Re: Distortion Pedals
Thoughts on what I've owned:
Wampler Sovereign - Best I've played. Big variety of tones and all settings sound good. Great modern tones. Returned it, waiting for Wampler to release a version with an extra foot switch to replace the boost toggle, which I'm sure he'll do eventually (or I'll just request a custom version with three foot switches that adds one for the tone choice - it's worth it, the pedal is that good). Very tube saggy.
Visual Sound Jeckyl/Hyde - The Hyde distortion side is great, a more modern sound. Marshall shred master circuit. I use the silver V1 modded with addition of a bass adjustment knob. Has a bit of a tube sag feel to it.
Boss SD-1/Monte Mod - More of an over drive, but closer to a distortion than the other ODs I've tried. Not so great without the Monte mod, great with it.
EH Metal Muff wTop Boost - Great pedal with lots of variety, and separate bass/mid/treble, something they should all have. Through a fender voiced clean amp its not my fav sound (thinner, kid metal tone), but run through my franken hot rod deville modded to sound like a marshall, with a clean channel already mid gain due to the mods to the gain channel, it just sounds awesome.
Zvex Distortron - Great pedal, but the bass was too loose for me. Returned it.
Full Tone GT 500 - Not a tone on there I could live with. Maybe it works for others, but not for me. Just my opinion. Returned it.
Boss DS-1 - Nothing good to say about it, returned it. Maybe the Monte mod saves it.
Some listed alreayd by others are ODs imo, not distortions, even though with gain maxed some could get into distortion territory.
Such as the BD-2, which I have. It doesn't like distortion to me with gain set higher; it doens't good either that way imo. Mine has the monte H20 plus mod, but that mad eit worse imo, so now I've left part of it and amde other changes...still sounds worse than stock....a work in process.
