Distortion

[phoenix_p0]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for a distortion pedal to add to my board. I have a fuzz and a metal pedal, but neither give quite the sound I'm looking for.

I'm looking for a pedal that'll add a little crunch to the tone, but maintain a fairly clean sound overall. The sort of thing you might hear from some of the current screamo bands like Taking Back Sunday or Framing Hanley.

I know it's a little vague a description, but does anyone know of a pedal that might do the trick?

Cheers,

David

[FrankenFretter]

That sounds more like an overdrive than a distortion pedal. A Tube Screamer or Bad Monkey might do it for you.

[t_ross33]

...or a Blues Driver if you want a little thicker tone. I agree, I think an OD is what you're after.

[mainestratman]

Bad Monkey.

[Eric]

I'd see if you can try out a ProCo RAT. I really like them, but only you know if it is what you're looking for, and that will probably require you actually trying it.

Also, there are some good Boss ones to try (SD-1? OS-2?) in addition to the Blues Driver.

[BigBadWolf1171]

ibanez tube king,awesome for what you're looking to play.

[markb]

I'd see if you can try out a ProCo RAT. I really like them, but only you know if it is what you're looking for, and that will probably require you actually trying it.

Also, there are some good Boss ones to try (SD-1? OS-2?) in addition to the Blues Driver.

Good call on the RAT, Eric. It's probably the most versatile dirt box I've ever used even without all the variations that get built into booteek versions. A pre-2003 RAT should be able to cover everything from subtle overdrive to fuzz.

Phoenix, if you're unsure whether you want OD or distortion you could do worse than buy both a Boss SD-1 and DS-1 to see which you prefer before looking for anything more expensive. Even buying new won't cost you a lot and will give you a good idea of which kind of dirt you're looking for. The OS-2 appears to do that in one pedal but ime doesn't do justice to either of them.

[sunvalleylaw]

For that matter, the Rabid Rodent, DVM's much more versatile Rat Clone with 6 distortion options and 6 overdrive options. I do not know those bands really, but the Rabid Rodent can cover your description of the sounds I think.

[phoenix_p0]

Thanks for all the input so far guys... I have a fuzz box at the moment, which is alright I guess. Still not quite it though. I'm thinking I'll play around with what I have, try and find a sound I like, maybe combine some pedals.

I came across this site here (http://www.pedalarea.com/distortions.htm) which was useful.

I think more searching is required too...

[Robert]

The Maxon SD-9 is a very clear sounding distortion pedal. The MI Audio is cool pedal too - marshall tone in a box.
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[guitardan777]

The Crunch Box is cool, it's alot like the Fulltone OCD.
In the same category w/ a much more transparent sound and more versatile IMHO - is the Visual Sound 'Son of Hyde'
I picked up a used one for ~$50.00 and its my favorite so far....

There are tons of pedal demos on youtube....
see: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ProGuitarShopDemos#g/u

Also, take a look at the manufacturers websites, they typically have demo clips...

[Tig]

Soundblox Pro Classic Distortion (http://www.sourceaudio.net/products/soundblox_pro/classic_distortion.php) might be part Swiss Army Knife.

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http://www.sourceaudio.net/images/products/sbp_cd.jpg