gear giveaway

Distortion Pedals

Overdrive vs Distortion vs Fuzz: What’s the difference?

Click on the links for our coverage of recently released Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz pedals. For the beginner rock guitarist, a gain pedal is, in most cases, the third item on the gear-related shopping list (after a six-string and an amp). But, considering the wide choice of stompboxes out there,…Click on the title for more

Overdrive vs Distortion vs Fuzz: What’s the difference?

EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker

The EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker is an all-discrete, analog distortion from everyone's favorite Ohio-based pedal builder, based on the discontinued Speaker Cranker, a one-knob overdrive now selling used for about twice the amount of this new, 3-knobbed pedal. The Special Cranker is designed to give players a way to do…Click on the title for more

EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker

DemonFX Prince of Sound

The DemonFX Prince of Sound is a super-affordable clone of the very much sought-after (and roughly 4-5 times more expensive) Analogman Prince of Tone - which is a take on the Marshall Blues Breaker. We couldn't figure out where DemonFX is based, but it's obviously laser-focused on creating clones of…Click on the title for more

DemonFX Prince of Sound

1981 Inventions DRV Drive/Distortion

Born as a mod of the RAT distortion circuit, the DRV by Nashville based 1981 Inventions slowly "found" its own sound during the three years it took to finalize it. The first batch of the pedal sold out pretty fast, but a second one, with a case slightly different in color,…Click on the title for more

1981 Inventions DRV Drive/Distortion

Karma MTN 10 Mostortion Clone

Fans of the Ibanez Mostortion, a MOSFET-based distortion that became a "cult" pedal after a not particularly successful existence that led it to be discontinued a few years after its launch - should look into the Karma MTN-10, a clone that sells for about 1/4 of the vintage unit's price.…Click on the title for more

Karma MTN 10 Mostortion Clone

Frost Giant Electronics Architect of Reality

Texas' Frost Giant Electronics is an emerging pedal builder focused on creating heavy, highly tuneable gain stompboxes, and the Architect of Reality, a dual-channel preamp that allows to blend the two channels, might be their most intriguing release to date. The pedal is modeled after the preamp section of a…Click on the title for more

Frost Giant Electronics Architect of Reality

Sinvertek N5+ Drive

A boutique Chinese manufacturer on the rise, Sinvertek offers a "more is more" approach to stompboxes by providing extremely deep functionality for each one of their product, with a price tag that is extremely competitive compared to similarly fully-featured pedals made in the US or Europe. Their latest drive, the…Click on the title for more

Sinvertek N5+ Drive

Tape Audio Co. TWO Distortion

The Tape Audio Co. TWO is the second release from this small boutique builder whose first pedal, the ONE fuzz, turned heads and ears earlier in 2022. TWO is an original distortion circuit driven by two distortion/gain circuits blending a combination Germanium (pre stage) and Silicon (gain stage) transistors. A Master…Click on the title for more

Tape Audio Co. TWO Distortion

Haunted Labs Old Ruin Distortion

North Carolina's scariest boutique pedal company Haunted Labs just unleashed their first distortion pedal, the Old Ruin, which delivers a variety of tones from low-gain overdrive to terrifying howling distortion. The ubiquitous Gain and Volume knob are joined by a Texture knob that - to quote the builder - "summons sonic…Click on the title for more

Haunted Labs Old Ruin Distortion

Rare Buzz Effects Cyborg

The Rare Buzz Effects Cyborg distortion is a special edition of the company's Rat'style Snitch. The 170 units already sold out, allowing the company to gather $10,000 for donations to the Ukraine cause. More info at the bottom of this post and here, video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rgV9DCxpU4&t=13s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRC8RTEH2o Rare Buzz Effects…Click on the title for more

Rare Buzz Effects Cyborg

Caline Nightwolf Drive + Fuzz

The Caline Nightwolf is a very affordable dual drive+fuzz pedal that combines a Timmy-style circuit with a Fuzzface-style one. Handily, the order of the pedals can be changed through the middle footswitch, while the side ones activate the two effects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BlIso9NswY https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=139&v=x3TIZ2SexSo Based on CP-46+CP-12 Pure sky (Caline best seller)…Click on the title for more

Caline Nightwolf Drive + Fuzz

New Pedal: Tone Charm Audio Into the Waves Modulated Delay + Distortion

The Tone Charm Audio Into the Waves is a delay/distortion/modulation pedal hailing from Poland and (hand) made with the shoegazer guitarist in mind. Those three effects (with an added, hefty dose of reverb) represent that dreamy genre's foundational sonic trinity, and the Into The Waves, with its eight knobs, three…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Tone Charm Audio Into the Waves Modulated Delay + Distortion