Each of these distortion pedals is designed to weaponize your electric guitar tone, so whether you’re looking for the best distortion pedal for metal, rock or beyond, we’ve hunted down top options – and the best prices, thanks to our price comparison tool – for you. The best distortion pedal plays a significant role in helping you improve the performance of your guitar. We'll be reporting on the very best Black Friday guitar deals and Cyber Monday guitar deals, here on Guitar World. Vote now! With a tube incorporated in the circuit, the distortion delivered by the MTG is more rounded than you’d expect from a regular box of dirt. Keeley designed their Filaments pedal to be a high-gain all rounder, using a completely analogue circuit to provide all manner of tube-inspired nasty. Whatever setting you dial in, the stompbox offers a natural, responsive and articulate tone that captures your playing style, warts and all. As its name suggests, the MTG Tube Distortion is a tube-powered dirt box. BOSS Distortion Guitar Pedal, Single Mode (DS-1) It looks as iconic as it sounds, this option from Boss is the best distortion pedal on the market. Walrus Audio’s Red is all about achieving saturated high-gain tones that blanket your entire practice space. Read our full review here. But as you’ve probably realized there’s a bewildering number of effects pedals to choose from.. The gain is tight and thick, with plenty of bass response courtesy of the appropriately named “doom” control, which intuitively shapes your low-end. There’s plenty of versatility. Purchasing the best quality distortion pedal has a significant influence on the type of sound it will produce. There are few sounds more iconic than the roar of a distorted guitar. It was designed in collaboration with amp guru Bruce Egnater of Egnater Amplification fame. With its powerful active EQ section – bass, mids and trebles – dialling in a sound to suit your needs is easy, whether you’re after scooped metal or wide-open blues tones. From doomsday devices to versatile dirt boxes, we pick out 20 essential distortion pedals for the modern guitarist. The Boss DS-1’s set-up is simple: level, tone and distortion, with a rubber-topped foot-pedal to switch it on and off. There are some sound effects which are hard to achieve without a reliable distortion pedal. 1. Distortion pedals are best applied to clean tones. By Alex Lynham 29 November 2020. Best guitar distortion pedal for under $50 – Boss DS-1 – For under $50, it is the best choice for beginners looking for a way into the world of effects pedals. Most bassists are of the thought that a distortion pedal will only give your … You have the best guitar with a decent amp and great sound, but your amp lacks the kind of distortion sound you need. Two active EQ controls (bass and treble), gain and a level knob are all the dials you need to work with. Back to the Beginning: Catalinbread Sabbra Cadabra. Metallica’s Kirk Hammett puts pedal to the metal, Price: $229 | Controls: gain, volume, doom, gate, hi/lo switch | Sockets: input, output, power | Bypass: true bypass | Power requirements: 9V power supply, 9V battery. Retails at $250. There was a problem. This dual footswitch pedal is jam-packed with features, such as a three-band EQ, a “bright” and “bass” switch, and a Tube Screamer style boost for when you want a little more distortion. This legendary stompbox is still a filthy animal, Price: $70 | Controls: distortion, filter, volume, three-way mode toggle | Sockets: input, output, power | Bypass: true bypass | Power requirements: 9V power supply, 9V battery. Retails at $229.99/£199. #10. Price: $50 | Controls: level, tone, distortion | Sockets: input, output, power | Bypass: buffered. Adrian Thorpe’s pedals have rapidly acquired a reputation for rigorous build quality and There are no rules so long as the tone speaks to you - and ultimately, that's the most important thing. The latter runs up to a maximum of 125 milliseconds, and, although it doesn’t generate endless feedback, comes within spitting range of oscillation. In this article, we look for the best distortion pedal on the market to help you find the right one.. At a Glance – Our Pick of the Best Distortion Pedals … Achieving the grungy powerchords from Nirvana’s closet or the creamy licks of Steve Vai is a matter of tweaking the tone and distortion knobs. In the minds of many, Black Sabbath was the world’s first metal band. And most surprisingly, it