For a fat, warm tone that pairs perfectly with the sound of a quality British valve amp, this is the distortion pedal for you. Of all the pedals on our list, it’s probably this one that gives the most uniquely distorted tone, and we love it. It sounds so very Marshall, and indeed you could probably replicate the sound of an overdriven Marshall without the right amp - it’s that good. There’s often also EQ to be found too, which will help you to sculpt your tone - ideal if you’d like a little more bass, or you want to shine with some screeching treble.

A really great sounding extended range fuzz with extra texture and character aboard that few fuzzes make use of. I mentioned in the intro that this was one of two MXR fuzzes I still had me eye on along with the La Machine octave fuzz. I just have so many priorities to juggle at one time that I've never hit those two at there right time. Think next I'll need a new Dunlop wah and those we'll be the only two pedals I'll need for awhile and definitely will be getting some decent cord's. What can we say? The DS-1 has been designed from the outset as the everyman’s distortion pedal. It’s versatile enough to be used for a very wide range of music styles, it’s not hard to get it to elicit some great sounds, and it’s priced very attractively indeed. We can easily get everything from a bit of light distortion to some serious growls from the responsive dials, which is great if you’re new to this kind of effect. We also love the crunch button, which unlike a lot of pedal buttons, does exactly what you’d hope it does, and more, to the point that the first time you try it out, you won’t want to switch it off. Ideal if you want a few more lows and highs to build out your sound. So ultimately, overdrive pedals are not as harsh as distortion pedals; aiming to replicate the natural sound, whereas distortion pedals are more artificial and aggressive. There are however many overlaps and different sounds, so hard and fast rules are few in number.

Cookies

Would be cool if anyone can explain to me the distinction between Custom and Super and whether this is actually a proper subset of MXR or simply a marketing vehicle! What is not in dispute though is that these are some truly great sounding Overdrives, Distortions and Fuzz. And I’ve seen many a player cite the Modified Overdrive especially as one of their favourites of all tine. It’s an undeniably vintage-looking thing, but if we’re honest it does look a little strange. The fonts are all over the place, and things feel a bit jumbled. Looks don’t matter to a lot of guitarists, but it’s certainly worth noting regardless. Despite this, and its compact size, it feels like a quality product. The heavy-duty construction should last and last. The eye-catching orange chassis is now iconic and can be spotted on a pedalboard from a mile off, which makes it extremely cool in our eyes. Everything is screwed together solidly, and the trademark Boxx footswitch is so nice we wish it was on most other pedals.

I included it in my sizeable Brown Sound alternatives article from a couple of years ago - while it didn't end up as one of the most wanted - on account of others have more extended feature sets - including 3-Band EQ - which for me is almost essential for Marshall style pedals as the mids are so critical to the nature of that chewy crunchy output. The EQ section is brilliantly voiced, providing an impressively vast range of tones with nary a bad sound to be found. Boosting the bass control makes the tone bigger but never flabby or farty, and when it’s turned down it never gets wimpy or too thin. The treble control covers a palette from dark (but not muddy) to razor sharp (but not piercing). ProCo’s RAT 2 could in all honestly come very close to being our top choice, but it’s such an incredibly good distortion pedal for an incredibly good price, that it has to be our great value selection. It’s really not that often that you can say this about such a famous pedal either. There’s usually a premium to pay for a name, but there isn’t here. Pros: Powerful, flexible 3-band EQ. Touch-sensitive responsiveness. Can go from modern metal leads to simple lead boosts with aplomb. The second MXR to make it onto our list, this one is not actually that far away from the Super Badass in terms of tone, but is absolutely deserves an entry of its own. If you want the ability to nail some soaring highs with a really hot sound, then this could well be your next distortion pedal. It’s not going to get you a heavy metal thump going on, but it is ideal for turning up the heat, with a natural feeling distortion sound that goes some way beyond mere overdrive.This obviously gets its name from the Vintage 1978 Marshall JMP Super Lead 100w Amp - also known as the Marshall Plexi. It's one of the great takes on that genre - while it does seem to slip under the radar every now and again. Ultimately, you’re getting a premium product for a very respectable price that just has an unbeatable sound to it. It comes beautifully finished with high-quality hardware and electronics too, which means that if you’re looking for superb quality boost and saturation, you just aren't going to be disappointed with the Soul Food. Premium Choice - EarthQuaker Acapulco Power Amp