I should also mention that there is a three-way switch you can use to select one of three possible modes. The best option is to use the pedal on the clean channel since it offers so much gain. The pedal has a single knob, and thats it. MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion 2. The Super Badass also gives you a full three-band EQ section so you can really tailor your tone to your liking and to match with whatever amp you are using. Mooer Black Secret The RAT 2 is a surprisingly versatile distortion pedal with an unmistakable sound signature. This "Plexi-drive" style pedal offers an array of low gain tones as well as access to "hot-rodded" higher gain tones via a mode switch. This makes this pedal work really well as a distortion for Rock, Alternative, and even some types of metal. Another similar pedal is the fuzz pedal. Enamored by its simplicity, ruggedness and sheer ability to mangle a pristine amp tone, this is a pedal I know well. In simplest terms, overdrive, distortion, and fuzz all basically. Best Distortion Pedals Under $100 - List 1. The DS-1 is the top-selling BOSS compact pedal ever, and its original, unchanged design continues to inspire the creation of great music everywhere. If youre looking for an affordable distortion option that wont eat up too much board real estate OR break the bank, check out the Morpher. Comparison Table Quick overview of the pedals covered in this guide 2. Read The sound that begs you to play harder, louder, faster and more. From its modest three-knob interface, many different sound colors can be coaxed from the DS-1. , and because it is one of the earliest distortion pedals ever created. 7 Best Distortion Pedals Under $100 7 Best Boost Pedals Under $100 7 Best Fuzz Pedals Under $100 1. Best UK Distortion Pedal Under 100 Update: These are our top picks in the category of best distortion pedal under 100 to buy in the UK. He is also known Hi my name is Jacob I have been playing guitar since 2004. This is largely due to the active EQ section with Bass, Mid and High controls that have their frequency ranges well tuned to many styles of music. But they are all different in the type and how much clipping they add to the signal, as well as if there is any harmonic content added. These are 'level' & 'gain'. We decided to keep the list budget friendly by limiting the price to $100 - so expensive dirt pedals like the Iron Horse aren't elligible. JOYO Metal Distortion Pedal with 3 Band EQ and Low-Mid-High Gain Boost Boss DS-1 Distortion Bundle with Power Supply, Instrument Cable, Patch Top 20 Budget Chorus Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200, JHS Pedals 3 Series Distortion (3SDISTORTION), Top 20 Budget Octave Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200, Top 20 Budget Looper Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200, Wampler Ratsbane Distortion Pedal (Rats Bane). He holds an MA in Audio Technology from American University in Washington, DC. Beginners For Kids 5 Awesome and Cheap Distortion Pedals Under $100 Retail Written by Bobby Kittleberger December 22, 2022 Leave a Comment Filed Under: Distortion, Effects, Roundups Best Cheap Distortion Pedal: Top Pick Joyo JF-02 Ultimate Drive It's cheap, well-built, and puts out a solid tone even at higher gain levels. Here are some of the best that you can buy for under 100 from Andertons Music Co. Shop now! It's taken it's inspiration from the RAT tones perfectly. Considered a bit of an industry secret this type of pedal slips under most people's radar a bit, no doubt due to the 'iconic' colour, which leads people to instantly assume they know what it is. Well worth considering if you're looking for that '80's metal' sound. This dead-simple setup offers output and distortion controls along with a vintage-sounding germanium clipping circuit that does everything in its power to blur the line between overdrive and fuzz. I recommend checking out each store to grab the best price. Donner Distortion Guitar Pedal, Morpher Distortion 3 Modes Natural, Donner Morpher Distortion Pedal Review Is It Any Good? BOSS DS-1w. Naturally, the quality wont be on the professional level, and if you are interested in something better, you will need to invest a bit more. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a55c5b135ea3141a8fe18f8f3e67edd0" );document.getElementById("f08fed1552").