The MXR Custom Shop Shin-Juku Drive is an overdrive pedal released in 2016, designed with Japanese amp and pedal designer Shin Suzuki123. Its aim is to emulate the tone of the legendary Dumble amplifier: gearnews reported that MXR and Shin Suzuki believed they had "captured the essence of the 'Dumble tone' in this little green pedal"4. Premier Guitar's reviewer found it delivers "the combination of responsive, mid-heavy, harmonically excited overdrive that is the hallmark of Dumble" amps1.
A mid-forward, Dumble-inspired overdrive
The Shin-Juku Drive sits in MXR's Custom Shop line, which creates limited edition, short run pedals sold only through select dealers8. It was announced in 2016 as a limited-edition addition to MXR's overdrive roster6.
The sound it targets is the Dumble amp: a responsive, mid-heavy, harmonically rich overdrive character1. Premier Guitar's reviewer summed up the pedal's core behavior:
"Effective, interactive, and rangy tone and drive controls."
The pedal also responds very well to guitar volume attenuation, meaning you can clean it up by rolling back your guitar's volume knob, much as you would with a cranked amp1.
The controls
The layout is a three-knob design with the standard Gain, Tone, and Output controls, plus a Dark switch9.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive; interacts with the Tone and Output controls1 |
| Tone | Has considerable range, and interacts with the Output and Gain controls to reshape the pedal's mid-forward character1 |
| Output | Sets the level; interacts with the Tone and Gain controls1 |
| Dark switch | A low pass filter that helps you tailor the sound to your specific style and rig9 |
The three knobs are not independent of each other. Premier Guitar's reviewer highlighted "the considerable range in the tone control and the way it interacts with the output and gain controls" as a defining feature, so settings on one knob change how the others behave1.
The Dark switch is the pedal's one extra voice. Delicious Audio describes it as a low pass filter for matching the pedal to your rig9. Premier Guitar's reviewer found a specific use for it:
"While the dark button won't suit every player's taste, it enables fuzzy desert-rock tones at high gain levels that sound killer against bass riffs."
Shin Suzuki's first MXR Custom Shop pedal
The Shin-Juku Drive was designed with Shin Suzuki, described by JHS Pedals' Josh Scott as "the noted amp and pedal designer" of Shin's Music in Japan7, and by MusicRadar as "Japan's celebrated amp tech and pedal designer"6. On the MXR side, the project was initiated and project managed by George Trippets7.
It was Shin's first collaboration with the MXR Custom Shop. His second, the Raijin Drive, followed in 201910. Dunlop's own history of the Raijin Drive notes that "In 2016, Shin collaborated with the MXR Custom Shop to create the Shin-Juku Drive Pedal"2, and Premier Guitar's Raijin announcement gives the same account3.
The Shin-Juku Drive was a limited edition sold through MXR Custom Shop dealers68. Players shopping for one today are looking at the secondhand market, and its successor, the Raijin Drive, is the later Shin Suzuki design in the regular MXR line10.
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Questions
Who designed the MXR Shin-Juku Drive?
The pedal was designed with Shin Suzuki, a noted amp and pedal designer from Japan who runs Shin's Music. MusicRadar called him Japan's celebrated amp tech and pedal designer. The project was initiated and managed at MXR by George Trippets, and it was released through the MXR Custom Shop in 2016.
What does the dark button do on the Shin-Juku Drive?
The Dark switch acts as a low pass filter that lets you tailor the sound to your rig and style. Premier Guitar's reviewer found that at high gain levels it enables fuzzy desert-rock tones that sound killer against bass riffs, though it won't suit every player's taste.
Is the Shin-Juku Drive a Dumble clone?
It is Dumble-inspired rather than a straight clone. MXR and Shin Suzuki set out to emulate the legendary Dumble tone, and Premier Guitar's reviewer found it delivers the responsive, mid-heavy, harmonically excited overdrive that is the hallmark of Dumble-style amps.
Is the MXR Shin-Juku Drive a limited edition?
Yes. MusicRadar described it as a limited-edition release, and MXR Custom Shop pedals are made in limited quantities and sold only through select Custom Shop dealers. Premier Guitar listed its street price at $129 in 2026.
What came after the Shin-Juku Drive from Shin Suzuki and MXR?
The Raijin Drive, released in 2019, was Shin Suzuki's second collaboration with the MXR Custom Shop, following the Shin-Juku Drive. It continued the partnership between the Japanese designer and MXR's Custom Shop line.
Sources (10)
- Quick Hit: MXR Custom Shop Shin-Juku Drive Review, Premier Guitar, 2016-12-22
- MXR® RAIJIN DRIVE™ PEDAL, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- MXR Releases the Raijin Drive, Premier Guitar, 2019-04-26
- MXR Shin-Juku Drive: A Dumble amp in a pedal?, gearnews.com, 2016-08-31
- CSP035 Shin-Juku Drive by MXR, RockBoard (PedalPedia), 2026
- MXR channels boutique amp tones with Shin-Juku Drive guitar effects pedal, MusicRadar, 2016-09-05
- How The MXR Duke Of Tone and Timmy Pedals Are A Big Deal For Boutique Pedals, JHS Pedals (YouTube channel), 2022-09-19
- M235, Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., 2019
- New Pedals: MXR Shin-Juku Drive, Delicious Audio, 2016-10-26
- Review: MXR Custom Shop Raijin Drive, Guitar.com, 2019-09-24
