12 Degrees of SaturationAll-PedalAudiostormBardic Audio DevicesBig Muff Style FuzzBispell AudioBixonicBlackhawk AmplifiersBogner AmplificationBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrown Sound DistortionChase Bliss AudioCKK ElectronicsCustom TonesDemon PedalsDistortionDr ScientistDriveDrive WorkstationDrunk BeaverDryBell EffectsDual-DriveEmpress EffectsFeaturedFoxpedalFriedman EffectsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzGreer AmpsHamstead SoundworksJ RockettJackson AudioJHS PedalsJRADKMA AudioMarshall Style DistortionMenatoneMessiah GuitarsMetal DistortionMI EffectsMidValleyFXMulti-DriveNordland ElectronicsOhmless PedalsOpAmp FuzzOrigin EffectsOverdrivePettyjohn ElectronicsRedbeard EffectsREVV AmplificationSilicon FuzzSinvertekSnouse Electric CompanySpaceman EffectsSuhrThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTone InkTsakalis Audio WorksVictory Amps+-
This article has been a long time coming - where I originally started this ahead of the Mini Edition - which went live on January 24th. I was waiting for a couple of new pedals to be released - while the article has been iterated around 20 times now with a number of recent additions.
And the pedal I was waiting to launch still hasn’t quite happened, while the builder has authorised me to tease it in advance of its official release. And if I were to do the same exercise tomorrow - no doubt ...
Barber ElectronicsBest in ClassBJFEBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossCKK ElectronicsCrowther AudioCustom TonesDemon PedalsDumble Style OverdriveFairfield CircuitryFeaturedFoxpedalFulltone EffectsGreer AmpsGreuter AudioHamstead SoundworksHot Cake Style OverdriveJ RockettJHS PedalsJRADKlone and Transparent OverdriveKuro Custom AudioMenatoneMissing Link AudioNeunaberNordland ElectronicsOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdrivePaul CochranePettyjohn ElectronicsRedbeard EffectsSnouse Electric CompanySpaceman EffectsThorpyFXTimmyTrue North PedalsTsakalis Audio WorksTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveWampler+-
So I last did one of these back in 2020 - meaning that these ’Best of Overdrive’ run-downs seem to be a circa biennial affair. We’ve upped the numbers to 32 this year, while they represent barely a quarter of the overdrives I have in my reference collection - so there are obviously a lot of honourable mentions listed below - before the Final Thoughts section.
These types of exercises are incredibly tricky to strike the right balance of generally considered classic overdrive pedals and ...
All-PedalBig Muff Style FuzzBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrown Sound DistortionChase Bliss AudioChorus and VibratoDemon PedalsDriveDrive WorkstationDSM & HumboldtDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveEnvelope Filter and Auto WahEQFrost Giant ElectronicsFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionKMA AudioMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionMulti-DriveOverdrivePastFXPedal ChainPreAmpSilicon FuzzSinvertekTampco PedalsTone Bender Style FuzzTsakalis Audio WorksUtility+-
February has been a somewhat slow moving and frustrating month - where most of the pedals that were acquired are either embargoed or not due to land until March at the earliest. There’s no shortage of intriguing pedals out there while a lot of those also still haven’t made it into UK distribution. Interestingly a lot of pedals featured in January don’t seem to have made it to the UK yet either - obviously symptomatic of the slowdown in global logistics.
Nevertheless there were some ...
BJFEBoostBoost and OverdriveCause & Effect PedalsCornerstone Music GearDemon PedalsDumble Style OverdriveGTown AmpsHoward Alexander DumbleJ RockettJetter GearJRADLovepedalMad Professor EffectsMenatoneMojo Hand FXMXROverdriveProvidence PedalsShin's MusicStudio DaydreamTanabeVertex EffectsWamplerWilson Effects+-
I had been meaning to do this exercise for quite some time - and have had a number of readers chasing me up about it - since my last Dumble Style Pedal overview was way back in February of 2019, and where I listed my then 9 favourite candidates - including three that I owned. This time around I’ve thrown 18 hats into the ring or twice as many as the last roundup.
The delay occurred in part because I was waiting for my friend Brian Mena to officially launch his V2 Dumbstruck pedal - which ...
Animal FactoryBig Muff Style FuzzBitcrushing and Lo-FiBlack Arts ToneworksBlender and MixerBoost and OverdriveBoredbrain MusicCompressorDelayDemon PedalsDigital DelayDistortionEffekt-boutique.deEmpress EffectsExpressionFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGamechanger AudioGlitchGlou GlouGranular DelayGuitar Gear ResourcesGuitar Gear RetailGuitar Synth and SequencerHologram ElectronicsLastgasp Art LaboratoriesLo-Fi DelayModulated FuzzModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-FXOddball FuzzOscillating FuzzPitchPitch-ShiftingRed Panda LabSilicon FuzzTimmyUtilityVemuramWMD Devices+-
Andy Ebsen’s Effekt Boutique has been one of my own essential pedal reference and resource website for many years now. Andy is so smart with his curation and pedal selection - that there are several pedals there that just cannot easily be found elsewhere if at all. I regularly check in on Effekt-Boutique.de several times a week - just to see what smart pedal choices Andy has most recently unearthed!
Over the years I have acquired a fair few pedals from Effekt Boutique - obviously...
