NUX 6ixty 5ive Overdrive Pedal Review

Over drive pedals add some flavor to playing the electric guitar. They allow us to push the sound into a zone where we can start dirtying up the signal or have a completely distorted sound. Mixing in some reverb and other effects can bring the concert home. There is a very large selection of overdrives and finding the right one can be a task. Today we will look at the NUX 6ixty 5ive.

Testing this pedal I used a Peavey VIP 3 modeling amp set on the XXX model, I have found that I get the tone I like from that model, with the clean channel selected, bass, mids, and treble set at the 6 o'clock position. I found that I was able to get a wide range of tones from this pedal. Rolling the gain knob all the way to the left will will give a responsive dirty sound, meaning that the more aggressive the attack the the more broken up the sound.

As you turn the knob to max gain you begin to see that this pedal can take you from mellow soft blues like tones to hard classic rock tones. When I started to add some reverb from the amp it really started to bring out the color of the sounds. I found that the NUX 6ixty 5ive had a very large range of tones, that didn't break up the note clarity. Open chords with this pedal rang out and felt powerful. Lead lines were run clean and clear with sustain for days. The guitar used for testing was a stock Epiphone Les Paul Special with passive pickups. What this pedal will not get you is really dark metal sounds. Although I was able to come close with another product to be tested, the AXE I/O One. I found that with the AXE I/O, I was able to select multiple clean channel amps which opened up a broader range for this pedal. Some of the sounds I found felt really heavy and hard driven.

When playing with additional model selections from the Peavy VIP3, I was able to achieve a wide range of tones, but adding more gain began to over saturate the signal and the notes were muffled and not clear, the was signal overly distorted and I was not able to get into that heavy powerful over driven sound like I was able to get with AXE I/O.

NUX did a good job on building this pedal. Its electronics are housed in a metal frame sealed all the way around. By no means does this feel cheap. It is light weight and can be easily packed in a gig bag. What I really think they nailed was the battery compartment. It is easily accessible from the outside with a plastic cover. Most other pedals will require removal of the bottom plate with small screws or the battery would be located under the foot pedal itself. The 6ixty 5ive runs on a 9volt battery, and can also be powered with a 9volt adapter for plug in.

The price point for this is right around $49.00 US online and can be found used for as low as $20. This is very budget friendly offering that isn't poorly constructed. If you can find them at your local shop give it a try before you buy and see what sounds you can get. As I discovered with the AXE I/O One, if you have modeling software there is a wide range of sounds that be achieved.

The sound you get will ultimately depend on the set up you own. With a basic guitar amp as long you have reverb you will be able to get some good blues tones and classic rock sounds. At a price point for the budget minded guitarist, I think NUX 6ixty 5ive is a good option for the pedal board. If you are looking for a pedal that is going to get into the harder heavy metal sound, this pedal will not be able to get you there, unless you have some sort of modeling software that will allow you to select different amp models.

Would I buy this pedal again only if it breaks, I would strongly suggest trying it out to make it is going to give you the sound you are looking for, or if you can find one used give it a try. Trying with your own gear is the best way to find out if it will work for you.

For more guitar related content visit Garage Shop Guitarist.