List of distortion pedals

While "distortion" is the technical term for the different sounds caused by signal clipping, distortion effects pedals—which act as small amplifier circuits—are typically further classified into fuzz, distortion, and overdrive, depending on the circuit design and how the waveform is affected. Fuzz pedals came to the market first, with these pedals seeking to replicate the harmonic content generated by an amplifier being faulty or damaged. This sound is often characterized as harsh, with the waveform the most heavily affected of the three types, reaching nearly a square wave. To create their effect, fuzz pedals use lo-fi transistors. The affected waveform maintains rounded peaks with the intent to emulate and/or complement a traditional vacuum tube-based amplifier. Some overdrives are meant to "color" the affected tone, while others are meant to be relatively transparent, adding drive but otherwise mostly preserving the guitar and amp's basic character. When the diodes are placed at the end of the circuit, however, the entirety of the signal is clipped. This is known as "hard-clipping," or distortion, which has a more aggressive sound and dramatic effect on the underlying tone, with angular peaks in the affected waveform. Because overdrive and distortion pedals both typically use op amps and diodes, the line between the two types can blur. The Klon Centaur, for example, is hard-clipping but considered a classic overdrive, while the MXR Distortion + and DOD Overdrive 250 Preamp have nearly identical (hard-clipping) circuits despite the opposing use of "Distortion" and "Overdrive" in their names. Some overdrive and distortion pedals, similarly to fuzzes, use transistors and therefore do not have soft- or hard-clipping circuitry. These transistors are arranged in stages, cascading into one another for a more saturated sound, in a similar fashion to overdriving multiple vacuum tubes in an amp. Examples include the Boss Blues Driver and "amp in a box" overdrives like the Marshall JTM45-emulating Z.Vex Box of Rock. == Fuzz pedals ==

Arbiter Fuzz Face Arbiter Electronics released the first Fuzz Face in 1966, featuring a unique round metal housing inspired by a microphone stand and with the arrangement of volume knob, distortion knob, and logo intentionally resembling a face. The Fuzz Face's first production run lasted until 1976/77, then was reissued from 1986 until 1990. In 1993, Dunlop Manufacturing took over production and has continued to issue several varieties of the pedal. Jimi Hendrix popularized the Fuzz Face and was known to buy multiple copies at a time to identify the best ones; his pedal chain often consisted of a wah-wah pedal into a Fuzz Face, then into a Uni-Vibe. Other notable users include Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughan Pete Townshend, Eric Johnson, and George Harrison. Electro-Harmonix Big Muff The Big Muff Pi (π), often known simply as the Big Muff, is a fuzz pedal produced in New York City by the Electro-Harmonix company, along with their Russian sister company Sovtek, primarily for use with the electric guitar. Released in 1969 and designed with an emphasis on long sustain compared to existing fuzzes, the Big Muff Pi was the first overwhelming success for Electro-Harmonix's line of pedals. Due to its reliability, its low price, and its distinctive sound, the Big Muff sold consistently through the 1970s and was found in numerous guitarists' pedal collections, including David Gilmour and Carlos Santana. The "sustained grind" of the Big Muff was later an integral part of the sound of many alternative rock bands through the 1980s and 1990s, being used extensively by the Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr., NOFX, Bush and Mudhoney. Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone The Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone was the first widely marketed fuzz distortion guitar and bass effect. Introduced in 1962, it achieved widespread popularity in 1965 after the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards prominent use of the FZ-1 on the group's hit, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Later in 1965, the design was slightly modified and designated as the model FZ1-1a. In the wake of the success of "Satisfaction," numerous recordings, mostly from 1960s garage rock and psychedelic acts, featured Maestro Fuzz-Tones on guitar. More significant design changes made after 1967 resulted in different renditions of the Fuzz-Tone released over the years. In the 1990s, Gibson re-issued the FZ-1a, but it was later discontinued. Sola Sound / Vox Tone Bender Released in 1965, Sola Sound's Tone Bender was a re-creation of the popular Maestro