| Choosing the right distortion pedal is crucial. Your | | | | by their tube amps when driven to the point of |
| 'voice' depends on you selecting the right tool (or | | | | breaking up. Overdrive pedals are designed to |
| tools) to express yourself. Selecting the wrong | | | | either replicate this tone (with limited success) or |
| distortion pedal can have serious impact on your | | | | drive a tube amp into overdrive, creating those |
| guitar playing, and can even result in playing less | | | | screaming tubes beyond what they normally |
| due to your unhappiness with your tone. | | | | would be able to do without wall shaking volume. |
| The first, and most obvious, step in selecting the | | | | Distortion- Based on our above definition of |
| right distortion pedal is to determine what musical | | | | overdrive, distortion is where overdrive leaves |
| genre you're going to primarily use it for. Will you | | | | off. In the rock guitar world think Van Halen and |
| be playing vintage thrash metal, or modern | | | | beyond for a clear example of a classic distorted |
| country? These days most effects pedals are | | | | guitar tone. Distortion pedals often emulate high |
| fine tuned to be genre specific. This is not always | | | | gain amps that create thick walls of sound small |
| the case, but enough so to help a user reading | | | | amps are not capable of creating. Distortion pedals |
| this beginners guide. Once you've determined the | | | | are crucial to modern guitar tone. |
| genre of music, you'll need to match it with the | | | | Now that you've matched your musical genre to |
| distortion pedal most often associated with that | | | | the distortion pedal most associated with the |
| genre. Lets take a look at a list of classic | | | | genre the real fun begins- testing them. Before |
| distortion pedal sub categories: | | | | you begin testing you'll want to read reviews, |
| Fuzz- Fuzz pedals are primarily thought of as the | | | | listen to audio clips and watch video clips posted all |
| domain of classic rockers like Hendrix, but modern | | | | over the internet to find some good candidates. |
| day artists like the White Stripes are getting | | | | Tips: |
| some amazing results. | | | | You're going to want to test the pedals using |
| Ike Turner and the Kinks achieved their landmark | | | | equipment as close to your own as possible. If |
| tones by using abused speaker cabinets. Ike | | | | you can, I would recommend taking your guitar |
| dropped his on the street walking in to Sun | | | | to the shop and test drive the pedals with YOUR |
| Records to record Rocket 88, the Kinks cut their | | | | guitar. Because there are so many different |
| speakers with knives or so the legends have it. | | | | variables including body and neck wood, pick-up, |
| No matter how they got it, their tone changed | | | | string gauge and many more, using your |
| the world. Some call it distortion, some call it fuzz, | | | | instrument as opposed to something off the shelf |
| however, seeing the progression from these | | | | is the best way to go. |
| damaged speakers to the fuzz boxes built to | | | | Don't forget you're going to need another cable- 1 |
| emulate those tones, I think its safest to call | | | | to go from your guitar to your distortion pedal, |
| what Turner and Davies created/stumbled upon | | | | and another to go from distortion to your amp. 2 |
| was fuzz. | | | | cables of 5 feet in length will be perfect for most |
| Overdrive- Overdrive pedals are generally thought | | | | settings. Longer cable runs are a mess and bring |
| of in a blues rock setting. Stevie Ray Vaughn was | | | | possible tone loss. Shorter cable runs might make |
| a big believer in overdrive pedals. | | | | mobility tough... and lets face it, its hard to jump |
| When most guitarists talk about overdrive, they | | | | from a drum riser (or bed) if you're tethered by |
| are referring to the smooth 'distortion' produced | | | | a 3 foot cable. |