Reading Time: 3 minutes Best Distortion Pedal
The Comparison Table
To help you better compare the features of distortion pedals, we have compiled them into the table for easier assessment.
| Name | Size | Distortion contol | Power supply |
| Boss DS-1 | 9 x 4 x 6 inches | Tone, Level, Distortion | 9v, not included |
| TC Electronic Dark Matter | 5 x 3 x 4 inches | Gain, Level, Bass, Treble | 9v, not included |
| Mesa Boogie THROTTLE BOX EQ | 5.78 x 2.3 x 4.76 inches | Hi Level, Lo Level, Tone, Gain | 9v, not included |
| Wampler Sovereign V2 | 7 x 4 x 7 inches | Volume, Mid Contour, Gain, Tone | 9v, not included |
| Pro Co RAT2 | 4.7 x 4.3 x 3.1 inches | Distortion, Filter, Volume | 9v, not included |
| MXR M75 | 4.5 x 6 x 2.75 inches | Output, Distortion, Bass, Mid, Treble | 9v, not included |
| MXR M104 | 5.5 x 2.5 x 4.5 inches | Output, Distortion | 9v, not included |
| MXR M116 | 2.5 x 4.5 x 5.5 inches | Volume, Freq, Gain, Low, Mid, High | 9v, included |
| MXR M115 | 2.7 x 5.9 x 4.5 inches | Tone, Output, Distortion | 9v, not included |
| Electro-Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi | 5.7 x 2.5 x 4.7 inches | Volume, Blend, Tone, Sustain, Gate, Mid Level | 9v, not included |
| Electro-Harmonix Nano | 2.75 x 3.45 x 5.75 inches | Volume, Sustain, Tone | 9v, not included |
| Fender Pugilist | 5.45 x 4.85 x 3.25 inches | Tone, Gain, Blend, Level | 9v, not included |
| KMA Wurm | 7 x 6 x 4 inches | Volume, Terror, Highs, Lows, High mids, Low mids | 9v, not included |
| EarthQuaker Gold V2 | 6 x 3 x 3 inches | Volume | 9v, not included |
| Walrus Audio Iron Horse V2 LM308 | 4.77 x 2.9 x 2.3 inches | Level, Tone, Distortion | 9v, not included |
| KHDK Dark Blood | 5.75 x 3.4 x 3.4 inches | Gain, Volume, Doom, Treble | 9v, not included |
| TC Electronic Eyemaster Metal Distortion | 5.2 x 2.91 x 2.28 inches | Gain, Volume | 9v, not included |
| Diezel Herbert | 7.72 x 5.08 x 4.72 inches | Midcut Master, Midcut Intensity, Normal Master, Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Presence, Deep | 12v, included |
For more detailed information on each pedal, check out the reviews below.
Boss DS-1 — Bear Bone Experience
Design
The pedal features a rather standard boxy design in orange color. On the sides, there are mono input and output jacks. On the front panel, you will find three tone control knobs and a footswitch. There is also an LED indicating a working state.
Features
Since there are only two jacks, the pedal does not support stereo sound. But the device actually has a good sound dynamic, being able to produce both soft and hard tones and everything in between. Three control knobs — Level, Tone, and Dist — allow the user to control the volume, tone, and amount of distortion respectively.
TC Electronic Dark Matter — A Solid Choice
Design
Here we have a more strict design variant with the black metal casing. Just like with the previous one, here we have only mono input and output jacks. The front greets the user with the true bypass footswitch and four tone control knobs.
Features
TC Electronic only supports mono, due to the single audio jacks. True bypass guarantees the clean tone of the guitar when the pedal isn’t used, and the tone itself can be adjusted with four knobs — Gain, Level, Bass, and Treble. A voice switch allows for a shift in bass response.
Mesa Boogie THROTTLE BOX EQ — Five-Band Treatment
Design
This one stands out from the competition with its shape and elegant build. With input and output jacks in their regular places, the pedal boasts an abundance of control on the front panel. The casing is black with a glossy finish on the front and textured sides.
Features
The pedal offers a lot of options for sound control. There are four knobs that let the user adjust high and low levels, tone, and gain. There is also a five-band EQ. The footswitch is here for changing the distortion modes to provide extra tonal tenacity when playing live, while another one allows switching between Hi and LO tones for more versatility.
Wampler Sovereign V2 — Versatility in a Small Form-Factor
Design
That pedal features a standard metal build in grey. On the top, there are two input and output jacks and a power supply connector. The front panel greets the user with a single footswitch, four sound control knobs, and two distortion mode switches.
Features
To tweak the sound the user is given four knobs: Volume knob adjusts the level of effect that the pedal outputs; Mid Contour tweaks the mids of the tone; Tone changes the high frequencies of the effect; Gain controls the level of the distortion itself. The two switches allow the user to change his sound from vintage tunes to something more modern, as well as switch between boost and gain distortion modes.
Pro Co RAT2 — Minimalistic Option
Design
RAT 2 offers its user a compact build in black color with not a lot going on. It has mono jacks on the top and a single footswitch on the front panel along with 3 sound control knobs.
