Dialing in Distortion Tone
Contents
Types of Distortion
I like to lump distortion tones into 3 broad categories. This is a bit different than the distortion pedal types listed earlier. Distortion pedals tend to be designed to distort only a certain way. This is more about how tube overdrive can be tweaked to sound different ways. While pedals also have flexibility, they tend to get quite nasty outside their "comfort zone", while tubes are a bit more versatile. That's not to say that tubes trump solid state pedals outright - in fact, they can be combined to get the best of both worlds as seen below.
Also, tubes are not universal - some amps can be dialed in for nice-sounding distortion in one (or two) type(s) below, but not the others. And this is not about distortion levels - there can be mild distortion or extra-saturated distortion in any of the types below.
Leads higher up the fretboard tend to sound nice on all kinds of distortion, although the response can vary significantly.
Fuzz
Fuzz sounds are marked by an emphasis on distorted bass frequencies. The tone is rumbly (or muddy) and tends to turn to complete mush whenever intervals beyond perfect 4ths or 5ths (or chords) are played. When transitioning between two notes with slight overlap, the notes sound almost like they are fighting each other. The response is quite loose, making it difficult to play fast passages clearly, especially in lower registers. Palm mutes are particularly muddy, with the percussive attack extremely muffled and tone rather noisy.
Crunch
Crunch has an emphasis on midrange frequencies distortion. It can sound a lot like a vintage-style overdrive (although depending on the amp or pedal model, it may be much smoother and cleaner). This is often the default type of distortion that an amp will provide, requiring a boost or pre-EQ to dial in others. The attack retains most of its dynamics, being able to hear accents and strums. Lower registers can get a little rough and loose, but it's generally clear enough for rock riffing. Chords can get a little nasty, but come through well enough as long as they aren't too complex. Palm mutes are clear but rather percussive, sounding similar to how a clean tone sounds on palm mutes.
Metal
Metal is based on distorted treble frequencies over others. The bass comes through clean and tight, only compressed, while the high-end is filled with saturated, harmonic overtones. Notes and power chords in riffs have a tight response - all the notes can be fairly clearly distinguished, even when playing at fast tempos. Chords have most notes come through well enough to be distinguished, but can get too harsh and noisy for bigger chords. Palm mutes sound thick and rattle the walls, while having the signature djent sound in the upper mids and highs, emphasizing each stroke.
Pre-EQ
The simplest way to experience the different types of distortion mentioned above is to take a relatively balanced sounding distortion from a tube pre-amp that has a bit of all the aspects described above, then use a parametric or graphic EQ in front the amp to boost a hump in the frequency spectrum. Sweep the center frequency of the boost - as you sweep from low to high, you'll hear the distortion turn from fuzzy to crunchy to metallic. Pre-EQ can be used to crudely change the overall nature of the distortion as such.
I find EQ gives you more control, though. Rather than aim for a general distortion type, I like to use EQ to fine-tune the distortion tone, focusing in not only the sweet spot of the spectrum but also trimming frequencies here and there to avoid any nastiness. For a metal tone, I will find the exact spot in the low end where the bass gets farty and dial it back just enough to clean it up. If there's some raspy noisiness in the high end, I'll trim or dial it back so it blends into the rest of the tone. I may dial down some mids to make the tone more djenty and less percussive, or the opposite to sweeten it up.
This chart sums up how the tone will likely sound if the given frequency is the peak (loudest) part of the signal before distortion, as well as what will happen if those frequencies are overly deficient. Generally, you want all the frequencies to be balanced, but emphasize a peak for the tone you want. Your peak can span several of these zones, however. Or your signal could be relatively flat for a more even distortion.
| Freq (HZ) | Peak | Lacking |
|---|---|---|
| 0-150 | Muddy | Thin |
| 150-250 | Fuzzy | Thin |
| 250-500 | Creamy | Cold |
| 500-1000 | Flat* | Tinny |
| 1000-2000 | Djenty | Buzzy |
| 2000-4000 | Crispy | Sterile |
| 4000+ | Gritty | Smooth |