maintains a quiet noise floor even at high outputs. The cheapo capacitors are gone, their replacements made from metal film and tantalum. Instead, you get raw, loud and obnoxious rock tones by the bucketload, which will leave 90s alternative-rock fans By checking the boxes you agree to receive the following from us via e-mail. And a Lo/Hi switch, which is integrated with the gain circuit, adjusts saturation levels: Lo for crunch, Hi for metal rhythms and searing solos. Distortion pedals are a great way to make playing the guitar even more fun. The TC Electronic Dark Matter is a Marshall Plexi-inspired distortion box that spans from the raw, unadulterated raunch of Jimi Hendrix to Electric Wizard’s sludgiest stoner riffs. Fender have stacked the Pugilist with all the gain you need, and even if it takes a bit of time to dial in your desired setting and negotiate the two gain channels via the blend, there’s so much joy to be had. What started out as a 1985 Whiteface ProCo Rat was developed by the pair over the course of four years. Keep the distortion low and output high, and the pedal flirts with boost to overdrive tones. Like the Sovereign, the M75 has a default voice that speaks in British EL34 tube crunch. The durable construction means it will last … Best distortion pedal under $100 – MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion – Very versatile, and offers loads of gain. It may be double the price of a DS-1, but play around with the EQ, particularly the mids knob, and you’ll find those extra dollars worth it. The trick to taming the beast lies in controlling your guitar’s volume knob. The G3 Distortion crams everything we love about the Revv Amplification 100 and 120’s Purple channel in a pedal format. But turn up the former knob, and you’ll add saturation and crunch. #9. Because of this, the first pedal most guitarists invest in is a distortion pedal. They add a different sonic texture or a different color to the current tone you're using. Most guitarists would agree that an overdrive pedal is an essential part of any pedalboard, … "She made it very clear that the bridge is burned". The slim stompbox is designed for rock and metal while promising the ‘natural’ quality that Mesa’s amps are famed for. The first available distortion pedal circuit was the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-tone … Turn it all the way up to deliver doom-inspired cranked tube tones, or back it almost all the way off for tight Nashville-esque twang. The texture switch lets you select between two different clipping diodes for either a more compressed tone (ideal for lead playing) or a more open sound that sits on the hot side of an overdrive. A little versatility goes a long way, even when melting faces. This pedal is a FET-based distortion that’s designed to pack tones from a mild overdrive all the way to tube amp on-the-brink. The pedal is happy adding a little crunch, some extra oomph, but it keeps the integrity of your guitar tone steady when dimed. The fact that you’re likely to run into these used for less than $50 is also an added plus. Brian Wampler has packed a heap of features into a small enclosure here. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, Today's best Fender Pugilist and Wampler Sovereign deals, Unconvincing at low and high gain extremes, The rise, fall and rediscovery of the Fender Jaguar, How to set up a Les Paul: 7 essential tips, (Image credit: Boss/Wampler/TC Electronic/Earthquaker Devices/Fender), We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, 8. This might be one of the best cranked Marshall style overdrives on the market today! Rock and roll was for the most part – frowned upon in East Germany. Metallica’s flamboyant lead guitarist knows his way around a distorted metal tone and the Dark Blood is one of the best distortion pedals thanks to a hefty tone modeled in the high-gain American tube amp style. Dive into our expert round-up of the best distortion pedals around today. Here’s a Part 1 guide to the man jokingly dubbed Slowhand. In part two of our look at the chord shapes and sequences which define Paul Simon’s sound, we focus on his early years as a solo artist. Running both sides in parallel, however, creates a more multi-textured effect, depending on how much modulation/delay and dirt you sum out. You’ll find standard compressor controls here for recovery, compression amount and output level. So, let's talk about what we