Features
The pedal does not support stereo and has no true bypass feature, though it works great as a primary distortion pedal. You can tweak the effect with 3 control knobs: Distortion, Filter, and Volume.
MXR M75 — The Essentials
Design
The pedal packs a sturdy metal casing made in elegant silver color. It keeps things traditional with elements’ placing: there are mono input and output jacks on the sides of the casing, and the front panel has a footswitch, an LED, and five sound control knobs.
Features
There’s still no stereo feature, but the M75 does have a true bypass for the clear tone when the musician doesn’t need the pedal to work. The LED on the front panel signals the working state of the device. The user can also tweak the intensity of the effect with Output and Distortion knobs, and use Bass, Mid, and Treble controls to get the tone just the way they like.
MXR M104 — Classic 70s Distortion
Design
M104 shares the design aesthetic with the M75 model. The controls are on their usual spots — audio jacks being on the sides, and a footswitch and control knobs on the front. This one comes in a more playful yellow though.
Features
The pedal takes a bit more minimalistic approach to the sound, taking away the true bypass features and stereo sound. There is a single footswitch to turn the effect on and off, and a LED that indicates the working state. The user is offered only two options to tweak the tone using the Output and Distortion knobs.
MXR M116 — A True Powerhouse
Design
Here we have nothing to brag about in terms of looks — a simple grey rectangular shape made of metal, where the sides are housing input and output jacks, and the front panel holds a usual array of footswitch, LEDs, and 6 sound knobs.
Features
This one has no stereo either. But it makes up for it by allowing the user to have a greater control over the sound with the help of adjustable frequency control. They can be changed with the knobs in the lower row: Low, Mid, and High respectively.
MXR M115 — No Surprises
Design
Another rather simplistic product. Apart from the bright red color, Harmonix there is actually nothing that stands out: the casing is made out of metal, with all of the controls and ports in their usual places.
Features
There are single input and output jacks on the M115, meaning that the pedal does not support stereo output. The tried and tested footswitch is here right beneath the LED to signal the operational state of the device. To tweak the effect, the user is offered three sound control knobs: Output, Distortion, and Tone.
Electro-harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi — Everything You Might Ever Need
Design
The pedal is made wider than most of its kind to house an abundance of settings it offers. Here we have a metal casing with a great combination of white sides and a black front panel with red accents.
Features
The pedal does support stereo output thanks to the added audio jack. The pedal is great for many genres from blues to grunge. To control the sound, the user has quite a few knobs to work with: Volume, Sustain for the intensity, Tone for the brightness of the effect. In addition, there is an Attack that gives expressiveness to the notes, Gate to block out the noise, Bass Boost for lows, a Mids control section, and a High/Low switcher. The cherry on that cake is a true bypass footswitch.
Electro-Harmonix Nano — A Much Simpler Option
Design
Electro-Harmonix Nano has a rigid metal build, painted in white color. The mono input and output jacks are on the sides of it, and the front panel houses a footswitch, an LED, and three sound control knobs.
Features
The pedal supports a true bypass, giving the user no tone discoloration when it is not used. To adjust the sound the user is given three knobs: Volume, Sustain to tweak the intensity of the effect, and Tone to make it brighter.
Fender Pugilist — For Those Who Like Experimenting
Design
The metal chassis is made out of textured metal. The color of the casing is gold. The device is quite wider than a usual pedal design, but the placement of the control elements is quite traditional. The audio jacks are on the sides, and the front panel houses the footswitch in its lower part and sound control knobs on its top portion.
Features
The killer feature of this pedal is dual gain engines, which allow the user to control the tone of two channels separately. There is also a Blend control to mix dry and affected signals and separate control knobs for channels.
KMA Wurm — It Has the Looks
Design
The pedal packs a unique metal casing, painted in white with a worm-like creature painted on the front panel. The input and output jacks are on the sides of the device, with a footswitch and six sound knobs being on the front. To add a little more to the design, there are five LEDs around the worm’s mouth.
Features
The pedal produces a harsh effect that suits the metal music greatly. It is only stereo, and there is not much to talk about the tone control: there are Volume and Distortion intensity controls, and four knobs to tweak the high, low, high mid, and low mid frequencies of the effect.
EarthQuaker Gold V2 — It Doesn’t Get Simpler Than That
Design
In terms of the design, the shape is usual for that type of device. The casing is built from metal. housing the audio jacks on the top, and the sound controls on the front. The style of the pedal is called Acapulco Gold with engravings made in black.
Features
The pedal is focused on providing the simplest experience possible: so there’s no stereo sound, and nothing to talk about in terms of the effect controls. There is a footswitch for turning the effect on and off, an LED that indicates the operational state of the device, and just one knob to control the volume of the distortion.
Walrus Audio Iron Horse V2 LM308 — Thick Distortion
Design
The metal chassis has no surprises in terms of build, but the design here is quite interesting: the artwork is done by Adam Forster featuring a new battle-ready Stallion cloaked in armor. Audio jacks are on the sides, and the front panel houses a footswitch, an LED, and three sound knobs.
