Originally Posted by: AkiraIsn't an Overdrive pedal meant to imitate the sound of overdriven speakers, and Distortion the sound of an overdriven pre-amp? Or something?

[font=trebuchet ms]Overdrive is usually a clean signal that is boosted to a level that is high enough to push the preamp into distorting.

Distortion pedals send a distorted signal to the preamp. Not necessarily strong enough to overdrive the preamp, but it can be.[/font]