Distortion

Latest about Distortion

Troy Sanders of Mastadon performs at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill on June 11, 2019 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
How an off-the-cuff studio experiment unlocked one of Mastodon’s biggest bass sounds

By Nick Wells Published

Troy Sanders discovered an unexpected source of low-end fury thanks to a Marshall guitar head and 4x12 cabinet

Bassists
Emmergy FX pedals
Meet Emmergy FX, the British boutique pedal builder concocting effects for Slowdive and Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien

By Guitar World Staff Published

Sponsor Content Created With Emmergy FX

The man behind the soldering iron and Emmergy FX is creating custom-built effect stompboxes that are quickly becoming favorites among left-field artists and the shoegaze scene

Guitar Pedals
Fender Pugilist Distortion Pedal on a wooden floor
Best distortion pedals: the top high-gain stompboxes for guitarists

By Jonathan Horsley Last updated

Crunch, filth, mayhem! Dive into our expert round-up of the best distortion pedals available today

Effects & Pedals
Jam Pedals Rattler MkII
Jam Pedals’ Rattler MkII elevates the distortion favored by Dave Grohl and David Gilmour to new heights

By Phil Weller Published

The LM308 chips of the original ProCo Rat have been replaced, but an all-new circuit looks to maintain an “open, dynamic tube amp feel” with extra features to boot

Guitar Pedals
Darkglass Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine on a pink background
Best distortion pedals for bass: thicken up your low end with these aggressive bass stompboxes

By Richard Blenkinsop Last updated

Browse our choice of the gnarliest distortion pedals for bass from Darkglass, Fender, Source Audio and more

Effects & Pedals
Two Notes pedals including the Le Lead on a pedalboard on a wooden floor
Best distortion pedals for metal: standalone and stacked gain stages, plus 'amps in a box'

By Alex Lynham Last updated

Our pick of metal-friendly distortion stompboxes from Amptweaker, Friedman, Two Notes, Ibanez and more

Music Releases
Fender Trapper Bass Distortion
Fender Trapper Bass Distortion review

By Joel McIver Last updated

Why do they call it the Trapper? Who can say, but it has two distortion circuits to give options to those who need some low-end growl and thunder

Effects & Pedals
Fender Dual Marine Layer Reverb and Duel Pugilist Distortion
Fender launches new Dual Marine Layer Reverb, Duel Pugilist Distortion pedals

By Michael Astley-Brown Published

The new triple-footswitched stompboxes offer advanced gain stacking and infinite sustain options

Effects & Pedals
Boss HM-2W Waza Craft
Boss HM-2W Heavy Metal review

By Stuart Williams Published

Boss’s best-loved metal pedal gets the Waza Craft treatment

Effects & Pedals
Walrus Audio Eras
Walrus Audio seeks to usher in whole new Eras of high gain with versatile new distortion pedal

By Michael Astley-Brown Published

Equipped with a blend knob and five-position rotary switch, the Eras promises a smorgasbord of hard-clipping options

Effects & Pedals
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