1. Your distortion pedal does not match your style of playing

There are three main types of distortion pedals; Distortion, Fuzz and Overdrive.

Each of these create different guitar tones that may/may not fit into your desired style of playing, and this is why you never want to buy a distortion pedal without either hearing, or playing it first.

• Distortion - A straight distortion pedal will offer increased sustain, gain and attack, and their levels can range from mild distortion to full blown metal. They fit well into almost all rock and metal genres.
• Overdrive - Overdrive pedals are designed to give your guitar a tone similar to that coming out of a quality tube amp with the gain turned up. They are great for adding an edge to your sound while also preserving the nuances of your playing. They do not provide the same level of sustain and gain as distortion pedals do, but are perfect for classic rock and blues. Their tone can be described as “warm”.
• Fuzz – A fuzz pedal allows you to turn up your amp and get some wild tones from your guitar. Jimi Hendrix made these types of pedals famous with his signature sound, and just like his pedals, your fuzz will provide a thick, sustain rich distortion. These types of pedals fit right into hard rock, blues and stoner rock. Guitarists from both the  Black Keys and White Stripes are current examples of rock bands that utilize the fuzz tone.

2. Your distortion pedals settings are not adjust correctly

Even the best pedals might require some tweaking to get their tone just right, and properly adjusting the settings is the preferred way to do this. Most distortion pedals will have, at the least, a volume, tone and distortion setting.

• Volume – This adjusts the output level of the pedal when it is engaged. You want to balance this level with your clean tone, because if both are at completely different levels, then switching between them will make your transitions sound unnatural. It is common though for your distortion pedals volume to be set higher than your clean tone so you get that extra attack of gain.
• Tone – No surprise here with this setting, it will alter your overall tone. It works by adjusting the mix of the highs and lows that are produced. My advice is to set the knob at 12 o’clock and tweak it as you play until it sounds just right.
• Distortion - This will adjust the level of distortion, over drive or fuzz that your pedal pushes out. It is generally a personal preference, so you if you like a lot of gain, turn it up.

3. Your effects pedal chain is not ordered correctly

Overtime, guitarists can accumulate a wide variety of effects pedals, and in order to play them at the same time, they are placed in a effects chain. Effects chains consist of numerous pedals that are are linked together, and the ordering of them can play a big role in your tone because some pedals could effectively zap your distortion pedal’s power/tone.

I wrote an article covering this topic in detail that you can view here.

4. Your distortion pedal’s batteries are weak/dying.

Although some people actually like the tones produced by their pedals when using weak batteries, some of us might not. If you are concerned with your pedal’s tone changing over the life of you battery you may want to consider purchasing an AC Adapter.

5. You are using an old or inferior guitar cable.

A guitar cable is the lifeline to your amp, and if you are not using a quality cable, neither your guitar’s tone, or your pedal’s tone will sound their best.

For detailed information on selecting the proper guitar cable, please read my article covering this topic here.

6. Your amp settings are not adjusted correctly

Just like the settings on your effects pedals, your amp settings also need to be fine tuned to get the perfect sound. This again, is somewhat of a personal preference and I am mentioning it basically as a reminder. If you are not satisfied with your guitar tone, making a few minor adjustments on the amp could make a world of difference.

The Boss DS-1 is a great overall Distortion Pedal that offers some great tones, at an affordable price. This pedal usually ranges from $40-50, and sounds like it is worth a lot more.

The DS-1 is a pretty standard Distortion Pedal, and can be used in a variety of playing styles. It really excels when used to play  rock tunes and punk songs though. If you’re looking for a heavy metal distortion, this pedal would not be my first choice. For that I would recommend the Boss MT-2.

Like all Boss pedals, the DS-1 is built to last. It has a sturdy steel casing, and will withstand a lifetime of use.

The pedal has controls for Tone, Level and Distortion so you’ll be able to dial in that perfect sound.

Find great deals on the Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal at our Boss Store Pages

1. Determine the type of Distortion Sound you are looking for

The first thing to decide upon is what type of distortion sound you would like to achieve. For example, if you plan on playing the Blues, you’d want to avoid a high gain, heavy metal pedal because it would not compliment the style well at all.

