It doesn’t shape your tone—it smears it, reliably, in yellow plastic.
The MXR Distortion + is a 1974 hard-clipping pedal built around a single op amp and two germanium diodes. It delivers gritty, fuzz-adjacent distortion in a compact, durable yellow enclosure. It has no tone control, no bypass switch in the original version, and no provision for cleaning up with guitar volume. Its simplicity made it affordable, reliable, and popular among modders. It was included in MXR’s 1982 Series 2000 line and remains in production under Dunlop.
It arrived in 1974 as part of MXR’s second wave—right after the Phase 90 defined their reputation.
2:14
Hard-clipping, stripped bare
A single op amp and two germanium diodes do all the work—no tone stack, no buffer, no frills.
4:04
Yellow, gritty, and mod-friendly
Its gritty output blurs distortion and fuzz—and its yellow case made it both visible and moddable.
5:22
Reissued, not retired
It survived MXR’s 1982 Series 2000 relaunch—not as a relic, but as one of six core models.
Worth your time?
Yes. Use the whole thing.
4/ 5
What works
reliability
compact-footprint
gritty-character
mod-platform
What does not
tone-shaping
clean-up-by-guitar-volume
silent-switching
Use it if
players-who-want-immediate-grit
modders
vintage-tone-seekers
Skip it if
tonal-flexibility-seekers
amp-interaction-focused-players
The written brief1 min read
What it is and what it was built for
The MXR Distortion + is a hard-clipping distortion pedal built in 1974 to solve reliability problems in effects pedals. It was designed for durability, small size, and affordability.
How it works, in terms a player would use
It has two knobs: distortion and output. It uses a single op amp and two germanium diodes to hard-clip the signal. The circuit is fixed, with no tone control, no bypass switch in the original design, and no internal adjustment.
What it does better than anything else
It delivers immediate, unvarnished grit with minimal footprint and maximum reliability—more consistently than most 1970s pedals of its size and price.
What it does badly
It offers no tone shaping. It cannot clean up with guitar volume. It lacks true bypass. Its clipping character dominates rather than complements the amp’s natural breakup.
What people made with it
Guitarists used it as their first distortion pedal. Modders used it as a platform—its simple circuit and yellow enclosure made it a common base for custom builds.
Who should use it, and who should not
Players who value immediacy, modularity, and vintage-style grit—and who don’t need tone control or transparent dynamics. Not for players who rely on nuanced gain staging or amp interaction.
Is it worth your time
Yes—if you want a compact, durable, gritty distortion that sits between fuzz and overdrive and invites modification. No—if you need tonal flexibility, clean boost, or silent switching.
