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Overdrive and distortion

The market overflows with overdrive and distortion pedals. It can be a tough challenge to decide and to find pedals that suits your rig and purpose. In this feature we’ll look at a handful of models and how to incorporate these in your rig, with David Gilmour’s tones and bedroom setups in mind.

Overdrive and distortion isn’t just about getting noise and gain. The wrong pedal for your amp and guitar, can do more harm than good and cause a lot of frustration. On the other hand, an pedal that’s selected to match perfectly with your amp and taste, will make your tones shine and bring out the best in your setup.

Do yourself a favour when you’re buying gain effects and ask yourself these questions: How will I be using the pedal â€" stage or rehearsal, studio or bedroom? Do I want boost, overdrive, distortion or fuzz? Will I be using two or more gain pedals at the same time?

Know your amp!

Overdrive and distortion pedals can be divided in two categories. Transparent and mids scooped and on the other side of the spectrum, compressed and mids boosted.

The transparent and mids scooped models were originally designed in the late 60s and early 70s to drive large tube stacks into distortion. These pedals can sound horrible on an uncompressed, mids scooped Twin or smaller bedroom amps, but creamy and smooth on a compressed and mids boosted Marshall.

Pedals with a noticeable mid range and compression, like the Tube Screamer, started to appear in the late 70s. The idea was to capture the tone of those huge tube stacks in all their glory in a small box. The design with new technoligy, was also more relieable than the previous silicon and germanium transistors.

In other words, knowing what amp you have, is crucial for understanding how overdrive and distortion pedals works and ultimately sound. Read more about how to choose the right pedal for your amp here.

Stacking pedals

David Gilmour, and others like him, often combine or stack two or more gain pedals. This can either be to produce a volume or gain boost for solos or, like David does, to blend the character of two pedals, for more saturation and sustain.

Big Muffs often sound better with a transparent booster placed after it, set for a very mild boost and EQ enhancement. David often does this with either a Muff and Powerbooster or Tube Driver.

Boosting with more mids boosted and compressed pedals, like the Tube Screamer and OCD, can often make a Muff sound muddy and almost choked. Try placing the overdrive pedal in front of the Muff but be careful with the total amount of gain and volume.

Stacking should only be done if it’s needed. Some Big Muffs, like the Sovtek models and clones, are often best alone. As can distortion pedals like the Rat and similar, like the Buffalo Evolution, TopTone G2 etc.

Stacking two or more pedals, is like cooking up the finest sauce. The perfect blend will produce a great tone. Too much, and everything sounds like crap. Trust your ears and know your gear.

All pedals listed below were tested on a Stratocaster featuring D Allen Voodoo 69 neck and middle pickups and a Seymour Duncan SSL5 bridge pickups and a Radix Deluxe PRS model with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90s into Reeves Custom 50 and Laney Lionheart L20h tube stacks.

Transparent boosters and overdrives

David’s Colorsound Powerboost/ Cornish ST-2 (1972-1983) and Chandler/BK Tube Driver (1993-present) are typical vintage style boosters/overdrives with a classic bright, mids scooped tone similar to the early Marshalls. Smaller, typical bedroom setups are often better matched with overdrives with more midrange and compression.

Colorsound Powerboost/Overdriver

It doesn’t really get more Dark Side, WYWH and Animals than this. The Powerboost’s unmistakably super transparent tone, glassy highs and fat lower end, sat the standard for all other overdrives. Be aware though that this pedal demands a loud tube amp and can sound a bit flat and fizzy on lower wattage and volume. The 18V has more headroom compared to the 9V, although both delivers a wide range of tones from clean boost to near fuzz.
Bedroom setups: 6/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Electronic Orange Bananaboost
The Bananaboost has that vintage flavour of the original. It sounds huge, with tons of headroom and a massive low end. You can easily crank it up for smooth almost fuzz-like tones and the powerful 2-band EQ makes it easy to tailor the tones to match your amp and guitar. Of all the Powerbooster clones out there, I find this to be the most authentic sounding, with much of the same character and mojo as the original. See my full review of the Bananaboost here.
Bedroom setups: 6/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Buffalo FX Power Booster

