Play Any Genre of Music with the Best Guitar Drive Pedal

The original Ibanez Tube Screamer was instrumental (no pun intended) in shaping guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone, a sound that is still emulated to this day. The TS808 reissue remains faithful to the look and feel of the original, giving today’s guitarists a cheaper and easier-to-find way to summon the SRV spirit. Like its predecessor, the design is simple with three knobs which allow players to control the Overdrive, Tone, and Level of the signal. The all-metal casing on the pedal ensures that this pedal is as tough as it sounds. The pedal’s square toggle switch makes it something of a rarity in terms of the design of guitar pedals. In this case, it not only looks great, but it also makes switching the pedal on and off much easier and more functional.

BOSS’s SD-1 Super OverDrive pedal has been in production for over 30 years at this point, so it’s safe to say that they’ve found a formula that doesn’t need much fixing. Guitarists like Zakk Wylde and Eddie Van Halen both were advocates of the pedal, using it in conjunction with the rest of their gear to boost their already-aggressive signal. Three simple knobs for Level, Tone, and Drive pretty much explain just how you can alter the sound that this pedal produces. Like all BOSS stomp boxes, this thing is built like a tank and will be reliable whether you’re taking it on the road every night or are using it primarily in contained spaces like rehearsal halls or studios. Compared to some of its other overdrive contemporaries, the SD-1 is also relatively affordable, which makes it a great option for those working with a limited budget.

The Klon Centaur overdrive pedal served as the muse for Electro-Harmonix when they designed their Soul Food overdrive pedal. The former was a piece of gear that provided a legendarily clear sound while boosting guitar tone levels to rock-star like levels, but it was out of production and regularly sold second-hand for prices too high to mention here. EH has provided the sound of this pedal for the masses with the Soul Food, which is super responsive and offers both clean and mid-range boosts that have earned it a spot in the hearts of players worldwide. And the price on this thing is like the polar opposite of the price tag on the Klon Centaur; in fact, it’s so low that I’m not going to mention it here, either. The design is simple and it takes up very little space on the pedalboard, which makes it an easy addition to even the most cluttered of gear collections.

Keeley’s Fuzz Head pedal draws its unique blend of overdrive and fuzz from its NPN Germanium transistor. Part of what makes this pedal stand out from the rest is its Si/Ge switch, which gives players the ability to control a secondary clipping stage by adding a pair of internal diodes (the Germanium plus a silicon) into the signal for more sustain and a smoother, more saturated sound. Switching between the two settings can result in a fuzzier, more compressed tone, or a wider, open-sounding sound, respectively. The pedal is also true bypass, which protects your tone from being sucked by having the pedal in your rig. And because fuzz tends to be a very responsive effect, rolling back the volume on your guitar can result in some pretty cool sounding clean and slightly overdriven tones, too.

Guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana were among some of the earliest adopters of the Big Muff Pi by Electro-Harmonix. Decades later, the tone that they were able to pull out of this fuzz pedal are still emulated, and as a result this unit is still in production. The controls are pretty straightforward; volume, tone, and sustain knobs allow you to easily make adjustments to the color of your sound. The sound itself is anything but standard, though, as this pedal can go from just adding a gritty buzz to a full-on, singing sustain that has made the Big Muff Pi a standard in music. This pedal doubles as a distortion pedal, so the tonal possibilities in this unit are pretty wide-ranging. It is also true-bypass, meaning that your guitar tone won’t be affected when the pedal is not in use in your chain.

Fulltone’s ’69 mmii offers a vintage-sounding fuzz tone that is primarily powered by its dual germanium transistors. Small enough to not take up a prohibitive amount of space in your rig, the ’69 features a Contour knob that lets you tweak the sustain, harmonics, and midrange of the effect. Dialing down the volume of your guitar can result in some great cleans and slight overdrives in the pedal’s tone; it’s definitely a versatile piece of gear that, in true fuzz fashion, can be altered by the other variables that you add to the mix. The pedal also features an internal trimmer that gives players the ability to adjust tracking, harmonics, and clipping symmetry. Your tone will remain unaffected when this pedal isn’t in use, thanks to its true-bypass nature.

Jimi Hendrix utilized a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face guitar pedal on classic albums like Electric Ladyland, and in the process revolutionized the use of guitar fuzz for every player that would follow after him. Dunlop’s Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini is based around the same design specs as that classic piece of gear, and in doing so have nailed many of the same sonic attributes of the icon in a unit that is both affordable and takes up very little space in your guitar rig. Like the original, this pedal features a hardwired brown circuit board with no solder mask. The Fuzz Face Mini also is built as a true bypass pedal, so your signal won’t be affected when the pedal is in your chain but not being used. Beyond its build and sonic features, this thing also harkens back tot he past thanks to its vintage turquoise hammer tone finish and original Fuzz Face knobs.

