Are you using a tube or solid state amp? I ask this because if you're using a solid state, than you might want to consider a tube, pre-amp....If you're already using a tube amp, than pretty much a stomp box is a stomp box...Try to get one that has good "specs" (if ya can get them), so that you get the distortion you want but leave some of the "noise" behind.....There's a certain point where distortion is disortion (This point is called saturation)...At saturation, you have pretty much lost control of your pick-up and are just feeding back the crap your pedal is jammin' down your amps throat...."Controllable" feedback should be your goal, bro....Even if you decide to go "wide open" to get that early metallica sound, realize that you might have to use a DBX limiter/compressor to control the bastard and save your speakers at LOUD volumes, let alone if your trying to record it.....
*Turn the bastard up and see what happenz.... :D
