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.
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SubZero is the in-house brand of UK retailer Gear4music, offering a range of affordable musical instruments and accessories. Their product lineup includes electric guitars, basses, amplifiers, pedals, and accessories, catering primarily to beginners and budget-conscious musicians.
£39.99
Thick, powerful distortion with tone-shaping capabilities Versatile EQ options with the toggle switch Maintain maximum signal integrity thanks to all-analog circuitry Solid, consistent performance via robust enclosure and true bypass design Please Note – This pedal does not come with a power supply
£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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£25.99
Metal distortion guitar effect pedal gives a warm, smooth and wide range of vintage distortion sound. 3 Controls by Volume, Filter and Distortion 3 modes of Solo, Turbo and Normal, easily switch to different positions to distortion the device for one-of-a-kind pedal sound. True bypass hardware switching Made of reliable high-quality aluminum alloy …
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£36.61
Caline CP-501 Osmium High Gain Distortion is a beast of a pedal offering a range of high gain tones that’s perfect for rock, metal, thrash, djent and much more. Three Controls: LEVEL Knob, TONE Knob, DIST Knob. Uses Standard 9V Center Negative Adapter (not included). True bypass design, LED indicator shows the working state. Aluminum-alloy casing
£150.28
The DS-1X launches the famous BOSS distortion into a new era of expression, delivering unmatched performance for guitarists seeking the ultimate tone with next-level sound, feel, and tonal response. BOSS’s innovative MDP technology and high-speed DSP deliver a superior playing experience that’s unattainable with analog distortion circuits. Powerful…
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