The Mastro EP-3 Echoplex was a tape-delay effect utilized by guitar icons such as Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page; the circuit inside that unit is precisely what Xotic based their own circuit around for the EP Booster clean boost pedal. The unit itself is quite small, which is a huge advantage for guitarists who have an already-crowded pedalboard. The design is simple, as it features just one footswitch and one knob. But there’s nothing little about the way this thing will make your guitar sound; while it does increase the volume like all boost pedals aim to do, it also adds a warm, vintage-like tonal quality to your sound. The result is somewhat magical, and needs to be heard to be believed.

Electro-Harmonix’s Mole Boost guitar pedal is designed after the pedal of the same name from the 1970s, which guitarists used to add a rich, bass-heavy character to their tone, along with the 20dB volume boost that the piece of gear offers. Like a real mole, this pedal is tiny and won’t take up much space in your rig. It’s true bypass, meaning that it won’t color your tone when it’s not in use. With a very simple setup (we’re talking one knob here, people), you’ll be able to dial in the tone that sounds best for you within just a few seconds. And its die-cast chassis makes it a durable piece of machinery that can handle most situations it might encounter on the road.

Everyone from Joe Satriani to Kurt Cobain have been staunch advocates for the rock-star-igniting powers of the BOSS DS-1 distortion pedal. Its bright orange design makes it easy to spot, and the fact that it’s a BOSS means that it is built to take a beating and still keep on fighting the good fight, thanks to its rugged metal enclosure. Three simple knobs are all you need to get cooking with the DS-1; the Tone knob allows you to brighten or darken the signal, while the Distortion adjusts just how much overdrive your signal gets. Level, meanwhile, adjusts the output volume of the signal; playing around with all three of these controls will give you an idea of just how this pedal can be used. Whether you want to add a little bit of grit to your rhythm parts, crank your solos out to jaw-dropping, soaring levels, or use the pedal to kick an already ramped up amp signal to the next level, the BOSS DS-1 is the little pedal that’s there to get the job done.

The RAT pedal family has become something of a staple in the world of rock music, as Pro Co has made many units that are perfect for driving guitar tones into the distorted zone. The RAT2 distortion pedal continues that tradition, and adds some cool new additions that make it stand out from the pedals the preceded it. A distortion knob controls the overall gain level, while the filter control allows players to roll off high end frequencies to summon a darker tone and the volume knob controls overall output. The RAT2 offers an On/Off LED light that wasn’t previously included in the old RAT model. This pedal is also a True Bypass, which means that your guitar’s tone won’t be affected when this pedal is not in use in your rig.

Guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana were among some of the earliest adopters of the Big Muff Pi by Electro-Harmonix. Decades later, the tone that they were able to pull out of this fuzz pedal are still emulated, and as a result this unit is still in production. The controls are pretty straightforward; volume, tone, and sustain knobs allow you to easily make adjustments to the color of your sound. The sound itself is anything but standard, though, as this pedal can go from just adding a gritty buzz to a full-on, singing sustain that has made the Big Muff Pi a standard in music. This pedal doubles as a distortion pedal, so the tonal possibilities in this unit are pretty wide-ranging. It is also true-bypass, meaning that your guitar tone won’t be affected when the pedal is not in use in your chain.

The Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer guitar distortion pedal is built to emulate the company’s classic product of the same name. With a simple design that’s housed in a bright green, all-metal chassis, you’ll have no problem catching peoples’ eyes with this piece of gear, and won’t have to worry about doing any damage to it while playing – after all, what good is a stompbox that you can’t stomp on? The tone range that this pedal provides is great, too; turn up the Drive slightly to provide a subtle crunch, or crank it all the way to make your guitar really scream. Though the TS-9 does slightly compress your guitar signal when played at higher levels, it doesn’t seem to be as prevalent when played at lower volumes.

The DigiTech TL-2 HardWire Metal Distortion guitar pedal is designed for players looking to unleash their tone in ways that are perfect for high-octane genres like hard rock and metal. The pedal features a Tight/Loose mode switch; the former offers a tight, percussive low end, while the latter thickens it up a bit for a real grinding effect. Either option works great for heavier styles. Tone controlling knobs allow you to sculpt the full frequency range of the pedal’s effect, giving you a more hands-on approach to getting the type of tone you’re looking for. Because the TL-2 is a true bypass pedal, it won’t affect or alter your signal when the pedal is not in use.