The central premise of a distortion pedal is to deliver heavy, high-gain sounds without having to turn an amp up high enough to produce them. This is useful for home use, of course, but it’s also increasingly necessary live as stage volumes continue to fall. No longer can you show up to most venues and crank a 100-watt head and enjoy the fully saturated, harmonic-laden sounds such volumes produce. If you’re in search of heavier guitar tone, discover the best distortion pedals available for all your high-gain needs.
In the pantheon of pedals that call themselves amp-like, perhaps none is quite on the level of the Riot. By now, this is an undisputed classic, but it remains competitive in an ever-expanding world of great pedals in part because of its unrivaled touch sensitivity.
Controls on this are simple, with Dist for gain, Level for volume, and Tone for EQ shaping. The ranges of each are quite wide, but more in the sense of being flexible rather than just having more for more’s sake.
The Voice switch allows you to choose between three voices. The left position gives you a more organic sound with better overall dynamics, but less drive. The middle position is for high gains and tightens up the lows. The right position emulates a vintage amp set to high gain, for a sound that accomplishes the Marshall tone better than some other pedals dedicated entirely to that sound.
The Riot has an interesting party trick that competes with some of the newest offerings out there. On the top of the pedal is a jack called the FX Link, which allows an external switcher such as a loop switcher or other interface to switch the pedal on or off as needed. There’s also a switch on the top which can either have the pedal power on whenever power is applied or depending on the status dictated by the FX Link.
In addition to the standard riot, you could also consider the Riot Reloaded, which offers more gain and a tweaked EQ. There’s also the Suhr Riot Mini for your mini boards.
Why you would choose this one: Way better-than-average amp-in-a-box tones with excellent clarity.
As this list proves, there are many distortion pedals aiming to sound like certain cranked amps, so Revv had the novel idea to create a pedal based on the best amp they could imagine: their own, the Generator 120. Each channel in their four-channel flagship is colored, with clean being blue, crunch being green, gain one is purple and gain two is red. This, then, is the red one.
Actually, this is the third pedal in the range, following the purple Revv G3, of course meant to model the somewhat lower gain purple channel, and the Revv G2, meant to model the crunch green channel on the amp. To compare them, Revv says, “If the G3 is a scalpel the G4 is a sledgehammer.” If that isn’t compelling, I don’t know what is.
This is a high-gain, very thick distortion. Controls include a three-band EQ across the top and Volume and Gain on the bottom. On the lowest Gain settings, it’s still pretty heavily crunchy. At higher settings, it still cuts very well, which some modern distortions struggle to do without significant EQ tweaking.
There’s also an Aggression switch. In the center position, the pedal is easily capable of downright vintage tones. The Blue mode is slightly scooped with more low-end push. Red ups the gain quite a bit but leaves the midrange, adding even more low-end. With Aggression in either on position, it’s decidedly modern-sounding.
Why you would choose this one: You like the idea of amp-in-a-box, but want something different than the million Marshall take-offs.
While some pedals go after an amp’s tone, others go after a combination of things that epitomized a player’s tone. In this case, the Sabbra Cadabra is meant to capture the sounds of Tony Iommi, specifically his amp setup.
That setup featured a Dallas Rangemaster boosting the front of a Laney Supergroup amp. In fact, the circuit in this is a very close recreation of the circuit in that amp, with the tubes replaced with JFET transistors. The other half is a modified Naga Viper booster doing the job of the Rangemaster.
This creates a heavy and dark but cutting combination that now sounds quintessentially vintage. This would certainly be the pedal of choice for cover bands playing songs from the era, but having to accommodate modern stage volumes or wanting to leverage easy-to-transport amps.
The controls on this are Presence, Gain, Vol 4 (volume) and Range. The Presence control is post-gain to give you good EQ control before it hits your amp, while Range controls the booster section and has a wide range of tones available in the sweep. It can also be run at either 9 or 18 volts if you want more headroom.
Why you would choose this one: Vintage heavy metal tones in a modern setting.
Like many other ThorpyFX offerings, the Warthog is focused on extreme flexibility. With voicing modeled on American-style amplifiers, this is more than just a distortion, as it can ably handle the jobs of clean boosting, fuzz, and, of course, higher gain crunch.
Controls on this pedal include Volume, Tone, Gain, and Calibre. While all the knobs are highly interactive, the real key to this pedal is the Calibre control. In basic terms, it controls the girth and thickness of the drive character and has the strongest correlation as to which of the above jobs this pedal is doing for you at the moment.
