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Position:Home>Performing Arts> Is distortion or overdrive better for general rock on guitar?Question: Is distortion or overdrive better for general rock on guitar!? I have a silvertone amp that has overdrive and i would like to know what the difference between overdrive and distortion is, which is better for tube amps, which one for regular, which one for pedals, and a general knowledge of those terms before i would want to buy any pedals or amps or whatnot!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Strictly speaking, it's all distortion, but as guitarists we usually say that overdrive is lighter and doesn't have as much gain applied as "distortion", and certainly not as much as "metal" or "fuzz"!. For both tube and solid state amps, the pedal used is determined by the amp's sonic characteristics!. I mean, if I want a thick chunky grinding death metal sound, but my amp is a Fender Champ or something like that (lower-gain, great for blues) then I'm going to need a couple of pedals meant for that metal sound - a Boss MetalZone, or a Metal Muff!. If my amp is a Mesa Boogie, then I can get away with a DS-1, a Tubescreamer, a Bad Monkey, or even just an EQ pedal (which I have done, btw)!. The single best thing you can do is buy a good quality amp!. A good amp is the foundation for good tone, and don't let anybody ever try to tell you otherwise!. Solid state amps can give great tone (think Dimebag Darrell, all Randall solid state amps, or BB King) but in general tube amps sound better than solid state amps!. Of course, they're more expensive!. You should always play before you buy, and try to play many different pedals and amps to get an idea of what you like before you even start thinking about which one you'll buy!. Good luck! SaulWww@QuestionHome@Com Overdriving an amp causes distortion!. This is how a tube amp creates the harmonic distortion, by overdriving the tubes!. So, the terms are somewhat interchangeable!. Solid State amps achieve this through electronics as do pedals!. If you do go the pedal route, buy from a store with a return policy so you can take it back if you don't like how it sounds with your amp!. Personally, I would stay away from pedals and save up for a good sounding tube amp!. Some have higher gain (overdrive/distortion) than others, so play a few and take home what sound you like the best!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Overdrive and Distortion on a guitar are the same thing!. But guitarists usually use Overdrive when talking about just a little bit of distortion, while using Distortion when talking about a heavier, harsher sound!. If you're just starting, I woujld recommend staying away from single effect pedals for now!. They can cost quite a hefty amount in the long run!. For now, save up for a decent amp, and maybe a multi-effects board, like the Boss ME30Www@QuestionHome@Com distortion is more on the modern rock side, and overdrive leans towards vintage distortion for blues and what not!. It is all a matter of preference!. You can't go wrong with both!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |