Distortion pedal

[Mr. Air]

I'm looking for a good and hopefuly cheap (less than 100£) distortion pedal that can handle the broad rock spectre from rock N roll to hard modern rock. So hopefuly all you guys out there will point you feather pens at me and start scribling down your recommendations.  :)

[tomjackson]

Somebody will say MI Audio Crunch Box before before I can say...

just made a BYOC Mouse which has an amazing array of distorted and overdrive tones.  Might not be tight enough for more modern styles though. 

I once tried the Xotic BB plus and that blew me away, Black Crowes in a box, classic rock sounds but tighter and more focused than any other pedal I've heard.  But that's about £230!

So no help from me :(

[gwEm]

Somebody will say MI Audio Crunch Box before before I can say...

great suggestion ;)

[hamfist]

I've had :-

Crunch Box
Krank Distortus Maximus
MI Audio Tube Zone
Blackstar HT Dual
Blackstar HT Dist
Box of Rock
Xotic AC Booster.

But, I'd say the winner out of all those for what you want, by a reasonable margin, is a new aquisition for me .... The Digitech Hardwire Valve Distortion SC-2. Also a complete bargain, as available for about £70 if you look around !!
Thoroughly recommended !

[MrBump]

Very happy with my Crunchbox.

If you need "more", run a TS type pedal into it.

[Twinfan]

I think you need to define what you mean by "hard modern rock" by naming some bands.

And I don't think you'll get it all in one box.  I'd say you need a low gain pedal and a high gain pedal to cover such a broad spectrum......

[Mr. Air]

On Twinfans request I'll name some bands which sounds seem similar to what I play (should have mentioned them in the original post  :oops:).

I'm interested in modern hard rock distortion like Velvet Revolver, RATM, QOTSA and Tool (bordering metal).

Normaly I run the amp quite clean and rely on pedals for overdrive/distortion. I got a TS like pedal so I can use it as a booster.

And thanks for the replies  :D

[Elliot]

Go cheap(ish)

Tonerider British Distortion
Danelectro Cool Cat Drive!

[Gizmo]

What amp do you use as well? The pedal you need will depend on the setting of your amp and the sounds your after. For example, a Tubescreamer wont be high gain with a clean amp.

I had the Crunch Box for a few days on trial. For Marshall JCM800 type sounds its great and doesnt need to be tweaked. It sounds good straight away.For £70 it is a good pedal.

I prefered the BLackstar Dual but it is 2x as expensive. I still think the lead channel sounds a bit thin tho. It is a very flexible pedal. I still have one but dont use it as often as the BB. The Dual can be a boost or distortion right up to pretty heavy stuff.

I also have a BB Pre amp and a Fulltone Fulldrive. Both pedals are very similar in sound. The BB is less colouring and more of a boost but the Fulldrive has more flexibility and is very very good. Unless you find pedals 2nd hand you wont get one <£100 but you might find a Fulltone OCD version 3 for <£100.

My recommendation is to get a 2nd hand OCD. It is a great, and it has higher gain then the overdrives and is similar to the Crunch box but most people would agree its better. I think new the version 4's are £119.

The Hardwire pedals have got great write ups in mags. I have a Hardwire tuner pedal and its great but i havent tried the disortion one.

[Twinfan]

Cheers for the bands  ;)

I'd second both the OCD suggestion and the Tonerider British Distortion.

I'd also add the original black Marshall Guv'nor and the ZVex Distortron to the list  :)

[horsehead]

What about HTH's modded SD1? I got mine & it's immense!

[blue]

as Twinfan suggested, the Marshall Guv'nor is a very good overdrive/distortion.  for much less money you can get a Danelectro Daddy-O, which has basically the same circuit.  i have one of each, the danelectro has a bit more drive available and sounds smoother.  both are excellent pedals.

[_tom_]

I quite like the Marshall Guvnor Plus GV2 actually. Its more flexible than the Crunch Box and half the price!

[hamfist]

There's been a couple of suggestions for the OCD, which I'm surprised at, as it really can't get too much gain without the bass getting rather flubby. I'd guess that it might be a bit "old school" for your needs.
 Ditto for the Zvex Box of Rock or Distortron. All three are outstanding pedals, but definately in an more vintage way than what I perceive you are looking for.

[Mr. Air]

I must say the Tonerider British Distortion has me on a hook. Anyone who owns this pedal or have tried it out? I like the sound clips I've hard so far and 60£ seems pretty cheap.