MXR Origins and Distortion + Development
MXR launched in 1972 in Rochester, New York, and introduced the Distortion + in 1974 as one of the first compact overdrive pedals using a single op-amp and germanium diodes for asymmetric clipping.
Randy Rhoads Signature Collaboration
In the early 1980s Rhoads worked with MXR engineers to modify stock Distortion + units, increasing gain staging and adjusting the output filter to match his Marshall Super Lead stack; the RR104C reissues those exact component values in a special-edition enclosure.
Limited Production and Reissues
The RR104C was produced in a numbered run during the 2010s, featuring a black-and-gold finish with Rhoads' signature on the back plate and updated true-bypass switching while retaining the original 1970s circuit topology.