In this way, it’s a fully modern distortion pedal, but without relying just on a super-compressed and heavily clipped voice. Each of the knobs have a huge amount of range, so this is best for someone who needs to dial sounds in a song at a time, rather than have a set-it-and-forget-it dirt box.
Why you would choose this one: Unrivaled build quality and versatility.
The Mike Hermans demo gives you a good sense of what it’s capable of.
The use of extremely high quality components makes this a price choice, but you can find both the V1 and the V2 used on Reverb from time to time to save you a bit of cash.
The thing about saying a distortion pedal emulates an amp is that, by and large, they achieve that effect with transistors. The breakup everyone seeks occurs primarily because of driving preamp tubes (and at higher volumes, the power tubes, as well). If you want tube-like breakup, you need to get a tube involved, and this pedal does that.
Based around a sub-mini new-old stock 6205 preamp tube, this pedal can add that warmth and grit other distortion pedals may lack. Fender designed this pedal with Bruce Egnater, of the amp company that bears his name, to make this feel a lot like the front end of an amp.
Controls include Level, Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, and Tight, the last of these being Egnater’s custom low-end tapering control to clean things up when the gain is set higher. There’s also a footswitchable Boost with a really novel design.
There are two knobs controlling it, Level and Boost. Level controls the output volume, while Boost controls the saturation into the pedal’s gainstage. This is akin to having two boosts on your board, one to create more gain and one to make yourself louder for a solo. Setting these knobs allows you to tailor it to your needs.
In addition to this version, there’s also the MTG: LA, which is slighly less gainy and has an overall Tone control. Or, if you don’t need the nifty tube in your pedal, you could consider the Full Moon Distortion for higher gain sounds and the very nifty Pugilist if you don’t need a boost built-in.
Why you would choose this one: You want a distortion pedal for the low-volume heavy sound, but you’re missing the warmth of a tube in other offerings.
This is, of course, a re-issue, harkening back to to the very beginnings of MXR. If you play classic rock, a pedal like this is the way to go. It’s one of the early OP-AMP clipping designs as a means of achieving hard clipping, and in this case, was paired with germanium diodes, resulting in something fuzz-like, but nevertheless evolved from previous fuzz designs.
The simple operation of this pedal requires only two knobs, Output and Distortion. Even given that, you’ll get a surprising amount of range from this unit. I had a slightly different version of this pedal for awhile and I was really impressed with its versatility.
One perhaps odd thing I enjoy about MXR pedals is how smooth the knob movement is, if that sort of thing appeals to you.
Among the unwritten laws of being a guitar player is the rule that everyone must own a Boss pedal at some point. They’re nearly ubiquitous in the guitar world. Their design has been copied for years, while the reliability is well established. They’re usually on the cheaper side, and their constant presence can have a calming effect on touring musicians since a replacement is usually easy to find for any given Boss model.
The DS-1 Distortion is about as straightforward as it gets. You get knobs for Tone, Level, and Distortion. Spend a little time dialing it in to make your amp sing and forget it. It can run on 9V batteries or the now-standard Boss 9V adapter that just about every other pedal on the planet uses. Because it’s pretty standard, a lot of players will use this as color rather than the dominant tone, but your mileage may vary.
A step up from the Boss unit would be this pedal from TC Electronic. Though it isn’t one of their TonePrint-enabled pedals, you’ll still get a healthy range of usable tones from this inexpensive unit. To my ears, it’s better than the old Boss standby, although to be fair to the venerable old orange box, that’s most likely a function of the expanded control set.
Speaking of, the knobs on this include Gain, Level, Bass, and Treble, which all do their expected jobs. The tone knobs are active for maximum effect. There’s also a Voice switch that’s basically a mid-shift; up is neutral to the input signal, while down boosts the lower mids.
Why you would choose this one: Modern distortion sounds with good flexibility and true bypass for the same price as the Boss above.
As you’ll see throughout the rest of this list, many of the best distortion pedals are so-called “amp-in-a-box” pedals. The reason for this is that heavy distortion from an amp generally requires a lot of volume (and preferably a decent amount of watts) and that just isn’t possible in most settings. This one comes from the trio of mini pedals from Xotic (we covered the booster our best boost pedals post) and focuses on the late 60s Super Lead and Super Bass Marshall Plexi sounds.
The evident controls on this pedal are Drive, Tone, and Volume. The Volume being a trim pot is an interesting choice, though to be fair, that is usually a set-it-and-forget-it knob, anyway. In order to make this tone monster the miniature wonder it is, Xotic have employed internal dip switches to round out the control set.
