The Starter Pack
3 must-have types of pedals under $100 for the beginner guitarist
Sep
1. Dirt/Drive
Dirt/Drive pedals can be split into 3 main categories: Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz. These are the pedals that add grit and texture to your tone, granting you the musical authority to rock out and command the song with soaring lead solos or beefy chord strums. So what’s the difference between overdrive, distortion and fuzz? Here’s a more technical answer:
“Basically, overdrive, distortion and fuzz are all just references to how hard the signal is clipping. Overdrive will be soft clipping, Distortion will be harder clipping, and Fuzz will be square wave (very hard clipping).”
Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals
If that was a little too incomprehensible, here’s a more informal answer, courtesy of this Youtube comment:
“Distortion sounds like Chunka Chunka – Fuzz sounds like BSZZT BSZZT –Overdrive sounds like the clean note… but with hair around it.”
Bennett Music Labs
That just about sums it up, but just in case you want to learn more, you can check out these informative videos on the subject:
So now let’s explore these dirt pedals and reveal our inexpensive picks!
Overdrive: Ibanez TS7 – $80
First off, we have the tamest, “cleanest” form of drive: Overdrive. Simply put, the term refers to the sound made by a guitar amplifier that’s been cranked up to such high volumes that your signal begins to distort, as the amplifier has been pushed past its “clean” threshold. This applies mainly to tube amplifiers due to the nature of the tube amp design – producing cleaner sounds at low volumes and distorting as the amp increases in volume. As such, overdrives tend to sound less abrasive than distortion or fuzz pedals, retaining more of the characteristics of your original guitar tone and highlighting the intricacies of your playing. It’s no surprise that blues and country players tend to favour this form of drive pedals.
Our overdrive pick is the Ibanez TS7, part of the reputable and cost-friendly Tone-Lok Series. In case you didn’t know, the Ibanez TS808 and TS9 Tube Screamer pedals are perhaps THE most iconic overdrive pedals, seen on the pedalboards of guitar giants such as John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, and of course, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the man who popularised the little green giant. The only problem? You have to fork up at least $200 and above to purchase them. And that’s where the TS7 steps in. This cheaper version retains the same circuit as its legendary green cousins, just using lighter duty components that make for such a marginal sonic difference that most players tend to prefer the TS7 for its undisputed affordability. Need some convincing? Just check out the following video and hear it for yourself!
What’s more, the TS7 has an additional HOT mode that adds more gain to an already stellar drive signal, turning up the dirt all the way to 11. It goes for $79.99 at Swee Lee and even cheaper on the online second-hand market. An amazing deal for an amazing overdrive indeed.
Distortion: Boss DS-1 – $70
Next we have distortion, the big bad brother to overdrive. Unlike overdrives which sound relatively more transparent, distortions are where things get heavier and gnarlier. Distortions sound more saturated and compressed, power chords sustaining longer than usual. This is why distortions are perfect for more aggressive styles of rock such as grunge, punk and heavy metal.
If aggression is your sound, look no further than the classic Boss DS-1. Used by almost everyone from Kurt Cobain to Steve Vai, this ubiquitous stompbox is one of the best-selling guitar pedals ever due to the versatility of its tone control, being able to dial in bright, searing lead tones that pierce through the band as well as darker chunky rhythm tones that still preserve some clarity. This pedal is no slouch when it comes to delivering the brashness required of a distortion, and at $70 first-hand at places like Swee Lee, you are bound to find cheaper deals on Carousel and the used market.
Fuzz: Donner Stylish Fuzz – $50
The final member of the drive family is the fuzz. If distortion is the older, naughtier brother of overdrive, fuzz is the big granddaddy of them all, historically being the first type of drive pedal to exist. Fuzzes are a special type of distortion where everything is pushed to sonic extremities. It alters your sound the most noticeably, and is the harshest-sounding harmonically speaking, being likened to a faulty amplifier. But don’t be intimidated, when used correctly fuzzes can provide a harmonic richness to your tone that other dirt pedals can never hope to achieve, offering wild ice-picky textures and crumbly distorted goodness. Just listen to any Jimi Hendrix solo or “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)” by the Rolling Stones and get inspired!
Look no further than the Donner Stylish Fuzz when it comes to fuzzes that are a huge bang for your buck. This tiny pedal houses a gargantuan monster of a fuzz that could shake the earth with its huge power. Seriously, at high levels of gain (also known as sustain for some fuzzes), this pedal sounds massive, featuring a miniscule tone knob that dramatically changes the tonal qualities of the fuzz. The tone control is so flexible that this pedal has the potential to sound like 3 different fuzzes with the right settings. While it’s not available locally, you can purchase the pedal directly at Donner’s website. For $50 and free international shipping to boot, there’s no reason to sleep on this mammoth of a fuzz pedal.
