The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

[Liko]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

* Because $250 for a boutique OD/dist pedal is much cheaper than $2000 for a fire-breathing amp.

* Because that pedal will produce a distorted tone from any amp, from your 10W solid-state practice setup to a 200W double-stack monster.

* Because the pedal allows you to keep the amp itself clean, which is desirable to many players (especially those using solid-state)

* Because many pedals allow you to get a very different distorted tone than your amp will give you.

In short, because it's an extra tool allowing you to increase the versatility of your rig, which is much cheaper than replacing the entire back half of your guitar rig.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

I think the Hot Wheels/Star Wars/Ninja Turtles kids grew up and parlayed that toy addiction into their adult hobbies. You could consider it a separate hobby from music at a certain point.

I agree with getting better tones from tube amps that supply the exact sound you're looking for, and that's primarily what I do, with maybe a subtle boost for volume or tightness. That's in a rehearsal room where the amp can do it's thing. I'm only there once a week though.

Then, you mentioned a small combo and a good dirt pedal or two for playing at home....or lower volume gigs.
That's where it gets funner to have a few different flavors of gain pedals. As for "distortion" pedals, I feel I hit the end of the road with the Bogner pedals. The blue and red pedals actually sound authentic plugged into a clean combo......like a Bogner halfstack. Even the black Uber pedal is pretty darn good, if you want that tone.

Half my dirt pedals I could just sell and not miss them. I only own them because I got them all at below market value. The ones I'd keep are the Klon, Barber LTD, T Rex Moller, Bogner Red, and Bogner Blue.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Because people love gadgets, especially ones that have instant effect upon actuation. Buttons you can click on and off to do stuff will always hook people in somehow. Some bizarre semblance of instant control/gratification. Not much different than drugs, really.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

* Because, somewhere out there, there IS a booteek builder that WILL build you a pedal with the sound that is in your head.
(...Black Arts Toneworks did that for me !)

* Unless you are a world famous guitar player - almost no one will build you a custom made amp with that tone that is in your head.

* And lastly - NO AMP can produce that fuzz tone in my head. Sadly, only a pedal can give me that !!!

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Not much different than drugs, really.

Uh, it's absolutely different than drugs.

You need a fuzz. Specifically a big muff.

To actually answer your question:

Firstly, I'm assuming you've made the distinction between overdrive pedals and distortion pedals and that you understand why the latter are as popular as they are.

On my board, I have six different types of dirt pedals. Three are fuzz (Fuzz Face, Big Muff, Tone Bender clones) two are overdrive (Timmy, Klon Centaur clone) but only one is a true distortion (Weehbo JMP Drive, basically a JMP in a Phase 90 size box). I use the distortion pedal because it is better sounding (and more suited to my taste) than pretty much any amp I've used under $2K. Plus, it lets me use the incredible cleans of my Fender.

I firmly believe that with the right amp, there are a select few pedals that are as good as or better than a great amp's dirty channel (though there are even fewer of the latter). For example, my band started rehearsing at a studio that has amps set up for use so all I have to do is bring my board and guitars. I was astonished to see that I would be using a real deal Silver Jubilee, which is pretty much the same territory as my JMP Drive. For such an acclaimed amp, I was expecting the heavens to open at least a little bit when I slammed a power chord. But it was just about as good as my JMP Drive into my Fender. To illustrate my point about the right amp for the right pedals though, the JMP Drive into the clean channel of the Marshall wasn't nearly as good as running it into the Fender.

Another reason I like pedals is that if I decided I wanted to start a Tom Petty tribute band I could get a really nice AC30 pedal and run it into my Fender, I would get that sound. The're like switchable preamp, if you get the right pedal for your rig.

 

[sosomething]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

I almost consider fuzz to be its own category apart from regular distortion pedals. It's a very specialized sound.

That being said, there are some amp circuits that do get a pretty intense, crushing wall of fuzzy doom.. I'm thinking some old Matamps or the newer stuff made by Electric Amp Co.

I'm not really chasing a specific tone in my head. That's a trap anyway, because it changes over time. For me, it's more like a series of check boxes an amp needs to hit to be pleasing to play through with my style.

I'm a modded Marshall guy. Give me that Plexi / JCM 800 foundation with some extra gain and thickness, and I'm happy. I like that chewy midrange with the top end crunch. There are actually a lot of amps that you can get that from without any pedals. My Splawn was designed to do that one thing specifically, so it's perfect for me.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

* Because, somewhere out there, there IS a booteek builder that WILL build you a pedal with the sound that is in your head.
(...Black Arts Toneworks did that for me !)

* Unless you are a world famous guitar player - almost no one will build you a custom made amp with that tone that is in your head.