Like all Buffalo FX pedals, the Powerbooster is a faithful replication of the original, with a few modern tweaks. It has a huge headroom but can easily be set up for some nice overdrive and fuzz tones. It's slightly darker and the top end noticeably smoother, making this an excellent choice for smaller amps and bedroom setups. See my full review of the Power Booster here.
Bedroom setups: 8/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Vick Audio Overdriver
As the name implies, this is a clone of the US branded Powerbooster, the Overdriver. It has a distinct vintage flavour and of all the clones out there, perhaps the smoothest fuzz tone of them all. It is also slightly more compressed than most models, which can be tricky on already compressed amps but on the right amp, you'll get a very smooth and well balanced character. See my full review of the Overdriver here.
Bedroom setups: 6/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Throbak Overdriveboost

The Overdriveboost was one of the first Powerbooster clones to hit the market and it's still one of the best. Of all the clones listed here, this one has the most headroom, with an almost twangy character. The pedal is packed with modern features, including a germanium gain stage and pre-gain. Use it as a stand alone overdrive pedal or as a clean booster to add life and character to your amp and pedals. See my full review of the Overdriveboost here.
Bedroom setups: 8/10
Gilmour tones: ObC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, DG 78, Wall, FC
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Effectrode Fire Bottle tube booster

This is not a booster in the traditional sense but rather a tool for maintaing the pure signal from your pickups and enhancing the tone from your tube amp – much like plugging your guitar straight into a tube amp. A mini toggle switch allows three different frequency stages – flat for clean boost and two with a high frequency roll off making single coils sound closer to P90s and humbuckers. The Fire Bootle is an incredibly dynamic pedal that can make your guitar and amp sound like a million bucks and bring out nuances in your tone and playing that you thought never were there. If you're looking for a booster for your Muff, then look elsewhere. If you want a powerful tool that will probaly change your conception of tone then this is it. See my full review of the Fire Bottle here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: suitable for any tone
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

TopTone Shine Boost
Clean volume boosters doesn’t do much for your tone other than, obviously, boost the volume, which is what you often want for a solo but equally important is mid range. A scooped tone can drown completely and boosting the volume doesn’t help. Add a mids boost and your guitar will cut through the mix like a sharp knife. The Shine Boost offer both. A crystal clean volume boost and, by the flick of the switch, volume boost and mids boost similar to the EP booster. This pedal is an awesome tool for adding life to your amp and for boosting fuzz and Big Muffs, that often has a scooped character.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: suitable for any tone
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Custom Pedal Boards Mini Driver
The Mini Driver is a versatile booster featuring controls for volume and gain. Use it as a transparent volume booster or, add a bit of dirt for tube-like compression and grit much like the EP preamp. The Mini Driver can either be used to boost other pedals, drive your tube amp or as a stand alone mild overdrive. Excellent alternative to the Colorsound Powerboost or for simply adding a bit of life and sparkle to your tones.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: all eras
Gilmourish.com score: 10/10

BK Butler Tube Driver

The Tube Driver has a classic Marshall character, similar to the JTM and JCM. The tube makes a huge difference compared to most other overdrives, adding a unique warmth, compression and dynamics. Like the Powerboost, this one demands a loud tube amp. Not a lot of headroom, although lower gain settings allows a nice, crunchy clean boost. The current 2006 model also has a bit more top and gain, compared to older models, such as the Chandler. Using different tubes, like a 12AU7, can change the gain structure dramatically and add lots more headroom and warmth.
Bedroom setups: 6/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Buffalo FX TD-X
The TD-X from Buffalo FX is an attempt at recreating the tone of the Tube Driver, without a tube and with a few minor tweaks to make it more amp friendly. The Tube Driver can often sound a tad fizzy in the top end and flabby in the lows but the TD-X sounds perfectly balanced and the top end in particular, sound smooth and nicely rounded off for an overall warmer and more dynamic character. Like the Tube Driver, the TD-X has a nice headroom and plenty of gain, when you crank it up. To me, the TD-X sounds much smoother and perhaps more linear when you set it up for distortion tones, which makes it more versatile for most setups. Highly recommended for David Gilmour’s Tube Driver tones and both stage and bedroom setups. See my full review of the Buffalo FX TD-X here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Electro Harmonix Crayon
The Crayon is a versatile full range overdrive very similar to the Tube Driver. Like the Tube Driver, the Crayon can deliver anything from clean boost to tube-like overdrive and distortion and its two EQ controls allow you to shape the tone to any amp. The Crayon can also be tweaked for more vintage tones similar to the Colorsound Powerboost that David Gilmour used during the mid 70s. Dont’ get fooled by the two designs. The circuits are identical!
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 8/10

Having trouble using the Tube Driver with your bedroom setup? Try Eric Johnson’s settings! The active tone controls makes the Tube Driver very bright and aggressive, but roll them all the way down, like Eric does, and increase the gain for aTube Screamer-ish overdrive with lots of compression and midrange!

