When it comes to electric guitars, the first thing that comes to mind is the powerful, electrifying sound produced when the strings are strummed.
However, achieving that distinctive sound can be accomplished through not just one, but three distinct means. What’s more, each of these approaches yields a unique sonic character.
In this insightful discussion, we will delve into the nuances that set overdrive, distortion, and fuzz apart from one another. Discover how these three iconic guitar effects differ in terms of sound and learn which one is best suited to fulfill your musical aspirations.
Distortion
While all three of them are fundamentally different, they all do the same thing. That thing is distorting the sound of your guitar.
For the sake of consistency, I will refer to distortion as the concept itself. And one of the talking points of this article is the distortion pedal.
Distortion is the alteration of the original signal. It is when you take a clean signal and, well, distorting it to sound different. Another term used for this is adding “dirt” since it’s the opposite of clean.
This can be achieved in many ways. Be it a stomp box, an amplifier at high volume, or even a broken speaker. What matters is that the audio is no longer untampered.
You can technically get that sound from your amp alone. But that’s not the main focus of this article. Plus, you might want to try something other than your amp.
With that out of the way, let’s see how these three pedals each create distortion.
Overdrive Pedals
Overdrive is when you take a clean signal gets push it to its limit.
Before stomp boxes, this was achieved originally from tube amps. Tube amps were designed so that when in a low volume sound clean as though nothing about the sound has changed. Once the volume is increased, or cranked up, it gets more and more distorted.
However, tube amps can go crazy expensive and they can easily disturb your neighbors. Luckily over time, they are now found in stomp box forms and do the job just as well as tube amps.
They range from budget-friendly to high class so anyone can achieve this sound.
Whether you want something subtle or distortion that’s over the top, overdrive pedals are here to serve.
Distortion Pedals
Distortion pedals are different from overdrive pedals because they will inherently distort your guitar signal once turned on.
We established that overdrive pedals distort a guitar sound when the volume is cranked up. Distortion on the other hand starts off as distorted.
As such, they are much more aggressive with their distortion as compared to overdrives.
Fuzz
The last of the distortions is ironically the first one ever created — the fuzz.
Fuzz is special in that they take the upper frequencies of a sound and have it take over the entire sound. This is what makes it have that “fuzzy” type of noise.
They’re much like distortions but they distort the sound differently.
A key difference was mentioned earlier. Fuzz pedals distort even the upper harmonics, something distortion pedals can’t do as well.
What to Buy First?
This is all up to personal preference. However, if I were to pick one of the three, I’d say start with a good overdrive pedal.
Apart from getting the benefit of a tube amp inside a small stomp box, it’s the more malleable choice of the three.
As mentioned distortion pedals remain quite consistent with the distortion they bring out. Regardless of your volume, the distortion will sound the same.
Overdrive depends on the volume and gains themselves to see whether the sound will be clean or distorted. This is it itself is what makes it more versatile.
Because of this, you have the option to have either a distorted guitar sound or a slightly louder, but still clean sound (also known as a clean boost).
You’re given more of a choice of how your guitar will sound, as well as how clean or distorted it will sound. When you pair that with the right settings and parameters and settings and you’re gonna have a great-sounding tone.
Can You Use Both or All?
Now do you only need one of them in your sound? Can’t you use more than one? Or how about all of them?
Don’t worry, nothing is stopping you from only having to choose one. Actually, there is a popular combination used in many pedalboards.
This involves pairing an overdrive pedal with a distortion pedal.
Both pedals are regarded as some of the first pedals to place on your pedalboard.
An example is having your overdrive be either a clean boost or a slightly overdriven sound. When you pair this with the consistently saturated distortion, you’re able to get a pretty decent distortion and, more importantly, the option to switch from clean to distortion.
In terms of order, I recommend placing the overdrive before the distortion. Since distortion is more consistent, placing it after will make affecting the overdriven signal sound less muddy and more refined, well as refined as a heavily saturated sound will be.
What About Fuzz?
We didn’t really talk about fuzz all that much. Does that mean they’re not as sought after as the other two?
Not at all, fuzz pedals are still widely popular with many guitar players. Admittedly they aren’t as recommended due to them being different than the previous two. But they are still used even up to now.
I would recommend this last since they’re more experimental and a bit niche compared to the other two. Overdrives, and even distortions, can be used in different styles and genres of music.
While you can say the same with fuzz, it shines well in grunge or garage rock. So in terms of versatility, I’d recommend the overdrive and distortions first, more so on the former.
They shine pretty well if you are the only guitar player in the band. Lower frequencies are dominated by the bass and kick drum. Since it pushes the upper frequencies as well, your guitar sound still gets to shine through in the higher ends of the mix.
Crank it Up In Many Different Ways
Distortion has become synonymous with electric guitars at this point.
With what this concept has to offer through pedals, it’s now a staple to own at least one of those pedals alongside a guitar.
With an awareness of how different each pedal distorts the guitar, you’re now ready to level up your guitar-playing journey.
