Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal

darkr_reaver · 06-01-2009, 02:53 PM

So I need help choosing a distortion pedal.

I am using a Epi LP through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and the only distortion pedal I have is a BOSS DS-1 that I'm not liking so much at the moment.

I'm looking for something within the price range of $50-$150. Something a little on the fuzzy side of things.

The kind of tone I'm looking for is something like the distortion that Emery uses on the songs 'The Smile, The Face' and 'So Cold I Could See My Breath' or like Muse on 'Stockholme Syndrome' and 'Thoughts of a Dying Aetheist'. Well, any references, link, videos, and sound clips would be extremely helpful seeing how I don't really know much bout these things.

Pwozzie · 06-01-2009, 02:56 PM

The Fulltone Catalyst is extremely versatile. There are plenty of demos on youtube.

darkr_reaver · 06-01-2009, 02:57 PM

Pedals I'm considering: Big Muff, Fuzz Face, MXR Distortion +, MXR Wylde OD, and BOSS DS-2 (w/mod).

Those are about the only things I've got that come to mind right away... You know any othersthat sound good, I'd like to hear about 'em.

darkr_reaver · 06-01-2009, 03:10 PM

0.o .......... Fulltone Catalyst... Wow...

I've never heard of it before, but man, that thing sounds great! Love the Flame mode and Spark sounds great with a high and even on low gain settings.

Pwozzie · 06-01-2009, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkr_reaver

0.o .......... Fulltone Catalyst... Wow...

I've never heard of it before, but man, that thing sounds great! Love the Flame mode and Spark sounds great with a high and even on low gain settings.

I'm selling most of my distortion pedals because of the Catalyst.

rofong6 · 06-01-2009, 06:42 PM

MXR Distortion + Period. Great fuzzy sound and a sweet overdrive sound.

MesaBoogie · 06-02-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rofong6

MXR Distortion + Period. Great fuzzy sound and a sweet overdrive sound.

I find the volume control on that one to be simply unusable.

darkr_reaver · 06-02-2009, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rofong6

MXR Distortion + Period. Great fuzzy sound and a sweet overdrive sound.

Well, I was a fan of it, but over time it started to sound a little thin to me. It's not as full and in-your-face as that Catalyst was. I'd still buy the MXR Dist. +, but now I got my eyes set on that Catalyst thanks to Pwozzie there.

Pwozzie · 06-02-2009, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkr_reaver

Well, I was a fan of it, but over time it started to sound a little thin to me. It's not as full and in-your-face as that Catalyst was. I'd still buy the MXR Dist. +, but now I got my eyes set on that Catalyst thanks to Pwozzie there.

I prefer the MXR Distortion III over the +, but that's because I love my gain.

The Catalyst, however, completely blew me away.. and that was on my blackheart! On my C50... OMG!

darkr_reaver · 06-02-2009, 02:18 PM

Seriously man, that pedal's got some really aggressive sound and bite to it!

rforster · 06-02-2009, 11:12 PM

Anyone had any experience with this?

Buy Radial Tonebone Plexitube Distortion Pedal | Overdrive, Distortion, Fuzz & Boost | Musician's Friend

The demos I've seen on youtube sound wicked but it's a bit pricey..

Ryan

MesaBoogie · 06-03-2009, 02:26 AM

Buy Rocktron Silver Dragon Tube Distortion Pedal | Overdrive, Distortion, Fuzz & Boost | Musician's Friend

BluesLover · 06-04-2009, 10:56 AM

Hey the new Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde is AMAZING. It is $150, and I think well worth it.

Visual Sound - Guitar Effects Pedals, 1 SPOT Pedalboard Power Supplies, and more...

If you want something extremely versatile, go for the Boss OD-20. It has 22 different distortions and overdrives to start out with, and you can make your own also. Plus, you can program it to store four different distortions or overdrives that you have created. It is a little bit more money, costing $179.

http://www.bossus.com/gear/productde...64&ParentId=96

Frails · 06-05-2009, 12:16 AM

I own and love my Big Muffs. They are THE pedal that will never leave my board. They are more fuzz than distortion though. If you do go that route, I strongly suggest a BYOC Large Beaver with the mods mod. It can dial in any tone I get out of my green Muffs plus a few more.

When it comes to distortion, it starts and ends with a Pro Co Rat. BUT, it HAS to have the LM308 chip.

