Fuzz/Distortion/Overdrive Pedals

[Ryan Mohr]

I am extremely confused on the whole fuzz vs distortion vs overdrive. My impression was that the big muff was a fuzz pedal, the boss bass overdrive and the blowtorch were overdrives and the pro co rat and boss distortion were distortion. Am I right or wrong?

[stabbicus]

You're right.

[Unrepresented]

I'm of the opinion that they're all just conceptual points on a gain continuum and that we use the common terms more as descriptions of tone than of an actual function.

When does overdrive become distortion, or distortion become fuzz? Whenever we all agree that they do. "that's not clipped enough! Look there's still some curvature to that wave!"

Or at least that's my ignorant view on the matter, I'll let the engineers give better technical answers. I'll just buy what sounds good.

I disagree with the blowtorch being an overdrive, it definitely ranges more towards heavy distortion or fuzz to my ears.

[KeithBMI]

You're right.

...But I've also seen posts that describe the 'Torch as a overdrive/distortion/fuzz combo.

...Haha.

[timmbass]

You are wrong...you are not extremly confused. In addition I would but the Sansamp and the Fulltone Bassdrive in the overdrive category.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by AqueousView11

I am extremely confused on the whole fuzz vs distortion vs overdrive. My impression was that the big muff was a fuzz pedal, the boss bass overdrive and the blowtorch were overdrives and the pro co rat and boss distortion were distortion. Am I right or wrong?

You're right in the sense that those pedals are marketed that way, but I find them to be mislabeled. Here's how I would categorize the pedals you mentioned:

The Big Muff is definitely a thick, smooth fuzz pedal.

The Boss Overdrive does not sound like an overdrive to me. It sounds very industrial; almost like a heavy distortion with the initial attack and then a trail of fuzz.

The Blowtorch is not an overdrive or a distortion by any means. It is a fuzz.

The Rat is a distortion.

I don't know of a Boss "Bass Distortion" so I assume you are talking about a guitar distortion, such as the DS-1. If so, yes, that's a distortion pedal, though it loses a lot of low end on bass.

As for the actual distinctions between OD/Distortion/Fuzz, check the FAQ at the top of the effects forum.

Hope that helps.

[JanusZarate]

The way I look at it is this:

Pedals like the Big Muff and the Blowtorch are definitely fuzz pedals. Even at low gain settings, they stand apart from other pedals because of how strongly they clip your signal.

Pedals like the Fulltone Bassdrive, EBS Multidrive, etc. are definitely overdrive pedals.

"Distortion" is the hard one to figure out. It overlaps both sides. If you crank a high-gain distortion pedal high enough and set it right, it will sound like chaotic fuzz. If you set it low enough, it'll sound like a milder overdrive pedal.

I've noticed that we tend to label pedals with high gain, grindy tendencies, and a "metal guitar" sound as "distortion" pedals. So a pedal like the Tech 21 XXL Bass Edition would be considered distortion, simply because it has a very biting, grindy, metal-like tone, and it's still pretty heavy at low settings (it doesn't really do "low-gain").

A pedal like the Boss ODB-3 is often considered to be "distortion" because of how harsh it is, especially on high-gain settings; it's pretty distant from the classic mild overdrive sound that was defined by overdriven tubes in an amp, and it's too harsh and defined to be considered fuzz.

[agreatheight]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

I'm of the opinion that they're all just conceptual points on a gain continuum and that we use the common terms more as descriptions of tone than of an actual function.

+1 on this. And these descriptions are wholly subjective.

[assboglin]

You can get milder overdrive like tones from the ODB-3 with the gain set below 9 O'clock and a judicious amount of clean signal blended in, but on most settings it is a heavy distortion that can border on and enter fuzz territory through it's pure saturation. In other words I would say it can do overdrive through fuzz, but as is such with pedals with that kind of range of gain it doesn't necessarily do any of them well.