MXR Zakk OD
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Chris McKinley
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I can build that exact pedal from scratch, only without the noise, for less than that, so....no, not really diggin' on the stock version.
haha...just checked my email. Got a message from the seller of the ZW44 pedal. Seems there was an issue on his end and he had to cancel the transaction. so he issued me a full refund. :lol: very cool. cause i was starting to get buyers remorse big time :wink:
Shadow.Se7en
Active member
I have that pedal, and I have no problems with it. It does generate some noise, but it's not anything that can't be handled with a noisegate. I run a MXR Smartgate after it and it works great. I use it in front of the amp, works for me. You should look into the MXR GT-OD, someone here mentioned that it had a switch inside of it to go between the standard OD and the ZW OD. Might be worth looking into it.
ifailedshapes
Well-known member
Shadow.Se7en said:
Not 100% accurate, but close.
The GT-OD and ZW are very similar. MXR came out with the Classic Overdrive, a budget pedal, that has a hidden switch inside that let's you choose one circuit or the other. If I am not mistaken, it comes from the factory set to the GT-OD sound.
Considering how inexpensive the Classic Overdrive is, I can only assume it uses super cheap components, but I think mine sounds great, so no complaints from me!
Don
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ifailedshapes said:Shadow.Se7en said:
Not 100% accurate, but close.
The GT-OD and ZW are very similar. MXR came out with the Classic Overdrive, a budget pedal, that has a hidden switch inside that let's you choose one circuit or the other. If I am not mistaken, it comes from the factory set to the GT-OD sound.
Considering how inexpensive the Classic Overdrive is, I can only assume it uses super cheap components, but I think mine sounds great, so no complaints from me!
The Classic Overdrive is imported from Asia and seems to be in a very lightweight housing. The PCB in recent GT ODs is exactly the same, including the switch. I believe that the GT OD is considered made in USA and has a heavier housing (I think).
ifailedshapes
Well-known member
Don said:ifailedshapes said:Shadow.Se7en said:
Not 100% accurate, but close.
The GT-OD and ZW are very similar. MXR came out with the Classic Overdrive, a budget pedal, that has a hidden switch inside that let's you choose one circuit or the other. If I am not mistaken, it comes from the factory set to the GT-OD sound.
Considering how inexpensive the Classic Overdrive is, I can only assume it uses super cheap components, but I think mine sounds great, so no complaints from me!
The Classic Overdrive is imported from Asia and seems to be in a very lightweight housing. The PCB in recent GT ODs is exactly the same, including the switch. I believe that the GT OD is considered made in USA and has a heavier housing (I think).
I didn't know about the switch in the GT-OD. I stand corrected and humbly apologize. :shock:
Don
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ifailedshapes said:
I don't think that the GT-OD originally had the switch. I suppose MXR added it to make it easier to offer a family of products.
There are pics on the internet of the GT-OD and Classic OD shown side by side.
Gtr_Pkr
Well-known member
I had a ZW OD and used it with a noise gate. I eventually traded it for a Digitech Whammy straight up. I got lucky with that transaction. The reason that the ZW went was that I bought an MI Audio Crunchbox. I get more of everything from the Crunchbox. It's much better than the ZW OD.
Bryan-FTWL
Member
I have no noise issues with mine. :?:
Bryan-FTWL said:
Same here, I think the ZW44 is a great pedal and if you are sensible with the controls it will not introduce any more noise than other overdrives.
In my Rectifier it sounds best with the pedal Output at about 2/3 and the Gain on 1/3. Tone in the middle. The gain on the rectifier can be set at 1/2 or a little less, and it will sound similar to having the amp gain 3/4.
It also works well in my Marshall JCM2000.
I also bought the green M66 classic overdrive, which is another great pedal for the $. I compared it side by side with the ZW pedal after flipping the internal switch and they sounded identical.
The difference between the ZW and the Classic on the GTOD setting is the ZW has more of a pronounced mid-range hump, like boosting your mid control, and takes away a little bass. So I prefer the GTOD sound of the M66 pedal.
You can modifiy those pedals to put the intenal switch on the outside, and flip between the ZW and GTOD sounds depending on your mood.
AND....Speaking of Fulltone, I have the OCD and can I get the exact same tone from the MXR M66 pedal with slightly different levels on the controls and the OCD is just as noisy.
So if you want a pedal that can do a lot, buy a classic overdrive if you can find one. I paid $29 for it new at Guitar Center, which is a lot less than $100 for either the ZW, or the GTOD. The lighter housing is not an issue, plenty strong.
Geiri
Well-known member
When I had the ZW 44 I used it in front of, a triple rectifier, a mesa express 5:50 and a stiletto trident. I used the same settings for each amp and for one purpose only, solo boost.
The settings on the pedal were as follows : gain 0, tone 50% and output 100%. Did miracles for tightening up the recto and stiletto but was a little harsh on the express for my ears at least.
The settings on the pedal were as follows : gain 0, tone 50% and output 100%. Did miracles for tightening up the recto and stiletto but was a little harsh on the express for my ears at least.
Gtr_Pkr
Well-known member
That's a pretty cool cosmetic design! 8)
