Best distortion pedal for.....

[spaaarky21]

I am looking for a distortion type pedal that plays good punk-pop music' date=' like with a good crunch. I use an Ibanez G10 but I am wanting to use the pedal for an ES333 Tom Delonge I might buy. What brand/type would be best for this? As of now im looking at the "BOSS DS-1" "Ibanez DS7 Distortion" and "Ibanez TS7 Tubescreamer" Thanks.[/quote']

 

In my opinion, a lot of pedals nowadays give you control over everything but the final sound comes out a little too "mangled." Boss is notorious for that. My Boss BF-3 Flanger for example gives you control over parameters that other flangers don't, but you hear more of the flanger's "swirl" than the guitar itself. I have owned Boss distortions too and felt similarly - too much buzz/chainsaw effect.

 

I am not that old but still find "punk-pop" a little open-ended. My absolute favorite distortion/overdrive for the past couple years has been the DOD 250. The MXR Distortion+ is virtually identical, along with some others. It only has two knobs (volume, gain, no tone) and IMO gives you a better, more "wide open" sound. A lot of distortions favor small frequency ranges so much that it make me feel like I am listening through a tube or something. Give the 250 or Distortion+ a try. You could probably pick one up on eBay for a good price.

 

If you want something with a lot of gain and equalization options, I would recommend the Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff with Top Boost. It is probably one of the highest rated distortions on Harmony-Central.com. I am not a huge metal fan but I own one of these for the excessive crunch it can produce (surprisingly versatile though) and how much control it gives you over the tone without mangling it. There are also two smaller versions of the Metal Muff with fewer features. A great distortion pedal. Between the 250 and the Metal Muff, I think you can do anything.

 

-Brandon