Does Distortion Make Everything Sound The Same?

[xjbebop]

There's a reason why there are a bazillion different "distortion" pedals available on the market these days...

 

[AP515]

There are two truths affecting this topic:

1. Everything affects everything.
2. The more distortion you apply the less you hear the differences.

 

[MarshallMike]

I did a similar test a few weeks ago. I recorded all 9 of my guitars through 4 different Marshall amps and even did one amp on both channels and added a boost and an overdrive to that clean channel to make that 5 amps.
I used an identical IR for each track as well.
So, that was 45 tracks of moderate gain guitar and guess what?
You can hear a distinctive difference between all 45 tracks.
I have also done a recording capturing the room sound with a cell phone with all my guitars and one single amp and cab. Same result everyone has it's own unique sound.

 

[gush]

There’s a reason you can’t sell a metal zone for over $25. That said, if you’re purely looking for lots of gain no matter what you plug it into, I suppose it has a purpose. I use mine to hold jacks while I’m making cables.

This made me laugh out loud!!! At least you're getting good use out of your metal zone!!!

 

[Guitarsan]

Excellent observation.

Also turning the volume down on a fuzz was one of Hendrix’ tricks for certain clean tones, as contrary as that might seem!

Yes! One can achieve a glassy clean tone with a Germanium-based fuzz effect and the volume turned down. Allow Mr. Pete Thorn to demonstrate....

 

[Guitarsan]

Also, there can be subtle differences in guitars even with a lot of distortion. I once owned a Gibson ES335 and that sucker growled when distorted. That's the closest I can describe, but it was exciting to hear. I can only hope my (soon to be NGD) McCarty 594 HBII sounds like that!

 

[Glide-bpm]