If you are new to whole concept of Distortion Pedal stylings, a great way to figure out what kind would suit you best is to listen to some of your favorite bands and pay close attention to their guitar sounds.

Distortion Pedals are broken down into 3 main flavors; Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz.

• Overdrive - An Overdrive pedal’s main purpose is to make it sound like you are playing through a quality, vintage tube amp. These pedals are a great fit for class rock tunes, and add a sense of warmth to your playing. This type of Distortion is not ideal for heavy rock, or metal playing though. Here is a review for the Boss SD-1 Overdrive pedal that contains additional information and a video demonstration.
• Distortion - These pedals make up the bulk of available distortion effects pedals, and can help you achieve blues, hard rock or heavy metal tones. This category, unlike Overdrive, is hard to define because there are so many different types of sounds that these pedals can create. They can range from a low gain, soft distortion to a high gain, screamer like the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone. Your best bet is to check around on YouTube.com and watch some demo videos to get an idea of what type of distortion you are going for.
• Fuzz - I decided to make Fuzz its own category because I think the sounds the pedals who fit this description make are so unique. Jimi Hendrix made the Fuzz tone legendary with the use of his Fuzz Face Distortion Pedal, and his influence is still being heard today. Fuzz tone is best described as a gritty, high gain distortion with a heavy low end.

3. Decide on a Quality Brand & Price Range

Once you have decided what kind of Distortion Pedal you are looking for, the fun part begins. Now you get to research and experiment with the possible selections that will become a part of your playing.

• Brand - I definitly reccomend not cutting corners and going with a cheap brand. You want to get the best distortion pedal possible for your money while not sacrificing quality. If you are unsure what the best brands are, read reviews and watch videos and you’ll soon figure it out. I personally really like BOSS and Electro-Harmonix Pedals.
• Price - Once you’ve selected the brand of pedal you would like purchase, check out the models they make that are in your price range and meet your sound requirements. Read reviews, watch videos and participate in forums to know exactly what to look for if you are feeling lost.

3. Purchase Your Distortion Pedal

There are a ton of great places to find great deals on distortion pedals, and below I’ve listed some of the best.

• Purchasing through Rock Distortion Pedals.com. Our store pages are teamed up with Ebay to provide you with some of the best deals on the Internet. We have a huge selection, and are always updating our pages with the latest sales.
• Musician’s Friend – Quality source for Pro Musicians Gear. Click on the link below to take advantage of a limited time coupon code for Musician’s Friend being offered through this site.

4. Start Rocking

Hopefully these tips will help you find an awesome distortion pedal.

Thanks for reading!

1. Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer Effects Pedal ($99.99)

This Ibanez distortion pedal is a reissue of the early Vintage Tube Screamers that carried a larger price tag, but has many of the same components and classic tones that made the original such a popular choice among guitarists.It produces great tones, and is perfect for playing classic rock.

Features:

• Classic Overdrive Tone
• Responsive Control Knobs (Tone, Volume, Drive)

2. Electro-Harmonix XO Metal Muff ($89.25)

This pedal delivers awesome heavy metal distortion. It is perfect for anyone looking for a pedal that can deliver really high gain distortion sounds as well as  warm over driven distortion tones. This pedal by Electro-Harmonix is able to achieve this wide range of sounds because of its customizable EQ settings and tone controls.

Features:

• Heavy Distortion Tones
• Responsive Controls
• Top Boost switch that will elevate the high gain and make your solos scream

3. DigiTech XMM Metal Master ($89.95)

This pedal can produce a near limitless variety of distortion tones thanks to its morphing ability. It creates heavy metal distortion tones and has high quality responsive EQ controls. The DigiTech Metal Master is an ideal fit for the stage, or the studio.

Features:

• Heavy Metal Distortion Tones
• Morph between pedal sounds similar to BOSS, DOD and Rectifier distortion pedals
• Level control, EQ controls and Morph control
• High quality sound
• Additional clean output signal jack

4. Boss BD-2 Blues Driver Pedal ($89.00)

This pedal produces some awesome Blues tones and it gives your guitar the classic sound of a vintage tube amp on overdrive. If you want to play Blues, this pedal is a must.

