"Usable" sound, not exactly outstanding. I like my tubescreamer better, the salesperson at the store recommended the Boss Blues Driver. I called DOD and the rep. there said it gets that "Stevie Ray sound" (this was before I went to the store). I pretty much had my mind made up I wanted it. You must turn up the overdrive on your "tube emulation" trans. amp (in my case a Crate 30w. with 'verb)to get a "warm" (but not distorted) sound (about 10-11 o'clock). Then doodle with the Mystic Blues' knobs. Use Strat NECK pickup only ! This pedal is way BRIGHT. I can't get a decent sound with the bridge or middle p.u.'s. The sound I have managed to get is somewhat "SRV-like" but nowhere near as complex! Also I play nowhere near the "SRV-level", but manage to cop a few of the legend's licks.
Simply, the Mystic Blues pedal overlays the thick-punchy-bass tone of the single-coil p.u. with a bright overtone. Increasing the drive on the pedal gives raunchy distortion sounds.
Reliability/Durability:
As others have noted, well constructed; knobs have "feel of quality",etc.
Ease of Use:
Yes, I know, "it only has 4 knobs"; but read the instructions or download them at DOD's site or just remember "this pedal is meant to be used with an already overdriven amp". It sounds like crap used with a clean amp ! All ratings are for my suggested set-up !
Customer Support:
The DOD/DigiTech/Johnson people always take my calls or answer e-mails. I've never had to have any product repaired.
Overall Rating:
For my purpose, I can only get a usefull tone as suggested above. Wish I had bought the Boss Blues Driver, considering all the good reviews and such. This pedal has more electronic components in it than the Iba. Tubescreamer, but I like the t.s.'er best. The Mystic Blues yields the best tones using the (single-coil) neck pick-up; but it's so bright I'd say a neck humbucker might sound good too. The Mystic Blues does not sound good run into a digital multi-fx. It sounds thin, bright, and just plain crappy when used with a clean amp.
