Distortion reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 181 Reddit reviews across 12 subreddits and 32 posts to rank the best Distortion brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/guitarpedals, r/synthesizers, r/Bass, r/FL_Studio, r/musicproduction. Top-rated brands include ProCo Rat (4.9/5), Boss (4.2/5), ProCo (4.8/5).
Stats
Reviews181
Subreddits12
Posts32
Brands90
Products19
181 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
ProCo Rat
4.9
(33)
"The RAT is awesome for bass!"
"Rat with blend knob :Q_______ maybe i will, someday, come around to build one. it sounds so good on paper."
"I play guitar, have a lot of distortion or overdrive pedals, and I like the Rat the best for TB-303 and making hardstyle kicks."
"Only have a couple pedals but the Rat is a classic for synths... I personally love to feed drums through the russian big muff Pi."
"Try a ProCo RAT pedal!"
"I love the RAT pedal and I'm a jazz player."
"My vote goes to the rat. Does everything from a light crunch to fuzzy distortion."
"The answer is always Rat or rat circuit pedal."
"Rat"
"Proco Rat can do everything"
#2
Boss
4.2
(19)
"It's built like a tank and the EQ section on it will allow you to dial in a solid black metal sound."
"Get the Waza craft definitely."
"It has the best EQ controls out there."
"I tend to think that the DS-1 is the best distortion pedal."
"Ds-1 is a staple in the distortion world and for the price you can’t beat it."
"Sweet! Boss pedals seem popular."
"Ole reliable."
"Boss DS-1."
"DS-1 is a great beginner choice."
"Metal Zone for EQ."
#3
ProCo
4.8
(5)
"RAT. Great pedal, very inexpensive."
"Can’t go too wrong with any offering from stock to clones."
"RAT."
"I use a whiteface reissue personally."
"Rat is for sure a bang for buck one that a lot of people like, versatile too."
#4
Boss DS-1
4.2
(5)
"Ds1."
"Cobain used the ds-1, but the Rat is more versatile"
"DS-1 to Rat?"
"I tried DS-1s over the years. And unlike many, I’m not a hater. There are plenty of good sounds in there. Still favor the Rat"
"DS-1 just nails the “bit of dirt but not too much” - at least to my ear!"
#5
MXR Distortion+
4.2
(5)
"I’m gonna throw some love behind the MXR Distortion+... it’s my favorite."
"I've tried four pedals, and my favorite by far is the MXR Distortion+."
"The MXR Distortion+ (and Distortion III which is the same circuit but with a tone knob) are awesome pedals but I feel they would be the wrong choice for what you’re looking for?"
"I am a long time user of the Distortion +, that and a Fuzz Face style fuzz plus a clean boost."
"I have a Distortion+ that is my go to right now. It’s a great bread and butter dirt pedal."
#6
Electro-Harmonix
4.2
(5)
"I'd probably spend a bit more on something like an EHX these days, they have quite the range."
"My personal fave has always been a Big Muff."
"I would go with a metal muff. Definitely a unique and interesting heavy distortion pedal."
"I like my metal muff."
"Big muff."
#7
Joyo
4.5
(4)
"Joyo Uzi sounds exactly like what you want."
"Today, everything I play comes from one of those two: either the Uzi or the Meal Zone."
"Joyo Splinter would be my suggestion."
"Joyo Splinter, a Proco (Fat) Rat copy. $40ish on Amazon, solid build, lots of usable sounds, perfect for a beginner."
#8
ProCo Turbo Rat
4.3
(4)
"Turbo Rat."
"People who don’t like the RAT like the turbo RAT cir"
"Rat for versatility, get the Turbo rat sounds better to my ear personally."
"I use the Turbo Rat for high gain stuff. Put it with a crunchy amp...it sounds great."
#9
MXR
4.3
(4)
"I prefer the MXR fulbore metal for overkill distortion."
"My favorite distortion pedal for the last year has been the MXR 116 Fullbore Metal."
"Check out the MXR Super Badass Distortion! I was skeptical because of the name but it rocks!"
