MXR Custom Audio Electronics is the name given to a family of MXR pedals that grew out of a partnership between the pedal maker and Bob Bradshaw's Custom Audio Electronics (CAE), the company whose rack switching systems have organized the rigs of professional touring guitarists since the 1980s. The collaboration began in 2009 and was initiated by Jimmy Dunlop12. Its best known products are the MXR/Custom Audio Electronics MC404 Wah and the MC401 Boost/LineDriver built into it.
For a player, the MXR/CAE line brings Bradshaw's touring-grade thinking into stompbox form: a wah with selectable inductors and a built-in boost, and boost and line driver pedals designed to sit in a working signal chain34.
Bob Bradshaw's switching systems
Custom Audio Electronics was formed in 1980, when Bradshaw sensed a need for a more logical approach to multi-component rigs2. His answer was a rack mounted audio switcher with discrete loops for 100% bypassing of each effect, paired with amp channel switching and rugged foot controllers with direct access switches and LEDs2. Preset capabilities and MIDI were added later2. Bradshaw describes the company's goals plainly:
"Maximum flexibility, sonic transparency and bulletproof reliability have always been our goal."
Custom Audio Electronics and MXR
The MXR collaboration with Bob Bradshaw began in 2009, initiated by Jimmy Dunlop1. On the JHS Pedals channel, Josh Scott traced the partnership's origins to that year1. Premier Guitar reported that Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics and the Crybaby design team joined forces to create the MC-404 CAE Wah, described as a high quality, highly flexible wah4.
The MC404 Wah shows the CAE approach in pedal form3:
- Two side-mounted kickswitches: one to choose between inductors, one to turn the boost on or off3
- A built-in MXR MC401 Boost/LineDriver for extra flexibility3
- Internal pots for "Q" and gain adjustments3
The MC401 Boost/LineDriver built into the wah is also sold as its own pedal, the MXR/CAE MC401 Boost/Line Driver, and the family extends to the MXR CAE Boost/Line Driver and MXR CAE Boost/Overdrive. The wah sits in the wider wah category, and the boost pedals in boost3.
The MXR/CAE line is distinct from the MXR Custom Shop, which Dunlop's manual says was founded in 1999 and brings together leading design engineers for limited edition short run pedals5. Some Custom Shop releases, such as the MXR Custom Shop Il Torino Boost/Overdrive with its switchable boost and overdrive channels6, are sometimes confused with the CAE collaboration, but the two programs are separate.
Sales and availability
Custom Audio Electronics sells direct as well as through distribution. In a 2000 interview, Bradshaw said7:
"We sell worldwide through the internet right now. I'll sell to end users in Europe."
He also noted that Custom Audio Japan had been an exclusive distributor of the company's products in Japan for about ten years at that point7. One barrier to European distribution had been the cost of CE mark certification, which he said ran to thousands of dollars7.
The MXR/CAE pedals themselves are sold through MXR's normal channels, while Custom Audio Electronics' own switching systems and hardware are sold by CAE, including direct to players.
Videos
TheToneShack
shnobel
tunnelvisionmusic
Questions
Who is Bob Bradshaw?
Bob Bradshaw is the founder of Custom Audio Electronics, a company he formed in 1980 to build a more logical approach to multi-component guitar rigs. His rack mounted audio switchers, with discrete loops for true bypassing of each effect, and his rugged foot controllers have been used on the rigs of touring players for decades.
What MXR pedals are made with Custom Audio Electronics?
The best known is the MXR/Custom Audio Electronics MC404 Wah, developed by Bob Bradshaw with the Crybaby design team. It includes a built-in MXR MC401 Boost/LineDriver. The collaboration also covers boost and line driver pedals in the MXR/CAE line.
When did MXR start working with Custom Audio Electronics?
The MXR collaboration with Bob Bradshaw began in 2009, and it was initiated by Jimmy Dunlop. The first fruit of the partnership was the MC-404 CAE Wah, created with the Crybaby design team.
Does Custom Audio Electronics sell direct to players?
Yes. In a 2000 interview Bob Bradshaw said the company sells worldwide through the internet and sells to end users in Europe. Custom Audio Japan has served as an exclusive distributor in Japan for around ten years.
Sources (7)
- How The MXR Duke Of Tone and Timmy Pedals Are A Big Deal For Boutique Pedals, JHS Pedals (YouTube channel), 2022-09-19
- The Bradshaw Legacy, Custom Audio Electronics
- MXR / Custom Audio Electronics MC404 Wah, Pedal of the Day, 2014-03-23
- Dunlop MC-404 CAE Wah Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2009-04-09
- M235, Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., 2019
- MXR Il Torino Boost/Overdrive Review: Quick Hit, Premier Guitar, 2015-02-06
- An Interview With Bob Bradshaw, customaudioelectronics.com, 2000-09
J Mascis
