MXR M108S Review (10-band EQ pedal)
Our Verdict and Review Summary
I'm of the opinion that three-bands of EQ on an amplifier is not enough. The M108S adds 10 more, which gives you a level of flexibility that you won't want to go without after you use it once.
I tested the M108S with both an acoustic guitar and electric guitar rig, getting fantastic results with both. The flexibility you get even from one slider is remarkable, and the improvement over my amp's dry signal was pretty significant, which I demo'd in the video below. It's a warmer EQ, but you can get incredibly granular with whatever tone you're looking for.
Read more: Best Guitar Pedals Overall
I would always recommend having some kind of EQ extension, outside of your amplifier. The M108S is more than up to the challenge.
MXR M108S Review Card
BEST FOR: Amps with limited flexibility, tube amps, recording, granular tone shaping, pedalboard-reliant rigs.
TONE
95
CONTROL
99
VERSATILITY
98
PRICE/VALUE
95
- Each slider gives you a lot to work with
- Excels at warmer tones and styles
- Good pairing with a control-limited tube amp (think Fender Blues Junior)
- Price point is great
- Holy smokes those LED lights are bright. Watch out if you're on a dark stage.
- Would love to see MXR start using a softer bypass switch.
Tone "Quality" of the M108s
EQ pedals can have a tone "quality", to an extent, but the quality won't really come from the EQ itself. Because a good EQ will accentuate the gear around it, at least your guitar and amp. So the 108 gets good marks because it improves on what's already there. You can hear plenty of it in the demo below. I'm not the best at making these things, but it gets you plenty of good tone to form your own opinion. Overall, I was quite happy with the sounds I was able to draw out of it.
Demo Video of the 108
The MXR M108S makes your amp and guitar better, which is all a good EQ pedal needs to do.
Flexibility and Control
The master volume functions like a power amp output, while gain functions like preamp volume. You then have higher EQ controls on the right and lower EQ sliders on the left, ranging from 31.25 to 16k. All sliders can span +/- 12 dB boost or cut.
All sliders can boost or cut 12 dB.
Those blue LED lights though.
Price and Value
Compared to some of the other high-end EQ pedals, like the Source Audio EQ2, the 108 is at a very manageable price point. There are a handful of other 10-band EQ pedals on the market, some of which are twice as much as the M108S currently retails for. For five or seven brands, $150 wouldn't impress me, but MXR gives you some surprising value with the 108 at that dollar amount.
Review Wrap Up and Questions
EQ pedals are tough to review unless they really impress. But the 108 certainly had my attention, and gave me more flexibility than any other EQ pedal I've tried. I'd prefer it over the Boss EQ pedals and certainly the lower-rung Behringer EQs (no offense, Behringer).
Note that I tested the M108S with a PRS SE McCarty 594, a Kramer SM-1, and a Boss Katana 50 amplifier.
If you have questions about our MXR M108S review, leave them in the comments section below. Thanks for trusting our content.
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Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Effects & Reviews
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Effects & Reviews
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