#10
Walrus Audio Iron Horse
4.7
(3)
"I came here to make this suggestion too. The Iron horse is an amazing pedal."
"Look for a used Walrus Audio Iron Horse. It's a really great RAT type that is pretty versatile."
"With the various clipping options, you can really hone in on whatever level of clarity you want, and the bottom end is spectacular."
#11
Pro Co
4.0
(3)
"Just got a rat 2, sounds GREAT!"
"The answer is probably the Rat even though I don’t know what the 303 is."
"RAT has the filter which is great."
#12
Source Audio Ultrawave
5.0
(2)
"I recommend the Source Audio Ultrawave. It's expensive but it's the most versatile stereo (digital) distortion pedal I've ever used."
"Source Audio Ultrawave and Artifakt are both stereo and I've used both with guitar/bass and synths and had a LOT of fun doing so."
#13
EarthQuaker Devices
5.0
(2)
"Both mix great with heavy tones."
"It's been such a big part of my sound when my band plays heavier stuff."
#14
Keeley
5.0
(2)
"It's awesome and I use both sides of it at least a few times every show."
"Definitely worth a look."
#15
Boss SD-1
4.5
(2)
"Boss SD-1 boosting a RAT , then a Gate. All the tones you could want for ANY genre."
"I run my SD-1 turned way up, into my DS-1, which I keep on lower gain."
#16
iZotope Trash
4.5
(2)
"Every type of distortion you need is already there in the free version."
"Izotope Trash is cheap and versatile."
#17
Mooer
4.5
(2)
"Mooer Black Secret gets him a Rat and a Turbo Rat in one tiny enclose for a great price."
"If you want to do even more budget than the RAT other people suggest, Mooer has decent clones of the RAT."
#18
JHS
4.0
(2)
"JHS Angry Charlie gets you a Marshall JCM like tone."
"Have been working well with my American strat."
#19
MXR Super Badass
4.0
(2)
"MXR Super Badass, the venerable DS-1, RAT, TC Dark Matter, stacking a couple of ODs, a TS before or after your fuzz to focus the mids...I mean, LOTS of options"
"The MXR super badass distortion is one of the more versatile distortions I’ve played."
#20
ProCo Rat 2
4.0
(2)
"My Rat 2 has been a constant on my board for over 20 years. Get one."
"The rat2 is cool, I liked it for lead and solo but it is SO noisy!!"
#21
Wampler
4.0
(2)
"You might like the ratsbane by Wampler."
"Rat clone but with a couple added options for versatility."
#22
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff
4.0
(2)
"People generally like Russian (or Bass) Big Muffs, Rats, Boss-ODB3 and then just distortion from specific amps, like Sunn Beta Bass, Peavey Centurion etc."
"Eh big muff"
#23
Darkglass B7K
3.5
(2)
"Darkglass B7K"
"Darkglass are kinda dull sounding i think. Got a B7K also, but their fuzz is bad ass."
#24
iZotope Trash 2
5.0
(1)
"I like Trash 2 and Subvert think I got them both on special offer a while ago but they are great for distortion."
#25
Camel Audio CamelCrusher
5.0
(1)
"Camelcrusher does a better job of replicating analogue distortion by adding in tones and stuff like that."
#26
Burier
5.0
(1)
"Try burier, you’ll thank me later."
#27
Airwindows
5.0
(1)
"Airwindows does good plugins and it is free."
#28
D16 Group Devastator 2
5.0
(1)
"I love Devestator 2 from D16."
#29
Minimal Audio Rift
5.0
(1)
"Rift by Minimal Audio ($65)."
#30
iZotope Trash 3
5.0
(1)
"Trash 3 by iZotope ($30)."
#31
Audio Damage Grind
5.0
(1)
"Grind by Audio Damage (free)."
#32
Eventide CrushStation
5.0
(1)
"CrushStation by Eventide ($25)."
#33
Audiority Pyros
5.0
(1)
"I like Audiority Pyros. It sounds good, and it's not too complicated to use."