MKLP · 06-05-2009, 12:25 AM

I'm seriously considering the MXR III. Here's a demo

YouTube - MXR Distortion III Pedal

st.bede · 06-07-2009, 12:15 AM

here is another idea: check out a Catalinbread SCOD:

Catalinbread SCOD Super Charged Overdrive Pedal

....(I love mine, it is among my fav ODs)......

YouTube - jc 120 part 2 Catalinbread SCOD, Analogman modded DOD (please forgive the artifacts)

this vid is all about od/dist with a jc 120 so I did not focus on the right set up for this pedal....for example the cab has a Weber Californian, which is not a really good speaker FOR DIRT...super excellent for cleans....

Neodustin · 06-07-2009, 09:47 AM

Digitech Valve Distortion. Do it.

eddy999 · 06-09-2009, 09:35 AM

Even better - buy and build one of these yourself:

YouTube - BYOC Build Your Own Clone guitar effects pedal demo OD2 Overdrive 2 with Tele & Jaguar Twin

mine sounds great (regular, not mosfet) - very versatile. Sure beats my other OD pedals (except my BYOC Mouse which is also great!!)

Jackyrhode · 06-09-2009, 03:14 PM

Love the little Big Muff. Smaller, cheaper and the same tone as the the giant guy.

Silverbursted · 06-10-2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkr_reaver

The kind of tone I'm looking for is something like the distortion that Emery uses on the songs 'The Smile, The Face' and 'So Cold I Could See My Breath' or like Muse on 'Stockholme Syndrome' and 'Thoughts of a Dying Aetheist'. Well, any references, link, videos, and sound clips would be extremely helpful seeing how I don't really know much bout these things.

Man, I must be getting old, I've never heard of any of these.

Justin_Case · 06-10-2009, 11:11 PM

I'm enjoying my new PigTronix PolySaturator - lots of range with the active EQ and great touch sensitivity

Sound demos:
Pigtronix PSO PolySaturator - Audio Clips Page

Pigtronix Products - PolySaturator

Rockin4God · 06-14-2009, 03:29 AM

That MXR rocks, Whats the price on that?

acstorfer · 06-14-2009, 04:56 PM

I just picked up a used Damage Control Solid Metal pedal today and it is truly sick! Look into it, they are discontinued, but you should be able to find a used one. It is a wicked hot pedal!

darkr_reaver · 07-24-2009, 01:26 AM

Lol... Wow... i never looked here again after the first week, but you guys gave out alot of pedal names and brands... I'll be sure to check out each of them.

@silverbursted: If you never heard o' them, you should check them out, both bands are damn good and those are some of their best songs.

needlespauls · 07-24-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkr_reaver

Lol... Wow... i never looked here again after the first week, but you guys gave out alot of pedal names and brands... I'll be sure to check out each of them.

@silverbursted: If you never heard o' them, you should check them out, both bands are damn good and those are some of their best songs.

I just got an MI Audio Crunch Box yesterday, and its the PERFECT distortion pedal IMO. Its just sick. Nice and compact, your typical 3 knob (volume,tone,gain) configuration, with an internal trim pot to taylor the pedal to your amp setup, adjusting the characteristics of the bass/mids level.
$129, and for me I like it better than anything I've ever used after 15 years of playing.

I'd also recommend ANYTHING from Catalinbread and Lovepedal. Great stuff.
Also look at the ISP Fetish pedal, sounds killer in the demos, no one has em' around me to try.

OOHHHH! Also Earthquaker Devices. They have a good 3-4 distortion and fuzz pedals that seem to sound killer, very well built too!

Proguitarshopdemos.com and tonefactor.com have the best youtube demos you'll find. You could spend hours on there!!

darkr_reaver · 07-24-2009, 08:18 PM

That Kanji 9 by Lovepedal was beautiful as a clean boost... A bit pricy, but just wow...

Still thinkin' on going with the Catalyst, but I may be adding more pedals to my list after checkin out the references you guys gave.

darkr_reaver · 07-25-2009, 12:08 PM

Oooh... I just found a really nice pedal called the EWS FD-1 Fuzzy Drive.

needlespauls · 07-25-2009, 01:43 PM

YouTube - Schecter Solo 6 Limited Edition

MI Audio Crunch Box used in this demo!!!!!!!!!

YouTube - MI Audio Crunch Box Demo

Earthquaker Devices White Light OD!

YouTube - Earthquaker Devices White Light Overdrive

Crimson Drive/Fuzz!

