MXR Fullbore Metal Guitar Pedal

MXR Fullbore Metal Guitar Pedal

Industrial Design

MXR's Fullbore Metal is a distortion pedal designed for extreme heavy metal genres. In addition to its high gain distortion effect, the pedal features a built-in EQ and noise gate. The design of the Fullbore Metal demonstrates both practical and rhetorical considerations. Pragmatically, it is fairly small (4.5 x 5.5), making it easy to fit onto a pedalboard, and its contrasting LEDs allow the user to discern which effects are active even in the dark or at a distance, purely by color.
The rhetorical element that stands out the most is its coloring, a dull metallic gray completely covered in scratches and dents. The metallic color and luster reflect culturally ingrained metaphors in music, including "hardness," "heaviness," and the supergenre of "metal" – all of which are characterized in part by high gain distorted guitars. Finally, the text and all-lowercase typeface straddle the line between practical and rhetorical concerns, providing information about the maker and model while simultaneously branding the product and appealing to the brand's reputation.

MXR

Conner Tomlinson

04/05/20

Digital Image

Effect Pedal