MXR Il Torino Overdrive

The MXR Il Torino Overdrive is a boost/overdrive pedal from the MXR Custom Shop line, released in 2014 under the model number CSP033. It was designed in partnership with Carlo Sorasio, described in the press as Italy's premier boutique amp and pedal builder, who was brought in as a guest Custom Shop engineer¹². The pedal uses MOSFET technology to recreate the gain structure of classic tube preamps, allowing it, in MXR's words, to sing with sweet, touch responsive saturation and natural sounding compression¹.

A MOSFET overdrive modeled on tube preamp gain

The core of the Il Torino is its MOSFET-based circuit. MXR says the design uses MOSFET technology to recreate the gain structure of classic tube preamps¹, a claim repeated across the press coverage at launch¹⁰¹¹. MusicRadar's reviewer, Michael Astley-Brown, described the result as a tight, glassy, almost hi-fi crunch that keeps your core tone uncoloured and intact².

The pedal sits in MXR's Custom Shop line, which MusicRadar described as stompboxes aimed at players who want something beyond the standard range². It arrived in a sturdy MXR box with high quality jacks and switches built to last on the road¹.

The controls: three-band EQ and the Boost/OD switch

Sorasio equipped the pedal with a three-band EQ section so you can finely shape the sound of the overdrive¹, alongside Master and Gain knobs¹²¹². A BOOST/OD switch toggles between the pedal's two modes¹¹.

The pedal's bypass is worth noting for players with long signal chains. Rather than true bypass, it uses a sophisticated bypass system in the form of a Class A Low Impedance Output Driver, essentially a form of buffered bypass¹. MXR says this keeps your tone sounding warm and natural across long signal chains where signal loss normally occurs¹.

Boost mode and OD mode

The two modes give the pedal two distinct characters, as described at launch:

• Boost Mode: a cleaner sound with just the right amount of compression and sustain¹¹
• OD Mode: a more aggressive, cranked tube amp sound¹¹

MusicRadar's reviewer found the boost mode at low gain particularly useful, adding an earthy break-up that is hugely responsive to playing dynamics, and noted it works well as an always-on overdrive².

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's review summed up the pedal's character as a different, boutique-y overdrive, concluding²:

The same review listed its boutique build and style, three-band EQ, new take on MOSFET tones and responsiveness to dynamics among the reasons to buy, while noting that its dynamic responsiveness also makes it less forgiving of mistakes than compressed Marshall-style drive².

Premier Guitar's review called it an uncommonly flexible boost/overdrive at a very appealing price, and found that you get a lot of Marshall-like overdrive flavors from both the boost and overdrive channels⁷.

The Il Torino and the Gran Torino

In January 2024, MXR retooled the Il Torino Boost/Overdrive as the Gran Torino⁵. Guitar World reported that the new pedal carries over the Il Torino's own Master and Gain knobs³, and Guitar Pedal X noted the reworking adds racing stripes to the enclosure⁵. Players comparing the two today will find the Gran Torino is the version in the current lineup, while the Il Torino itself is discontinued³⁴.

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