MXR

July 2012 Guitarist 145
QUICKTEST
MISCELLANEOUS
CONTACT: Westside Distribution PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.jimdunlop.com
CONTACT: Step Up Audio PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.koch-amps.com
CONTACT:
Westside Distribution
MXR M84 Bass
Fuzz Deluxe
£157.56
Add some more scuzz to your thumping
The Bottom Line
We like: Fantastic distorted
sounds; usability; excellent
note stability
We dislike: Quite light, so
needs to be on a pedalboard
GUITARIST RATING
Koch Dummybox
DB60-HM & DB60-ST
£166 & £239
Need your tone at neighbour-friendly volume?
This pair of load boxes from
Koch are capable of handling
60 watts continuous and come
in compact, tough perforated
steel housings, with all the
relevant controls and interfaces
on one end. There’s a single
input for your amp speaker
lead, a through jack and a
monitor speaker output linked
to a three-position level switch.
The other common feature is a
pair of filter switches that
approximate on- or off-axis
microphone placement and
1 x 12 or 4 x 12 enclosures. These
feed the recording or PA
outputs – the HM (home)
version offers an unbalanced
standard jack, 3.5mm jack or
phono socket, while the ST
(studio/PA) boasts a balanced
DI output on a three-pin XLR,
with a ground-lift switch.
In Use
On both boxes the filter
switches provided a quick and
effective speaker emulation
that needed very little extra EQ
to sound great in a mix. The PA
version’s DI is padded down to
microphone level (-20dBV);
ideal for most stage and studio
The Bottom Line
We like: Compact; well
made; built to last;
usable features
We dislike: No line-level
emulated jack output on
the Studio model
GUITARIST RATING
Getting quality distortion
on bass has never been an
easy thing to achieve unless
you’re happy with
cranking up your amp’s
front end and trusting
your speakers to handle
it. But if you want
something that’s more
sophisticated and
adjustable then a bass
fuzz unit is the
answer. Sadly, many
still have problems in
working on certain notes,
tending to oscillate between the
actual note and the harmonic it
generates. If only we could have
something that didn’t do that…
enter the Bass Fuzz Deluxe.
Compact and efficient, the
Deluxe’s bypass switch is
backed by four rotary controls.
These offer adjustment to the
level of both the clean (dry)
signal and the effected (wet)
signal so that you can match or
boost one against the other.
Sounds
The tone control works on the
fuzz sound alone to smooth
things out a bit or to rough them
up just as you wish. The fuzz
control regulates the amount of
effect you deliver so overall
there’s plenty of adjustment to
desks. In all situations, both
Dummyboxes perform
superbly, transmitting our
valve head’s complex highs and
wide dynamic range with very
little alteration and efficient
heat dissipation.
Verdict
Well-made and easy to use, the
prices are reasonable for such
high-end products. The PA
version costs more; if it had an
unbalanced line-level jack sat
next to the XLR we’d have no
hesitation in purchasing, but
without this, it’s a harder
hand and all the sounds
produced across the pedal’s
range are solid, usable and
without silly extremes. As for
note stability, this is stunningly
good – it can even handle
harmonics and full chords
without ‘wandering’.
Verdict
For low-end dirt, this is simply
the perfect choice. [RN]
choice. The home version will
cover any indoor recording
situation with ease. Either way,
a Dummybox could prove to
be indispensable. [NG]
GIT356.rev_quick.indd 145 5/16/12 11:18:44 AM