Wampler Plexidrive

As the name implies, the PlexiDrive is based on the classic Marshall JTM45. It has a transparent, bright tone with lots of tube-like compression and warmth and a gain character ranging from clean boost to distortion. What I like about this pedal is that the more you increase the gain and tone, the more compressed it gets, which means that it will never get thin and fizzy. An excellent alternative to the similar sounding Tube Driver, especially for bedroom setups.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Capable of producing anything from clean boost to near fuzz, the BD2 is an incredibly versatile pedal that works equally well with larger amps as with typical bedroom setups. It’s transparent, mids scooped tone and fat lower end makes it a great alternative for the Colorsound Powerboost and BK Tube Driver. I strongly recommend the Robert Keeley modified version for a smoother and warmer tone.
Bedroom setups: 9/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Overdrives

David has always relied on vintage style transparent boosters and overdrives or the occasional amp gain but for a more versatile setup and for your bedroom rig, you might want overdrives with a bit more mid range and warmth.

Ibanez TS9/Maxon OD 808

The original Tube Screamers. Nothing really beats these two in terms of smooth, creamy overdrive and endless sustain. Not everyone appreciates the lack of lower end and gain but you can’t find a more versatile and easy to set up overdrive than these two. Of all the different Ibanez and Maxon models, the TS9 and OD808 are the best sounding. Check out some of the many clones available as well, like the MJM Phantom Overdrive and Way Huge Green Rhino for a bit more lower end and gain, as well as a few more features.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Buffalo FX Carrera
While the TD-X is based on that classic Tube Driver pedal, with a typical tube amp character similar to the early Marshall plexi models, the issue for some is that there isn’t enough mid range for the pedal to cut through properly. At least not with the typical Gilmour settings. The Carrera address that and offer the same tube amp tones and character, with more mid range and compression. This pedal is extremely responsive and dynamic and ideal for bedroom setups and scooped amps. See my full review of the Carrera here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 9/10

Vick Audio Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is based on two classic overdrive pedals, the OCD and Zendrive. Both are more or less based on the elusive Dumble amp, which had an enormous amount of mid range. The Tree of Life blends both pedals perfectly together, creating a versatile mix of low end, mid range, headroom and gain. You can easily use this pedal for beefing up a dull clean tone, boosting other pedals or as a dedicated overdrive or distortion. The high amount of mid range makes it fit almost any amp and bedroom setup. It works particularly well for David’s Pulse and current tones but it can easily cover pretty much the whole span from the earliest days up until today. See my full review of the Vick Audio Tree of Life here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

Lovepedal Dover Drive
Based on the Tube Driver, the Dover Drive is teaked towards Eric Johnson's tones, with a pronounced mid range, rolled off low end and endless sustain. Not an obvious Gilmour pedal perhaps but the Dover Drive easily covers all of David's recent overdrive tones, from Division Bell to present. It's impossible to dial in useless or harsh tones with this one. It's just creamy sweetness all the way and personally, this is my new go-to overdrive for recording sessions. See my full review of the Dover Drive here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 7/10

EHX Soul Food
The Soul Food is EHX's take on the legendary, and ridiculously overpriced, Klon Centaur overdrive. Like the original, the Soul Food provides a wide range of tones, from fat, transparent cleans to creamy overdrive saturated with warm mid range. It can sound a bit boxy and dull on its own but it cuts nicely through a dense band mix and pairing with a cranked amp will produce the sweetest sustain. An excellent choice for any amp and bedroom setups in particular.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Fulltone OCD

The OCD is basically a hot wired beefed up Tube Screamer with the typical mid range boost and dark, creamy overdrive. The pedal has lots more gain and lower end though, which makes it work just as good as a distortion with a RAT-ish tone. A toggle switch allows you to add a bit more top end and presence, taking the pedal towards a Tube Driver. An incredibly versatile overdrive and great alternative for David’s 90’s and present overdrive tones on bedroom setups.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Electro Harmonix Glove
An excellent version of the popular and versatile Fulltone OCD. The Glove offer the same huge tones, with a distinct tube-like character, fat lows and a smooth mid range that will match any amp. The Glove has enough gain on tap to serve either as an overdrive or distortion and it’s an excellent alternative to David’s more recent Tube Driver tones.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 8/10

