Need help choosing a distortion pedal?

[tyedie]

Don't worry about using cheap pedals. If it sounds good then it is good. Cheap or expensive.

[Sino]

Originally Posted by bruvvamoff

Hi all

I'm getting close to being happy with my bedroom studio.
I bagged a sexy Les Paul studio, and traded in my Line 6 for an Orange Tiny Terror.
I'm happy with the cleans, crunches and choruses from my boss pedals, but every now and then I like to rock a bit of Deftones and my distortion pedal (MT-2) is a bit.. well you know. Crap. Versatile, but crap. Like an EQ band on steroids.
I want a back to basics distortion pedal like a DS-1 but I feel I'd be doing my amp and guitar a great disjustice by using such a cheap pedal even tho it has practically a cult following.
Any recommendations for a compact distortion pedal, basic controls but amazing sound that will work well with my setup?
I'd like to whittle it down to a few to try out at the shop.

PERSONALLY, I don't like Boss distortion pedals... I think they're too "noisy".

As you said you should go to a shop and try some...
I'd suggest to try something from MXR like the '78 distortion and the Custom Badass Modified Overdrive...

[cortisol]

The Hardwire SC-2 Valve Distortion pedal would be a strong choice. It's very affordable and versatile and has many amazing sounds in it. It would do Deftones type sounds.

Other pedals I like for modern saturated distortion are the Wampler Ecstacy/Euphoria and the Blackstar HT-Metal.

[Mario-C.]

Suhr Riot is great and really quiet.
For high gain the Emma Electronic wins.

PisdiYAUwot

[litepipe]

I really like the wampler slo-stortion. My fav distortion pedal.

[Brentley Womac]

I've got an Orange Thunderverb 50 & the Wampler Pinnacle Deluxe is one of the best distortion pedals I've ever owned. It sounds killer with the EL34's. The Tiny Terror uses EL84's so it'll respond a little different but, still should sound awesome. I also own the Ecstasy (now the Euphoria). I love it but it's an overdrive where as the Pinnacle & SLO are true distortion boxes. Brian Wampler straight up makes kick ass gear. You can't go wrong. I'll also second the Suhr Riot. I don't own it but I've tried it & it's a great box. As for the DS-1...check out Robert Keeley & Analogman. They've got some killer mods for that pedal. Good luck on your search...you've got a lot of great choices out there.

[Kaoz]

I'll chuck in the Blackstar line for consideration. I've personally got a HT-Dual, and love it. Haven't yet felt the need to reach for another distortion pedal, with some tweaking I'm able to get pretty much any distortion I want out of the thing.

For reference, I'm doing a lot of NiN/Depeche Mode/Gary Numan stuff, and it fulfills those roles pretty well. I lent it to a friend of mine a while ago who plays in a 50's-60's rocknroll cover band, and he was instantly able to find appropriate tones.

Amazingly versatile.

[DerekJ]

Rat or Turbo Rat, EHX English Muff'n, Silver Dragon, Chandler Real Tube/Blue Tube, EHX LPB 2ube

[Pezz]

Fulltone Fulldrive 2

[electricity17]

I'm gonna throw out the idea that what you may want is actually a fuzz pedal. I played guitar straight into amp for a long time, but fuzz made a big difference for my sound, I could play single note leads that had the density and sustain of rhythm parts. Also treble boosters which are sorta like half of fuzz pedal. I would check out the Phoenix Custom Electronics Ranger for a treble booster and their Lady Stardust for a flexible fuzz pedal. Also Analogman has some great pedals, I have one of their Sunface fuzz pedals that's fantastic. For me, it's become about germanium transistors for lead guitar sounds.

But if you actually want a distortion, I've been playing a Way Huge Green Rhino that I like a lot, it's like a Tubescreamer with a fair amount of gain. A friend has a Boss DS-1 that sounds decent, it's sorta smooth and reminded me of a Big Muff actually.

[electricity17]

Also good call on trading up to the Tiny Terror, it's a great amp and it should be sounding awesome with the Les Paul.

[nedorama]

For $40, if you like the DS1 and it works with your setup and playing style, great. If not, who cares? To each his own.

[thezebralad]

You could keep an eye out for a used DS-1 with Keeley mods - a lot of the famous users of the DS-1 had theirs modded.

Also Proco Rat and a Big Muff could fit the bill. Especially if you have any sort of Tubescreamer pedal that can boost the Big Muff.

