gear giveaway

Distortion Pedals

DOD Gunslinger Distortion

The DOD Gunslinger is a versatile overdrive/distortion pedal, utilizing a MOSFET circuit and capable of providing a very wide range of overdriven tones from light grit to full saturation. Given the MOSFET design, the Gunslinger provides the touch-sensitivity and articulation of playing a tube amp, available in a compact, familiar…Click on the title for more

DOD Gunslinger Distortion

2023 Best Plexi Pedals & Marshall-Style Distortions: a Buyer’s Guide

(Almost) everyone familiar with the electric guitar loves the sound of a cranked Marshall amp. From Eric Clapton and Angus Young to Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, Plexi amp and their later, higher gain reincarnations from the JCM series have been used by many guitar players over the years…Click on the title for more

2023 Best Plexi Pedals & Marshall-Style Distortions: a Buyer’s Guide

Idiotbox Redrum V2 Distortion

Born as a one-knob hybrid Rat/HM-2 circuit (with the distortion of the former running into the tone stack of the latter), the Idiotbox Redrum - with its Kubrick-inspired name and graphics - was recently updated to V2, which provides more control without losing any of the original murderous tone. The Drive…Click on the title for more

Idiotbox Redrum V2 Distortion

Master Effects Martyr Distortion V2

Built by a Calgary-based company specializing in guitar and bass pedals for loud rock genres, the Master Effects Martyr is a pedal voiced after the sound of the Marshall Valvestate 8100 from the '90s, a guitar amp that defined the sound of death metal. This is V2 of this circuit,…Click on the title for more

Master Effects Martyr Distortion V2

EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion

The EarthQuaker Devices Zoar is the Ohio company's take on the modern-sounding, transistor-based medium-high gain distortion. Moderately tweakeable thanks to the (passive) 3-way EQ section, which operates on the frequencies between 0 and 800Hz for Bass, 500Hz and 3kHz for Middle and 1kHz and 10kHz for Treble, the pedal also…Click on the title for more

EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion

New Pedal: NRG Effects Gnawer Distortion

The NRG Effects Gnawer is a RAT-inspired dual-channel overdrive by a small British builder that has built a reputation for solid and tweakable pedal designs. Unlike original RATs and many of its variations, it has a very usable range of tones also at lower gain. Based on a NA5534P op-amp…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: NRG Effects Gnawer Distortion

Fuzzrocious Lil Fella Overdrive/Distortion

Fuzzrocious is not only the pedal company with the best name out there, but also a family-run business with a mission to explore new ways to distort guitar (and bass) tone in new and inspiring ways. Their new release Li'l Fella continues this tradition with a circuit that updates their…Click on the title for more

Fuzzrocious Lil Fella Overdrive/Distortion

Rorschach Devices Misophenia Distortion

Name after the word signifying "an overwhelming sensation or strong emotional response triggered by specific aural stimuli", the Rorschach Devices Misophenia is a high-end distortion pedal designed with both power and flexibility in mind. The special feature of this pedal is the two EQ voicings selectable via the Chug toggle switch in…Click on the title for more

Rorschach Devices Misophenia Distortion

EarthQuaker Devices Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3

It should come as no surprise that EarthQuaker Devices’s aesthetic dabbles into the occult from time to time, and the brand’s collaboration with Sunn O))) cemented that fact. The pedal, dubbed “Life Pedal” in conjunction with the release of Sunn O)))’s Life Metal features a presentation like not much else,…Click on the title for more

EarthQuaker Devices Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3

All Pedal 1987 Distortion + Delay (Steel Panther Collab)

Built for LA's comedic glam-metal band Steel Panther, the Allpedal 1987 is a dual delay + distortion pedal with the two effects placed in series (distortion first, delay after) and triggered by separate footswitches. The fully analog circuit is pretty straightforward, with three knobs each for each effect: Level, Feedback…Click on the title for more

All Pedal 1987 Distortion + Delay (Steel Panther Collab)

Horrothia FX TEETH Discrete Low-Gain Overdrive

From the descriptions of its pedals, UK's Horrothia FX clearly devises its creations as tools for solving very specific sonic problems, coming from a distinct recording engineering angle. The company's discrete low-gain overdrive Teeth, a 9 transistor design, all analog design, using no IC opamps, was imagined as a necessary…Click on the title for more

Horrothia FX TEETH Discrete Low-Gain Overdrive

Tsakalis Nerve MkII

Both thick and dynamic, the Tsakalis Nerve MkII is a dual high-gain, silicon-based distortion pedal for guitarists with a heavy tone, featuring two matched JFET stages that deliver an American-style distortion. A toggle switch selects between High and Low gain settings for Channel 1 for in-song dynamic shifts, while a…Click on the title for more

Tsakalis Nerve MkII