* And lastly - NO AMP can produce that fuzz tone in my head. Sadly, only a pedal can give me that !!!

You're definitely wrong on the last two - there are plenty of amp builders that will build you exactly the amp you want, even if it's a retarded incest amp baby. Perhaps there aren't as many custom amp builders as custom guitar builders, but there are plenty out there that will take anybody's money, not just the money of rock stars.

Also, there are more than a few builders doing fuzz in their amps - Electric, Dunwich, Hovercraft, and I believe Wizard amps as well. Bonus - the last three will build you whatever amps your heart desires.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Uh, it's absolutely different than drugs.

How is what I was musing about "absolutely different" than doing drugs? While everyone's reasons for using pedals may not be the ones I listed, the ones that I did list are really no different in psychological effect than any form of habitual self medication.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Nevermind, it's not worth sullying up a good thread with a stupid argument.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Here are my Od's;

Clark Gainster handwired; Its ,to me, a great pedal for voicing a Marshall to sound like an old Bassman.

Ive got some pedals that are simply classic used with a old Marshall- you'll get classic sounds from them; A Marshall Bluesbreaker, Shredmaster, TS-9 tubescreamer, Vintage Duncan Powergrid, Analogman YJM308 modded to a clone of a old Gray box 250,Boss Od-1 , Fuzzface copy( I mean, right now I don't have 1500 bucks to throw at a real fuzzface), Duncan Tweakfuzz, and then I have some really superb new age pedals to boost the front end of a Plexi( Box of Rock, The newest MI Audio Crunch Box, Rockett Animal, Rust Drive).

IMO though , pedals do quash dynamics of the Pure tone of a guitar straight into vintage amp cranked up, if you have one.It doesn't ruin it though necessarily I guess... and I think the key about it is is getting some flavor at lower volumes I think .The different pedals hit the amp at different Frequencies it seems, and gives a different feel and push to the mids or low mids.

I've even been advised to use a TS in front of my new 6505 fire belcher, but thats the extent of my familiarity with Od's in front of high gain amps..

One other thing to remember is that are some great priced boosters on the market now that when used judiciously with a fair amount of pure amp gain , can sound pretty great.

I might add that there a bunches of OD pedals I want to try; the Dirty Deeds, the Plexi-drive, the DLS, the LTD,Lovepedal.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

* Because, somewhere out there, there IS a booteek builder that WILL build you a pedal with the sound that is in your head.
(...Black Arts Toneworks did that for me !)

* Unless you are a world famous guitar player - almost no one will build you a custom made amp with that tone that is in your head.

* And lastly - NO AMP can produce that fuzz tone in my head. Sadly, only a pedal can give me that !!!

You're definitely wrong on the last two - there are plenty of amp builders that will build you exactly the amp you want, even if it's a retarded incest amp baby.
Perhaps there aren't as many custom amp builders as custom guitar builders, but there are plenty out there that will take anybody's money, not just the money of rock stars.

Also, there are more than a few builders doing fuzz in their amps - Electric, Dunwich, Hovercraft, and I believe Wizard amps as well. Bonus - the last three will build you whatever amps your heart desires.

I did say, 'almost no one' . . . meaning there are a few, but the BIG guys, Mesa, Marshall, Orange, Vox, Peavey, Soldanao, and, and, and, will not build me (as a nobody) a custom made amp.

YES, the smaller guys, will, and can, build me something i want.

We have a booteek amp builder on this side of the world that is currently looking into the Electric MVU 120 amp circuit (with some of my ideas thrown in there too) so that he can start with my one-off build asap !

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

So I ask - why are there still so many people buying distortion pedals? Enough to remain the most popular effect by a ridiculous margin.

Because it's about choice. With a distortion pedal, I can make almost any amp sound like I want, with the right pedal. I can put a Metal Mayhem in front of a clean amp and get wicked stuff, but not sacrifice my cleans. I can also own like 50 pedals if I want and have 50 different colors of distortion that I can use to paint my songs.

There is never going to be the perfect way to do anything, and musicians are all very different and very creative. More choice is better than less choice.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Two reasons for me. Firstly, I've moved to a completely different country, all of my amps and most of my guitars are still in Canada. This means that, at most gigs, I use whatever backline they can provide me with or else I'll be stuck with a Roland Cube. Now, the clean channel of most amps is okay for me but I have a pretty specific sound in my head when I think about distortion. It's better for me, like wahwah said, to find a little pedal that does 'my sound' that I can carry anywhere and get my tone no matter what kind of backline I have.

Secondly, and this is the jimmy rustler. I used a modelling amp's take on a Plexi for a long while, made a bunch of recordings with that model. When I went to actually buy an amp, I was looking in the plexi range but I found that the modelled plexi actually had a lot more gain, and a different gain structure than an actual plexi. I found, after a while of testing amps and pedals, I found that the gain structure I liked the most was in the Wampler Plexi-Drive. I could put it on any amp and get 'my sound'.

