MXR Custom Shop Il Torino Boost/Overdrive

The MXR Custom Shop Il Torino Boost/Overdrive is a boost and overdrive pedal built by MXR's Custom Shop line, the part of the Jim Dunlop operation that produces small-run versions of its circuits. It was designed in partnership with Carlo Sorasio, an Italian boutique amp and pedal builder who worked with MXR as a guest Custom Shop engineer¹². The pedal shipped as the CSP033 Custom Shop Il Torino Overdrive, and Premier Guitar later reviewed it under the fuller name Il Torino Boost/Overdrive³¹.

The Il Torino is now discontinued. Guitar World referred to it as the now-discontinued Il Torino in January 2024, and MusicRadar reported that it was no longer listed in the MXR lineup⁴⁵. Its circuit was retooled as the MXR Gran Torino, revealed at NAMM 2024⁶.

An LED-clipped boost and overdrive

The Il Torino's overdrive character comes from two circuit choices that reviewers singled out. The first is MOSFET technology, which the launch press release highlighted as the basis of the design⁷. The second is its use of LED clipping diodes, a less common clipping type that Premier Guitar noted is increasingly in fashion¹.

LED clipping behaves differently from the silicon or germanium diodes found in many overdrives. As Premier Guitar's reviewer explained:

The same review traced the pedigree of this clipping type, noting that LED clipping diodes once turned up in the original Marshall Guv'nor and JCM800 amplifier¹. For a player comparing circuits, that places the Il Torino in a small family of LED-clipped drives rather than the larger tube-screamer-style camp.

Guitar Interactive Magazine described the pedal's overall character as smooth, organic grit, positioning it as a Custom Shop stompbox aimed at players who want that texture with flexible control³.

The controls: Boost/OD switch and 3-band EQ

The Il Torino's control layout centers on two features: a three-band EQ and a Boost/OD switch⁷⁸⁹.

The EQ section was Carlo Sorasio's addition to the design. As the launch press release put it, "Carlo added a 3-band EQ section so you can finely shape the sound of the overdrive"². MusicRadar described the same feature as a three-band EQ that allows you to hone in on your ideal overdrive sound¹⁰. Premier Guitar's later review found the EQ to be one of the pedal's strengths, calling it a potent, wide-ranging section that helps make the pedal extra versatile and allows dialing up additional presence and top-end detail¹.

The Boost/OD switch toggles the pedal between its two modes⁸:

The combination of switchable modes and a three-band EQ is what made the pedal flexible across different rigs: a player could set it as a clean-ish boost with compression and sustain in Boost Mode, or engage OD Mode for the full drive sound, then use the EQ to match either mode to their amp¹¹³².

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's review was positive on both counts that matter here. On the EQ, the reviewer's verdict was short: "Excellent and effective EQ."¹ On the pedal as a whole, the review described it as a very flexible, powerful boost/OD¹.

Guitar World also covered the pedal with a demo video when it reached the Custom Shop showroom⁹. The Il Torino carried a street price of $119¹, and it has since been discontinued¹⁴.

Where it came from and what replaced it

The Il Torino was announced in November 2014 and was shipping by mid-November of that year as the CSP033 Custom Shop Il Torino Overdrive³². Guitar Pedal X dates the Custom Shop Il Torino Boost to 2015⁶.

The Il Torino has since been discontinued from the MXR lineup⁵⁴. During its run, the Custom Shop Il Torino Boost/Overdrive carried a street price of $119¹.

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