Tips for Choosing Overdrive Pedal for Beginner
Overdrive pedal is probably one of the most used effects pedals, but it’s always interesting to discuss among guitarists because I hardly ever find a guitarist who doesn’t use this pedal. If a guitarist uses an amp modeler or multi-effects, the Overdrive pedal is almost always included in their sound settings.
In simple terms, the overdrive pedal is arguably one of the mandatory tools, especially for rock guitarists or guitarists who play ‘now’ music. But the question is, “what is a good overdrive pedal?” For beginner guitarists, choosing the best overdrive pedal for their needs may be quite difficult, because there are so many models from various brands with varying prices with various reviews that also contain various pros and cons.
Therefore, I would like to share information with friends about overdrive pedals, starting from what an overdrive pedal actually is to its use and also some pedal references that can be used as a reference for friends to choose an overdrive pedal.
What can an Overdrive Pedal do?
Suppose we have or are using a tube amplifier. Well, the role of the overdrive pedal is to increase the distortion level of the amp we use. As we know, a large enough volume level is required to make tube amps produce optimal distortion. However, with the help of an overdrive pedal, it will be easier for us to get the level of distortion we need without changing the character of the amp sound too much.
How to Choose an Overdrive Pedal?
When choosing an overdrive pedal, it’s a good idea to look at the gear (equipment) that we use. Starting from the guitar to the amp we use. For example, suppose we use a Peavey Classic 30 amp (which has a slightly warm/dark character compared to a Fender amp) and for a guitar we use a Fender guitar (which sounds quite bright overall).
The combination of the two gears will give us a fairly balanced frequency response. So where is the role of the overdrive pedal? When we want to do a solo, we will need more distortion (for a longer sustain sound) or something that makes our sound a little brighter in order to penetrate the hustle and bustle of the arrangement of the song we are playing, that’s where the role of the overdrive pedal begins.
One of the most helpful things in choosing an overdrive pedal is hearing the character of the pedal itself. With the internet, we can easily find videos about overdrive pedals, and almost every video will explain what gear he uses. There we can see how the pedal interacts with the gear they use. Or one of the easiest ways is to look at the gear used by your favorite guitarist.
Here are some reference overdrive pedals that you can use as a reference in choosing an overdrive pedal:
Some Reference Overdrive Pedals for Beginners
1. Fulltone OCD
One of the pedals that gets a lot of good reviews from every guitarist on every music forum. with true-bypass features, and sound that is flexible but still of high quality and also at an attractive price. You could say this is the best pedal in terms of price and quality.
2. Joyo JF-02 Ultimate Drive
If you are looking for an economical version of the Fulltone OCD, this pedal from Joyo will be your pick. Even though it’s a little less bright than Fulltone OCD, the overall sound isn’t much different from Fulltone OCD, and a more interesting feature is that this pedal has a very attractive price tag.
3. Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
It seems almost impossible not to include this pedal in the list. This legendary pedal, which has a warm and distinctive character, is indeed capable of producing a captivating sound when combined with a tube amp. Well, it’s a damn good one pedal.
4. Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Like the tube screamer, this pedal isn’t built for sloppy, distorted sounds. But it’s more about sound distortion (whether hi-gain or not) which is dynamic and has character. As we all know, BOSS is known as one of the best pedal makers. You could say this pedal is comparable to a tube screamer.
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5. Fulltone Full-drive2 Mosfet
Another pedal from Fulltone. This overdrive pedal that has many features can accommodate us to get a lot of sounds, from smooth overdrive to hi-gain distortion with an excellent growl and sustain.
Hopefully, the description above can add to your information about the overdrive pedal, from how to use it to what reference overdrive pedal is the most suitable for you to use.