Fuzz-Tone, but with more sustain and intended for the European market. For U.S. distribution, Vox released a version in 1967 based on Sola Sound's MK1.5 Tone Bender update, one of many the pedal went through. With different component values and transistors being used over the years, earlier variants are fuller sounding, while later ones are bright and cutting. Notable examples of the Tone Bender in use include Jeff Beck's sitar-like guitar solo on the Yardbirds' 1965 song "Heart Full of Soul" and Mick Ronson's guitar work on David Bowie's 1972 song "Moonage Daydream". Univox Super-Fuzz The Univox Super-Fuzz circuit was designed in the late 1960s by the Japanese company Honey, in the form of a multi-effect called the Honey Psychedelic Machine. Later on, Honey was acquired by Shin-ei, who produced the effect separately and imported it to the USA via Unicord, the parent company of Univox. The first Super-Fuzzes were made in 1968, and production continued until the late 70s. The pedal is unique in that the full-wave rectification of the circuit produces an upper octave as well as a slight lower octave. This also gives the sound a lot of compression and a mild ring modulator effect. A second unique feature is a tone switch that engages a 1 kHz filter that "scoops" the mids, giving a fat, bassy tone. Z.Vex Fuzz Factory The Fuzz Factory, designed overnight in 1994, was the second pedal from Z.Vex-founder Zachary Vex. The design began with a collection of unique germanium transistors Vex purchased from a surplus store with the intent of creating a fuzz pedal similar to a Fuzz Face. While initially disappointed by the transistors' sound, Vex added a booster to the front of the circuit and the pedal went "haywire" with squealing and odd noises. Vex replaced the fixed-value resistors with pots to gain control over the sounds, leading to a layout of five-knobs—three of which he could not easily describe the function of. The local dealer Vex took the first Fuzz Factories to objected to the layout, feeling customers would be confused, but Vex insisted this would mean buyers could find their own sounds. Dubbed a "masterpiece" by Guitar World for being intuitive yet "near-infinite in its tone-sculpting potential," the pedal's success established Vex as a pivotal figure in the popularization of boutique effects pedals. == Distortion pedals ==

Boss DS-1 Distortion Introduced in 1978, the DS-1 was Boss's first distortion pedal, and second pedal release overall, following the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble. The DS-1 uses two hard-clipping diodes for an aggressive edge, similar to the ProCo Rat, released the same year. This type of circuit became known as "distortion," as opposed to the soft-clipping "overdrive" of Boss's later overdrive pedals. The DS-1 uses a preamplifier instead of the conventional op-amp for a gritty, warm tone. When the original Toshiba TA7136AP preamp became scarce, the circuit was redesigned in 1994, introducing several "quirks"—lower volume levels, noise at higher gain levels, and a "waspy" edge due to higher frequencies not being filtered out. These issues led to the pedal being popular among modifiers. It was designed to emulate the mid-range response of a Marshall stack. Achieving only moderate success in the glam metal scene, the pedal was discontinued in 1991; it was succeeded by the HM-3 Hyper Metal and MT-2 Metal Zone, the latter of which became a commercial success and top-selling pedal for Boss. Boss MT-2 Metal Zone The MT-2 Metal Zone was released in 1991, following the discontinuation of the earlier HM-2, which failed to sell well during its production run, but was popular among death metal players. With the MT-2, Boss sought to appeal to that market with an improved pedal as death metal's popularity surged. The pedal's thick, saturated, tight tone and the extreme sounds the pedal was able to produce thanks to its powerful EQ controls made the MT-2 divisive both upon its release and throughout its ongoing production. The Metal Zone has sold over a million units, making it the company's best-selling overdrive or distortion pedal behind only the DS-1. The Grunge was the first release in a reimagining of the DOD product line, as DOD had been turned over to skateboarder-turned-pedal-designer Jason Lamb. Rather than use conventionally descriptive labels for each of its four control knobs, Lamb and DOD labeled them "Loud", "Butt", "Face", and "Grunge", while painting the pedal with brash graphics that appealed to the "angsty late-night MTV" crowd. Like the Bluesbreaker and Drivemaster, the Shredmaster had a black, wedged-shaped metal enclosure with a raised contour that protected the pedal's controls, which consisted in this case of Gain, Bass, Contour, Treble, and Volume. Contour altered the character of the midrange while enhancing low and high frequencies. Unlike the other two pedals, which replicated the tones of specific Marshall amps, the Shredmaster was a conventional distortion pedal. With poor sales, the trio of pedals was discontinued a few years after their release. