Munky Business: Majik Box USA Krush Distortion

Every so often, I come across a stompbox I never even knew existed and — more often than not — surprises me in how good it sounds.

Majik Box’s Krush Distortion is the signature pedal of James “Munky” Shaffer, guitarist from renowned nu-metal band Korn, and is the kind of pedal that provokes a wicked grin in the kind of distortion it dishes out.

Majik Box is one of those boutique pedal companies that flies under the radar, but seeing other signature pedals from noteworthy guitarists Doug Aldrich and Paul Gilbert within their custom pedal line reveals that they must be doing something right.

“Munky” had a hand in designing the pedal, and it shows: The Krush unleashes the kind of thick and sludgy distortion found on Korn records but also can achieve some sinister fuzz that sounds unlike most gain pedals. The pedal features controls for Level, Drive, Tone and Focus, is true bypass for signal purity and operates on a 9-Volt battery or 9VDC adapter.

What’s neat is Munky’s exact settings are marked on the pedal’s knobs in two colors: Orange for Korn distortion and white for Lo-Fi distortion. The Focus knob is key in determining the shape of the midrange and also the character of distortion.

The Krush can instantly transform any clean amp into a high-gain metal machine with plenty of definition, and I can tell you, I was knocked out how it made my single-coil Strat sound like I had humbuckers. Add some preamp gain from your amp and then check out Munky’s lo-fi (white) settings for some edgier tones.

For a signature pedal, the Krush is the real deal.

List price: $229.99
majikboxusa.com

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