AnalogWise PedalsBasic AudioBixonicBoost and OverdriveCaroline Guitar CompanyChase Bliss AudioCrazy Tube CircuitsCusack MusicDecibelicsDemedash EffectsDemon PedalsDistortionDrunk BeaverEmpress EffectsFlower PedalsFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionHudson ElectronicsJHS PedalsMad Professor EffectsMythos PedalsPaul Trombetta DesignPettyjohn ElectronicsSitek Guitar ElectronicsSkreddy PedalsStomp Under FootThroBakTrue North Pedals+-
Readers should know by now that I’m a huge fan of the overlapping genre of Fuzzy-Drive and Fuzzstortion style gain pedals - which tend to cover a variety of Fuzz, Overdrive and Distortion pedals - which all have a certain fuzzy character to them where they blur at least a couple of boundaries.
For me the sort of archetype of that sound is the Bixonic Expandora - while there are a great number of pedals that fall into that same sort of catchment area - and the 28 listed here are just a small...
Abominable ElectronicsBig Muff Style FuzzBlack Arts ToneworksBuffalo FXDemon PedalsFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionKMA AudioLone Wolf AudioOpAmp FuzzSilicon FuzzTone ElectronixToneczarTX PedalsWren and Cuff+-
This post marks the milestone that all these are now in the reference collection - with the Animalizzer and Pharaoh Supreme the most recent to be added. There are still a few more out there that I have my eyes on, while this selection in and of itself is pretty much as good as it can be.
These are all Extended-Range Muff-Style Fuzz Pedals which have a very significant coverage via additional clipping, gain-structure and tone controls. Each of these covers a number of varieties, while ...
Acoustic SimulatorAmbient EffectsAnasoundsBeat MachineBest in ClassBitcrushing and Lo-FiBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrown Sound DistortionChase Bliss AudioChorus and VibratoCompressorCooper FXCrazy Tube CircuitsDelayDelay WorkstationDemon PedalsDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDouble TrackingDr ScientistDriveDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveEarthQuaker DevicesEchoverbEnvelope Filter and Auto WahEQEventideFlangerFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzGated and Velcro FuzzGermanium FuzzGlitchGranular DelayGuitar Synth and SequencerJackson AudioKeyztoneKlone and Transparent OverdriveKMA AudioLo-Fi DelayLooperMarshall Style DistortionMenatoneMetal DistortionMidValleyFXModulated FuzzModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveOCD Style OverdriveOctave FuzzOctaverOddball DelayOddball FuzzOddball ModulationOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzOverdrivePedal ChainPhaserPitchPlate ReverbRack Style ReverbRat Style FuzzRedbeard EffectsReverbReverb WorkstationRotary SpeakerShimmer ReverbShnobel ToneSilicon FuzzSpacey ReverbSpring ReverbStrymonTape DelayTC ElectronicThorpyFXTimmyToneczarTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveUtilityVox Style DistortionVS Audio+-
And so here is the culmination of everything that happened to the pedal-chain in 2020.
There were quite a few more displacements than I had expected - all told 22 slots changed over this year - including 19 Brand New Pedals for 2020, then 3 slightly older pedals, and some incidentals.
The most significant shift, and the one that caused the most disruption was the arrival of Boss GT-1000 CORE in October. This is often the case when you bring in a big new pedal - and you need to re-...
12 Degrees of SaturationAion ElectronicsAnalog.ManBarber ElectronicsBearfoot FXBJFEBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBO EffectsBogner AmplificationBoost and OverdriveBosscmatmodsCrowther AudioCustom TonesDanDrive PedalDecibelicsDemon PedalsDumble Style OverdriveFeaturedFoxpedalF-PedalsFree The ToneFulltone EffectsFunction F(X)Greer AmpsHamstead SoundworksHot Cake Style OverdriveJ RockettJackson AudioJetter GearJHS PedalsJoyo EffectsKeeley EngineeringKlone and Transparent OverdriveKuro Custom AudioLovepedalMad Professor EffectsMenatoneMI EffectsMontreal AssemblyMooerMXRMythos PedalsNobelsNordland ElectronicsOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdrivePaul CochranePedal DiggersPickdropperSarno Music SolutionsSnouse Electric CompanySpaceman EffectsThorpyFXTimmyTrue North PedalsTsakalis Audio WorksTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveVemuramVFE PedalsVick AudioWamplerWay Huge Effects+-
So this is one of most significant works in a while, and carries on the legacy of two of my most popular all-time articles on the 12 Degrees of Saturation - the Original that evolved in the early months of 2017, and the follow-up which materialised in September of 2018.
I obviously deal with a lot of reader inquiries pretty much on a daily basis, and one of the more popular lines of inquiry has been about overdrives. And while Josh Scott attests to the fact that there are only 5 core ...
Ambient EffectsAnasoundsBig Muff Style FuzzBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBuffalo FXChase Bliss AudioChorus and VibratoCooper FXDemon PedalsDigital ReverbDr ScientistDriveDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveElectro-HarmonixEnvelope Filter and Auto WahExpresso FXFlangerFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzGFI SystemGlitchJackson AudioKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMenatoneModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveOCD Style OverdriveOctave FuzzOddball ModulationOpAmp FuzzOverdrivePedal ChainRedbeard EffectsReverbReverb WorkstationSilicon FuzzSpacey ReverbTone Bender Style FuzzToneQuestTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveVox Style DistortionVS Audio+-
July has largely been a very decent month for me and culminated with the arrival of my twin new Expresso FX Dual Custom Fuzzes and my annual white whale as such - the Chase Bliss Audio Automatone Preamp MKII on this occasion.
It looks like 4 pedals failed to get over the line within the appointed time period - the longest-ranging of which is my Evil Pumpkin Modded DS-1 - which has been en-route from Kiev since June 12th and which I surely hoped should have landed by now.
My JDM Pedals ...