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is often cited as the Shredmaster's most famous player. Marshall reissued the Shredmaster, Bluesbreaker, Drivemaster, and Guv'nor in 2023 as its Vintage Reissue series, in response to the pedals having become sought-after vintage gear despite their initial unpopularity. MXR Distortion + Following the success of their Phase 90, MXR released a trio of pedals in 1974 that included the Distortion +. MXR's pedals were notable for their small footprint at a time when effects pedals were typically housed in large enclosures; they were also durable, since MXR was initially founded to address the issue of other manufacturers' pedals being unreliable. The result is a gritty character that blurs the line between distortion and fuzz. Housed in a yellow case, the Distortion + is inexpensive and as a result it became many guitarists' first distortion pedal and also a popular option for pedal modders. the Pro Co Rat was the first mass-produced distortion pedal. In the Rat, Pro Co's engineers sought to improve upon the earlier Fuzz Face and ultimately designed a pedal with, as Guitar World wrote, a "hard, aggressive sound and tight, focused clipping" that set the template for modern distortion circuits. The pedal's layout is simple, with Volume and Distortion controls, as well as a low-pass Filter control that cuts highs as it is turned clockwise. == Overdrive pedals ==

1981 Inventions DRV In 2017, rock band Relient K went on hiatus, leaving guitarist Matt Hoopes to pursue other ventures like his interest in boutique effects pedals. Hoopes had previously explored the idea of collaborating with his friend Jon Ashley on a signature drive pedal, and while Ashley was willing to complete the project, he declined to release it under his own brand, Bondi Effects, and encouraged Hoopes to start his own company. Under the banner of 1981 Inventions—named for the year his favorite Tube Screamer was produced, not his birth year The DRV's first production run sold out overnight, with praise for its unique take on the oft-imitated RAT circuit. Much of the DRV's attention has been focused on the pedal's aesthetics (and expanding number of colorways), which earned the pedal the label of being an "Instagram darling". According to Hoopes, the DRV's success has flipped pedal-building into his primary job and Relient K into a side hustle. Orders soon reached 200 per day—far more than Piera could keep up with—and the King of Tone developed a famously years-long waiting list, while prices on the used market far exceeded the cost of a new pedal. To satisfy demand, Piera developed a single-sided variation, the Prince of Tone, that would be manufactured in China, but still in limited numbers that sold out quickly. In 2022, Analog.Man partnered with MXR to release a smaller-format, mass-produced version, the Duke of Tone, which in 2023 became MXR's bestselling pedal. In 1985, Butler partnered with Chandler Electronics to produce the original Chandler Tube Driver, which used an op-amp for distortion and a 12AX7/ECC83 preamp tube to color the pedal's sound; it also ran on mains power, which necessitated the pedal using a characteristically oversized case. Several iterations of the Tube Driver have been released, including a rackmount version. The original pedal had controls for output level, high EQ, low EQ, and drive. A custom "Bias" knob was later added at the request of Eric Johnson to control the tube cathode current (and by extension the circuit's gain, texture, and dynamics) and this became a popular modification. The Butler/Chandler partnership lasted only two years, At the time, blues was experiencing a resurgence thanks to guitarists like Eric Clapton and Gary Moore. The pedal has a clear, punchy tone and features a flatter EQ-curve than pedals like the Ibanez Tube Screamer, while at higher gain levels it takes on an "edgy, grinding" quality. Although mainstream interest in blues rock has waned since the pedal's release, it remains one of the most popular overdrives on the market thanks to its dynamic, amp-like qualities. The OD-1's layout was simple with only "Level" and "Over Drive" controls. It was an immediate success, paving the way for future compact overdrive pedals. As rock music became more aggressive, however, the pedal's voicing became considered overly "sweet," while the fixed frequency limited its versatility. With the surging popularity of the OD-1-influenced Tube Screamer and its addition of a tone control, Boss began including a "Tone" knob on its overdrive-style pedals with the 1981 SD-1 and the OD-1 was discontinued in 1985. The clipping's updated placement earlier in the circuit also introduced a "slightly jagged, granular drive tone" that helped the affected guitar tone stand out in a mix.