YouTube - Earthquaker Devices Crimson Drive Demo

Barber Super Sport Overdrive!

YouTube - Barber B-Custom Super Sport Direct Drive

AND
The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret!!!!

YouTube - Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Plays Dynamics

YouTube - Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret

Supercharged Overdrive!

YouTube - Catalinbread Super Charged Overdrive

And the ISP Fetish!!

YouTube - ISP Technologies Fetish Distortion

I still can't get over my new Crunchbox!

AngryHatter · 07-25-2009, 06:53 PM

I like the MXR, especially in front of a tube head.

But like everything else this thread has proven that one mans meat is another mans posion.

There must be 20 mentions and not a bad word said.
Electro Harmonix was great stuff back in the 70s...I have an itch to try a new one out.

cynic79 · 07-25-2009, 07:06 PM

WMD Geiger Counter

Listen to the sound samples. That's the most perverse pedal I've ever heard!

06-01-2009, 02:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal So I need help choosing a distortion pedal. I am using a Epi LP through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and the only distortion pedal I have is a BOSS DS-1 that I'm not liking so much at the moment. I'm looking for something within the price range of $50-$150. Something a little on the fuzzy side of things. The kind of tone I'm looking for is something like the distortion that Emery uses on the songs 'The Smile, The Face' and 'So Cold I Could See My Breath' or like Muse on 'Stockholme Syndrome' and 'Thoughts of a Dying Aetheist'. Well, any references, link, videos, and sound clips would be extremely helpful seeing how I don't really know much bout these things. __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!) Last edited by darkr_reaver; 06-01-2009 at 02:55 PM. Reason: pedals, distortion

06-01-2009, 02:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pwozzie Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: NJ Posts: 5,428 Thanks: 111 Thanked 30 Times in 20 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal The Fulltone Catalyst is extremely versatile. There are plenty of demos on youtube. __________________ I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. - Thomas Jefferson

06-01-2009, 02:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Pedals I'm considering: Big Muff, Fuzz Face, MXR Distortion +, MXR Wylde OD, and BOSS DS-2 (w/mod). Those are about the only things I've got that come to mind right away... You know any othersthat sound good, I'd like to hear about 'em. __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!)

06-01-2009, 03:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal 0.o .......... Fulltone Catalyst... Wow... I've never heard of it before, but man, that thing sounds great! Love the Flame mode and Spark sounds great with a high and even on low gain settings. __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!)

06-01-2009, 06:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
rofong6 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 185 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal MXR Distortion + Period. Great fuzzy sound and a sweet overdrive sound. __________________ Tiny Terror Club Member # 1

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06-02-2009, 02:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Seriously man, that pedal's got some really aggressive sound and bite to it! __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!)

06-02-2009, 11:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
rforster Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 31 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Anyone had any experience with this? Buy Radial Tonebone Plexitube Distortion Pedal \| Overdrive, Distortion, Fuzz & Boost \| Musician's Friend The demos I've seen on youtube sound wicked but it's a bit pricey.. Ryan

06-03-2009, 02:26 AM	#12 (permalink)
MesaBoogie Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,205 Thanks: 32 Thanked 11 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Buy Rocktron Silver Dragon Tube Distortion Pedal \| Overdrive, Distortion, Fuzz & Boost \| Musician's Friend __________________ Was an unlucky child...was abandoned at the doorstep...by my foster-parents...

06-04-2009, 10:56 AM	#13 (permalink)
BluesLover Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 254 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Hey the new Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde is AMAZING. It is $150, and I think well worth it. Visual Sound - Guitar Effects Pedals, 1 SPOT Pedalboard Power Supplies, and more... If you want something extremely versatile, go for the Boss OD-20. It has 22 different distortions and overdrives to start out with, and you can make your own also. Plus, you can program it to store four different distortions or overdrives that you have created. It is a little bit more money, costing $179. http://www.bossus.com/gear/productde...64&ParentId=96 __________________ Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Studio, Ibanez AEG20E Amp: Fender Blues Junior Pedals: Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Boss SD-1 Super-Overdrive, Boss DD-20 Giga Delay

06-05-2009, 12:16 AM	#14 (permalink)
Frails Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 546 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal I own and love my Big Muffs. They are THE pedal that will never leave my board. They are more fuzz than distortion though. If you do go that route, I strongly suggest a BYOC Large Beaver with the mods mod. It can dial in any tone I get out of my green Muffs plus a few more. When it comes to distortion, it starts and ends with a Pro Co Rat. BUT, it HAS to have the LM308 chip.

