Overdrive can be a warmer sound than distortion, but shares many of the same attributes: fuzzy, screaming, and growling. Overdrive is created by:

These are the best options for #3: overdrive effects pedals.

Since its release in 1981, the workhorse SD-1 Super Overdrive has been the core gain pedal for generations of players across every musical genre. Based around the revolutionary asymmetrical clipping circuit from the OD-1 Overdrive—one of the three original BOSS compact pedals from 1977—the SD-1 delivers rich, smooth, and highly musical overdrive tones that continue to inspire guitarists everywhere.

The BD-2 Blues Driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30-year-old tube amps.

This reissue of the Tube Screamer is made in the same factory as the original with the same circuitry that made the first one so famous and coveted by guitarists. Tone, drive, and level controls give you access to warm, amp-like overdrive that’s touch-sensitive and ready to rip. The Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer is a reissue that’s just like the original in so many ways. Same factory, same components, same housing, same famous seasick-green paint, and the same crankin’ overdrive that made the original one of the all-time classic pedals. Guitar Player called it the best. Plug it in. Crank it up. You’ll hear what all the fuss is about. Tone, drive, and level controls.

Even if you have a serious guitar pedal addiction, there’s a good chance you still have room on your pedalboard for the iconic Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini overdrive pedal. And with its legendary midrange growl and expressive touch sensitivity, the Tube Screamer Mini appeals to a wide range of guitarists of all styles. Complete with the classic green paint job, and three simple knobs to dial in a wide range of tones, you’ll be primed for tonal excellence with the Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini overdrive pedal in your guitar rig.

The incomparable overdrive pedal that’s been described as the Holy Grail of Tube screamers. The TS808 reissue features the same famous standout square footswitch of the original and the even more famous warm tones of the JRC4558 chip used in most of the original TS808’s. Ignore any over-the-counter lookalikes. If your tone is suffering from a lack of real warmth, the TS808 is the real, non-generic prescription.

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