Distortion

Once considered a fauxpas sound, modern guitar players rely on distortion pedals to increase their sustain or thicken the signal. Most distortion units give you control over intensity and tone, but vary in the sounds and textures produced—from smooth sustains to jagged breakup tones. Guitar legends like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards used distortion pedals to enhance their sound, and using one could make your solos more interesting. At LAWK STAR Guitars, we offer distortion pedals manufacturers like: MXR, Pigtronix, Rocktron, Seymour Duncan, T-Rex Pedals, Tech 21, Tortuga Effects, Walrus Audio, Way Huge and Boss.

Choosing the Right Distortion Pedal

With the variety of distortion pedals available on the market, a good way to narrow down your choices is to know your budget, the sound you want to produce and your musical skills.

Common types of distortion pedals include:

• High-gain pedal: As the most common type of distortion pedal, high-gain pedals increase a signal’s gain to overwhelm an amplifier and produce a harsher tone.

• Fuzz pedal: The Rolling Stones introduced the music world to the fuzz pedal in the song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” The transistorized distortion effect introduces the signal output to a square sound wave to change the sound of the notes. The result is a bass-like, heavy sound.

• Valve distortion pedal: Used by soloists and blues musicians, valve distortion, or overdrive, pedals produce a harmonic, rounded sound.  The biggest benefit of this type of pedal is the ability to get the sound you want without needing to overdrive your amp, so you don’t have to worry about your speakers clipping.

From big names on the market to boutique effects boxes, LAWK STAR offers a variety of distortion pedals to add new layers to your sound and improve your repertoire. Your satisfaction is our priority, so never hesitate to let us know if you need assistance with choosing the right pedal for your playing needs.