The MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive (model JGD2) is a limited-edition overdrive pedal from MXR, built around the raw, gritty tones Wayne Kramer used with MC5 in the early 1970s12. MXR says it "cranks out powerfully rich tones reminiscent of two dimed-out 100-watt amp stacks"2. It launched on June 3, 2025 at $199, sold exclusively on Reverb, with a majority of the proceeds donated to Kramer's Jail Guitar Doors USA charity3.
A limited edition named for Wayne Kramer's charity
The pedal is named after Jail Guitar Doors, the charity Wayne Kramer founded to provide musical instruments and art workshops as rehabilitation tools for incarcerated people5. The charity's own name comes from a song the Clash wrote in tribute to Kramer after he was sentenced to four years in prison on a drugs charge7.
The project pairs MXR with Johnny Wator of Daredevil Pedals, who worked with the MXR design team to fuse his Drive-Bi Dual Gain Distortion with the MXR Micro Amp into a single circuit4. Tom Morello, quoted in the launch coverage, described the pedal's purpose and its beneficiary:
"A majority of profits from the sale of the pedal goes directly to Kramer’s charity supporting the rehabilitation of incarcerated people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds."
The pedal's artwork was created by Shepard Fairey, known for the Barack Obama "Hope" poster, and depicts Kramer and his star-spangled Stratocaster in symmetrical two-tone fashion3.
MXR calls it a limited run2, and press coverage at launch described it as a limited edition available exclusively on Reverb through The Official MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive Reverb Shop53. For players comparing it with other single-knob or signature drives in the MXR line, pages on the MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive and the MXR Tom Morello Power 50 Overdrive cover those pedals.
The controls and jacks
The Jail Guitar Doors Drive has a single control, the DRIVE knob. Per the manual, it "increases the output of both circuits at once. As you turn it clockwise, the first stage feeds into the second, boosting overall gain and volume"4. In other words, one dial sets both output volume and gain: turn it up and the first gain stage drives the second harder27.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| DRIVE knob | Raises the output of both circuits at once; clockwise, the first stage feeds into the second, boosting overall gain and volume4 |
The input and output connections for guitar cables are on the top of the pedal rather than the sides7, which saves horizontal space on a pedalboard.
Because the two circuits interact through one knob, there are no separate tone, gain, or volume controls to balance. Players who want more shaping options might look at multi-knob MXR overdrives such as the MXR GT-OD or the MXR Sugar Drive824.
Videos
Reverb
jimdunlopusa
R.J. Ronquillo
Questions
What is the MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive named after?
It is named after Jail Guitar Doors, the charity founded by the late Wayne Kramer of MC5, which provides musical instruments and art workshops to help rehabilitate incarcerated people. The charity itself takes its name from a song the Clash wrote in tribute to Kramer after he was sentenced to four years in prison on a drugs charge.
Where can you buy the MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive?
It was released on June 3, 2025 as a limited edition sold exclusively on Reverb for $199 through The Official MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive Reverb Shop. A majority of the proceeds from each sale are donated to Jail Guitar Doors USA.
What is the model number of the MXR Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive?
The model number is JGD2. It appears on MXR's product page for the Jail Guitar Doors Overdrive and in the pedal's manual from Jim Dunlop.
Where are the input and output jacks on the Jail Guitar Doors Drive?
The connections for your guitar cables are on the top of the pedal, rather than on the sides. That suits tight pedalboards where side-mounted jacks would crowd neighboring pedals.
Is the Jail Guitar Doors Drive a limited edition?
Yes. MXR describes it as a limited run, and press coverage of the June 2025 launch reported it as a limited-edition pedal available exclusively on Reverb.
Sources (8)
- MXR® JAIL GUITAR DOORS OVERDRIVE, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- MXR® JAIL GUITAR DOORS DRIVE, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- “Not just Wayne's sound but his attitude, and the grit and rawness of the MC5.” Tom Morello tests the new MXR Jail Guitar Doors overdrive designed with the late MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2025-06-03
- JGD2.pdf, Jim Dunlop, 2025
- MXR Unveils Jail Guitar Doors Drive Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2025-06-04
- MXR bottles Wayne Kramer's tone into the Jail Guitar Doors Drive, Guitar World, 2025-06-03
- “Not just Wayne's sound but Wayne's attitude, and the grit and the rawness of Detroit and of the MC5”: Two gain circuits, one knob, one punk legend, MusicRadar, 2025-06-04
- Jail Guitar Doors Drive by MXR | RockBoard | PedalPedia, RockBoard (www.rockboard.de)
