Worst pedals ever

[Blille]

A spin-off from the vibrato hate thread.

What are your picks for worst pedals? Please only talk about the stuff you bought or at least demoed or played.

I’ve noticed that some of the classic hated pedals may work well in specific contexts so it would be great to hear about that too.

Bonus points if you add a pic or anecdote.

I’ll start.

Bought one as a gift to a friend back in the day. A few friends pooled some money and we couldn’t afford a Boss. I was in charge of picking it and was more into metal back in the day and he loved Nirvana. I still feel guilty.

https://youtu.be/11yUuD9iYps

 

[Mincer]

The Daddy-O distortion from Danelectro should be on this list. And for a controversial one, I'd nominate the V Twin.

 

[solspirit]

The original MXR Zakk Wylde overdrive

 

[dave74]

The original MXR Zakk Wylde overdrive

Really? Isn't that just a pumped-up SD-1?,,,and without being yellow! (my SD-1 is the Steelers version)

 

[idsnowdog]

The Ibanez LA Metal pedal. I bought it on name alone. It wasn't hair metal at all. Instead it was a dark and flubby hard clipping circuit that only sounded good when used as a bass overdrive. I only recently found out that it was a RAT clone without clipping diodes and the clipping was op-amp. I gave it away to a bassist friend in 2000.

 

[Mincer]

Any of the Boss Acoustic Simulators could be on this list, as well as the Spectrum. Maybe the Digitech Edge, too.

 

[GuitarStv]

Any of the Boss Acoustic Simulators

YES!

I was super disappointed with the Boss AC-2 I bought. Not even remotely like an acoustic guitar.

 

[Securb]

My biggest disappointment in a pedal was the MXR DII. I thought because I loved the D+ the DII would be better. It had less gain and no bite. The touch sensitivity was horrible.

 

[solspirit]

Really? Isn't that just a pumped-up SD-1?,,,and without being yellow! (my SD-1 is the Steelers version)

Might be, I didn't like it

 

[ErikH]

Really? Isn't that just a pumped-up SD-1?,,,and without being yellow! (my SD-1 is the Steelers version)

Yes. It's literally a SD-1 with more low end and slightly more gain.

 

[ErikH]

My vote goes to the Fulltone Distortion Plus. I thought it would be this wonderful distortion pedal with all the hype around his other pedals. Yeah, no. Major disappointment. Sounded like crap no matter what I did.

The DOD Supra Distortion is close second.

 

[idsnowdog]

My vote goes to the Fulltone Distortion Plus. I thought it would be this wonderful distortion pedal with all the hype around his other pedals. Yeah, no. Major disappointment. Sounded like crap no matter what I did.

The DOD Supra Distortion is close second.

Which version of the Supra Distortion? The FX55B and FX55C aren't that great. The original FX55 isn't too bad.

The DOD FX66 Flashback Fuzz sucks. It has a cocked wah sound that you can't get rid of.

 

[ErikH]

Which version of the Supra Distortion? The FX55B and FX55C aren't that great. The original FX55 isn't too bad.

I believe the one I had was the FX55B. My wife found it cheap at a pawn shop. I didn't keep it long.

 

[Liam1963]

MXR Distortion + UNTIL I modified it to remove the nasally tone at high distortion settings, then it became a GREAT pedal.

 

[solspirit]

MXR Distortion + UNTIL I modified it to remove the nasally tone at high distortion settings, then it became a GREAT pedal.

:?:

 

[Securb]

MXR Distortion + UNTIL I modified it to remove the nasally tone at high distortion settings, then it became a GREAT pedal.

Did you have the script, block or reissue?

 

[IMENATOR]

I tried a Zoom 505 once many years ago, maybe it was me but I think that sounded awful.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Yes. It's literally a SD-1 with more low end and slightly more gain.

More low-end, maybe. It's not got any more gain. It's pretty much a direct clone except for like two components. I've had them both side by side.

The Wylde Overdrive is my favorite boost for high-gain amps. Not just Marshalls, but it's got a slight dip in the lower mids (compared to a Tube Screamer) which makes it sound clearer and more aggressive.

It's kinda noisy, though.

 

[Liam1963]

Did you have the script, block or reissue?

Script and Block, gave the Block away some years ago, kept the Script and modded it, as that was the first pedal I ever purchased, oh so long ago....

 

[ErikH]

More low-end, maybe. It's not got any more gain. It's pretty much a direct clone except for like two components. I've had them both side by side.

The Wylde Overdrive is my favorite boost for high-gain amps. Not just Marshalls, but it's got a slight dip in the lower mids (compared to a Tube Screamer) which makes it sound clearer and more aggressive.

It's kinda noisy, though.

I've had both too and did the same. It sounded to me like the ZW had just touch more gain. Not a lot but just a little. Could be part tolerance between builds, etc.