[Seeker of Rock]

DS1 is one of the few Boss OD pedals I like (I like some of their other pedals, though). TS-9 is a great pedal with fantastic tone, OCD is another good one, and Rat as was mentioned above.

[Bluesdog]

Originally Posted by Pezz

Fulltone Fulldrive 2

Love the Fulldrive but that's an overdrive pedal, for distortion I'd recommend a ProCo RAT.
(edit: + another vote for the Boss DS-1, you don't need it modded IMO)

[lhama]

Suhr riot for gained out heavy riffing, is very fun. If you want a bit more subtle, then I use a Mad Professor Sky Blue Overdrive a lot to sculpture the tone. Awesome pedal, all though very deep. It took me a long time getting it, but once I did, it became a center piece in my rig.

[litepipe]

Originally Posted by Bluesdog

Love the Fulldrive but that's an overdrive pedal, for distortion I'd recommend a ProCo RAT.
(edit: + another vote for the Boss DS-1, you don't need it modded IMO)

Actually when you engage the boost on the full drive it's more like distortion. Can get pretty gainy but not as much as a Rat. I've had 2 rats and could never really bond with them. They sound harsh to me.

[Pezz]

Originally Posted by litepipe

Actually when you engage the boost on the full drive it's more like distortion. Can get pretty gainy but not as much as a Rat. I've had 2 rats and could never really bond with them. They sound harsh to me.

i was gonna say the fulldrive definately distorts on the boost..., i have the pre mosfet one and it is absolutely kick ass amazin

[Stew_Mac_]

My favorite distortion/overdrive is a lil per-amp call "Garnet Herzog" Randy Bachman used them on his older Guess Who tracks and Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar and Grady runs two of them into each other and into his amps. I had purchased one about 6 months ago and I haven't had a need for another distortion since. Its an extremely versatile machine, it sounds like a fuzz when it's cranked and a little added crunch when set on the low side.

[michaelhigh]

Cool to see DS-1 with a following. I've not gotten round to modding but with such strong support I just might. Thanks.

[mdme_sadie]

@OP - You didn't mention what sort of tones you're actually after. Are there any examples of a tone on a record?

The trouble is there's a wide range of distortion and overdrive pedals out there, but none of them cover every sound so it's a bit like asking "What amp should I get?". You may want a traditional signature sound like a tube screamer, rat, muff or ds1, or you might want a more in depth pre-style pedal like a Blackstar HT series, or Mesa V-Twin. What's your budget?

[kafka]

It's a little hard to make a blanket recommendation about something like a distortion pedal. They all do different things. Sometimes a ProCo Rat is just what you need, or sometimes something more exotic.

I've never been a collector or connoisseur of distortion pedals. I mostly get what I need from the amp. However, I do have a Zendrive and a Zendrive2 that I think are both really great pedals. The Zendrive2 is the more versatile of the two, and can provide a wide range of OD sounds, from mild to wild. A lot of times I prefer it to the OD channel on my amps. The Zendrive is a bit more spitty and harsh, and is great for adding just a bit of edge to the front of the note. I use it if I just want to bring out a little more sting.

[git45]

Originally Posted by bruvvamoff

Hi all

I'm getting close to being happy with my bedroom studio.
I bagged a sexy Les Paul studio, and traded in my Line 6 for an Orange Tiny Terror.
I'm happy with the cleans, crunches and choruses from my boss pedals, but every now and then I like to rock a bit of Deftones and my distortion pedal (MT-2) is a bit.. well you know. Crap. Versatile, but crap. Like an EQ band on steroids.
I want a back to basics distortion pedal like a DS-1 but I feel I'd be doing my amp and guitar a great disjustice by using such a cheap pedal even tho it has practically a cult following.
Any recommendations for a compact distortion pedal, basic controls but amazing sound that will work well with my setup?
I'd like to whittle it down to a few to try out at the shop.

It should be noted that the TT itself has a wicked gain channel which you can do a lot with a little EQ-ing.

[Strategear]

Originally Posted by tyedie

Don't worry about using cheap pedals. If it sounds good then it is good. Cheap or expensive.

Agreed!

Anyway, I tend to like vintage and more or less unknown/underrated pedals like the Ibanez Fat Cat

[bruvvamoff]

Hey all. Thank's for all the replies.
I tried as many as I could at the store, ended up with the DS-1.
I've found quite possibly my perfect sound.