Most unique Distortion pedal

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Embenny
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by Embenny » Wed Mar 08, 2017 7:17 pm

mothershipzeta wrote:For stoner/doom type of tones check out the MF drive from Moog, it can quickly get you into QOTSA/Kyuss territory. Also it's pretty unique, as it incorporates their ladder filter design, which is you know, awesome...
Don't know how I never heard of this pedal. Thanks for name-dropping it!
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bubba899
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by bubba899 » Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:31 am

Similar to the MF Drive, The Stone Deaf PDF-2 would be a great option. It's less gainy than the Moog, but the EQ controls are insane and it stacks amazingly with other pedals, can completely re-sculpture your sound.

Plus look at it. How cool is that!

Image

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OV7
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by OV7 » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:26 am

Jaguar018 wrote:
FightingPlankton wrote:
FightingPlankton wrote:The fulltone gt-500's distortion side is quite unique in that it has a wah inductor to boost the mids. Idk if its what you're looking for but they can be had for around $60-80 usually.
Its weird these are listed $65 on reverb.com but $120+ on eBay....apparently reverb users hate them. I think they're super versatile goes for 70s crunch to 90s grunge/alt with ease.
I think Fulltone is one of those pedal brands where people hear that the guy behind the brand is kind of a jerk and then they don't like the pedals as much-- whether or not those rumors and stories are true. My bassist has a Fulltone GT-500, but she never uses it.
I bought a pedal direct from Fulltone and it was dead on arrival. The owner refused to admit it was faulty and angrily told me to send it back and if it got back here and was working he would be very angry. So I said to hell with this jerk and took it to a friend who fixed it in about 5 minutes and it worked perfect. All that hate and vitriol over a faulty footswitch. Terrible company to deal with and the fact is that their pedals aren't really anything special. If you must have a Fulltone, don't buy direct, so if there are warranty issues, you can deal with the seller, not Fulltone's King Jerk.

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Johno
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by Johno » Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:17 pm

MechaBulletBill wrote:The lines are pretty blurry though. My Distortion+ can be a boost, overdrive, distortion and kind of fuzzy.

When people ask for a really distinctive OD/distortion ped, my mind always goes to the SS/BS Fuck (and I guess, the Mini too) although I've never tried one myself (yet!).
That's exactly why the Distortion+ is my favourite dirt pedal.... Its does it all

I have one from around 1980 and DOD250 which does the same thing with a slightly different sound/voice whatever.

They work great stacked, one set to light break up/boost and the other a bit higher for distortion /fuzz both really touch responsive to.

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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:15 pm

Good to see some Harmonic Percolator love.

Out of all the pedals I've sold I probably miss this one the most, so much so that I'll probably build a clone. It just sounds amazing. really articulate & even at stupidly high volumes it tends to maintain it's clarity. It's also pretty much hum free, which is a plus.
Mine was one of the Millwaukee replicas & his description of how it "passes even order harmonics while suppressing odd order harmonics..." is pretty spot on once you get into it. I don't know what makes it work so well, maybe it's the mixture of silicon & germanium transistors, but it's a killer pedal.
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BoringPostcards
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by BoringPostcards » Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:40 pm

PorkyPrimeCut wrote:Good to see some Harmonic Percolator love.

Out of all the pedals I've sold I probably miss this one the most, so much so that I'll probably build a clone. It just sounds amazing. really articulate & even at stupidly high volumes it tends to maintain it's clarity. It's also pretty much hum free, which is a plus.
Mine was one of the Millwaukee replicas & his description of how it "passes even order harmonics while suppressing odd order harmonics..." is pretty spot on once you get into it. I don't know what makes it work so well, maybe it's the mixture of silicon & germanium transistors, but it's a killer pedal.
One of the guys from Shortscale.org makes several versions of the Harmonic Percolator. Prices are good and he's in the UK, specifically North London, so you should check him out.
Fredric Effects UK

He also makes several pedals based on the Shin-Ei. He's got some really good ideas.
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:04 am

BoringPostcards wrote:
PorkyPrimeCut wrote:Good to see some Harmonic Percolator love.

