Which distortion pedal to get

Its hard, aggressive sound and tight, focussed clipping are pretty much the template for what distortion sounds like to this day. They of course used a Marshall Shredmaster - now long discontinued - but the RAT can cover most of the same ground. Although it does sound the best at higher gain settings, it can be used as a lower-gain boost, even if it never fully cleans up in the way an overdrive might. On the original, the slow slew rate of the op-amp created a distinctive, almost triangle-wave waveform at higher gain levels.

However, the hard clip of the diodes means that the difference in reality is more marginal than some claim. The pedal is happy adding a little crunch, some extra oomph, but it keeps the integrity of your guitar tone steady when dimed. Dial it back to thicken up you rhythm tone or to fatten up single coil pickups.

The Boss HM-2 was the defining sound of Swedish death metal, defining the most extreme guitar sound in heavy metal at the time. Created with a combination of down-tuning and stacking the HM-2 with a Boss DS-1, the sound of all the controls maxed out quickly became referred to as the 'Swedish chainsaw.

It's a faithful recreation of the HM-2, with some welcome additional controls and modes for flexibility not found on the original. The four band EQ is much more powerful - assuming you don't just dime all the controls, of course! Despite its association with death metal, it's worth saying that the HM-2 was by no means a one-trick pony. The HM-2 was able to serve up much of the same level of aggression and clipping, with a less difficult-to-use EQ section.

For this reason, the Wurm is a solid choice for most metal sub-genres, especially if using smaller amps. If you have a tube amplifier, even the clean channel will get distorted if you push the volume near the maximum. Many amps today have separate distortion channels, but you can also use distortion, overdrive, or fuzz pedals. Using two distortion pedals is a common practice. One pedal should serve as the main distortion and the other one as a boost that also adds some character.

Distortion and an overdrive pedal can work well together. Overdrives are a type of distortion that just sounds smoother. Tube Screamer is usually found in blues music, although it can be used for pushing tube amplifiers over their limits and achieving heavy distorted tones for metal. Now we have looked at some awesome pedals, how about the best amp simulators for metal?

Who needs to buy a practice amp? When you can have every classic amplifier and effect for sweet tones at a mouse click away! Adam is the founder and author of Tone Topics and dedicated to providing the best guitar content for like-minded gear nerds. Please enjoy all the content on the site and support us by sharing these posts with other people. It would really help us out! Choosing the right guitar for your ideal tone, playing style, and typical genre is difficult. Not so with semi-hollow body guitars.

These hollowed versions are super versatile, but how As the modern digital age continues to make enormous strides within the guitar gear industry. Players ponder whether multi-effects are better than a traditional pedalboard full of pretty Skip to content. Cons Plastic casing and cheaper components are not so reliable. Pros The abundance of controls makes it very versatile Responsive mids control Switchable top boost with its independent control Sturdy construction.

Cons The pedal is larger, which might be a problem for some pedalboards. Pros Quality and sturdy build Very versatile, can be used for almost any genre Responsive controls Aggressiveness modes can completely change the tone Very tight even on higher gain settings. Cons Expensive Red mode on highest gain settings can be a little messy. Cons Can get a little fuzzy and murky on some higher gain settings. Pros Extremely versatile You can dial in both vintage and modern tones Presence boost allows you to cut through the mix without pushing the volume Works really well with tube amps.

Image: Revv Amplification. Controls on this elegant purple unit are not much of a surprise. It has a three-band EQ, volume and gain knobs, and an Aggression toggle switch.

The latter control is where things get interesting. What started out as a Whiteface ProCo Rat was developed by the pair over the course of four years. All in all, the DRV provides exceptional drive all while maintaining an almost amp-like response. At zero the mids almost completely disappear, and at maximum — the pedal starts to self-oscillate, producing feedback screeches like something more commonly found in a Death By Audio pedal.

Image: Keeley. 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. To help sculpt your ideal tone, the pedal employs six EQ parameters. With the switchable modes: Boost, Bright and Crunch, you can quickly alter the personality of the Filaments at the flick of a switch.

And most surprisingly, it maintains a quiet noise floor even at high outputs. Photo: Walrus Audio. With the help of its three-knob EQ section, the Red offers a plethora of heavy distortion tones — spanning stoner rock to blackgaze. 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.

Over 30 years in production, an unchanged build, and used by the likes of Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai — the Boss DS-1 is the granddaddy of distortion pedals. No matter where you set them, the pedal maintains its tight, compressed and bold voice. The DS-1 is also a practical option for beginners taking their first steps into the daunting universe of 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.

The Super Badass has a broad gain range, too. Keep the distortion low and output high, and the pedal flirts with boost to overdrive tones. The best distortion pedal if you want something that feels more unique and boutique. Read our full Wampler Sovereign Distortion review. Voiced after the greatest Plexis in Marshall history, the BE-OD, much like head itself, oozes class and thunder on all fronts.

As well as its dual gain engines A and B , the Pugilist also boasts a blend knob for a mix of both — which makes it one of the most versatile distortion pedals out there. Especially considering each engine has its own adjustable gain and tone controls, so it can function almost like three different channels at once.

And, of course, running both together offers no end to amount of gain you can dial in. Don't forget to check out our best electric guitars for beginners too. Read our full Fender Pugilist Distortion review. Based in Oklahoma and founded in , Walrus Audio are another brand whose pedals have really made an impact in a relatively short space of time. This updated version of their Iron Horse distortion will undoubtedly be popular among those looking for thicker and sludgier tones, with no shortage of low-end and warmth.

It offers three distortion modes operated by a toggle switch that changes between different clipping diodes, providing more versatility in shaping the tone of the distortion. Read our full Walrus Audio Iron Horse review.

James Brown, the man behind Amptweaker pedals, is perhaps best known for being a design engineer for Peavey and Kustom amps, having worked closely with Eddie Van Halen on the original s. As one of the more established boutique brand out there, Bogner amps have long been favoured by the biggest producers and players in the world.

This Ecstasy Red pedal delivers a lot of the higher-gain modern lead sounds that put them on the map. There are rotary controls for gain, bass, mid, treble and volume, with two presets for gain and volume that operate in the boost mode. Above the rotaries are four mini-toggle switches: Variac, which adds a dynamic compression effect; a mode switch with three gain options dubbed Tight, Full and Mellow; a three-way Pre-EQ switch that offers two types of bright emphasis plus a centre neutral option; and a three-way switch called Structure, which changes the pedal's gain and overall tonality to match the Ecstasy , and 20th Anniversary versions.

Read our full Bogner Ecstasy Red review. From transparent gain pedals that retain the characteristics of both the guitar and amp to pedals that will transform your rig into something completely unrecognizable, there's a wide range of distortion pedals on the market for everyone. Fans of metal will enjoy the bright pronounced attack of a distortion pedal with a built in noise gate, whereas those that play grunge or other lo-fi styles generally prefer the grittiness of fuzzy distortion.

If you're feeling more adventurous, stacking both kinds on top of an already overdriven amp can yield some pretty fantastic results. When trying to choose the best distortion pedal for you, the first thing to consider is functionality. Perhaps you're looking for something with several gain stages, almost like channels on an amp. In that case, there are numerous options out there that will allow you to switch between two gain sounds, and in some cases, stack them.

Maybe you're looking for something simple? Well, there are more single-button distortion pedals out there than you can shake a stick at.