There is a lot of overlap between these types of pedals, so its always best to listen to what they sound like instead of making a judgment based on it being called a distortion or a fuzz.. The last one for this category is another pedal by Joyo. This means that popular overdrive pedals like the Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini are not included. He holds an MA in Audio Technology from American University in Washington, DC. Plus, the controls add incredible versatility! Ok so we said great distortion pedals for under $100, and this one is just slightly more than $100, but its a personal favorite and there was no way I couldnt include it in the list. Phenomenal distortion pedal with an extreme dynamic range gives you highly musical distortion covering a wide sound spectrum. 1; 2; Next. Your email address will not be published. As the name implies, the MXR M78 oozes attitude and grit. The MXR Super Badass Distortion is probably the best distortion pedal for metal (or any genre where you need high gain) for less than $100. What more is there to say. A minor gripe is the pedal's output getting loud too quickly as you tweak the output. The simple intuitiveness of only having two parameters and its time-tested build quality are also big factors in why this classic pedal continues to be sought after to this day. Here are 7 great fuzz pedals you can find for less than (or around) $100. I created this website so I can help as many as possible on their guitar journey. (Interview W/ Neal of RecordingTheMasters), The Forbidden Riff: Why Stairway To Heaven Is Banned In Guitar Stores, Counting Down The 15 Best Drummers Of All Time, Spotifys Permanent Wave Music (Definitions & Origins), they especially hit it out of the park on the Dark Matter, As cliche as you might think the DS-1 is, this pedal is an, The ProCo Rat is sort of an enigma of a guitar pedal, The Acapulco gold differentiates from pretty much every other pedal on this list in its, Best Distortion Plugins Youre Probably Sleeping On. Dark Matter is the kind of pedal that you wanna go play for half an hour and end up spending half a day with. Flanger - Mooer E-Lady. Best Distortion Pedals Under 100 [With Good Sound] As for the sound, DS-1 gives you a lot of options to create something youll enjoy. The pedal is still versatile, and it is made by EarthQuaker. The best option is to use the pedal on the clean channel since it offers so much gain. The RAT 2 is a surprisingly versatile distortion pedal with an unmistakable sound signature. Morpher packs a lot of power in such a small case, and it is another pedal for those who enjoy the heavier sound. The ProCo Rat is sort of an enigma of a guitar pedal, hence its official description is a distortion, fuzz, and overdrive pedal all in one. But, those amps are both expensive and only sound good when you crank them, which means that theyre pretty unrealistic to use. Aside from endlessly window shopping and watching hours of gear reviews for leisure, he enjoys playing competitive FPS games, MMORPGs and caring for his 5 cats. When it comes to the distortion pedal, it is versatile, easy to use, and will give you great sound. Unlike the majority of budget pedals, Behringer is a well-known company designing gear for more than thirty years. Read our full affiliate disclosure here. The pedals character is definitely smooth, almost closer to an overdrive, also invokes the same character as the high gain tones you can find in boutique Suhr amps. The best thing about the Series 3 is that it works great with any amp, and you dont need to own high-end gear to make it sound good. The best thing about it is that it works great regardless if you have single-coils or humbuckers. Both modes are very different with vintage delivering a raspy thinner distortion that doesn't over power your tone. Best Budget. Here, we will see more expensive versions of the pedals I mentioned before, as well as famous brands. Choosing the cheapest distortion pedal you can find, just for the sake of having one isn't a great strategy. Best Distortion Pedal under $100 - Reviews and Buying Guides for you The 25 Best Distortion Pedals You Can Get In 2023 2023 UPDATE! The Best Distortion Pedals | A Buyer's Guide If you are interested in owning a great versatile pedal, Ratsbane is a great choice. The DS-1 Distortion pedal has made its way into my setup more than once or twice in my playing career. Another similar pedal is the fuzz pedal. It is housed in a standard size stompbox which makes it easy to fit into most setups. The DS-1 Distortion is a true icon in the world of guitar effects. This makes this pedal work really well as a distortion for Rock, Alternative, and even some types of metal. Distortion pedals usually add more saturation, and they can alter the sound. The pedal has three switches to adjust the sound, and it works on a 9V battery or adapter. 2023's Best Cheap Distortion Pedals - Under $50 & $100 Naturally, it is best if you use it on a clean channel. Best Cheap Wah Pedals (top 4 under $200) | Guitar Chalk These straight forward controls give you what you need to adapt the sound to your liking. MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion 2. Someone who wants a more transparent gain boost will choose a completely different pedal than someone who wants to kick in a variety of distortions to make their tone sound entirely different. Contents show Snapshot: Best Distortion Pedals in 2022 JHS 3 Series Distortion - Best Under $100 Boss Waza Metal Zone (MT-2w) JOYO R03 Uzi Distortion Rowin Plexion - Best Budget Option Revv Amplification G4 - Best High-End Option Source Audio Aftershock - Best for Bass Earthquaker Devices Acapulco Gold V2 Suhr Riot Mini - Best Mini While you can get reasonably close to a particular distorted sound, don't get too obsessed about getting to perfect - unless you can invest in other important factors like amps, cables, other pedals and most important of all - playing technique. Check Out The Full 'Under $100' Series 7 Best Overdrive Pedals Under $100 7 Best Distortion Pedals Under $100 7 Best Boost Pedals Under $100 What Are The Best Fuzz Pedals Under $100? With overdrive pedals, you frequently want to use the pedal to help the amp achieve its own natural overdriven sound, especially if you are using a tube amp. One of the most popular stompboxes of all time has been shrunk down to a mini-sized wonder. Joyo JF-04 gives you plenty of options when it comes to adjustments, and you can easily create the sound you like. The pedal features two modes: Vintage and Turbo. The Tone City Bad Horse is a musical overdrive that captures the essence of the iconic gold pedal, fitting the circuit into . Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a55c5b135ea3141a8fe18f8f3e67edd0" );document.getElementById("f08fed1552").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Naturally, this isnt the best pedal you can find, but its quite worth the money. Go. The Rowin Plexion is an affordable "M" amp style distortion that gets you close to the best tones of the 70s, 80s and beyond at a very affordable price. 17 Best Distortion Pedals 2023 (All Price Ranges) TC Electronic DARK MATTER DISTORTION Phenomenal Distortion Pedal with Extreme Gain, Level, Bass and Treble controls - total control of your distortion sounds True Bypass - zero loss of tone more 3. Your email address will not be published. He runs sound at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall and The Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, VA, and performs and releases music as Out on the Weekend. Epiphone Unveils Dave Mustaine Flying V Custom and Flying V Prophecy. Before the DS-1, most distortion pedals produced harsh, buzzy tones and muddy sound at high gain settings. If you're looking for a classic sounding dirt box that can do it all but still sound like itself, the RAT 2 is an excellent distortion pedal to try. JHS 3 Series Overdrive Pedal 10 Best Distortion Pedals: Guitar Tone 2023 - Killer Rig PG-14 is an amazing distortion pedal that gives you so many options to adjust the sound. They both cover sounds from a large specter. *Displayed values are prior to the Gearank Algorithm's adjustments it makes when evaluating the source. The key to the pedals versatility lies in the range of its distortion and its three-band EQ. Home Reviews Best Distortion Pedals Under $100. If you like the idea behind MXR pedals, Custom Badass Modified might be the right thing for you. He is primarily influenced by guitarists like Kurt Ballou and Paul Gilbert. It is also known as one of the main distortion pedals Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys uses, though he still uses vintage ones on his board. Im not sure how they always manage to cram such great features into their pedals and maintain such a great build and sound quality, but they especially hit it out of the park on the Dark Matter. There are also two modes you can use independently, or combine both of them in one effect. Naturally, personal preference has a lot to do with the overall satisfaction, but there is no denying that these pedals are good. Well, thanks to the famous filter control, you can blur the lines between all the different flavors of dirt. Submitted by Jason Horton on Jul. The 7 best distortion pedals for under $100 are: Prices are going to vary slightly from store to store. The DS-1 and Metalzone are some of the absolute worst distortion pedals with no midrange at all. Publication of our July 2022 Edition resulted in the Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff coming off the recommended list above due to a price increase that made it ineligible for this guide. A JRC4558 IC-loaded circuit that creates the classic symmetrical overdrive sound, this is an all-analog affair that is true bypass, housed in a rock-solid chassis, and can run on a 9-volt batterywhich is included. Many would be quick to pooh-pooh the DS-1 in favor of boutique pedals. When you purchase through those links, I'll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Black Secret Distortion pedal captures the classic "Rat" tone made famous in the '70s and '80s. Also, as I have gotten older and more experienced, I have opted to use less and less of the "DIST" setting mitigating its tendency to be harsh and unpleasing to the ear. Having owned one of the reissues, its an awesome high gain distortion pedal that still retains some of that ragged big muff texture while having a tighter overall distortion profile. 90 out of 100. Distortion is the name of the game when it comes to heavy music such as rock and metal. Well worth considering if you're looking for that '80's metal' sound. While it features a standard three-knob setup found on most distortion pedals, the Morpher also features a, TC Electronic has gathered a reputation in the guitar industry for building high-quality effects that are both extremely versatile, dont break the bank. The pedal has three knobs to adjust level, gain, and tone, and it is fairly easy to use. FAQ In my previous article I talked about what overdrive pedals do and how guitarists use them in their rigs. The classic DS-1 tone is behind the signature sounds of numerous rock legends, and is ready to fuel your own signature sound today. 5 Awesome and Cheap Distortion Pedals Under $100 Retail Here, we have Super Badass Distortion, and its quite nice. JOYO Metal Distortion Pedal with 3 Band EQ and Low-Mid-High Gain Boost Boss DS-1 Distortion Bundle with Power Supply, Instrument Cable, Patch Top 20 Budget Chorus Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200, JHS Pedals 3 Series Distortion (3SDISTORTION), Top 20 Budget Octave Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200, Top 20 Budget Looper Pedals Under $50, $100, $150, $200, Wampler Ratsbane Distortion Pedal (Rats Bane). SOUND: This classic distortion pedal will inspire you to write great riffs POCKET Q TECH: EQ settings were calibrated to create precise frequency ILLUMINATION: All the controls are illuminated. If you found this article useful, you may want to save this pin below to your Guitar board. In normal mode, simulating the "normal" input of the famed Plexi amp, the distortion is sophisticated and full with a nice bottom end push. 1. 3 available to order online today 14, 2022. It's hard to make a list of great budget pedals without mentioning Donner since the company specializes in affordable guitar equipment. 4. [Durable and Solid Construction] A well made durable and whole. Product Description. Rather than having an array of teeny knobs for tweaking, the Acapulco features a single giant knob that only controls one thing: Gain. The Mooer Black Secret distortion guitar effects pedal captures the classic "Rat" tone made famous in the '70s and '80s.