There are four switches that allow you to choose between three Super Lead configurations — Default, High/Mid Cut, High Boost — and a Super Bass setting. The manual also illustrates sample settings for both single coils and humbuckers to dial in some more famous tones. All that in an ultra-small footprint.
Why you would choose this one: Cleverly packaged, cranked Plexi tone without all the bulk and the noise complaints.
If you’re anything like me, you tend to find one particular setting on a pedal and leave it there. This is perhaps espeically true with distortion, since the nature of the pedal is to give you a heavy tone as though it were coming from your amp at high volume. In that case, you only need one knob: Volume.
This EQD offering is modeled after a vintage Sunn Model T amplifier. The entire circuit inside this box is dedicated to producing the sound of that amp cranked up to 10 without blowing your head off and getting you arrested. You can still affect the drive level and tone with your guitar’s controls, and setting the big ol’ knob at lower levels with the guitar volume rolled off will give you something more in overdrive territory.
In a sense, this is the purest expression of a distortion pedal: heavy amp-style gain at low volumes. Well, sort of. This pedal is super, super loud, so beware.
Why you would choose this one: You’re looking for a unique distortion voice without the need to fuss with knobs.
If you’re in the market for something tried-and-true, you wouldn’t be wrong to try the Rat. This is a thick, saturated distortion that has been featured in many a rig over the years. The stout box is designed to put up with a ton of abuse, so even if you’re gigging every night, this pedal is up to the challenge.
Speaking of night, this is actually the second version of this particular form factor and generation, which adds glow in the dark knob markings and a LED light to help you out in the dark.
This is a brash, growly distortion. In some applications, it borders on fuzz, but is actually a less-open modification of the MXR Distortion+ below. If that low end grind is perfect for you, it’s pretty much ready to go out of the box.
I have found that it could use a little brightening and tightening, so I sometimes pair it with a booster, or roll back the lows on my guitar. It’s an iconic sound that can be had for cheap.
Why you would choose this one: Excellent as a main tone or a cheap pedalboard flavor.
Wampler pedals make appearances on a great many pedalboards according to my research over the years. Brian Wampler has a way with circuits, and the Sovereign is no exception. This is a very flexible pedal with enough gain range to cover just about any application, with the real sweet spot being (to my ears, anyway) the Boost setting, where the heavy gain sparkles with a natural openness.
The Sovereign is controlled with four knobs and two switches. The first switch chooses between Modern and Vintage gain structure, which loosely correlates to a flat/bright switch. On Vintage, it ranges from overdrive to mild distortion, while on Modern, you’re in higher gain territory The other is a Gain/Boost switch, which pushes it even further into a power lead tone.
Knobs include standard Volume and Gain, as well as two interesting tonal options in the Mid Contour and Tone knobs. Mid Contour affects the amount of the midrange, with all the way counter-clockwise being fully scooped. The Tone knob doesn’t just roll off frequencies, but rather changes the content across the range as bass increases clockwise.
As you’ll see in the video below, higher-output pickups tend to cause a bit of sag in the circuit, primarily because of the low-end frequencies driving the early gain stages more quickly. Plenty of ways around that, though.
If you’re looking for something more in the rectified arena, Wampler’s Triple Wreck is just as heralded as the Sovereign. It’s a beast.
Why you would choose this one: The flexibility and reputation combine to make a heavy-hitting pedal, especially for single-coils.
As I said, the best-sounding, most convincing distortion pedals are referred to as an “amp-in-a-box”. (Which, to be fair is a misnomer, I guess — amps are boxes, too. But I digress.) Again, focusing on producing high gains at low volumes, the joy of the pedal format is that you get all the clipping without having to turn way up. To that end, the Super Crunch Box is a fantastic take on that genre, with an intriguing industry story to go along with it.
The original Crunch Box was a modified (and updated) version of the old Marshall The Gov’nor, which was meant as an amp-in-a-box simulator of the Marshall JCM800 stack. There are very many pedals out there attempting to sound like one vintage Marshall or another, but the Crunch Box is considered extremely well done even among a crowded field, with the Super version expanding to encapsulate virtually all Marshall tones to the extent it’s possible.
It’s so good, in fact, that the higher-profile JHS Angry Charlie is allegedly a part-for-part ripoff with no modification made to MI’s circuit whatsoever. And it’s more expensive. Naturally, this is contested, but that’s the story around the internet water cooler. It shouldn’t dissuade you if you prefer the JHS, especially because of better availability, but it won’t have been the first time they’ve been accused of such a thing. (The Mosky Crunch is definitely a rip-off of the V1 Crunch Box.) Anyway, back to the pedal at hand.