mean by distortion and how this might affect your hunt for the best distortion pedal. The latter tweaks the low-end response – use it in conjunction with the Lo/Hi switch and noise gate to go from palm-muted riffs to wailing solos. Recommended to you based on your activity and what's popular • Feedback We speak to the 25-year-old about their journey from busking to sold-out world tours, their hope for a more uplifting guitar culture, and why new album Terra Firma shows that they’re “not just a looper”. You can find some really devastating rhythm tones setting the hi/lo switch to lo and tweaking said “doom” setting, but an onboard noise suppressor keeps things sane and there are plenty of sparkling highs to be dialled in on what is a great all-rounder for metal. Distortion is what gives hard rock and metal that edgy sound we have all grown to know and love. But push the dirt up, flick the voice switch, and you’re well into crunchy modern rock territory. And wear earplugs. We all need some distortion every now and then. But that also means settling on one is impossible and identifying the ‘best distortion pedal’ around becomes a matter of taste. This list focuses on distortion pedals, but naturally there’s some overlap between distortion, overdrive and fuzz, as all of them dirty up your tone. We Review the best metal distortion pedals Image Credit: Yahoo / GettyPlaying intense metal music isn't just about playing aggressively. A cheap distortion pedal … A lot of distortion and overdrive pedals work best over a high-gain/dirty amp tone, but this bad boy can go from a clean amp tone straight into a raunchy and hard-rock distortion. “I plug it in when I want an over-the-top sound that dominates everything. All this tone for under 50 bucks, what’s not to like? Read our full Fender Pugilist Distortion Pedal review. Fender's Pugilist Distortion is a hugely versatile dirtbox thanks to its dual distortion circuits, which allow you to blend two channels for monstrous high-gain tones with enhanced clarity – similar to playing through separate amps at once. #8. You’ll find all of them on this list. What you see is what you get with the DOD Gunslinger – a no-nonsense MOSFET distortion pedal that offers thick and snappy drive. 10 Best Bass Distortion Pedals 2020 (With Buying Guide) October 24, 2020 October 24, 2020 by KBonet Team. MXR M104 Distortion … Push it all the way for death metal nastiness, dark, raw fuzz energy. Many players have also found the Dark Matter’s ‘open-ness’ and responsiveness work well when fed into a higher-gain device. It might be easy to discount the JHS PG-14 as a ‘shreddier’ tube screamer – but there’s some real dirt to be found within this gem, thanks in part to its two most unique features: a mid-frequency preamp for intense tone sculpting, and a push knob that kicks in amp break-up characteristics. When it comes to the best distortion pedals, the M75 is a no-brainer that takes seconds to find the tone you want – an indestructible little powerhouse of versatile analog distortion. The Iron Horse V2 sees the unit updated with a more dynamic tone control and a new level control that makes it easier to dial in unity gain (i.e. Its EQ knobs are immensely flexible – with the mid control offering some of the pedal’s crazier sounding tones when set at either extreme. The most dangerous time of year for your wallets is here. All in all, the DRV provides exceptional drive all while maintaining an almost amp-like response. The best distortion pedal for death metal tones, Price: $95 | Controls: gain, volume | Sockets: input, output, power | Bypass: true bypass | Power requirements: 9V power supply, 9V battery. Outputs let you send to a clean amp or alternatively through a power amp or effects loop. 20 best distortion pedals to buy in 2020 TC Electronic Dark Matter. In this golden age of guitar pedals – with all kinds of small-scale boutique stompbox manufacturers facing off against industry titans such as MXR, TC Electronic and Boss – there’s never been a more golden era to find the best distortion pedal to help you turn your pristine cleans into delicious dirt. There’s less noise. Do Fender’s American Professional II instruments set a new standard? He isn’t kidding around. Just stomp on the switch, and your metal/punk/hard rock dreams await. Caline USA, CP-15 metal Distortion Guitar. Besides the usual gain, level and tone, a mid-cut knob lets you scoop your midrange – the further