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Best Sub $100 CAD OD/Fuzz/Distortion

awilkie84

awilkie84

Jul 16, 2011
7,429
1,868
Edmonton, AB, Canada
#1
Hey TB!!

I'm browsing around Long & McQuade, Tom Lee, and other various sites looking for a good OD/Fuzz/Dist effects pedal for under $100 Canadian (maybe $110 TOPS).
I'm hearing good things about the new TC Electronics line (they run $70 here)...but I want to know y'all would suggest for me. :)

I much prefer your input to YouTube videos and potentially paid reviews.
 
#3
I use the TC Electronic Dark Matter Distortion pedal and love it. It is technically a "guitar" pedal but it works very well on "bass". I was able to pick it up for $50 CDN used. The pedal is very versatile with controls for gain, bass, treble and level. Most pedals under $100 do not give you the ability to adjust both treble and bass. It also has two different "voicings" to give either a modern or tube driven sound. I am able to get anything from a subtle overdrive to high gain distortion or sounds similar to a big muff or fuzz face.

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#6
NortyFiner said:
For an OD with high performance to price ratio, a lot of people here like the Joyo Ultimate Drive.

Buying used will also bring some very good pedals, such as the Idiotbox Blower Box distortion, into your price range. I own a Blower Box and recommend it highly. Great RAT based distortion pedal with a very wide range.
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I did a search for the Idiot Box. Where would you suggest looking? I can't find it for less than $160. :(

I almost forgot about the Joyo UD. I had one in the past and it was good. It's a Fulltone OCD clone, right?
 
#7
awilkie84 said:
I did a search for the Idiot Box. Where would you suggest looking? I can't find it for less than $160. :(

I almost forgot about the Joyo UD. I had one in the past and it was good. It's a Fulltone OCD clone, right?
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Blower Box Bass Distortion $129 from his site. :)

For that range of sounds, it sounds like the Ultimate Drive would be a good choice for you too!
 
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#13
DOD Carcosa is a great fuzz for a good value. Also the DOD Gunslinger is a killer distortion, specially if you run it at 18v.
You can also try the joyo pedals like the Ultimate Drive, the American or the California.
TC Electronics Mojomojo is a great OD pedal also for a nice value.
Or you could invest a bit more and buy a SA Aftershock and get all the drive that you want in one pedal. I've seen them being sold by 100$ used.
 
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#15
I also have a TC Mojomojo and I've liked it so far, but haven't run it through my main rig yet. I've been using it with a mustang bass through a Hartke 1x15 combo.

Edit: The reason I ended up with this pedal is because I bought a Joyo California Sound which was an amazing pedal, but it bit the dust after one gig. Others have not had this problem with Joyo, but it has caused me to shy away from them.
 
#17
SunnBass said:
Plenty have had great success with Joyo products.
Maybe you haven't.
That doesn't mean they suck, they just don't work for you, which is fine.
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They do seem to have pretty decent quality control seeing as there are very few of us who have had problems. I just didn't want to risk buying and then sending the same pedal back over and over again. It's sad (to me, anyway) because the California Sound really sounded awesome.
 
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#18
Duder said:
They do seem to have pretty decent quality control seeing as there are very few of us who have had problems. I just didn't want to risk buying and then sending the same pedal back over and over again. It's sad (to me, anyway) because the California Sound really sounded awesome.
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So far, the biggest successes (in the dirt category) from Joyo have been the Ultimate Drive, American Sound, California, and the Orange Juice (from the newer Ironman series).
 
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