Dirty Sounding Definitions.... Help Please

[loudriver23]

Okay,
It's kind of sad, as I've been playing for many many years, but almost exclusively on the clean channel. I've been experimenting with more um... dirty tones as of late.
I could use a little help with clarifying some terms I hear around here.

What is Overdrive?
What is Distortion?
What is FUZZ?
What the heck is the differences between the three?

I have a Mesa Mark IV and it gets some nice dirty sounds to my ears. It also gets a very nice clean sound for my ears. Could I not push that clean sound I love so much with some kind of pedal to achieve a heavenly dirty tone?

I'd love to get a tone approaching Gilmours on C Numb... or Brick in the Wall.

I know he uses quite a few effects in his signal path. But if I wanted to break out the core of his tone, what do I NEEEEEED??



Thanks in advance.
Loudriver

 

[jacksonknox27]

Re: Dirty Sounding Definitions.... Help Please

someone correct me if im wrong, but overdrive is when a clean sound is pushed (overdriven) and distorts a little, distortion is a larger amount of overdrive, and fuzz, well, just sounds fuzzy.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Dirty Sounding Definitions.... Help Please

By decade:

1950's: Clean
1960's: Fuzz
1970's: Overdrive.
1980's: Distortion.
1990's to present: Crunch.

 

[loudriver23]

Re: Dirty Sounding Definitions.... Help Please

I think maybe I'm just getting caught up on labels again.
If I want to ape a little of Gilmour's tone. I figure I need a few things.
A strat.
A nice fenderish clean.
Come chorus/phase shape shifting hullabulloo
A bit of delay.
and some kind of fuzz, OD box?

 

[jdm61]

Re: Dirty Sounding Definitions.... Help Please

Crunch=Lew's "sack full of angry bees" reference
Distortion=Aqua-Net and Spandex
Overdrive=Spinal Tap on 11
Fuzz=Inna Gadda Davida......over and over and over and over:chairfall