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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → Distortion pedals? Any input will be great
How about just a nasty sounding distortion pedal. Any suggestions? I've got a Fuzz pedal and a couple of overdrive pedals but I want to play around with just distortion now. I'm basically playing a stock Strat now, and slightly hotter strat, and a hot rodded strat with mini humbuckers. I am thinking like Neil Young distortion.
How about just a nasty sounding distortion pedal. Any suggestions? I've got a Fuzz pedal and a couple of overdrive pedals but I want to play around with just distortion now. I'm basically playing a stock Strat now, and slightly hotter strat, and a hot rodded strat with mini humbuckers. I am thinking like Neil Young distortion.
Well this is a little of a contradiction. NY's sound is not distortion, it's overdrive. All from a 30 w tweed twin deluxe cranked to 11 on all fronts, and very microphonic pups.
However, the MXR Distortion + will get you quite close to it for Neil Young. Also understand reverb is a massive part of his sound- he has his own 15 foot reverb spring system!!!!
But if you want hellish distortion, depending on your budget, I'd recommend the Pete Cornish NG2 at the upper end of the price range (pure amp MELTDOWN!) or a Boss Metal Zone (MT2) on the lower. Mt2 is a great pedal and much more versatile than the name suggests. David Gilmour used it for the intro to Sorrow- massive sound.
Way Huge Pork Loin is great too, but might be a little tame.
The Ibanez DS7? Only distortion pedal I've ever owned, as I'm not too much of a fan of using pedals to get gain, but that's just my preference, but I have to say I like this pedal when running a clean amp at low volume, and it gives a great sound! Same principle as a Tube Screamer (Volume, Tone and Drive) and as it's by Ibanez, it's something you can trust 
I used it when I started gigging, and only stopped using it, when I got my hands on a baffle 
Highly recommend it, and from what I remember, not too pricey too.
Rus
The MXR Distortion III is great. That's my current distortion pedal. Though I'm looking to get the Way Huge Fat Sandwich.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UdSMmspp1o
Good wee video with the Distortion III
Well my thing is I'm running a Fender hot rod deluxe amp and the distortion tones are pretty sorry sounding. But the Clean sure can get nasty sounding but by the time you've turned up that loud (which is around the 10 o'clock spot it breaks up.) its too loud for most situations I'm in. I've got 2 overdrive pedals that have done a great job at getting overdriven sounds, and a Way Huge Swollen Pickle for Fuzz which I'm enjoying again... But the thing with fuzz is that by the time you get up to the distortion you wanted it fuzzes out on you. I've heard a lot of Distoriton pedals lately high end pedals and low end and they sound like they can get what I'm trying to do better then the stuff I've got. I want to stick with Single coil pickups because everybody does Humbuckers now days. zvex has a box of rocks what do you guys think of them. I'm thinking in the $200 price range so really what do you suggest.
$200 can get you a lot (If I have the exchange rate right in my head 
)
I suggest going into a shop and asking to try maybe three different distortion pedals at once. That way you can compare them right away and not have to try remember how the last one sounded.
I plan to do this soon with distortion/overdrive
The three being the Fat Sandwich, OCD and Fulldrive 2.
The best all around distortion I have played, believe it or not, is a Boss Metal Zone Modified by Keeley. Super versatile pedal. I could dial in Steve Morse, Brian May, Eddie, Pantera, all thanks to the wide range of gain structures with mods, but also what is the most important thing in any kind of overdrive and distortion pedal: a very very good EQ control. I regret letting it go, but don't really need it now that I play a Marshallesque amp. A good OD does the trick for me these days.
So that's + 2 on the Boss Metal Zone. I'd have one on my board if there as room for sure!
Try the durham electronics crazy horse. the name says it all. Check out this demo.
These will be coming out soon, designed by Mike Soldano I believe...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pho … =fbx_album
No details as yet but I'll be checking one out.
what's the difference between the OCD and the Fulldrive II?
Like if you could only get one, which is "better"
what's the difference between the OCD and the Fulldrive II?
Like if you could only get one, which is "better"
If I could only get one, it would definately be the Fulldrive 2. The differences are many. The OCD has this "plexi Marshall" like grind to it. It's not very smooth or refined and it has a TON of output. I like the OCD for when I need to churn out some tasty hard rock crunch. The Fulldrive is a totally different beast. It's a lot middier and effectively turns your one channel amp into a 3 channel amp. The gain is also more compressed and smoother than the OCD no matter where you put the knobs. I'd probably say that the OCD can be dialed in to be more transparent? They both rock which is why I have both!
Well I would not classify the Fulltone as a distortion. Whatever pedal of choice, to me the most significant part of shaping a dirty tone is the EQ. Most pedals either have a tone knob or a bass and treble. IMHO, 3 band EQ is a must.
Check out Catalinbread's Dirty Little Secret pedal. It's really cool and matches your budget.
My vote here on Distortion pedals would be :
1 Blackstar HT-Dual
2 Fulltone OCD
3 Providence Stampede
Numbers 2 and 3 are more overdrive than distortion but can really scream
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → Distortion pedals? Any input will be great
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