06-07-2009, 12:15 AM	#16 (permalink)
st.bede V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Fresno Ca Posts: 3,427 Thanks: 81 Thanked 35 Times in 20 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal here is another idea: check out a Catalinbread SCOD: Catalinbread SCOD Super Charged Overdrive Pedal ....(I love mine, it is among my fav ODs)...... YouTube - jc 120 part 2 Catalinbread SCOD, Analogman modded DOD (please forgive the artifacts) this vid is all about od/dist with a jc 120 so I did not focus on the right set up for this pedal....for example the cab has a Weber Californian, which is not a really good speaker FOR DIRT...super excellent for cleans.... __________________ "to criticize without vision is to be complicitious with dominance" Carolyn Casey "Go easy and, if you can't go easy, go as easy as you can" Jennifer Stone.... (from KPFA Cover to Cover) the wings of inspiration come to each according to their own song-des sad but I have made an ass of myself lately....

06-07-2009, 09:47 AM	#17 (permalink)
Neodustin Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 64 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Digitech Valve Distortion. Do it.

06-09-2009, 03:14 PM	#19 (permalink)
Jackyrhode Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 87 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Love the little Big Muff. Smaller, cheaper and the same tone as the the giant guy.

06-10-2009, 11:11 PM	#21 (permalink)
Justin_Case Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 269 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal I'm enjoying my new PigTronix PolySaturator - lots of range with the active EQ and great touch sensitivity Sound demos: Pigtronix PSO PolySaturator - Audio Clips Page Pigtronix Products - PolySaturator

06-14-2009, 04:56 PM	#23 (permalink)
acstorfer Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Broadview Heights, Ohio Posts: 498 Thanks: 0 Thanked 12 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal I just picked up a used Damage Control Solid Metal pedal today and it is truly sick! Look into it, they are discontinued, but you should be able to find a used one. It is a wicked hot pedal! __________________ Guitars 1980 (ish)POS S.S. Stuart Acoustic (my first guitar) 1981 B.C. Rich U.S.A. Bich-6 1985 B.C. Rich NJ ST-III (thru-neck) 1991 Gibson Flying V 2001 C.F. Martin DCME 2007 Mockingbird Calibre (prototype #2) 2007 Gibson Les Paul Classic Antique (week 5 GOTW) 2008 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Axcess Standard Amplifiers Guitar Research 60W Combo (tube preamp) Epiphone Valve Jr. (cabinet only) Egnater Rebel 20 (head and cab) Swart Space Tone Combo (5 watts of incredible sound)

06-14-2009, 03:29 AM	#22 (permalink)
Rockin4God Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 40 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal That MXR rocks, Whats the price on that?

07-24-2009, 01:26 AM	#24 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Lol... Wow... i never looked here again after the first week, but you guys gave out alot of pedal names and brands... I'll be sure to check out each of them. @silverbursted: If you never heard o' them, you should check them out, both bands are damn good and those are some of their best songs. __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!)

07-24-2009, 08:18 PM	#26 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal That Kanji 9 by Lovepedal was beautiful as a clean boost... A bit pricy, but just wow... Still thinkin' on going with the Catalyst, but I may be adding more pedals to my list after checkin out the references you guys gave. __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!)

07-25-2009, 12:08 PM	#27 (permalink)
darkr_reaver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 340 Thanks: 16 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal Oooh... I just found a really nice pedal called the EWS FD-1 Fuzzy Drive. __________________ Guitars: -Epiphone Les Paul Studio Amps: -Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Pedals: -Boss DD-3 (Offers?) -Boss DS-1 (Offers?) -Boss TU-2 (Thanks Cristian) -Fulltone O.C.D. (Thanks Ivette!) -Fulltone Catalyst (Thanks Sheridan!) -Empress Para EQ (WANTED!)

07-25-2009, 06:53 PM	#29 (permalink)
AngryHatter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 778 Thanks: 6 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal I like the MXR, especially in front of a tube head. But like everything else this thread has proven that one mans meat is another mans posion. There must be 20 mentions and not a bad word said. Electro Harmonix was great stuff back in the 70s...I have an itch to try a new one out.

07-25-2009, 07:06 PM	#30 (permalink)
cynic79 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,060 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: Help Choosing a Distortion Pedal WMD Geiger Counter Listen to the sound samples. That's the most perverse pedal I've ever heard!

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