Distortion or overdrive??????????????

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

ok, I seriously can't figure out the difference... only that, from what I heard was that a distortion pedal was meant to be used on an amp's clean channel, and a overdrive was meant to be used in conjuction with an amp's drive channel... is that true? if not, then what is the difference?

[Homebrew1709]

I believe overdrive is the term for when u get power tube saturation (i.e. cranked Marshall) because u are "overdriving" the tubes. Distortion is like the heavy preamp distortion like most 2 channel amps. So overdrive is smoother and more subtle and distortion is distortion.

[Lordathestrings]

Distortion effects distort the signal, so that even if there is no increase in volume, the sound gets 'crunchy'.

Overdrive simply raises the level of the signal. Any distortion in the final sound is the result of this increased signal level pushing the amp into distorting.

[AtomicMassUnit]

Technically, overdrive distorts the signal as well, otherwise it would be clean. Then again, EQ and compression distort the waveform as well. I think in common usage, overdrive and distortion are terms that describe different degrees of clipping type of distortion, and of course different ways of getting there. It's certainly open to interpretation as far as what each person calls it. A lot of times, people use overdrive as the word for pushing the AMP into distortion, and use distortion as the word for something that clips in front of a clean amp. To me, it's all the same thing, I just use 'distortion' to describe hard clipping, whether it comes from the amp or somewhere else.

Atomic

PS, it's been a Loooooong time since I've been here. Nice to be back. Check out the amps I build over at www.brimstoneamps.com

[dan_jem7v]

what sort of playing you doing??? best to see what you play more of, and what style. Then try both dist and overdrive, to see what you think is best! are you using multi effects or stomp boxes??? i use a ibby Jem 7v, GT-6 pedal (with Ds-1 distortion) through a Laney tube amp. Great for everything i've found, lead/soloing, chrords etc. what gear you got at the moment???

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

what sort of playing you doing??? best to see what you play more of, and what style. Then try both dist and overdrive, to see what you think is best! are you using multi effects or stomp boxes??? i use a ibby Jem 7v, GT-6 pedal (with Ds-1 distortion) through a Laney tube amp. Great for everything i've found, lead/soloing, chrords etc. what gear you got at the moment???
umm, I've got a Ibanez GRX40 (cheap entry-level guitar) through a fender FM 212R 100w 2x12 solidstate... I've got a korg AX10G multi-effect but I rarely use that since the only thing I really want is the crunch, I don't really care about having a flanger and all that... it is nice to have it whenever I want a wah or an echo though... I play moderately hard rock all the way to metal. both rhythm and lead. I like more of a clear yet distorted sound, here, maybe I can example:
I like this (http://www.seymourduncan.com/website/SDToneWizard/Hummer/Track38.mp3)
more then this (http://www.seymourduncan.com/website/SDToneWizard/Hummer/Track61.mp3)

[aschleman]

Check out the DS-7 (I think it is) Distortion Factory by DigiTech. It's got a bunch of different models of popular stompboxes from the TubeScreamer, Big Muff, Metal Zone, to the DS-1.

[Lordathestrings]

... it's been a Loooooong time since I've been here. Nice to be back...Jaysus Horatio Christophoulos! Look what the cat just dragged in! :D