Modern heavy distortion

bassfreak423 · 10-20-2011, 02:24 AM

I've been trying to do some research lately on different distortion pedals. I'm looking for a modern hard rock/metal distortion pedal with a strong low end. Anyone have any suggestions? I have a Keeley DS1 right now, it's a good pedal, just not what I'm looking for..

***BillSPrestonEsq*** · 10-20-2011, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassfreak423

I've been trying to do some research lately on different distortion pedals. I'm looking for a modern hard rock/metal distortion pedal with a strong low end. Anyone have any suggestions? I have a Keeley DS1 right now, it's a good pedal, just not what I'm looking for..

What sound are you going for? Budget?

IMO, this is actually one of the hardest tones to get a really good tone for.

I would suggest:

Electro-harmonix nano metal muff. Has a strong low end and is not what most amps sound like, but it is a good sound. It is one of those pedals that is inexpensive and I can't quite pull off my board . Sounds excellent with a baritone. VERY few pedals sound good with a baritone.

Wampler triple wreck - sounds pretty much like my mesa rectifier, which is why I sold it. But, it is probably the best mesa sound pedal I have ever played.

MI Audio Tube zone - decent impersonation of a Mesa rectifier is available here. Very versatile pedal, but can sound terrible in some settings because all the knobs do a fairly large sweep. Really good pedal though.

Barber dirty bomb - a lot of people swear by it and it is considerably easier to dial in than the tube zone and I believe cheaper. I also liked the tube zone better. IMO a bit muffled

MI Audio crunch box - Very good marshall in a box. May be too light on the low end for you, but IMO, one of the best high gain distortion boxes and used they price in around $75.

Krank Distortus Maximus. - Pretty good pedal in between a marshall and a mesa sound. Not as much gain as you might expect. Can be had cheaply

bassfreak423 · 10-20-2011, 03:59 AM

Awesome, thanks! I've never been a big fan of the Marshall sound, (thats why the Keeley modded DS1 isnt cutting it) but I love Mesa, I'm not too worried about price as long as I am happy with the sound. I will look into some of those, thanks again!

***BillSPrestonEsq*** · 10-20-2011, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassfreak423

Awesome, thanks! I've never been a big fan of the Marshall sound, (thats why the Keeley modded DS1 isnt cutting it) but I love Mesa, I'm not too worried about price as long as I am happy with the sound. I will look into some of those, thanks again!

I would not describe the Keeley SEM or ds-1 as that much of a Marshall sound. The crunch box is one I like as a nice substitute for a marshall.

The EH nano metal muff is not quite a mesa sound... but if you take my meaning, its own sort of thing in that general territory. It runs around $40 so it is well worth a look and listen. And I end up using it sometimes through the clean channel of my Soldano or Mesa. (Do I think I am insane for using a $40 pedal into a $2500 amp? Yes. Do I like what that sounds like anyway? Yep.)

You might also check out wamplers take on an SLO. I love my Soldano and Wampler has better high gain pedals than most.

telecasting · 10-20-2011, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassfreak423

I've been trying to do some research lately on different distortion pedals. I'm looking for a modern hard rock/metal distortion pedal with a strong low end. Anyone have any suggestions? I have a Keeley DS1 right now, it's a good pedal, just not what I'm looking for..

What amp are you using? It's going to make a big difference on getting that tone based on your amp. Sometimes you can end up getting a solid amp for metal sounds for not that much more than you'd pay for a top pedal anyway.

bassfreak423 · 10-20-2011, 06:31 AM

Okay cool, well, right now I am using a peavey vk100 tube head and a marshall 412, but I have considered looking for something different, i picked it up dirt cheap, but I know its not a heavy rig. My issue with getting a cheaper metal head is losing versatility with one solid rig. I like working with pedals, I def want to check out wampler pedals.

HairyScaryMark · 01-04-2012, 07:11 PM

I have a Suhr Riot which isn't cheap but I am 100% happy with it for the job it does. Check out the demos and reviews etc. I play it through a Fender Super Champ XD, which is a budget valve combo with an upgraded speaker and I am able to get a high gain metal sound and am happy using it with a Strat or an Ibanez RG 7 string.

It however doesn't sound good through all amplifiers. I once put it through a Roland JC90 and it wasn't nice at all. I have played it through other fender and marshall styled valve amplifiers at rehearsal rooms and it has sounded very nice with them also, so perhaps the valves are the main factor - I cannot say for sure. I generally find overdrive pedals to be more forgiving towards the sort of amplifier you use than distortion.