—that has remained widely popular among professional rock players, with fans like Kirk Hammett, Jonny Greenwood, Mark Knopfler, Prince, and The Edge. The 250 was originally a slight circuit variation of the Distortion+ by MXR, DOD's most direct competitor in the US market. The two pedals differed primarily in the 250's use of silicon diodes instead of the germanium diodes of the Distortion+, which made a significant difference in the two pedals' tone and feel given the overall simplicity of their designs. Described as picking up where the Ibanez Tube Screamer and Boss SD-1 left off, the FD2 features expanded tonal controls in a larger housing compared to other popular overdrives, with a separate boost footswitch and multiple clipping options to alter the pedal's midrange character and compression. The Full-Drive 2 has gone through multiple iterations, including a popular MOSFET version. Fulltone rebooted the pedal in 2018 with the Full-Drive 2 V2, which swaps the boost for a second overdrive channel and adds further clipping options. Fulltone OCD In 2004, Fulltone released the Obsessive Compulsive Drive (OCD), a hard-clipping, op amp-based overdrive that took design cues from both the Tube Screamer-based Voodoo Labs Overdrive and the MXR Distortion+, with an "open" sound and enough headroom to mimmick a driven tube amp. Dubbed by Music Radar a "game-changing" design, the OCD further established Fulltone's prominence in the boutique market while gaining fans like Billy Gibbons, Paul Gilbert, Eric Johnson, Peter Frampton, and Don Felder. The OCD has gone through multiple iterations, with changes from versions 1.1 to 1.7 being generally subtle alterations of the pedal's EQ response. Version 2 brought more noticeable changes, with a new output buffer and JFET transistor input stage, and the option to use a new type of switching, enhanced bypass, instead of true bypass. Hermida Audio Zendrive Alfonso Hermida was an aerospace engineer with NASA in 1998—with a side job repairing effects pedals—when he first heard Robben Ford's rendition of "Golden Slumbers." Inspired to capture the tone he heard, Hermida spent years working on pedal designs, only later finding out about Ford and his association with Dumble amps. In 2003, Hermida sent Ford his first finalized design, the Mosferatu, but it had more gain than Ford required. The amount featured in "Golden Slumbers," which the Mosferatu replicated, was atypical for Ford. Hermida returned to an earlier attempt at capturing Ford's tone, a design with less gain and a greater focus on dynamics—the Zendrive—and sent it to him. The pedal initially had three knobs, with Hermida later adding a fourth, "Voice," which altered the gain and bass response in tandem. The Zendrive would reach similar status, with the pedal being made in limited quantities and used prices reaching over a thousand dollars. Hermida also produced the Zendrive 2, which incorporated a 12AX7 tube into the circuit. The task was given to manufacturer Nisshin (which sold products under the brand name Maxon) and designer Susumu Tamura. The design of the early TS-808 Tube Screamer was nearly identical to the OD-1, but relied on symmetrical clipping to avoid Boss' patent on solid-state asymmetrical clipping, while adding a tone control. Multiple iterations of the Tube Screamer followed, most notably the TS9, which replaced the TS-808 in 1982. According to Premier Guitar, given the Tube Screamer's enduring popularity and influence, "no single pedal has had a greater impact on musical expression or played as important a role in the development of effects modification." Finnegan wanted a "big, open" sound, with a "hint of tube clipping," that would not sound like a pedal was being used. According to Guitar.com, which named the Centaur one of the industry's greatest effect pedals, "The Klon Centaur is either the greatest, most useful overdrive ever made, or the worst example of guitarists losing all sense of perspective about how much good tone should cost." Marshall Bluesbreaker Launched in 1991 alongside the Drivemaster and Shredmaster, the Bluesbreaker overdrive was Marshall's attempt at recreating the tone of Marshall's own 1962 "Bluesbreaker" combo, nicknamed for its use by Eric Clapton when he played with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. The pedal