Diff between a real hardcore overdrive vs distortion?

[IbanezFreak]

Hey guys...i'm still pretty new to electric guitar (more of a acoustic guitarist...well, currently at least) and i've recently tried an ultimate overdrive pedal and a distortion pedal..

and i preferred the OD because it sounded much smoother and creamier...but is it still considered a distortion pedal? Which one should i get? I didn't like that distortion pedal because it was very harsh...

Oh, and would an OD pedal crank a tube amp even more as compared to playing the pedal through a SS amp? Thats what i heard before..hmm

 

[carboxymoron]

I personally think it's a matter of taste. Both are used to add gain and dirt. Generally distortions are grittier and higher gain. But dial it down and it can sound like some overdrive pedals. There's no clear line between both although most people will agree on what falls on which side.

Just get what you like! If a fuzz pedal achieves the sound you want, don't dismiss it because it's not labelled as a distortion (or whatever you're looking for).

 

[subversion]

there's always much confusion when it comes to drive & distortion because what we finally hear coming out form the amp is the same effect. however, the fundamentals of these effects are different:

*overdrive
*distortion

 

[subversion]

Oh, and would an OD pedal crank a tube amp even more as compared to playing the pedal through a SS amp? Thats what i heard before..hmm

if you hear 'more' coming out through a certain combination, it means the pedal is reacting differently pertaining to how it's used, with a tube amp or otherwise.

 

[IbanezFreak]

thanks guys!

So sub, an od pedal simply increases the gain level of the guitar into the amp? So...a great guitar, with great pickups would add more, or better quality gain, as compared to a crap guitar with crap pickups?

And a distortion pedal has a whole voice of its own? So an OD is in a way..more natural?

well, the thing thats puzzling me is that the ultimate drive is an overdrive that adds so much distortion to the circuit..unlike, for example, the bad monkey i had before...

How do i tell if the ultimate overdrive is ''adding'' distortion and not passing its own signal through the circuit, like a distortion pedal? Is it really possible for an overdrive to add so much distortion?

 

[subversion]

So sub, an od pedal simply increases the gain level of the guitar into the amp? So...a great guitar, with great pickups would add more, or better quality gain, as compared to a crap guitar with crap pickups?

And a distortion pedal has a whole voice of its own? So an OD is in a way..more natural?

when it comes to pickups adding gain, it's about output. higher output pickups add to this increment independent of quality. in fact, 'quality' would very much be influenced by a device with some tonal manipulation like pedal effects for instance.

any pedal would have a voice of its own, regardless of what they are. to say the typical OD unit sounds more 'natural' wouldn't be the right understanding as to what the pedal offers; the OD & distortion units are both different. from the discussions here, it seems that you are more inclined towards the former

which 'ultimate overdrive' are you referring to?

 

[IbanezFreak]

I tried 2 pedals yesterday at SV guitars at penin..

Joyo Ultimate Overdrive

Biyang Baby Booms Distortion

The Joyo won because it was mellow and smooth, creamy...the biyang distortion had quite a harsh tone imo..the 3 toggle switch for the biyang does help, but theres too much of a volume difference..

Well, i would like something in that price range that can do some creamy rock to gritty (but not too harsh!) hardcore stuff...i've yet to try the Joyo crunch distortion..might be what i'm looking for...

Joyo looks nice too The ultimate od is described as between overdrive and distortion.. Called OCD too...And it does have a lot of gain..Should have done more testing on the pedal..was concentrating on the strat copy..

 

[subversion]

was this pedal there @ SV?

since you like drive better than distortion, it might have something in store for you as it offers 3 voicing variation.

 

[IbanezFreak]

hmmm..but i would like to know if drive would be able to handle like metallica and like bullet for my valentine?

 

[imkeith]

^^^^im quite curious too haha...
i always had the idea in mind that od=blues ds=heavier stuff
but thn with that said i kinda like the od sound too but yea i dont play much blues anw :s.. lol

 

[IbanezFreak]

hahah but actually...i think i would still go for the Joyo Ultimate Drive...seriously i was super blown away by it...Feels, more solid than biyang..

Oh well, their both from SV! Great stuff! Can't wait to get my joyo ocd...looks so good I'll definitely give the mad driver a spin too though...maybe it'll give me the versatility i need...

 

[carboxymoron]

If you pick up an overdrive now, you can definitely consider getting a distortion in the future for heavier rock or even metal sounds. And stacking them together will add even more choices and variation. It's a common combination to have an overdrive followed by a distortion. You'll get different results for example putting your overdrive quite high and dialing back your distortion is different than just setting the gain high on a distortion.

 

[subversion]

i always had the idea in mind that od=blues ds=heavier stuff

there is no effect type to specify a music genre- we use overdrive & distortion interchangeably to get the job done. there are overdrive units with so much saturation it would be interpreted as 'intensity' because it really sounds aggressive. this pedal is one such example:

 

[naviros]

Aye to this unit. Regretted selling it away. The "Contour" knob is a godsent.

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

The alternative is to stack overdrives. Which is what i do, but weirdly, for a crunchier sound i prefer stacking my Dano Distortion on quarter gain with my OD (instead of OD-OD). Give the Dano CC TOD and Distortion a shot, cause it's worth it. Unlikely to find better pedals for that price.

 

[imkeith]

there is no effect type to specify a music genre- we use overdrive & distortion interchangeably to get the job done. there are overdrive units with so much saturation it would be interpreted as 'intensity' because it really sounds aggressive. this pedal is one such example:

the whole pedal thing is too much for me to understand/experiment em all lol
but yea thinkin of going for a metal muff.. sounds pretty versatile