Distortion is a guitar effect that alters the signal’s waveform, creating a gritty, aggressive sound characterized by a high level of harmonic content and sustain. It’s achieved by amplifying the input signal to the point where the amplifier or pedal’s circuitry begins to clip, causing the waveform to become squared off and jagged. This clipping produces harmonics that weren’t present in the original signal, resulting in the characteristic “gritty” or “dirty” tone associated with distortion. Distortion pedals typically feature controls for adjusting the amount of gain or distortion applied, as well as tone-shaping knobs to tailor the sound’s frequency response. Distortion is widely used in rock, metal, and punk music to add power, aggression, and sustain to guitar solos, riffs, and rhythm parts, creating a bold and intense sonic impact in the mix. Popular distortion pedals include the Boss DS-1, Pro Co Rat, and Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi.
Electric guitars use magnetic pickups to convert string vibrations into an electrical signal, which is then amplified. Unlike acoustic guitars, they rely on amplification for volume and tone shaping, making them highly versatile in genres like rock, blues, jazz, and metal. Electric guitars come in many body styles—solid, semi-hollow, and hollow—and feature different pickup configurations, neck types, and hardware. From smooth clean tones to aggressive distortion, they offer a wide sonic range, making them the backbone of modern guitar music.
A pedal is a compact device that guitarists use to alter their instrument’s sound by shaping effects such as distortion, delay, reverb, and modulation. Typically housed in a rugged enclosure and controlled by footswitches, pedals are designed to be placed on the floor for hands-free operation during playing. They can be analogue or digital, true bypass or buffered, and come in countless varieties to suit different styles and preferences. Pedals are essential tools for creating signature tones and adding colour and texture to a guitarist’s sound.
We have new and used Empress Effects musical equipment available on our website for fast direct delivery from sellers across the UK & Europe.
£29.99 £25.49
JOYO High Gain Distortion guitar pedal, get the kind of hard distortion used by the bands you love-from the crunch of AC/DC to the heavy metal of Metallica. With a full range of EQ adjustment and tone control, from a little blues rock crunch to an all out snarling distortion this is one versatile pedal. When used with single coils at lower gain set…
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£24.36 £21.40
Pushes distortion to the extreme by producing crushing, bottom-heavy distortion for modern metal and hard rock Dual distortion with gain boost circuitry to give you super thick and heavy distortion with brutal low-end punch and endless sustain Dedicated gain boost, distortion, tone, bottom and level controls for awesome sound shaping Blue status le…
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£74.00 £66.00
Legendary distortion used by guitarists everywhere since 1978. BOSS’s first distortion pedal defined a bold new sound, delivering hard-edged attack and smooth sustain that’s been a staple of players for generations. The classic DS-1 tone is behind the signature sounds of numerous rock legends, and is ready to fuel your own signature sound today. Ha…
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£39.99 £33.99
JOYO UZI distortion pedal, designed for heavy metal, it's characterized by High-Gain. with a "BIAS" knob, switch easily between American Distortion and British Distortion. "GAIN" Knob and "VOLUME" Knob, both are of dynamic balance, adjust the "GAIN" knob while don't adjust the VOL, the signal from the circuit will adjust automatically, ensuring the…
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£24.36 £22.90
Versatile Overdrive/Distortion Blend: Seamlessly shift from warm, classic overdrive to edgy, modern distortion—or mix them to create your signature tone using the intuitive blend dial Precision Tone Shaping: Dial in your perfect sound with dedicated Level, Tone, and Drive controls that let you tailor everything from subtle grit to full-on crunch In…
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