came in a large, black, wedge-shaped case with a raised section that protected its three controls, for Gain, Tone, and Volume. While exceeding at adding subtle, transparent grit to an amp, the pedal failed to capture the tone of its namesake amp and was not a success during its limited initial production run. Guitar.com later stated the pedal was a prime example of something "that came out wrong and ended up being brilliant anyway". The pedal's lack of recognition changed years later when John Mayer started using a Bluesbreaker on his pedalboard, reigniting industry interest in it. Many pedal-makers have since developed modified versions of the original circuit, most notably Analog.Man's King of Tone. In 2023, Marshall reissued the Bluesbreaker, Drivermaster, and Shredmaster, as well as the earlier Guv'nor, as part of their Vintage Reissue series. The Guv'nor circuit is relatively simple, using hard-clipping after a dual op-amp, similar to the MXR Distortion+, but with red LEDs instead of diodes. The Guv'nor uses a large, black enclosure with red, decorative pinstripes; it has a sloping front and its controls—including a unique, amplifier-style three-band EQ—are angled away from the footswitch. The pedal also features a rarity for an overdrive pedal: an effects loop (via a Y-insert), which allows a second pedal to be connected and activated at the same time—e.g., using the Guv'nor paired with a delay effect for solos. Notable players include Gary Moore, with the pedal visible in artwork for his album Still Got the Blues. The Guv'nor was discontinued in 1991 to make way for the launch of the Bluesbreaker, Shredmaster, and Drivemaster, the latter of which features a revised Guv'nor circuit in new housing and without the effects loop. Music Radar characterized the Guv'nor and Drivemaster as having a "strong JCM vibe, with low-gain crunch all the way through to gnarlier NWOBHM-friendly gain." The Micro Amp is simple, an op-amp design offering 26dB of signal boost with a single control for volume in a small, milk-white case with black text. Premier Guitar described it as "reliable, solid, predictable, and dirt-cheap," and dubbed it the "Toyota Corolla" of the pedal industry. While intended to act as a "transparent" boost, fans and critics have both observed that the Micro Amp slightly brightens the affected tone. Sometimes referred to as "the other green overdrive," the ODR-1 offers a fuller sound that has made it a favorite pedal for Nashville session players like Tom Bukovac and Tim Pierce. Besides its more balanced EQ curve, the ODR-1 eschewed the conventional tone knob, which cuts or boosts treble frequencies, for a dual-filter "Spectrum" control that simultaneously boosts/cuts both highs and lower-mids as the knob is turned. Later editions of the pedal have featured the ability to cut bass frequencies, as the low end is sometimes considered too prominent for humbucker players. Tachibana left Nobels in 2019 to found Nordland, through which he releases his own ODR-1-style pedals. This new pedal maintained the original Tim's four-control layout alongside a toggle switch that allowed users to change its clipping and compression, but removed the Tim's other features. The Timmy quickly surpassed its larger sibling in popularity as an early example of a "transparent" overdrive, with Guitar World writing that it had "more dynamic presence than your regular overdrive" and that it blended in seamlessly with an overdriven amplifier. In the boutique market, the Timmy's transparent character and four-knob control layout has been widely copied. Despite the pedal's success, Cochrane has continued to build the pedals himself and sells them at a reasonable price-point; Cochrane additionally assists the DIY community in creating Timmy-style pedals. In 2020, Cochrane partnered with MXR to release a smaller format, mass-produced version of the Timmy. One of the first production model boutique overdrive pedals, the original Red Llama became known for a core tone reminiscent of an overdriven Fender "tweed" amplifier that extended into fuzz-like territory with a biting top end when pushed hard. As Director of Product Development for Dunlop, Tripps revived his brand in 2009 and began releasing new pedals, with a MKII version of the Red Llama appearing in 2012. A 25th anniversary version was released five years later with the addition of a "Hi Cut" control, while a MKIII model was released by Way Huge in 2022, returning the design to its two-knob format and using the brand's "Smalls" compact enclosure style. Premier Guitar noted that even three decades after its debut, and with many more companies producing overdrive pedals, the Red Llama sound remained surprisingly distinct. == See also ==