The Super Crunch Box features enough controls to dial in a very wide variety of both high and low gain sounds. The two big knobs are for Volume and Gain, of course, with smaller trim knobs for Presence, Hi, Mid, and Tone. The first switch is for low and high gain settings, while the second gives you three different Compression settings. The first position is 1, or the original Crunch Box setting of the JCM800/Gov’nor. The middle is 0 which is basically no compression with more headroom. The far right is 2, which uses silicone diodes to compress further. This, then, is actually several amps in a box for maximum flexibility.
Why you would choose this one: Your clean amp could benefit from among the finest Marshall amp tones available in compact pedal form.
Being Australian-made and lacking a wide distribution deal, these pedals are very rare. You might have to buy it on Reverb to get one at all, but it’ll be worth it if you do.
For those of you looking for something a bit different, this certainly fits the bill. Packing almost as many features as the Amptweaker above, this is a digital modeling distortion pedal that goes for a nice mix of usable, straightforward distortion and wacky, bizarre tones.
Controls on this are many and varied. Sustain controls the input volume, while Output controls the overall effect volume. The knob in the middle with, count ’em (no, really, count them, the numbering is kind of weird) 24 settings, allows you to choose the distortion type across three banks of Multi-Band and three banks of Single-Band distortions. The Multi-Band settings separate the signal into 10 frequencies to be distorted individually and recombined at the end.
Single-Band options are the more expected distortion types. There’s a Drive knob, of course, and a Tone knob, the latter of which is an active control of whatever the Tone Shape is set to. Finally a built-in Noise Gate lets you choose between three settings. The two footswitches allow you to activate or bypass two presets. It’s quite a beast, and yet, there’s a pro version that does even more. It’s not for everyone, but it could be for you.
Why you would choose this one: You’re feeling confined by the other options on this list and want to explore new distorted territory.
The noodohs demo of this is long enough to cover the various functions and tones.
Tthis absolute monstrosity is the quintessential amp-in-a-box, featuring a total of three effects loops and a crazy array of controls to fine tune your tone. This is the second version, which at the time of this writing is on pre-order from their site with no price given. The price here is what the original version sold for new, and will be updated upon release.
There are very many controls on this incredibly involved piece of equipment. The knobs across the top are Volume, the 3-band EQ, Gain, and Tight. The Tight knob adjusts the attack and is affected by an Fat switch on the side.
The knobs lower down — Boost Volume and Boost Gain — control the amount of boost before and after the gain stage, which is activated with the Boost switch on the right. This means you can either drive the gain harder, increase the overall level, or both, depending on what you need for a passage.
There’s a row of three toggle switches just below the main knobs. The far left is a Mid Boost which works with the Boost switch. The Thrash switch alters the mid for classic 80s tones, while the Smooth switch adds warmth to the higher frequencies. The Edge switch allows you to tame high-end sizzle for a smoother overall character.
In this second version, the Gate switch has been replaced with a knob so you can set the gate threshold yourself. The’ve also added a DeFizz switch, which again allows a higher degree of dialing in and expands on the Edge switch functionality.
The Fat switches for both the boost and the main drive channel are now on the side. Joining them there is an XLR out, a headphone jack, a switch for a Cab Sim, as well as one for a Ground Lift. The addition of those items means this could be your amp as a whole in some situations, particularly during recording.
On top of all that, there are three different effects loops. The one in the middle is a “universal” loop, meant to be used as an other amp effects loop for modulation and delay. The loop on the top left is connected to the Boost switch, meaning you can patch in only the effects you want to use during, say, a solo, such as a particular reverb or delay.
The loop on the top right, called the SideTrak, is active when the TightMetal is bypassed. This is an entire signal chain you can use in contrast with the tone of the pedal — perfect for either cleans or a different flavor of distortion. It’s a one-touch jump between your heavy or main tones and any other complete chain, including out of that loop to another amp.
The TightMetal Pro is an expansion upon the TightMetal ST, adding a flexible boost circuit that can be used on either side of the drive. The TightMetal excels in palm-muting applications but is certainly flexible enough for virtually any style. That being said, repeated requests did result in the FatMetal, which is warmer and meant for brighter guitars and amps. There’s also a pedalboard-friendly TightMetal JR.
Why you would choose this one: You love metal…and options. Lots of options. And, now, a self-contained solution for front of house or recording output.
In the wake of the new version coming out, you might be able to grab the first version used on Reverb, which is still many times more powerful than most distortion pedals on the market.