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Turn it to the left and allow the natural brightness of your instrument to shine through. Further details: How Gearank Works. The Bluesman is an articulate low gain drive pedal to add some extra thickness to a rhythm sound, but with the gain turned up, it will add tonnes of smooth sustain giving both power and clarity, ideal for a solo boost! The truth is, that its another classic dirt box that really sounds different depending on how you set it and what you use it with. A JRC4558 IC-loaded circuit that creates the classic symmetrical overdrive sound, this is an all-analog affair that is true bypass, housed in a rock-solid chassis, and can run on a 9-volt batterywhich is included. 5 Awesome and Cheap Distortion Pedals Under $100 Retail Thats a huge statement to make, but the Super Badass doesnt pretend to be anything other than what it claims to be. December 15, 2022 by Fredie Hill Distortion pedals are an indispensable attribute of any guitarist's pedalboard. You can find nearly any effect you want, and you wont need to spend a fortune on it. Distortion pedals fulfill a very similar purpose to overdrive, and on the surface, many of these pedals operate in the exact same manner as an overdrive. The Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi might be one of the most imitated pedals in history, mostly due to its storied history of variations, and because it is one of the earliest distortion pedals ever created. Output Impedance: 10k Ohms. Distortion is the name of the game when it comes to heavy music such as rock and metal. Take your distortion into the future with the MD-2. Perhaps you're not aware of it, but you most likely heard this pedal on a lot of records before. The Acapulco Gold gets you those awesome high gain tones for a fraction of the price. The Super Badass is also super versatile, as its distortion range goes everywhere from classic 70s crunch and subtle overdrive all the way up to modern aggression. Top 4 Over $50 JCM 800 sound? Revv G3 Distortion. Here, we have Super Badass Distortion, and its quite nice. A minor gripe is the pedal's output getting loud too quickly as you tweak the output. Home Reviews Best Distortion Pedals Under $100. Top 20 Budget Expression/Wah/Volume Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200 This pedal will not work with a 9V battery, and requires a 9V DC power supply (not included). 12. 1. Power Supply: 9V DC (Centre Negative) Dimensions: 95mm (D) x 45mm (W) 48mm (H) Weight: 273g. The BOSS DS-1 Distortion pedal is a true icon in the world of guitar effects. From heavy metal distortion to smooth reverb and compression, they shape and sculpt your tone, opening up endless sonic possibilities. As for the sound, DS-1 gives you a lot of options to create something youll enjoy. in that it takes the initial signal and clips, or distorts the signal. As you turn the filter to the left from center it acts as a high-end boost, and as you turn it to the right it acts as a high cut. Best Distortion Pedals Under 100 [With Good Sound] Well, its the analog circuits, they sound great and got a little more to give when you really punish them it simply sounds more real, fuller and better. It is obvious why so many players would want to try it. Written by Elliot Stent. There are four knobs, but this time, we have a 100 Hz potentiometer for fine-tuning. Before the DS-1, most distortion pedals produced harsh, buzzy tones and muddy sound at high gain settings. Likewise, if you prefer having as much control as possible over your tone youre going to want a pedal that will facilitate that. If you are looking for the cheapest possible option, Donner is probably the best pedal you can find. The CRUNCH button allows you to choose between two different modes of diode and LED clipping, boosting the harmonic content of the distortion. Naturally, this isnt the best pedal you can find, but its quite worth the money. It also works better if you plug it into the effects loop on your amp, since plugging it directly wont sound nearly as good. The Revv G3 is a smooth sounding distortion pedal that is very amplifier like. Looking for an overdrive or distortion pedal on a budget? The videos above have been embedded in accordance with YouTube's Terms of Service. If you're looking for a classic sounding dirt box that can do it all but still sound like itself, the RAT 2 is an excellent distortion pedal to try. The DS-1 has a sound and feel that I describe as "real". Ok, so the first thing I need to say here is: yes, Metalzone is a good pedal. The last one for this category is another pedal by Joyo. I have a huge passion for rock music and I extremely enjoy playing it. Further details: Things to Consider When Buying a Distortion Pedal, Methodology - How We Chose Which Distortion Pedals To Recommend, The