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.
Guitar FX (effects) refer to the wide range of pedals and processors that shape and manipulate a guitar’s signal to create different sounds. From classic distortion and overdrive to reverb, delay, modulation, and pitch-shifting, effects are at the heart of a guitarist’s creative toolkit. Whether analogue or digital, stompbox or multi-effects unit, Guitar FX allow players to express mood, texture, and dynamics in unique ways. Used thoughtfully, they can transform a simple riff into something atmospheric, aggressive, or entirely otherworldly.
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.
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Fender is one of the most iconic guitar and amplifier brands in the world, famous for classic models like the Stratocaster and Telecaster. Known for their bright, versatile tones and durable construction, Fender instruments have shaped the sound of countless genres from rock and blues to country and jazz. Their amps and accessories are also highly regarded for quality and performance, making Fender a go-to choice for musicians of all levels.
£111.95
Compression and distortion are an undeniable duo. We combined those two essential effects into one pedalboard-friendly chassis: meet the Compugilist Compressor/Distortion. The two discrete, all-analog effects are independently switchable, allowing you to use them solo or stacked. The straightforward controls make it easy to dial in your sound to ta…
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£94.00
Fiery sounding and flexible, the Pugilist Distortion is ready to add some heavyweight gain to your rig. This original design features dual gain engines – with independent tone controls for each – letting you select multiple variations of distortion, ensuring this pedal will play well with any rig. The Series/Blend switch lets you stack channels for…
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£165.30 £139.99
Step into the ring with this one-two punch distortion pedal. The Duel Pugilist features the same distortion voicings found in our popular Pugilist pedal, but with new combinations designed for a knockout. The Duel Pugilist offers three operating modes: Series, Mute and Parallel. Series mode allows stacking the two distortions as you would two separ…
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£62.00
ORIGINAL FENDER-DESIGNED METAL CIRCUIT:Designed by our in-house experts, the Hammertone Metal is a low-noise, high-gain machine with a dynamic and aggressive sound. ACTIVE EQ CONTROLS: Active Bass and Treble controls provide massive control over your tone, with up to 15db of boost or cut. INTERNAL TONE CONTROL:The internal trim-pot control allows y…
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£99.00
We put our expertise to work creating The Bends Compressor, a studio-quality stompbox that tames wild volume spikes without altering your tone. Drive and Recovery controls let you dial in the perfect amount of compression to complement your playing style and extend sustain. While the Blend control lets you mix in the dry signal to maintain your nat…
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