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Last Updated Nov-27-2018.
Since the '80s, metal has been constantly growing as a genre. If there's one component to a proper metal tone, it's a gain-rich distortion. Today we're going to spend some time talking about distortion pedals which work great for metal music and discuss how to properly dial in your tone.Before we get into that, we're going to list our top 7 picks for this category. By the time you're done reading this guide, you should have a proper understanding of what it takes to find a good metal tone, and how you can use distortion pedals to your advantage.
Top 7 Metal Distortion Pedals:
What Makes A Good Metal Tone?
Distortion as a guitar effect, has been around for a while now. Even though it has actual applications in other music genres, it is the most popular tool of choice in metal. So, what makes a good metal tone? This question is a very controversial one and definitely has no single answer. In a perfect world, you would want to get yourself a proper tube amplifier and get all of your flavors from its dirty channels. The only problem here is that those amplifiers, namely stuff like Peavey's 6505 and similar, tend to cost quite a bit of money. A more
affordable solution is to get a good pedal. This way, it doesn't really matter what kind of amplifier you have in front of you as the pedal is taking care of your gain needs.
With that said, we have to make a small disclaimer. A distortion pedal will rarely ever live up to the dynamic range of a proper tube amp. Given the choice, most guitar players will go with an amp. It simply offers a higher resolution, wider range tone than a distortion pedal ever could. In away, dist boxes are there as a shortcut, but that doesn't mean that you can't get some pretty awesome results with them.
How To Dial In A Good Metal Tone?
We have already mentioned that the definition of 'a good metal tone' hasn't yet been established. However, there are some mistakes that you definitely want to avoid when trying to find your perfect tone profile. The issue with distortion pedals is also what makes them so great, which would be gain. One thing you will see most beginners do is feed the signal with boat loads of gain, scoop those mids and max out bass and treble.
This setup may sound awesome in your bedroom when you are practicing, but it certainly doesn't work that well on stage. Here's the deal. When you pump the signal full of gain, you are essentially reducing the resolution of your tone. Sure, your palm mutes are going to sound brutal and savage, but that doesn't mean much when you have killed off your guitar tone's ability to render details properly. Things only get worse when you scoop those mids.
What you want instead is a balance of gain that doesn't drown out guitars in a standard mix. Just by reducing the gain to a more sensible level, you are already going to cut through the rest of the band much easier. If we consider the fact that you are battling a bass guitar and drums, both of which are bass heavy instruments, it becomes clear that you need to put more emphasis on mids and trebles. Finding a balance in this regard can yield a very powerful guitar tone that lacks nothing.
Choosing The Right Pedal When Playing Metal
Finding a perfect dist box comes down to several things, with personal preference being a major factor. Your choice will also depend on the genre of metal you are playing and your role in the band. Generally speaking, those who are just starting out should find something that is fairly neutral. By that we mean a distortion pedal that isn't too heavy on gain and has decent amount of tone shaping options available. If we put that step of decision making aside, we are left to find a model with good hardware.
The last thing you want in your distortion pedal is noise. In a more casual setting, you could probably get away with it. However, this changes quickly if you plan on actually performing on stage. Most of the models on our list are fairly quite. Some pedals more so than other. As a matter of fact, that MXR M116 Fullbore Metal comes with a built in noise gate, which definitely helps in this regard.
With all that said, you should keep on mind that most distortion pedals offer plenty of range. The key here is the experience of the person using the pedal. You might feel limited if you are a beginner, but when you spend some time playing with your signal chain, you will soon realize that there is far more potential in there than it appears at first.
Minimizing The Effect Of Gain On Your Tone
Gain, as awesome as it can be, is actually a double edged sword. It is so easy to go overboard without even noticing. The way many guitar players use their distortion pedals is to plug them straight into a clean channel. After all, it is only logical, right? Here's the deal. Using a solid state dist pedal with the clean channel is the fastest route to a half decent tone. It is so easy to do and guitar players tend to be lazy at times. The issue with this method of adding gain is that it can overwhelm you in a heartbeat.
A much better solution is to pair your distortion pedal with the dirty channel on your amplifier. This way you are not overwhelming the amp with outside gain, but rather using the pedal as a boost to your dirty channel. Naturally, you have to be rather conservative with that gain knob on your distortion pedal. Nailing a guitar sound created using this method is all about finesse. At the end of the day, using both gain sources allows for a much better defined tone and much more maneuvering space.
Are Distortion Pedals Viable In A More Serious Setup?
As we have said before, the absolute best way to get yourself a great distortion is to use a
good tube amplifier. However, that doesn't mean that distortion pedals are not viable for serious use. Here is a simple analogy. Think of guitar effects as a set of spices. While most amateur chefs might rely heavily on one or two favorite spices, a professional will use them in a much more refined way, but still use them nonetheless. Same goes for guitarists and distortion pedals. They are a source of gain that can be applied in many different ways in order to achieve a certain goal. Maybe you have dialed in your tone, but you want just a pinch of girth on top.
A distortion pedal is a perfect tool for the job. Some dist pedals have such a unique signature that guitar players often use them despite having a monster of a tube amp at their disposal. It is pretty situational. The thing with effects pedals in general is that you definitely want to have more rather than less. This way you can just pull out the ones you need, when you need them. Additionally, even the most elite guitar players out there tend to change their tone profiles from time to time. In other words, nothing is set in stone.
Can A Distortion Pedal Push Single Coils?
Guitars that features single coil pickups are notorious for being hard to use with
distortion effects. Compared to humbuckers, they simply sound too hollow. This is one place where the abundance of gain tends to help out a lot. If you push enough gain through your signal chain, even the most conservative Stratocaster will sound good. As a matter of fact, distortion pedals will easily make the cheapest set of pickups sound powerful. With that said, you still have to be careful not to go too far. There's nothing worse than a tone that is so overwhelmed with gain that you can't even make out what the person is playing.
Conclusion
Distortion pedals are a shortcut to a great metal tone. That is simply the fact of the matter. Not only that, but they are a perfect tool you can use to learn how to deal with gain in general. Models we have listed above are easily among the best in their class. We have included some pedals from a variety of price ranges, thus making sure that everyone can find something regardless of their budget. If you are just getting into metal, any one of these dist boxes will give you that classic, gain-heavy tone that makes metal so awesome.