PaulC555

So got a new guitar after not playing in 18 years....have picked up around 9 songs in my first week with it.....nice guitar an ESP.....
anyway...the amp has the usual overdrive function..what I wanted to know...is
"does a distortion pedal sound just the same as the overdrive on the amp?"
or do you get a different sound with the addition of the distortion pedal....

looking for a good rock/metal sound....should I just use the overdrive on the amp..or invest in a pedal also..?

thanks.....

Jamie

Talk to bubba !

i8gtmf

No mate it will sound different, most basic guitar amp overdive sounds on your average transistor amps are a bit tame for me.
I've got these two myself

BOSS
Line 6 - PODxt

The Pod is great especially if you link it to a pc as you can download extra patches for it free

Hanslow

Distortion pedals will more than likely give you a different sound to your amp. Lots of pedals and amps are voiced differently, hence the vast array of both.

If you can't dial in a nice sound from your amp, try out some pedals. What model of ESP do you have? What make/model is your amp? Do you like transistor distortion or valve? Pedals and modellers have come on a great deal in recent years and you can get some good sounds without too much outlay.

The Boss MT-2 gets pretty good write ups depending on what you are looking for (Boss MT-2 Metal Zone: Harmony Central User Reviews. I was recently tempted by a Metal Muff, but ended up buying an older Marshall JMP-1 to play about with instead.

Best bit of advice, take your guitar and amp down to a music shop and ask to try out some different effect pedals, or even different amps if your budget will stretch to it.

PaulC555

thanks for the advice guys....only starting to play again..so back to the basics for me...just got a 15W practice amp at the minute..was reluctant to spend much more money than I did...to make sure I could get into it again.then I will look at upgrading....just wanted to sound out opinions on sound of a standard distortion pedal against the overdrive....but will try a fe out..thanks

Bubba po

I can't add anything to what's already been said, really. A decent amp is a must, though. I'm not a big fan of heavy fuzz-style distortion either, so I can't help you there. In fact, why am I posting at all?