienced professional.

The video below is a great demonstration of the Dunlop Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face Pedal

Buy the Fuzz Face here.

I have been using the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone Effects Pedal in my setup for a few years, and I have to say, this thing rocks! It offers precision tone controls that allow you to dial in the perfect amount of room shaking, sustain filled distortion. The Boss MT-2 Metal Zone comes equipped with a 3-Band EQ also which allows you to set your High and Low shelving, as well as tweak the mid band parametric sounds. The pedal also allows you to control the overall volume level, and distortion level.

This pedal can achieve a variety of different distortion sounds because of the EQ Tone controls on the pedals front. All of the sounds though are HEAVY. This pedal is designed for Hard Rock and Metal in mind. It allows you to really nail blazing solos,  tackle intense hammering and also pinch harmonics.

Overall Quality: The Boss MT-2 Metal Zone pedal creates high quality sounds, and is built to last. It is made of sturdy steel which will hold up nearly forever, and can really take a beating and keep working. The effect and EQ controls are also a great feature on this pedal. They work flawlessly, respond immediately and allow you to really dial in your sound.

Sound: This pedal is Heavy, with a capital H. It can make a mid quality amp sound like a Marshall Stack. The sound quality is excellent, and the possibilities of sounds are endless with the MT-2 precision controls. It is perfect for Thrash Metal but, can also create a good fuzz tone or a heavy muffled distortion ton.

Check out the video below to really see what the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone Pedal can do

Shop for BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone Pedals Here

For this review, I will be taking a look at the most recent addition to my effects pedal chain, the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Distortion / Sustainer pedal. This effects pedal is a reissued model of the legendary Electro-Harmonix USA Big Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer Pedal made popular in the 70′s. It’s claim to fame is the harmonic like distortion, and near limitless sustain it can produce.

I bought this pedal because I was actually in the market for a good quality fuzz pedal, and this thing does not disappoint. It has a great fuzz tone, and the three control knobs really make it easy to dial in just the right sound.  The Big Muff Distortion has the standard volume knob to control the output level of the pedal, a sustain knob to dial in the perfect amount of smooth sustain and a tone knob to accentuate both your lows, and highs.

Pros: Awesome fuzz tone, and the sustain sounds great. It is perfect if you love high gain distortion sounds and are looking for a pedal to beef up your solo work, or your power riffs. It is also made it America, and it very sturdy. I have not had any problems with the functionality of mine since I’ve received it, and I use it a lot!

Cons: The pedal was initially a bit on the noisy side. It taks a little bit of time to tune the knobs in just right, but once you do things really do sound great and a lot of the noise is suppressed. This pedal is also not for someone looking to play arrpegiated chords, it is definitely a heavy distortion pedal.

This video gives you a great demonstration of what this pedal can do.