Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'm genuinely curious about why distortion pedals continue to be so popular with so many players. There are probably enough different models of dirt box out there to equal every other model of every other kind of effect pedal combined, and they sell in similarly lopsided numbers.
I understand why they were invented and became popular. I know how back in the day, all amps were essentially clean amps that you had to turn up to 11 before they'd start breaking up. And even when amp companies realized people wanted that sound, building those tones into an amp was a slow evolution. Meanwhile, effects pedal companies moved swiftly to make relatively inexpensive dirt pedals that people could buy and use to get the overdriven tones they wanted for far less coin than buying a new amp. It makes sense.
But that all really kind of changed in the late '80s / early '90s. You had Mesa Boogie releasing amps like the Mark IIc+ and Dual Rectifier. VHT emerged in 1992. Bogner and Soldano had just gotten started a couple of years prior. And this trend has continued on an upward trajectory ever since.
These days, there are more super mega fire breather overdrive amps out there than almost any other type. Mesa, Marshall, Peavey, Engl, Orange, Fryette, Splawn, Diamond, Rhodes, Bogner, Soldano, Budda, Engnater, Rivera, Friedman, Wizard, Bad Cat, EVH, Fender, Hughes & Kettner, Randall, Blackstar, Diezel, Madison, Jet City, the list goes on and on. And for every one of those amps, there's a $300 Bugera knocking it off for the budget buyer, or a modeler with a themed preset. Amp distortion is no longer difficult or expensive to obtain.
So I ask - why are there still so many people buying distortion pedals? Enough to remain the most popular effect by a ridiculous margin.
And real head-scratcher for me is that the "best" distortion pedals are generally considered to be the ones that are the most "transparent," or "sound just like an overdriven amp." ?????? Just get an amp capable of overdrive! They're everywhere! Why chase that sound with a pedal?
Please note that I'm not making a value statement here - I'm not saying people are wrong or stupid to use distortion pedals. I know lots of people have excellent reasons to use them. I don't even think anybody needs to justify it. I'm just wondering why they're still so incredibly popular, given how the reason they were invented has been all but negated by the emergence of so many high-gain amplifiers.
I understand why they were invented and became popular. I know how back in the day, all amps were essentially clean amps that you had to turn up to 11 before they'd start breaking up. And even when amp companies realized people wanted that sound, building those tones into an amp was a slow evolution. Meanwhile, effects pedal companies moved swiftly to make relatively inexpensive dirt pedals that people could buy and use to get the overdriven tones they wanted for far less coin than buying a new amp. It makes sense.
But that all really kind of changed in the late '80s / early '90s. You had Mesa Boogie releasing amps like the Mark IIc+ and Dual Rectifier. VHT emerged in 1992. Bogner and Soldano had just gotten started a couple of years prior. And this trend has continued on an upward trajectory ever since.
These days, there are more super mega fire breather overdrive amps out there than almost any other type. Mesa, Marshall, Peavey, Engl, Orange, Fryette, Splawn, Diamond, Rhodes, Bogner, Soldano, Budda, Engnater, Rivera, Friedman, Wizard, Bad Cat, EVH, Fender, Hughes & Kettner, Randall, Blackstar, Diezel, Madison, Jet City, the list goes on and on. And for every one of those amps, there's a $300 Bugera knocking it off for the budget buyer, or a modeler with a themed preset. Amp distortion is no longer difficult or expensive to obtain.
So I ask - why are there still so many people buying distortion pedals? Enough to remain the most popular effect by a ridiculous margin.
And real head-scratcher for me is that the "best" distortion pedals are generally considered to be the ones that are the most "transparent," or "sound just like an overdriven amp." ?????? Just get an amp capable of overdrive! They're everywhere! Why chase that sound with a pedal?
Please note that I'm not making a value statement here - I'm not saying people are wrong or stupid to use distortion pedals. I know lots of people have excellent reasons to use them. I don't even think anybody needs to justify it. I'm just wondering why they're still so incredibly popular, given how the reason they were invented has been all but negated by the emergence of so many high-gain amplifiers.
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