MXR has teamed up with Johnny Wator of Daredevil Pedals to bottle that classic Wayne Kramer of MC5 sound into a pretty easy-to-use pedal. Wator, a longtime student of Kramer’s sonic legacy, worked closely with MXR to develop the Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive – a compact, no-nonsense stompbox designed to kick your rig in the teeth, just like Wayne’s music did to the ’70s.
The guts of this pedal are just as rebellious as the man who inspired it. Inside, you’ll find a fusion of Wator’s Drive-Bi Dual Gain Distortion and the classic MXR Micro Amp – two distinct gain stages stacked back-to-back. Even better, one knob controls it all. As the volume is raised, more gain is fed from the first stage into the second.
The EQ range is wide and balanced with all the definition you need to cut through a loud live mix with an unrestrained roar thick with harmonics. And it’s all passed the ultimate test—an early prototype of this pedal, delivered to an MC5 recording session, made it onto the album.
Looks matter, too. So MXR enlisted none other than Shepard Fairey, a street art pioneer whose work practically oozes attitude, to design custom artwork for the pedal. His contribution gives the Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive a visual aesthetic as bold as its tone, tying together form and function into a single, defiant package.
A majority of the proceeds from the sale of each pedal will be donated to Jail Guitar Doors USA, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Mr. Kramer, his wife Margaret, and Billy Bragg.
Get the MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive here for $199.
