• Altex
  • Altex
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Goonellabah, NSW, Australia
  • Registered: 2006-12-13
  • Posts: 211

Topic: Distortion/Overdrive

What is the difference between distortion and overdrive. I remember hearing somewhere that distortion does something to the input and overdrive does something to the output or vice versa. This is probably completey wrong. Also ive picked up along the way somewhere that distortion gives a sound thats used mostly for metal and heavy music and overdirve gives a more bluesy sound and is used in some rock bands such as led zepplin.

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  • From: Nottingham, UK
  • Registered: 2006-08-08
  • Posts: 690

Re: Distortion/Overdrive

This site attempts to define both with soft and hard clipping.


<a href="http&#58;&#47;&#47;users.sa.chariot.net.au/~gmarts/ampovdrv.htm" target="_blank">http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~gmarts/ampovdrv.htm</a>


In reality guitarists have sought to get sounds from their amps through any means possible. The Sonics put an icepick through their speakers and got a killer fuzz sound.  Amps have been miked and then locked in closets. There's even a kooky sustain device that attaches to the headstock and vibrates the actual guitar.


In general work with what your amp provides. It's how your work with the gain that counts. If you get curious as to what you're missing try an inexpenisve Pod or Vamp to try a range of sounds quickly without going through dozens of rigs.

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'