Out of all the pedals I've sold I probably miss this one the most, so much so that I'll probably build a clone. It just sounds amazing. really articulate & even at stupidly high volumes it tends to maintain it's clarity. It's also pretty much hum free, which is a plus.
Mine was one of the Millwaukee replicas & his description of how it "passes even order harmonics while suppressing odd order harmonics..." is pretty spot on once you get into it. I don't know what makes it work so well, maybe it's the mixture of silicon & germanium transistors, but it's a killer pedal.
One of the guys from Shortscale.org makes several versions of the Harmonic Percolator. Prices are good and he's in the UK, specifically North London, so you should check him out.
Fredric Effects UK

He also makes several pedals based on the Shin-Ei. He's got some really good ideas.
Yeah, that's Tim. He used to post here (Timhulio) as well. I met him a couple of times when I was in a band with john. Nice guy.

If I ever buckle & trying out another Superfuzz clone (I built my own a couple of times, each sounding slightly different to the other) I'll buy his Unpleasant Companion. It looks to be the best value (and looking) clone out there. It seems to be on a par with the Wattson (which is more expensive).
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by bubba899 » Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:17 pm

BoringPostcards wrote:
PorkyPrimeCut wrote:Good to see some Harmonic Percolator love.

Out of all the pedals I've sold I probably miss this one the most, so much so that I'll probably build a clone. It just sounds amazing. really articulate & even at stupidly high volumes it tends to maintain it's clarity. It's also pretty much hum free, which is a plus.
Mine was one of the Millwaukee replicas & his description of how it "passes even order harmonics while suppressing odd order harmonics..." is pretty spot on once you get into it. I don't know what makes it work so well, maybe it's the mixture of silicon & germanium transistors, but it's a killer pedal.
One of the guys from Shortscale.org makes several versions of the Harmonic Percolator. Prices are good and he's in the UK, specifically North London, so you should check him out.
Fredric Effects UK

He also makes several pedals based on the Shin-Ei. He's got some really good ideas.
I have his Utility Percolator and It's incredible. All the intensity and articulation but without the weird (if not enjoyable) noises. All of Tim's pedals are top notch!

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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by Groovy Tunes » Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:40 am

The Zvex Mastotron is as unique and amazing sounding as the fuzz factory, but is a distortion version - not a fuzz.

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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by Chip Korea » Mon Mar 13, 2017 1:58 pm

What about the Boss Metal Zone MZ-2? Anyone have an opinion? I have one... quite like it but not really spent much time with it yet, and distortion isn't really my thing.

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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by BoringPostcards » Tue Mar 14, 2017 12:43 pm

Groovy Tunes wrote:The Zvex Mastotron is as unique and amazing sounding as the fuzz factory, but is a distortion version - not a fuzz.
Fuzz Factory is amazing, however I always find perfect settings and write them down only to find when I go back to it, it's not the same sound.
It's the most unpredictable fuzz in existence.

Another vote for the MF drive.

Regarding fulltone, I've owned the OCD and loved it. It got stolen though and I haven't replaced it. It's not exactly a unique distortion though, as it's essentially a D+ right?

I once found a Maxon SD9 Sonic Distortion in a box near a dumpster along with a smashed strat. It was amazing, but eventually died on me. They're expensive, but they're very good. Ibanez version is cheaper. Same circuit (I think)
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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by Paco » Fri Mar 17, 2017 12:02 am

The T-Rex Mudhoney would be my choice. It's a rat but it's got a whole different approach to it, it's pretty easy to use too. And the boost little button is glorious ::)

My second choice would be my bunnydrive (ben adrian's version of the red llama?). It's got a great fuzzy/amp distortion which I haven't been able to find in any other pedal, not even red llama's.

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Re: Most unique Distortion pedal

Post by Kadenray » Thu Mar 23, 2017 7:10 am

Good recommendations coming in here. Im digging the T-rex Mudhoney. never heard of it before. lets keep the fuzzes and OD's out of this though.

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