#34
Image-Line Distructor
5.0
(1)
"Distructor is a great, if you put a fruity compressor next to it you might be able to achieve same effect."
#35
Joyo R Series
5.0
(1)
"Look into the Joyo R series stuff. They have a ton of pedals that would fit what you need."
#36
Vox Cutting Edge
5.0
(1)
"The end all be all metal pedal for me was the Vox cutting edge."
#37
One Control Strawberry Red OD
5.0
(1)
"I have a One Control Strawberry Red OD that’s extremely smooth."
#38
Strymon Sunset
5.0
(1)
"One of the best overdrive/distortion pedals I’ve ever owned."
#39
Abasi Pathos
5.0
(1)
"The gain knob is the most versatile I've seen tbh. Goes from almost no gain to a smashing one, while keeping clarity in every single string."
#40
BAT Quantum Mystic
5.0
(1)
"My absolute favorite distortion for a couple years now has been the BAT Quantum Mystic. It rips so hard, and is absolutely that thick, highly saturated tone."
#41
Dr. Scientist The Elements
5.0
(1)
"Dr. Scientist The Elements would be exactly what you're looking for. Goes from light boost to mid-hump OD, to lots of distortion."
#42
Boss ME-50B
4.0
(1)
"I got a boss me 50-b and the Distortion setting on it is great. It just plain old school Distortion, it's better for metal than the actual metal setting."
#43
Chaos Bad Bass Distortion
4.0
(1)
"Chaos Bad Bass Distortion. Dirt cheap. It's a rat with mode switch and blend. Great sound, better than darkglass that I owned."
#44
Earthquaker Devices Blumes
4.0
(1)
"On the more affordable end, the Blumes pedal from Earthquaker seemed to be pretty well-received."
#45
Guptech BFF
4.0
(1)
"Currently I'm looking at the Guptech BFF. It is very versatile for bass. It gets pretty hairy as it is a fuzz, but there are two fuzz voices that you can blend."
#46
Joyo Double Thruster
4.0
(1)
"I have the joyo double thruster, does the job."
#47
Boser Overdrive
4.0
(1)
"I use a Boser overdrive for bass and a RAT. Sounds killer!"
#48
Source Audio Aftershock
4.0
(1)
"Source Audio Aftershock if you want high tech."
#49
Peavey 5150/6505
4.0
(1)
"The iconic amps for this sort of metal are the peavey 5150/6505 and the ampeg vh140, so something based on one of those would probably be sick."
#50
Red Witch Fuzz God II
4.0
(1)
"I typically use fuzz on mono bass-y lines (Redwitch Fuzz God II, since it has an oscillator built in)."
#51
MXR Timmy
4.0
(1)
"My favorite of my drives on synths is my mxr timmy, very natural drive that doesn't eq out anything unless I choose it to."
#52
Walrus Audio Ages
4.0
(1)
"I'm looking forward to trying a Walrus Audio Ages. 5 different types of overdrive plus it has a clean blend."
#53
Harley Benton Rat clones
4.0
(1)
"I use a pair of cheap Harley Benton Rat clones at low to mid-gain settings, they can go from warm and fuzzy to aggressive clang."
#54
Elektron Analog Drive
4.0
(1)
"I like the elektron one, tho it has a 12v power supply which is weird. It’s called analog drive."
#55
OTO Boum
4.0
(1)
"OTO Boum"
#56
Line 6 HX One
4.0
(1)
"Line 5 HX One multiFX pedal has a ton of emulations of various distortion and fuzz pedals."
#57
Boss ODB-3
4.0
(1)
"Boss ODB3, bass overdrive with wet/dry, volume, hi/lo eq, and gain."
#58
Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz
4.0
(1)
"So far I like the sf300 "super fuzz" most, it has some adjustability so you can dial the sound in."
#59
Behringer FZ-300
4.0
(1)
"Fuzz pedals are good in general, a Bass Big Muff (well, a normal one works well too) is great for truly humongous basslines, and a Behringer FZ-300 is just"
#60
Tubes Creamer
4.0
(1)
"Very true, but a Rat doesn’t shave off the bass frequency like a Tubes Creamer."
#61
Tonebone Plexitube
4.0
(1)
"Tonebone Plexitube or Hot Brit."
#62
DOD 250
4.0
(1)
"Dod 250"
#63
Boss DS-2
4.0
(1)
"But for me it is ds-2 all day"
#64
Tech 21 SansAmp GT-2
4.0
(1)
"Don't sleep on the SansAmp GT-2 or similar pedals if you're looking for that grunge/Alt sound."
#65
Tech 21 SansAmp
4.0
(1)
"His best tones in my opinion was using a SansAmp as a dirt box."
#66
Movall Jumpspace
4.0
(1)
"Movall Jumpspace or Mosky King RAT will crush most of these in versatility."
#67
Boss BD-2
4.0
(1)
"I like Boss distortions for 90s stuff, but I prefer the BD-2 over the DS-1/2."
#68
Xfer OTT
4.0
(1)
"OTT by Xfer is free. It's more compression but if you push it you can get some heavy distortion."
#69
Image-Line Fruity Wavefolder and Destructor
4.0
(1)
"Fruity wavefolder and Destructor are both solid and stock with FL Studio."
#70
Audio Assault
4.0
(1)
"Audio Assault have really cheap guitar amp or pedal plugins."
#71
Distocore Disto::FX
4.0
(1)
"Also Disto::FX free by distocore."
#72
Kilohearts Toolbox
4.0
(1)
"Kilohearts toolbox."
#73
Denise Audio God Mode
4.0
(1)
"God Mode by Denise Audio ($20)."
#74
Image-Line Fruity Waveshaper and Fast Dist
4.0
(1)
"Fruity Waveshaper and Fast Dist are all you need for most distortion use cases."
#75
Empress Menace
4.0
(1)
"Empress quality is absolutely top tier and the Menace has a footswitchable gate."
#76
Rainger FX El Distorto
4.0
(1)
"Rainger FX - El Distorto or Stone Deaf - Warp Drive"
#77
Wampler Triple Wreck
4.0
(1)
"I've found the Wampler triple wreck is decently punchy, heavy, not too fizzy and can hold its ground in the chords...the eq is pretty powerful too."
#78
MXR M75 Super Badass
4.0
(1)
"Looks really solid and versatile on demos with a three band eq and it's affordable."
#79
Marshall DSL40
4.0
(1)
"Marshall DSL40. Because I have a couple good over the top fuzz tones, I’m looking for something versatile that can do dirty traditional tones."
#80
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
4.0
(1)
"You should try an EHX Green Russian Big Muff boosted with an EHX Soul Food or other transparent OD."
#81
ENO Rat clone
4.0
(1)
"Do yourself a favor and get an ENO Rat clone and a Donner Morpher. Under 100 bucks, maximum tone."
#82
MXR Doubleshot
4.0
(1)
"MXR Doubleshot: 2 channels, modern dist+fuzz each with 3 band EQ."
#83
ENO Myomorpha
4.0
(1)
"ENO Myomorpha is a good RAT clone for very little money."
#84
SL Drive
4.0
(1)
"You can easily get the SL Drive for around $80 used and I highly recommend it."
#85
Boss HM-2
4.0
(1)
"You can get a boss hm-2 for under $100 used."
#86
Little Bear R. Attack
4.0
(1)
"Get a Little Bear R. Attack (Rat clone) for $20 and something else too."
#87
Behringer Fuzz
3.0
(1)
"I’ve got a fuzz already (It’s from Behringer tho, so I’ve been thinking of replacing it for a Big Muff in the near future)"
#88
Boss Metal Zone
3.0
(1)
"Metal Zone"
#89
Behringer Metal
2.0
(1)
"For instance, there’s a TC Electronic’Metal’ distortion pedal that has this and sounds awful with drums, yet the Behringer Metal pedal has a much richer sound."
#90
Ibanez LA Metal
2.0
(1)
"Ibanez LA Metal. Short production (88-89), constantly shat on, and overall dud of a pedal. But man, it’s unique."
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