Features:

• Produces class over-driven tube amp sound perfect for Blues guitar
• Controls for Gain, Tone and Level

5. Electro-Harmonix Classics USA Big Muff ($76.50)

This effects pedal is a reissued model of the legendary Electro-Harmonix USA Big Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer Pedal made popular in the 70’s. It’s claim to fame is the harmonic like distortion, and near limitless sustain it can produce. It creates an awesome fuzz tone, and is used by Jack White of the White Stripes.

Features:

• Awesome Fuzz tone
• Great sustain
• High quality sound

Well that’s it. Those are the top 5 Distortion Pedals for the guitar that you can get for under 100 bucks. These are all high quality effects pedals, and each create their own unique tones that will take your playing to the next level.

]]> http://www.rockdistortionpedals.com/news/reviews/top-5-distortion-pedals-for-under-100-dollars/feed/ 0 http://www.rockdistortionpedals.com/news/reviews/boss-mt-2-metal-zone-effects-pedal-review/ http://www.rockdistortionpedals.com/news/reviews/boss-mt-2-metal-zone-effects-pedal-review/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:13:33 +0000 admin http://rockdistortionpedals.com/news/?p=38

I have been using the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone Effects Pedal in my setup for a few years, and I have to say, this thing rocks! It offers precision tone controls that allow you to dial in the perfect amount of room shaking, sustain filled distortion. The Boss MT-2 Metal Zone comes equipped with a 3-Band EQ also which allows you to set your High and Low shelving, as well as tweak the mid band parametric sounds. The pedal also allows you to control the overall volume level, and distortion level.

This pedal can achieve a variety of different distortion sounds because of the EQ Tone controls on the pedals front. All of the sounds though are HEAVY. This pedal is designed for Hard Rock and Metal in mind. It allows you to really nail blazing solos,  tackle intense hammering and also pinch harmonics.

Overall Quality: The Boss MT-2 Metal Zone pedal creates high quality sounds, and is built to last. It is made of sturdy steel which will hold up nearly forever, and can really take a beating and keep working. The effect and EQ controls are also a great feature on this pedal. They work flawlessly, respond immediately and allow you to really dial in your sound.

Sound: This pedal is Heavy, with a capital H. It can make a mid quality amp sound like a Marshall Stack. The sound quality is excellent, and the possibilities of sounds are endless with the MT-2 precision controls. It is perfect for Thrash Metal but, can also create a good fuzz tone or a heavy muffled distortion ton.

Check out the video below to really see what the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone Pedal can do

Shop for BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone Pedals Here

This Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal has been in my setup for nearly 10 years now, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. This pedal came out in the mid-80s, and the tones that this pedal produces are really something else. It  provides a warm, smooth overdriven sound that makes it sound like you’re playing through a classic Tube amp. The great thing about this pedal is that it maintains your picking nuances while playing, even while played on the highest drive setting.

Overall Quality: The Boss-SD1 Super Overdrive pedal is practically bullet proof. It has a heavy steel casing, solid feeling control knobs, tight fitting input jacks and a sturdy rubber base. I have never had an issue with anything malfunctioning on this unit since the day I purchased it, and it continues to work seamlessly. There are no plastic parts on this pedal, so you can feel free to stomp it as hard as you would like.

Features: I love the simplicity of the features provided on the Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal. They really make it easy to dial in the perfect sound I am going for. There is a level, drive and tone knob which basically all speak for themselves. It will operate on a 9-volt batter, or an AC adapter which I highly recommend buying.

Sound: Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for; How does it sound?! Well I want to start off by saying that you need to understand that this is an overdrive pedal, and not so much a high gain distortion pedal. This pedal creates a sound similar to an overdriven tube amp, which is an awesome thing if you don’t have the privileged of being able to play one. It will really transform your amp and create a warm, smooth tone with increased harmonic presence. Many players will also use this pedal as a booster to gain more attack during leads, because it enhances the natural sound of your amp without drastically changing your tone.

Overall, the Boss SD-1 would make a great addition to any rhythm, or lead guitar player’s set up. It is made of high quality materials, produces a great sound and has withstood the test of time.

This video will demonstrate the variety of playing styles the Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal can enhance, and the warm tones it creates.

SHOP FOR BOSS SD-1 SUPER OVERDRIVE PEDALS HERE!