The top 5 ODs/Distortions you've ever tried.

Gassage

I took delivery today of a Jester. I had simply forgotten how good they are.

It got me thinking - I've been through more dirt than JCB- so I was musing the top 5 OD's I've ever tried....

1. Cornish P1- still unmatched by any muff I've ever heard. Clarity, punch, grit, everything. Truly CNumb in a box.
2. Effectrode Blackbird.- does everything from EQ to high gain- genius of a pedal.
3. Paul Cochrane Tim v2. Miles better than the Timmy, just as smooth as you can get. Amazing.
4. ThorpyFX Peacekeeper- It's kicked my CC1 off my board. Do I need to say any more?
5. Kingsley Jester/Jouster/Minstrel - as they are of the same family, I'll shove them together- incredible clarity and seperation, built like tanks, loads of tone in there.

Others I like greatly.

BK TD- but it's a 2 trick pony.
Providence SOV2- a brilliant allrounder.
Fallout/Muffroom- miles away from the P1 in voicing but the ultimate velvety muff
Orignal RAT's- have a real metallic thing going on that not many others do.

timmysoft

For me it would be:

1. Boss SD-1w - its just a very good OD, the new custom mode is how i always wanted the old ones to sound!
2. Fulltone OCD (v1.7) - smooth, powerful and full of great tones, love it with EL34s and needs to be at 15/18v.
3. Mesa Throttlebox - often overlooked and thought of as a metal pedal, but it boosts very well in the "lo" mode
4. MXR D+ - Just adds something very cool to the signal, only ruined by its lack of volume 
5. LovePedal AMP11 - great pedal with a huge array of quality tones, i just wish it came in a bigger box!

Its worth noting that i use OD's into an already gained up amp, just to add a bit of saturation and character, i don't tend to use pedals for my main drive tones anymore. Into a clean amp i'd always go for a Rat2, Mesa Throttlebox or Diamond Fireburst (which has the best EQ i've ever encountered on a pedal)

Gassage

I do agree re OCD. A real benchmark pedal.

timmysoft

Gassage said:

I do agree re OCD. A real benchmark pedal.

When i had the Mesa Stiletto it was definitely the best overdrive, really lifted that amp and made it sound much better than it actually was!

ThePrettyDamned

Boss df2, for rumbling, open rhythm sounds. People use transparent overdrives for this but the df-2 just sounds great. 

@Juansolo ultrastoner. If you've got an amp that can handle the sheer power, it's a phenomenal sound. I use the germanium clippers for a softer, looser, squishy sound that turns a vintage strat pickup into a sludgey demon. It also can do lead tones, but it's at its best scooped and filthy. 

Boss od-3. It's fantastic - some find it a bit bland, but it's q wonderful, flat od/dist that punches above most boutique boxes. If you find it bland, you'll probably prefer a Blues driver which is less refined. 

Boss sd-1. Brilliant into a Marshall. Not much else to say. 

Last one, not sure - Nobels? There is a fabulous dual band cmos overdrive I've got that @juansolo built which is a bit noisier (cmos drives are) but very responsive and brilliantly versatile. Can be dialled in for plenty of amp voicings, including my very bright vox, for a great lead overdrive. 

ThePrettyDamned

Props to mxr dist 3. Absolutely one of my favourite overdrives ever, and can't sound bad. 

Calling @mike_l for his top 100.  

mike_l

I have quite a few.
The list of ones I don't like would be way shorter.......
My fav's for a lead boost are
MXR GT-OD
MXR Distortion3
Boss SD-1.
Boss DS-1.

I'd happily grab one of these if I didn't know what amp I'd be using, or what I'd be playing, as a lead boost.

guitarfishbay

I don't really use them for guitar. But I do like SD1s, and muffs are fun. I liked the HT Dual I had but specialist power supply meant I wouldn't use it so sold it.

On bass this would be easy:
B7KU
RBI
VT DI
ODB3
Mastotron

Sporky

Excluding ones in multiFX, I'd say:

Subdecay Liquid Sunshine
Foxrox ZIM
Zoom Hyperlead
Keeley or similar modded BD-2
Valvesporker

VJIves

Fender Blender
SHO
Caroline Wave Machine 2
Alexander Cartographer
SS/BS Fuck OD

earwighoney

Gassage said:

Orignal RAT's- have a real metallic thing going on that not many others do.