counter-clockwise, the more ‘V’-shaped the EQ curve gets. Controls on this elegant purple unit are not much of a surprise. The pedal’s soul lies in that mid contour. In this article, you'll be reading about some of the best distortion pedals … 10 Best Cheap Distortion Pedals 2020 – Examples & Compared. If you’re looking for a heavy distortion pedal that offers flexible tone shaping, this might be the one. Check Price on Amazon. We’d love to see a craft beer tie-in. As a rule of thumb, however, it’s always good to use just enough gain to get the job done, and not to overdo it. With voicing modeled on American-style amplifiers, this is more than just a distortion, as it can … A nifty gain reduction indicator also tells you when compression kicks in, helping you dial in just the right amount to achieve the response you’re looking for. Best distortion pedal under $150 – Xotic Effects SL Drive … With the chorus or echo set at tame levels and stacked after the distortion, you can nail those lush tones from the 80s. The pedal has a wide gain range, going from mild, blues-friendly tones to a mid-gain distortion suitable for most styles of rock all the way to full-on saturation for metal. At lower gain levels, it emulates those old-school classic rock tones that issue out of cranked-up tube amps. The result: a hand wired distortion pedal that’s a cut above the rest. The October 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! She performed a heartfelt rendition of Alice in Chains' Black Gives Way To Blue. Gain levels go from medium to high and beyond, but this pedal is not just some renegade. All-powerful boutique thunder in accessible pedal format, Price: $299 | Controls: midcut master, midcut intensity, normal master, gain, treble, middle, bass, presence, deep | Sockets: input, remote, to clean amp output, to power amp output | Bypass: true bypass | Power requirements: 12-18V DC power supply. That said, it’s also really capable at handling more classic rock type sounds. No matter where you set them, the pedal maintains its tight, compressed and bold voice. The Sovereign could probably fight in the overdrive category but has so much beef in its gain structure that goes way beyond. That isn’t to say the Throttle Box lacks versatility. Take out some of those mids for late ’80s Metallica scooped crunch, boost them for that ‘70s vibe. Looking for the right delay, reverb, fuzz, flange or overdrive for your pedalboard? The DS-1 is also a practical option for beginners taking their first steps into the daunting universe of pedals. This stomp-box ain’t cheap but the amp it takes its preamp circuitry from isn’t either, and featuring the same dynamic EQ options as its namesake, the Herbert has incredible distortion on-tap. Alternatively, with all sorts of flavors of gain at your fingertips, with the Wampler Sovereign Distortion on your pedalboard you could lose days (weeks) just dialing in various tones, each bathed in harmonic-rich distortion and crunch. The three-band EQ is everything in changing the character of the M75’s gain. You can always unsubscribe (so you won't receive any more e-mails) by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each e-mail. The December 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! The DS-1’s tone knob really can tweak your highs, perfect for pinch harmonics. Read our full review here. Some scenes, such as early ‘90s Stockholm death-metal, coalesced around a single distortion pedal, the Boss HM-2; they dimed everything and it sounded horrible but brilliant in its own way. The chorus has editable parameters for rate and depth, and the delay for time and feedback. There’s even a Boost DIP switch within the enclosure that you can flick off to reduce the low end and gain. You need to take time and compare different distortion pedals … Sonically, the DS-1 is known – almost notoriously so – for its high compression that covers up errors in your technique with more gain, resulting in less detail but ultimately more sound. Fredric Effects’ Verzerrer is a strange one. With the mids backed off and the gain down to around the 10 o’clock mark, it’ll get you through those soulful numbers. We’d love to stay in touch, sign up for the Guitar World team to contact you with great news, content and offers. Effectively Thorpe’s take on the classic ProCo RAT, the Warthog takes those fabulous overdrive-meets-fuzz tonalities, but ditches the RAT’s over-compressed response that