gear giveaway

Distortion Pedals

Expandora Squared Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz

The original Expandora pedal was a round, sonically multifaceted dirt box released in the mid-'90s by Japanese builder Bixonic. It's now being reissued and relaunched by a New Jersey-based company that's also offering a "squared" version of it, hosted in a compact orange enclosure. Although the original wasn't particularly successful,…Click on the title for more

Expandora Squared Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz

Caline Easy Driver Distortion + Graphic EQ

Tone connoisseurs know how powerful the combination of a drive followed (or preceded) by a graphic EQ is, and Chinese builder Caline had the good idea of offering a dual pedal that hosts both circuits in a single case: the Easy Driver Distortion EQ. This is a Mesa-style distortion with…Click on the title for more

Caline Easy Driver Distortion + Graphic EQ

Empress Heavy Menace Distortion

At first glance, the Empress Heavy Menace seems like a pedal that might win the contest for "most tweakable distortion pedal in a compact case." Also, it looks very cool, notwithstanding its demonic references! An evolution in compact case of the company's popular Heavy pedal, the Heavy Menace could be…Click on the title for more

Empress Heavy Menace Distortion

LPD Pedals Eighty7 Distortion/Overdrive

Guitarists inspired by the iconic distorted guitar sound of the '80s (think the modified Plexi tones and feel that Los Angeles recording studios were tracking in the 80's) have a new friend in the LPD Pedals Eighty7. It's a flexible overdrive/distortion pedal with a full three band + presence EQ…Click on the title for more

LPD Pedals Eighty7 Distortion/Overdrive

TC Electronic Magus Pro High Gain Distortion

After the acquisition by Behringer's Music Group, Danish pedal builder TC Electronic has been slowly changing its focus from high-end, highly creative stompboxes to super-affordable, bread and butter releases, for the despair of the company's old fans and the joy of a wider demographic of guitar players. The new Magus…Click on the title for more

TC Electronic Magus Pro High Gain Distortion

Perfecto De Castro BAD94 Distortion

Legendary Filipino guitarist Perf De Castro now has his own signature pedal, the BAD 94, a distortion based on the (now discontinued) Marshall Shredmaster, with more gain, higher output and extended treble range. The BAD 94 shares the same controls as the original (Vol, Gain, Bass, Contour, Treble), but can…Click on the title for more

Perfecto De Castro BAD94 Distortion

Flamma Dist FC06 Distortion

Chinese pedal builder Flamma recently unveiled a new, mini, cute-looking, super-affordable two-mode Distortion pedal simply called Dist. The two modes are simple called "HP" and "LP," one being more open and bright and the other beefier and bassier. Some say this sounds like a clone of the Fuller OCD. You…Click on the title for more

Flamma Dist FC06 Distortion

TC Electronic MojoMojo Paul Gilbert Edition

known for his technical guitar work with Racer X and Mr. Big and voted number 4 on a list in GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time", Paul Gilbert has long been a fan of TC Electronic's affordable MojoMojo overdrive. The Danish builder took the…Click on the title for more

TC Electronic MojoMojo Paul Gilbert Edition

Fuzzlord Effects FET120 Overdrive

The FET120 overdrive is one of the most popular pedals of Fuzzlord Effects, a company laser-focused on creating pedals for Doom and Stoner Metal players. As hinted in the name, this is a pedal that reproduces, using FET technology, the classic tone of vintage 120 Watt amps of the '70s…Click on the title for more

Fuzzlord Effects FET120 Overdrive

VS Audio Aftermath Distortion

The VS Audio Aftermath is a distortion pedal with a separate boost footswitch voiced after the sound of tube amps. It can deliver a wide range of tones, from smooth overdrive to massive distortion crunch, with dynamic touch-sensitive frequency response. The independent clean Boost has up to +12dBs to get…Click on the title for more

VS Audio Aftermath Distortion

Aion FX Quantum Mosfet Distortion

Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Aion FX is a company that's taking the pedal kit format to the next level through cool, PCB-based circuits and a pedal line with a sober yet stylish look. The Quantum Mosfet Distortion is probably the crown jewel of the new line of kits they…Click on the title for more

Aion FX Quantum Mosfet Distortion

Nux Fireman Plexi-Style Distortion

Success, in the world of manufacturing, comes at a cost, and one of these costs is finding out that competing companies are creating products similar to yours. In the pedal realm, where 80% of new devices are "inspired" by existing ones, this is a particularly common practice. But while most…Click on the title for more

Nux Fireman Plexi-Style Distortion