The Mulder Audio X-1 is an overdrive pedal and the maker's first entry into that category. It is an analog design built around a single silicon transistor, with no ICs or op amps, and its range runs from a warm clean boost up to what Premier Guitar's reviewer called "growling, hairy near-fuzz"1. Its character comes largely from a pair of clipping choices, germanium and silicon diodes, that a three-way toggle selects or combines.
The controls
The X-1 keeps its front panel simple. The clipping toggle is the heart of it1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| 3-way toggle | Selects the germanium diodes, the silicon diodes, or both combined1 |
There are no EQ controls. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that the pedal "blended well with every amp and guitar combination" in the review, and summed up its pros as "Versatile. Excellent tone. Touch sensitive."1
With no tone or EQ section, the X-1 relies on your guitar's controls and your amp's EQ for voicing. Players used to a dedicated tone knob on an overdrive will notice the difference.
Circuit and build
Inside, the X-1 is hand-wired with no circuit board: components are linked via terminal strip, using Mulder's own high-fidelity wire and large-format capacitors1. That point-to-point construction is unusual at this price and is the kind of build more often seen on boutique boost and preamp pedals.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar reviewed the X-1 and summed it up as versatile, with excellent tone and touch sensitivity1.
"the X-1 can cover everything from warm, clean boost to growling, hairy near-fuzz"
That span puts it in territory between a straight clean boost and a distortion pedal, with the clipping toggle deciding which end of it you get1.
Videos
Eirik Stordrange
Questions
Does the Mulder Audio X-1 have a tone control?
No. The X-1 has no EQ controls at all. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted the lack but found the pedal blended well with every amp and guitar combination tried, so the clipping toggle and the pedal's response to the guitar's volume control stand in for tone shaping.
Is the Mulder Audio X-1 analog?
Yes. Premier Guitar describes the X-1 as an analog pedal built around a simple single-silicon-transistor circuit with no ICs or op amps, and the clipping is done with germanium and silicon diodes rather than digital modeling.
Can the Mulder X-1 get fuzzy?
It can get close. Premier Guitar's reviewer wrote that the X-1 can cover everything from warm, clean boost to growling, hairy near-fuzz, so it reaches fuzz-adjacent territory without being a fuzz pedal itself.
Sources (1)
- Mulder Audio X-1 Review, Premier Guitar, 2015-08-30