SviSound OverZoid
SviSound creates some stunning looking pedals and the OverZoid sounds as good as it looks. It’s hard to compare this one to anything that’s out there but think of a mix between an Klon, OCD and Rat and you’re pretty much there. There’s tons of mid range and gain here, so don’t expect any lush cleans, but the harmonics and sustain this pedal is producing is hard to beat. Highly recommended for bedroom setups and mids scooped Fender and Vox amps in particular. See my full review of the SviSound OverZoid here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Strymon Deco
Perhaps an odd choice for your Gilmour tones but this pedal has so much to offer. The Deco replicates the compression, saturation and overdrive you would get from plugging your guitar into those old tape machines. Either as a stand alone overdrive or as a booster, the Deco provides super smooth tones from clean to moderate overdrive, nicely compressed and with enoygh low end. Like those old tape machines, the Deco also offer amazing sounding flanger, chorus and delay. Highly recommended for boosting and David’s more recent Tube Driver tones. See my review of the Deco here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.com score: 10/10

Distortion

Although David always favoured the vintage fuzz and Muffs, he did use a RAT in the 80s and 90s for some of the songs. His 1989-90 setup also featured a Tube Screamer. It’s also worth noting that the Cornish G2 featured on the 2006 tour has a similar tone as the RAT. Depending on your amp, in most cases you’re probably better off with a category 2 distortion (more mid range and compression) for your bedroom setup.

ProCo Rat

Nothing beats the RAT when it comes to classic distortion. This has always been my go to pedal and it works perfectly on any setup for any genre. The tone ranges from warmth overdrive to creamy tube-like distortion to screaming fuzz. It has a pronounced mid range and all the sustain in the world. There are many clones on the market, with different modifications, but the old black box keeps up with most of them.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

Arc Effects Soothsayer
Since its introduction in the late 70s, the RAT has been one of the most versatile distortions on the market, with it’s smooth character and sweet sustain. The Soothsayer is based on the old classic and the LM308 chip and in addition to covering the original tone, you can also switch between different clipping modes. The RAT can appear a bit boxy and lack low end but the Soothsayer has a much more open tone and nicely balanced lows. Definitely one of the better RAT clones out there and a great option for typical bedroom setups. See my full review of the Soothsayer here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

CostaLab Dirty Angel
The Dirty Angel is based on the classic Rat circuit, with lots of gain, compression and mid range. In addition to the familiar controls, the Bad Angel feature a boost switch for a second gain stage, allowing more of pretty much everything on solos and heavier parts. Compared to the Rat, the Bad Angel has more low end and more of that tube amp-like character, with more compression kicking in at higher gain settings. At lower gain settings, the pedal also doubles nicely as a warm overdrive. Excellent alternative to the Rat and similar clones and especially recommended for smaller sized bedroom setups and scooped amps. See my full review of the Bad Angel here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Buffalo Evolution
Although David Gilmour is perhaps mostly associated with the Big Muff, he also use distortions like the RAT and Pete Cornish G2. These have more mid range and an overall more saturated character. The Evolution is based on the G2, with much of the same character but Buffalo FX has addressed some of the issues as well, like designing a more linear gain stage and an overall warmer sounding character. The result is an incredibly versatile distortion, with a tube amp like tone, sweet singing sustain and a very low noise level. See my full review of the Evolution here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 10/10

TopTone DG2

The DG-2 is loosely based on the Pete Cornish G2. Not really a Big Muff but closer to the classic RAT with a warm, creamy germanium tone and tons of sustain. Compared to the Cornish, the DG2 is actually noticeably quieter and even a bit smoother. An excellent choice for a versatile setup and for bedroom setups. See my full review of the DG2 here.
Bedroom setups: 9/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/PULSE/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 9/10

Vick Audio V-2
The V-2 taps into the Cornish G2 territory but unlike the TopTone G2 and Buffalo FX Evolution, the V-2 sounds closer to a Muff, rather than a Muffish Marshall. There’s lots of gain, mids and low end here but what sets it apart, is less compression and more harmonics. The V-2 can easily cover David’s more current lead tones, produced by the Cornish G2 but also double as a Muff and even a fuzz, with some tweaking. The V-2 sounds best alone, without a booster, and works equally well on smaller bedroom amps and bigger stage rigs. See my full review of the Vick Audio V-2 here.
Bedroom setups: 10/10
Gilmour tones: Delicate/Pulse/Gdansk/Rattle
Gilmourish.Com score: 8/10

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