I need a distortion pedal

[mjw666]

I finally admitted to myself that I needed a good distortion pedal and saved up a pitiful $500. Any recommendations what I could get for that amount or prefereably cheaper in christchurch, New zealand. People I know use awfully oversized digital pedals with billions of special effects which looks like something out of star trek (Not dissing the films -I like them). So, logically IMHO there is no reason whats so ever in asking those people for advice. What do you think. I want to sound like J not radiohead.

[simmons]

MXR distortion. buy a used one. nice tone .

[MVCG-17002]

big muf

[simmons]

buying a big muff wont help much. a big muff sounds like shit if you don’t use the right amp and guitar mic, and eq right.. that’s my experience.

[ammaringnyc]

J has been known to use:
Lamb’s Head Big Muff
Univox Superfuzz
Lovetone Big Cheese
Bosstone

I would suggest an MJM Foxey Fuzz. All the other pedals are vintage and often have problems with noise.Is that US 500. For that price you could buy a pedal and save like 300 for another pedal or an amp or guitar. What is your setup like now?

[washer]

for a more modern distortion..try a digitech hotrod distortion…it gets a pretty diverse array of tones and fuzzes…http://www.digitech.com/xseriesflash/HotRod.html”>http://www.digitech.com/xseriesflash/HotRod.html

[Mattman]

If that’s anything close to $500US, then there’s lots of high-quality boutique stuff at Fulltone They’re high-quality builds of popular effects from the past. What kind of sound are you looking for anyway? That could help us single out something…

Of course, you could always build your own (I did, but more on that to come soon).

PS, gotta agree with simmons on the Big Muff deal. As I’ve said before, the Big Muff doesn’t make a very good primary fuzz pedal for most people. It’s more of a specialty sound (fuzz! lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of fuzz), and then only if you have the right equipment to go with it.

[ammaringnyc]

If that is US500 you shouldn’t have to pay anything near that. Check out these pedals http://www.musictoyz.com/mjm.htm”>http://www.musictoyz.com/mjm.htm They are great quality and not too expensive. The foxey fuzz is a big muff esque pedal. The question is do you want fuzz, overdrive, distortion or a combination.

[eyesadrift]

my suggestion for distortion pedals

MXR distorion pedel sweet tone generaly a great classic distorion*well i dont know how the newer ones sound cause i have a late 70s version of it(found it at a thrift store *SCORE!* thanks uncle)*

Big Muff*russian version* it my be a cheaper priced then the american but i think it has more of a classic overdrive distortion(like jimi hendrix) then the american version,(the american sounds more like a modern rap/metal band distortion *yuck!*)plus love the feed back I get when i pause for a sec, and the amp turn amost all the way up*great for leads* but when i play cords it kind of over laps, or masks the sound with distortion <too>

ps distortion pedals have more of a colder sound the overdrive pedals. Too me its like comparing the sound to a soild state amp to an all tube amp, both have there advantages and disadvantages, just depends on what your looking for.

[jebus_the_llama]

i use a NYC big muff, through a a peavey solid state amp(very small peavey amp) and i use a jag-stang(closest i could get to a mustang) and the pedal sounds very mudhoney. the feedback is great.

[lookitssam]

Big Muffs aren’t great for straight-up distortion, since they fuzz. I mean, it has its applications, I love my Big Muff Russian, but its not gonna solve all your distortion problems.

[stanner]

since you posted the question here and JMascis is a major reason alotta guitar players use BIGMUFFPI! i think thats where you should head…
i gotta bunch of them and as J has said-‘they all sound different’.
for over the top crush to violin-like sustain-you’ve heard it on all the DINOSAUR and FOG records
s

[greensun]

if you have a tube amp, a nice pedal is the ibanez tube screamer. they have a couple different varieties but have recently reissued the ts9. i think it is the one with three knobs. it’s green and costs about US$100 or so, maybe a little less. i sometimes use two at the same time depending on the context.

[Aatos]

Bah, forget what the detailfreaks say, a bigmuff(nyc) sounds always best…

[edoetsch]

I didn’t play a proper fuzz until playing for 15 years. I always hated them when I tried them. I previously had a Peavey Classic 50 and used the crunchy overdrive when playing. I wish I had bought a Muff long ago.

I finally got a Zvex Fuzz Factory 6 years ago just because it was so different. It took me 2-3 months of playing around until I "got fuzz" as a concept. It’s important to try one soon because fuzz plays much differently than overdrive. Palm mutting for example is too muddy with Fuzz so if you’ve come from a chunky metal background, fuzzes don’t make sense when you sit down with one for the first time.

Big Muff’s are available for less than $100 new so I would have to say start there, but don’t try playing palm muted riffs or it will sound like mud.

Let your playing ring out and take the time to get used to it. You’ll soon find your touch improved because the Muff does not require heavy stumming to send into wailing territory.

I now have a Big Muff and a Keeley Fuzz Head and use them more than my Fulltone OCD and amp overdrive.

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