Clippers, Fuzz, Distortion or Overdrive?

[Chienmortbb]

I have often thought of buying a big muff clone  but it sounds like I would have wasted my money based on another thread on here.

I am however amused at the way pedal manufacturers have convinced us and especially our thinner stringed friends that fuzz, distortion and  overdrive are different effects. All these "effects" are overdriven or distorted, they mean the same thing. higher levels of distortion can give the characteristic fuzz sound but fundamentally they all clip the waveform to a greater of lesser degree, either symmetrically or asymmetrically.

 

If we had to give them a name maybes Clippers would be a better all encompassing term. Howevr that could just be the marketeer in me wanting to add to tge woes of the poor bassist (i.e. the ones like me that have been "fooled again" by the marketing depts of pedal manufacturers.

Edited April 12, 2022 by Chienmortbb

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Clippers are something used to give you a haircut.

 

Athough there is overlap between these three types of pedal, an overdrive will typically sound quite different from a fuzz and if an all-encompassing tern is needed I'd probably just use the term 'distortion'.

[paul_5]

Overdrive - (as one might imagine) putting too much signal through part of a circuit - thus overdriving it. Crucially overdrive is dynamic, so the more a player 'digs in', then more dirt you get.

 

Distortion - Constant filth, regardless of player's dynamics.

 

Fuzz - boosts the signal to the extent that the wave is practically 'squared off' instead of a sine wave (for example), it also compresses the signal something crazy.