means you’re in danger of disappearing in the mix when playing live. Inside this issue: the best gear of 2020, Fender's new American Professional II Series reviewed, and a free 2021 vintage guitar calendar! From 2020 with love: the best guitars, amps, pedals and accessories of the year. Dial it back to thicken up you rhythm tone or to fatten up single coil pickups. The January 2021 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! From eye-catching straps to dual-function pedals that both look the part and free up pedalboard real estate, there’s something for every type of guitar player this festive season. Here’s a straightforward distortion pedal whose strong points are its simplicity, versatility and all-round musicality. © 2020 Guitar.com is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. From upstart beginnings in the early 60s, Eric Clapton soon established himself as one of the decades’ most lauded players. A recreation of the Bohm Trickverzerrer, which is said to be the only distortion born out of East Germany. Price: $129 | Controls: volume | Sockets: input, output, power | Bypass: true bypass | Power requirements: 9V power supply, 9V battery. It also has a footswitchable boost with independent level and gain controls. The character of the old LMN308 is here, but under the hood the components have been upgraded. The September 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now. Retails at $199.99/£159. There’s just gain and level to play with, but relax, TC Electronic fixed the tone. The Riot Mini Distortion packs the same high-gain distortion sounds found in … A somewhat forgotten piece of gear from music’s history, the Fredric Effects edition of the pedal modernises the original’s primitive design. But let’s not kid ourselves, you can’t tame a RAT. The Red Mist MK IV offers gain for days, producing heavy distorted tones that are especially tight in the bottom end. The ridiculously oversized knob that makes up the Acapulco Gold’s entire control section sets its output level – and it does get stupid loud. It’s a nice touch, and helps this pedal stay board friendly. © Sales season is finally here, and with it has come some healthy discounts - so there's never been a better time to grab a pedal or two. Dunlop MXR M116 Fullbore Guitar Pedal. The 5 Best Fuzz Pedals of All Time: Compare Five… Seen at NAMM 2020: Frost Giant Athos Distortion; New Pedals: Vaderin Pedals Tone Fox Overdrive Distortion; LPD Pedals Seventy4 Distortion; Best Lo-Fi, Distortion and Modulation Pedals for… Siren Pedals Airavata Distortion One of the best distortion pedals around right now, Price: $199 | Controls: volume, mid contour, tone, gain, bright/even switch, gain/boost switch | Sockets: input, output, power | Bypass: relay true bypass w/ soft switch | Power requirements: 9V power supply, 9V battery. Another small enclosure pedal of simple design housing an enormous and classic metal distortion tone: it must be a Boss? The final destination is a thick, fat and open distortion, with a little fuzz overtones, that makes for amazing ‘70s metal tones. … It has a three-band EQ, volume and gain knobs, and an Aggression toggle switch. In our final part of our look at the stylings of the legendary Three Kings, we tackle the searing style of Freddie King. 1 Tech 21 RIP Red Ripper Bass Distortion Effect Pedal; 2 Electro-Harmonix Bass Soul Food Bass Distortion Effects Pedal; 3 MXR M85 Bass Distortion; 4 Way Huge WHE207 Green Rhino Mini MKIV; 5 Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Distortion Pedal… There’S just gain and a level knob are all the way for death metal nastiness,,... Is an essential part of Future plc, an international media group and digital! Pedal under $ 100 – MXR M75 Super Badass distortion – very versatile, the... 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Rich distortion distortion pedal under $ 100 – MXR M75 Super Badass distortion – very versatile, your! Power to your inbox some neat artwork from illustrator Adam Forster in-depth research to bring you the best distortion. Be used as such when fed into a more throaty roar to sit between heavy and! Chorus or echo set at tame levels and stacked after the distortion circuit has been tweaked too for more low-gain. Devices to versatile dirt boxes, we pick out 20 essential distortion pedals around today the that! Of gain simple design housing an enormous and classic metal distortion tone: it must be high-gain...