MXR M300 Reverb and M76 Studio Compressor

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GUITARIST SEPTEMBER 2016
MXR
VERDICT A great compilation of reverbs with
practical options in a pedalboard-friendly package
VERDICT A solidly performing compressor with
plenty of variables to get your sound just right
After the popular Carbon Copy analogue
delay, it’s MXR’s turn to tackle reverb. The
M300 puts six types (Plate, Spring, Epic,
Mod, Room, Pad) into one of its standard
enclosures, all called up by pressing the
Tone knob, which cycles the selection.
In normal use it’s a mono pedal, but it
has a stereo mode that involves the use of
TRS splitter cables. You also get the option
of bypass modes that either stop the effect
dead or let it decay naturally after bypass.
Of the reverbs, the Spring setting
sounds nicely authentic, Epic will give
you a massive sound for spacey solos,
and Mod adds a touch of chorus, but Pad
uses up and down octaves for a huge
shimmery sound with the flavour of an
organ through a rotary speaker behind
your guitar. Furthermore, all sounds have
the performance option of an expression
pedal morphing between two sets of
knob settings.
[TC]
MXR’s M87 Bass compressor has been
around for a little while now, and the
new M76 Studio Compressor is more of
the same, but with a new look and name,
aimed to give it more universal appeal. This
is based on the sort of classic compressors
you would find in studios, with a choice
of compression ratios as found on Urei’s
rackmounted 1176, plus attack and release
knobs to give you control over shaping
the envelope of the sound. You also get a
very useful green/orange/red LED meter
showing you the amount of gain reduction
that’s going on.
The M76 is a naturally transparent-
sounding compressor rather than one
providing an obvious sonic signature. In
this respect, it’s a very different beast from
MXR’s Dynacomp, which is still a favourite
with guitarists for its own flavour of snap
and squash. With no top-end dulling, this
is a pedal that will unobtrusively keep your
dynamics in check, whether just thickening
the sound, keeping levels consistent or
making it chime. Class.
[TC]
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Reverb pedal
FEATURES: True bypass
or buffered ‘Trails’
bypass, wet mode,
6x reverb types (Plate,
Spring, Epic, Mod,
Room, Pad)
CONTROLS: Decay,
Tone (+ FX select
switching), Blend,
internal stereo/mono
DIP switch, bypass
footswitch
CONNECTIONS:
Standard (TRS) input,
standard (TRS) output,
exp pedal input
POWER: 9V DC adaptor
(supplied), 240mA
DIMENSIONS: 64 (w) x
110 (d) x 50mm (h)
Westside Distribution
0844 326 2000
www.jimdunlop.com
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Compressor
pedal
FEATURES:
True bypass, gain
reduction meter, 4x
compression ratios
CONTROLS:
Release, Attack, Ratio,
Output, Input,
bypass footswitch
CONNECTIONS:
Standard input,
standard output
POWER: 9V battery
or 9V DC adaptor
(not supplied)
DIMENSIONS: 64 (w) x
110 (d) x 50mm (h)
MXR
M300 REVERB £189
MXR M76 STUDIO
COMPRESSOR £182
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GIT411.peds_mxr.indd 126 04/08/2016 17:25