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.
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.
A preamp (preamplifier) is the first stage in your guitar signal chain that takes the weak signal from your guitar and boosts it to a usable level for shaping tone and driving the power amp.
It’s where much of your tone is formed—controlling gain, EQ, and character. In valve (tube) amps, the preamp stage is what gives you that classic warmth and breakup when pushed. In modern rigs, standalone preamp pedals or rack units can mimic classic amp tones or create entirely new ones. Whether in a studio or live setup, a good preamp is the heart of your sound.
Signature refers to instruments, pedals, or amps designed in collaboration with or endorsed by a well-known musician. These products often feature customised specifications, unique aesthetics, or special features that reflect the artist’s personal style and sound preferences. Signature gear allows fans and players to access the tones and playability inspired by their favourite players, offering a distinct and personalised musical experience.
We have new and used Fortin Amplification musical equipment available on our website for fast direct delivery from sellers across the UK & Europe.
£24.36 £19.80
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…
read more
£24.36 £23.57
Versatile 3-Mode Operation: Switch between classic fuzz, grunge, and gain boost modes to cover a wide range of rock tones Precision Tone Shaping: Dedicated Level, Gain, Treble, and Bass controls let you fine-tune your sound with ease Robust Performance: A bright status LED and high-quality on/off switch ensure reliable operation and signal integrit…
read more
£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…
read more
£139.00 £109.00
Handcrafted in the UK and cased in metal the TI-BOOST pedal helps you push your amp harder and carve out your own sounds The TI-BOOST is Tony Iommi's signature gain pedal The pedal functions in the same way as Tony Iommi's legendary modified Range master – with a significant bass cut and mid boost, but we’ve included a little more gain and EQ optio…
read more
£33.47
【Exceptional and defined sound】 The Rowin Metal Boost Distortion guitar effect pedal delivers exceptional and defined sound even at high gain levels, setting it apart for sound enthusiasts. 【 tone control】 Unlike many other pedals, the Rowin Metal pedal offers a wide range of easily adjustable tone control options, allowing musicians to effortlessl…
read more