That's the only one I have tried in the pedals mentioned in this thread aside from the Boss ones, which I owned and never liked them.

I never really got on with that much, but with the strings slackened and playing some doom riffs I really like it.  

Fez

Mad Professor LGW 
Fallout Cloud
Boss DS1
Tube Screamer
Marshall Jackhammer (rubbish ergonomics though)

NotNowJohn

BJFE/Bearfoot Dyna Red Distortion
Cornish SS-3
Free The Tone SOV-2
Boss BD-2
Analogman KOT

Cabicular

KOT. Sounds ordinary at ordinary volumes
Ramp it up though and it is unbeatable

Marvel FX Rambler V3. More like a Marshall than most Marshalls I've played. The seperate treble and bass gains do the old 70s head thing very well

OCD v4 consistent and very good. A grab and go pedal if you don't know what you are plugging into

Thorpy FX Gunshot - very versatile although a bit fiddly to balance up (Calibre vs Gain) very solid and well made. A thing of joy 

Kingsley Jester. Just a different class of OD. Very tempted to put it in my Helix board despite the weight

also rans

JHS Sweet Tea. A decent Tube Screamer and an Angry Charlie in one box. Stacks with its self in either order

Boss Blues Driver Waza
suprised at how much I like this. I thought it was a low gain crunch box but it has a ton of gain on tap. Wouldn't be unhappy with it in any siuation 

carp diem ... Jury is out but it does seem to lack top end ... Like all of these things it may need a bit of Volume

simonbeckwith

Here's mine in no particular order : 

Bearfoot Honey Bee
Klon KTR
Maxon OD808
Catalinbread RAH
Lovepedal Amp Eleven

damm73

Buffalo FX M-1 fuzz - flavour of the week at damm towers. Time will tell if it ousts the Muffroom. 
Effectrode Helios/Mercury - both excel as an OD with the fuzz turned down to 10-11 o'clock 
Spaceman Gemini III -  ultimate fuzz weapon, very versatile, also cleans up into nice OD territory 
Van Weelden Royal Overdrive - like the KoT it works better at gig volume imho, really dynamic, great tone
Thorpy Peacekeeper - probably sees more use than anything else 

Honourable mentions also go to...

Jouster/Minstrel
Noel Cornet
Gunshot
KoT
Lovepedal Super-Six
Buffalo FX TD-X
FTT Red Jasper

siraxeman

Mine in no particular orde . .

Wampler pinnacle deluxe 
tube screamer.....or any decent clone!
Mooer cruncher......itself a clone of the crunch box
boss od-3
Dano transparent overdrive. ......timmy clone?
RAT......MUFF SLAYER INTIT!!

Yes i know i cheated.

kjdowd

No particular order...

1. KOT - fantastic in a band context. 
2. Muffroom Cloud - best fuzz I've ever tried
3. Klon KTR - just gives something to the sound. Beautiful
4. Lovepedal Amp11 - hugely versatile. Great for the low gain stuff
5. Dinosaural OPA 101 - unique and fantastic. Great, gritty tone. 

Jaded

1. Lovepedal Les Lius - covers most of my tweedy/Neil Young needs. There's a few things I would love to change about the 'boost' mode but on the whole it's probably my go to drive. 

2. Boss OD-2r - I usually come back to this every couple of months when I tire of the Les Lius, it covers the Tube Screamer thing when I need that and gets nice and loose in the second mode in a kind of like the Les Lius.

3. Boss SD-2 - they get some hate for their OD side but it really sounded unique to me (reminded me a bit of Elliott Smith). The distortion sounded a bit too much like a DS-1 for my ears. Stupidly sold mine a few years ago.
 
4. Marshall Guv'nor MK1 - do I really need to explain this one?

5. EHX Hot Tubes (nano) - love the fuzzy feel to it and the huge low end. It is a bit strange though... a little muddy with the tone bypassed, tone control is a bit odd and seems to effect the mids and it doesn't sound great with the drive cranked... but the medium and low gain sounds are just fantastic!

Winny_Pooh

Jeezuz, talk about a lack of consensus...

frictionfraction

The ones I keep coming back to....
1. FULLTONE FD2 Mosfet
2. FULLTONE OCD. 
3.  KEELEY Modded SD1
...... Err that's it