I'm still cripplingly depressed that I left that pedal in Canada.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

I usually prefer amplifier gain/distortion to anything I can get out of a pedal. But getting a good sound from an amp requires more dialing in than it does with a pedal. And then quickly switching to a different sound can be tricky if you don't have a 13-channel amplifier. So for me it is about being able to preset the controls on various pedals, and then switch them in and out while I'm playing with a single stomp.

So why don't I just use a POD or some other all-in-one digital contraption? Too much work to dial in all the combinations I would want. It is much easier to just step on the boxes I want for a particular song.

TL;DR - I'm lazy and I like toys.

 

[JeffB]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

Cos I do not like complicated amp circuits 99% of the time..

Single channel NMV amp. Pedal for boost, roll your volume for clean.

I suspect I am not alone.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

I think the Hot Wheels/Star Wars/Ninja Turtles kids grew up and parlayed that toy addiction into their adult hobbies. You could consider it a separate hobby from music at a certain point.

This is a big deal too. I know a tonne of pedal heads, guys who only really play guitar as a means to play with a vast collection of pedals, synthesisers, ring modulators etc and have no intent to really... play music with them or join a band. Not that theres really a problem with that, I mean, playing with pedals can be a lot of fun.

 

[Securb]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

The true answer for me is because no amp will give me the range of tone I can get from my pedal board with out using a modeling amp. I have 3 overdive stomps on my board two analog and one digital. My amp is set very clean and natural. With my board I am able to color my tone any way I want from classic Fender overdrive to a screaming British tone and everything inbetween.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

They're cheaper and more easily transportable if you can't lug your amp around, and can give you a variety of tones.

Personally like some others I prefer amp distortion all the way, cos a clean channel with a pedal to act as the dirty sound is something I've never liked.

I will use an overdrive to add some low end boost to the dirty channel on a good amp though, such as the 6505+.

 

[thespricket]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

I guess I do forget that most people who play electric guitar don't play in a band or gig.

That's just not the world I live in. Literally all the guys I know and hang out with who play are in all the bands that make up our regional scene. A high-wattage tube head and a 4x12 is pretty much standard issue equipment with these guys.

I mean, we all have little stuff we have at home for noodling around and such, but the real rig usually lives next to a drum set.

Now that I think about it, a nice little 22-watt or lower Fender tube combo and a nice OD like a Timmy or something would be really nice to have around the house....

Depending on where you gig and live you won't always need a half stack and those little 22 watt fellas work just fine. I live in Brooklyn and I've seen and played shows all over NYC and most players in this city rely heavily on pedals because they have to use whatever back line amp the venue or bar has. I have Blues Jr, even though I've yet to take it out I'm sure it will work for any venue I'll be playing any time soon. This may sound crazy but I managed to get a fantastic sound out of a crate 100 watt solid state amp with a dead reverb tank, using a boss ME70 with some verb, noise suppression, and a clean preamp model and my Plimsoul OD in front of that and it sounded great.


Guitar->pedals->amp

 

[wahwah]

Re: The distortion pedal - why are they still so popular?

I guess I do forget that most people who play electric guitar don't play in a band or gig.

That's just not the world I live in. Literally all the guys I know and hang out with who play are in all the bands that make up our regional scene. A high-wattage tube head and a 4x12 is pretty much standard issue equipment with these guys.

I mean, we all have little stuff we have at home for noodling around and such, but the real rig usually lives next to a drum set.

Now that I think about it, a nice little 22-watt or lower Fender tube combo and a nice OD like a Timmy or something would be really nice to have around the house....

That's all true, and I would add that some of the difference can also be style dependent. In my world, the 22 watt Fender and some nice pedals is the real rig, because large concert and line array systems easily turn that little amp into a monster. Since the musical styles I'm playing don't require anything crushing in terms of volume being produced on the stage, I can focus purely on tone, and on the lessons learned from years of playing through concert line array rigs. The few millivolts required at the FOH console do not require massive SPL at the source, and some extra reinforcement through monitors and sidefill can easily compensate for any size stage. You can see the likes of Jeff Beck taking the same approach, running Fender Pro Juniors as the only amps that are mic'd onstage. Through a line array, the end result to the audience is huge. Pedals and a clean amp suit this setup perfectly.

Heavier styles won't wear this approach, but only because the energy levels required on stage demand higher volumes at the source in a stage mix, and because it's really only fun to play heavier stuff that way. Agreed that it's easy to forget that there are so many different scenarios and approaches to playing guitar, outside of whatever scene we're used to.



Cheers.......................... wahwah