What’s the Best Overdrive or Distortion Pedal for Me? |
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Overdrive and distortion characterise the popular and raw sound that we call rock, and in this Buyer’s Guide, we help you pick the best drive/distortion pedal for you and your electric guitar. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us! 1. A Lot, or a Little Overdrive?The amount of overdrive or distortion comes down to the amount of gain, and just how much gain you need strongly depends on the kind of sound you want to hear. For classic rock and rock ‘n’ roll, a touch of overdrive will do, but if you’re into blues or punk, you’ll likely need a little more - loads more even, if metal is what you want. In general, overdrive pedals are able to generate low to medium overdrive, while distortion pedals offer medium to extreme overdrive. As such, overdrive is basically a milder version of distortion. All Overdrive and Distortion Pedals
2. What Kind of Amplifier Do I Need?While overdrive and distortion pedals are great, how they end up sounding depends a lot on your amplifier. That means that if your amp only has a clean channel, any overdrive will have to come from your effects pedal. If, on the other hand, your amp has its own overdrive channel, you can combine it with an overdrive or distortion pedal for an extra powerful and tight sound. All Overdrive and Distortion Pedals
3. Which Pedal Should I Pick if I Want to Hook it Up to a Clean Channel?If your amp only has a clean channel, don’t worry - your options are still pretty unlimited. Any pedal that has ‘overdrive’, ‘drive’ or ‘screamer’ in its name, will give you subtle to medium overdrive. If you want more, go for a pedal that says ‘distortion’ or something similarly extreme. If in doubt, remember that you really can’t go wrong with any pedal from popular brands like BOSS and TC Electronic. All Overdrive and Distortion Pedals
4. Which Pedal Should I Pick if I Want to Hook it Up to an Overdrive Channel?Even if your amplifier has an overdrive channel of its own, an effect pedal can still be worth your while. While amp-based overdrive usually sounds pretty solid, it often lacks a bit of gain and sonic tightness. If you take a more subtle overdrive pedal (the popular green one seen on the left here, for example), and dial in little to no gain while turning the volume all the way up, your amp will get a serious boost. This gives you extra gain and tightness of tone, especially if you have a tube amp. All Overdrive and Distortion Pedals
5. How Do I Power My Overdrive or Distortion Pedal?Like all electronic devices, effect pedals require power, and while you could decide to fuss around with batteries, using an actual power supply is not only more eco-friendly, it saves you a lot of money. Here, it’s worth noting that a power supply usually doesn’t come included with effects pedals, and that most power supplies run on 9V DC with center-negative polarity and feature a standard 2.1mm barrel plug. To prevent causing both damage and disappointment, it’s recommended to double-check the specifications of your pedal and any power supply before you pick one up. Also, if the power supply has enough power capacity, it can be used to power multiple pedals at the same time using a daisy chain cable. Tip: On almost every one of our effect pedal product pages, you’ll find discounted bundles including a compatible power supply further down the page. Pedal Power Supplies (9V DC, Centre-Negative 2.1mm)
6. How Do I Prevent Noise and Feedback?If there’s gain, there’s bound to be noise and feedback. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to solve this problem: noise suppressors and noise gates. These suppress the signal any time you pause your play, so that your signal is nice and quiet between songs. In addition, noise gates and suppressors are also great for heavier styles because after all: the tighter the sound, the better the sound!
Links & More InformationProduct Categories All Overdrive & Distortion Pedals BlogsGuitar Effects: Distortion, Fuzz or Overdrive?
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