Difference Between Overdrive and Distortion Explained, The Best Guitar Multi Effects Pedals / Processors, Best Studio Monitors of 2023 - Six Suitability Categories For You, Best Cheap Electric Guitars: Great value for Sound Quality 2023, The Best DI Box & Reamp Box 2023 (Active and Passive), Best Compressor Pedal Expert Guide (May 2023), The Best Microphone Preamps - All Prices up to $1000, Noise issues with some power supplies and outlets, Wide range of gain settings suitable for many genres, Tendency to fizz up at higher gain settings, Midrange push makes solos stand out in a mix, "Tight" setting capable of serving modern metal (it chugs), Boss compact pedal tried and true reliability, Versatile sound that works with lots of genres, Excellent price-to-performance for a benchmark pedal, Overly distinct at times - not a chameleon pedal, Sonic versatility with staple tones at low, medium and high gain levels, Distortion sound adds harmonics and depth to your guitar tone, Pushes even clean amps into tube-like saturation, Dynamic re-imagining of a classic 70's distortion tone with more warmth and mids, Just 2 controls make it truly plug and play, Definitive classic rock sound heard on many records, Pedal output gets loud too quickly - hard to dial in, Highly versatile and tweakable with complete active EQ settings, Dynamic distortion range - from clean boost to extreme modern distortion. bestguitarequipment.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. Table of Contents (click to jump) Best Cheap Wah Pedals (top 4 picks) 1. Updated distortion control smooths out the range of distortion making it 6 x 4 x 3 inches (15.24 x 10.16 x 7.62 centimeters). The Rowin Plexion is an affordable, compact distortion pedal with 2 gain modes (Normal and Bright) much like the amp it was modeled after. Many guitarsts have a distortion pedal as their first stombox effect. You can remedy that by running this into another overdrive/EQ/preamp that has an output control though, or with the master volume on your amp if youve got it. What this pedal does is allows you to distort the signal coming out of the guitar. 8 Best Distortion Pedals Under $100 (CHEAP!) Best Distortion Pedals Under $100 These are some of the best pedals you can find on the market, and they still fall in the budget category. MXR took a classic distortion circuit and hot-rodded it for sizzling gain. The beauty of the RAT2 lies in its versatility. Acapulco Gold can be quite powerful, and you can even use it on single-coil pickups to transform the tone. The pedal is based on tube amp circuits but with transistors instead. The secret is a special dual-stage distortion circuit with an added gain boost-plus new Bottom and Tone controls--for crushing distortion with massive low end. 3. Unity gain sits at about 10 o'clock on the volume dial so keep this in mind. The past year's record gear sales tell us that pandemic window shopping has become more a passion than a pastime. These two features together make it possible to dial in a ton of different gain profiles, all of which are pretty convincing in their own right. You can easily adjust the sound, and go for something calmer or turn the gain all the way up and have some fun. Clearly they have different uses, and Im here to explain some of those while giving you great gig-worthy options for your next dirt box. The pedal is versatile, and you can use five knobs to find the tone you like. 2. If youre looking for an affordable distortion option that wont eat up too much board real estate OR break the bank, check out the, The pedals character is definitely smooth, almost closer to an overdrive, also invokes the same character as the high gain tones you can find in boutique Suhr amps. But just like the pedal from today's article, it's extremely affordable! The casing is made of plastic, and you might want to be careful when using it. Though it leans more to the fuzz side of the spectrum than many pedals featured on this list, the pedal is still capable of everything from light overdrive to heavy levels of distortion. That means there aren't a lot of "wrong" combinations when you're tweaking so you'll be choosing between great sounding options with varying textures rather than trying to find a sound that's usable. It's hard to make a list of great budget pedals without mentioning Donner since the company specializes in affordable guitar equipment. The 8 Best Distortion Pedals for Metal (Ultimate Review) Written by Adam in Buyer's Guides Glorious 'gain' and sweet 'distortion' is the pillar and foundation when sculpting a killer metal guitar tone.