Jim Dunlop Effect Pedal Throwdown, Round 1: Way Huge Pork Loin Overdrive Vs. Way Huge Fat Sandwich Distortion

It's time to compare the mettle of Jim Dunlop pedals!

In GuitarWorld.com's latest readers poll — the first annual Jim Dunlop Effect Pedal Throwdown — we're pitting Dunlop, MXR and Way Huge pedals against each other in a no-holds-barred shootout.

Yes, we're pulling out all the stomps! Thirty-two stompboxes will go head to head — or toe to toe, if you prefer — culminating with the crowning of the king of Dunlop pedals.

You can check out the beginning bracket — with all 32 competing pedals — in the Scribd.com window below (Be sure to click on the "full screen" button in the lower-right-hand corner to expand the bracket).

The bracket will be updated after every matchup, and matchups will take place pretty much every day. Each competing pedal will accompanied by a demo video created by the Jim Dunlop company, and you'll always find a photo gallery of the competing pedals at the bottom of each matchup.

Today's Matchup

In today's matchup, the Way Huge WHE201 Pork Loin Overdrive goes foot to foot against the Way Huge WHE 301 Fat Sandwich Distortion pedal. Start voting below!

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: Yesterday, the MXR Uni-Vibe Chorus/Vibrato (80.08 percent) destroyed the MXR Micro Chorus (19.92 percent) and advanced to the next round! To see all the matchups that have taken place so far, head HERE. Thanks for voting!

Meet the Combatants

Way Huge WHE201 Pork Loin Overdrive

Make room for one more Way Huge original! The Pork Loin incorporates two distinct tonal pathways that are blended together—a modern soft clipping overdrive and a modified classic British preamp for clean. At the heart of the Pork Loin’s overdrive path is a soft clipped BiFET overdrive gain stage with a passive Tone control, rounded out by a Curve function that gives the user freedom to fine-tune corner frequencies.

The Volume control regulates the masses of pork power that exude from its space age circuitry, leaving room for the Clean control to blend in its warm glistening clean tones. Additionally, the Pork Loin has three internal mini controls: Filter and Voice deliver extensive tonal shaping possibilities, while the overdrive Mix control allows the Pork Loin to be run as a clean preamp. With a wide range of dynamic tones, the Pork Loin is the premier overdrive pedal on the market today!

Way Huge WHE 301 Fat Sandwich Distortion

The Fat Sandwich represents a new era in pedal design for Way Huge. In addition to carrying on the Way Huge tradition of amazing tone, rugged construction and cool names, the Fat Sandwich delivers heaps of crunchy distortion goodness via its innovative multi-stage clipping circuit. Meticulously designed from the ground up, the passive tone stack was tuned to bring out the “sweet spot” with any guitar and amp combination.

The Volume control produces tons of output, making it ideal for driving the headroom out of the most powerful tube amps. Additionally, the Fat Sandwich has two internal mini controls: the Curve knob lets the user fine-tune the corner frequency of the overdrive filtering and the Sustain control adjusts the gain of the final distortion stage. The Fat Sandwich is versatile and over the top—the consummate distortion pedal for any genre or playing style.

Voting Closed!

The Way Huge WHE 301 Fat Sandwich Distortion (58.26 percent) handily defeated the Way Huge WHE201 Pork Loin Overdrive (41.74 percent) and advanced to the next round! To see the current matchup and all the matchups that have taken place so far, head HERE. Thanks for voting!

Jim Dunlop

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Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.