Features
This pedal does support true bypass so that the guitar tone acquires no discoloration when the distortion isn’t used. The user can tweak the effect using three knobs: Level to control the output, Tone to adjust high treble frequencies, and Distortion itself. The switch on the left from the LED lets the user change modes and choose between different distortion compressions.
KHDK Dark Blood — Distinct Amp-Like Sound
Design
The chassis is made of metal and painted in black with a red design. This time the input and output jacks are on the top portion of the pedal beside the power connector. On the front panel, we have a footswitch, two LEDs, Hi/Lo switch, and four adjustable knobs.
Features
There are four sound control knobs on the pedal: Gain adjusts the gain of the circuit, Doom tweaks the pre-distortion equalization, Volume controls the output, and Treble adds a passive low-pass filter. The user can also use the Hi/Lo switch to choose between a pick-sensitive and dynamic tone or a massively overdriven one.
TC Electronic Eyemaster Metal Distortion — Nothing to Brag About
Design
The pedal features a rather strict boxy design painted in solid black. The only other design features are the red accents, stating the controls and the model name. There are only two control knobs, a footswitch, and an LED indicator. The audio jacks are on the top of the pedal. The build material is metal, as usual, giving the device the required sturdiness.
Features
The manufacturer clearly aims at delivery features that matter and nothing more. There is a true bypass, and only two sound knobs: one controls the Volume and the Gain tweaks the intensity of the distortion. The simple LED signals the operation state of the device.
Diezel Herbert — Ground-Shaking Tones
Design
Here we have a vintage-inspired stompbox design. The pedal houses three rows of sound controls knobs, two footswitches, and four audio jacks, and a power outlet. The casing is simple black and grey and made out of metal.
Features
With its four audio jacks, the pedal allows for both dirt and amp connection. There are plenty of sound controls as well: Midcut Master for volume adjustments with the mid-cut setting; Midcut Intensity; Normal Mater tweaks the volume the Midcut is off; Gain for the amount of gain of the pedal; Treble, Middle, Bass for the EQ control; Presence for high-frequency adjustment; and Deep for controlling ultra-low frequencies.
Buyer’s Guide
There is no single right way to choose the best distortion pedal since they are all different and cater to different user categories.
But we still can single out the points to look for when shopping for a pedal.
Those points can give you a better idea of what the pedal has to offer.
Here are those points:
Sound quality. The sound is a subjective matter, so you will never know if you like the sound of a particular pedal from a written review. Listen to the audio samples or go to the store and test the overdrive pedal yourself — this way, you know what you will be buying for sure.
Power connection. Most of the pedals require 9V power adapters, and they do not come included in the box. Some may require higher voltage as well. Some even work from a battery. So, when looking at a product, make sure that the power supply comes included, or purchase it separately if you haven’t already.
Distortion control. Distortion pedals vary a lot in terms of the sound controls. The most primitive ones allow you to tweak the volume and the intensity of the distortion, others let you tweak gain, expressiveness of the tone, and even tinker with high and low frequencies. Make sure that you get what you need here.
Conclusion
So here are some of the best overdrive pedals that you can buy right now. Most of the products offer pretty much the same features, but it is the details you need to look out for to choose the device that will work best for you.
There is no need to pay a lot of money for a pedal that can do everything if you don’t need it to do everything. Since the quantity does not always mean quality, you might be better off choosing a product with less control over the tone, but that produces good sound nonethelessHarmonixtweak
On the contrary, the large number of features can help you with your style of playing and support your creativity.
Good luck shopping!
FAQ:
The pedal does work with a 9v battery that comes in the box. You can also purchase the Boss PSA-120S Power Adapter to plug it directly into the power outlet.
It works great for blues and classic rock for sure. Can’t really say the same about heavier genres like nu-metal or metalcore.
It is very versatile: the tight high gain is great for metal and low gain works really well for classic rock tunes.
By default it doesn’t come with a power supply, you have to purchase it separately. Sometimes you can get it as a part of a bundle or promo.
Unfortunately, it is a fuzz pedal that is as muddy as it gets.
There is a good amount of clarity in tone and no definition. The sound is similar to the distortion of Iron Maiden guitars.
A couple of years ago MXR switched from 1/8” to 2.1mm adapters — now it is a standard for newer pedals.
The distortion here is more like an overdrive to me, it gets quite gained out on higher settings.
No, you will have to buy it separately. The device takes a 9V DC power supply.
It says in the manual that the pedal takes a 9V adaptor that provides at least 25mA.
It is the standard MTG.
The tone on this one is more refined with a little more versatility to it.
The pedal produces a crunchy and fuzzy thick distorted sound.
It’s unlikely to work well for metal music because anything beyond single coils with gain at 11:00 the bass flubs out. Higher gain sounds more like a loose fuzz than a distortion.
The pedal runs on a standard 9v power supply. You can also hook up to the center pin negative power supply.
Like any other type of pedal, you can hook it up to any guitar.
Idk what amp you have but you need to run it through the effects loop. It’s an extremely heavy sound and it makes noise. You must run it through the loop with a noise gate.
John Carlton Smith 
