DUer guitarists! Name your highest reccomendation for

[freethought]

a distortion or overdrive unit! What unit would you buy? Money being NO OBJECT.
I recently acquired a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive. It sounds very nice coming through my amp. Adjusted just so, the overdrive gives out a great bluesy tone. Makes me curious as to what the Route 66 sounds like.
I did hear some sound samples of a heavy distortion unit called, get this, "Landmine". Looked like a landmine too. Serious heavy thrash metal distortion. This would be something that I would use when
nobody could see or hear. Kind of like a guilty pleasure.

Not trying to take a pole or anything. Just want to hear opinions.

[mitchum]

1. An 80s era ProCo Rat...

not one of the more recent ones.
I've played through many others (boutique and "legendary" models) and I always come back to the Rat

[freethought]

2. Cool! You see that particular one "modelled" or simulated

on those large multi-distortion/overdrive units, like the BOSS 0D-20 among others.

[freethought]

3. I also have a Danelectro "FAB-METAL" distortion unit

Purchased it at nealy the same time I bought the Jekyll & Hyde. Thing was cheap, if I remember barely $20.00. I figured "What's twenty bucks!". Turns out this cheap-ass little Danelectro has a pretty good sound. Not like some thrash metal pedal but something more seventies rock. Not bad for what it is!
Sometimes you just luck out!

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Boss DS-1

Cheap. Smooth odd harmonic distortion. Bullet proof. My friend uses one and i've been hearing that tone through a tube amp for 14 years. He's never had a single problem with it.

It cuts for leads, adds grind without muddiness for chords, and is pretty quiet for a distortion unit. I think they can still be picked up for about $39.
The Professor

[XNASA]

7. Or a DS-2. It's 'one better'. Innit?

I've got a DS-2. The "2" refers to an additional switch that adds a bit of treble boost to the setting.

I like it because, as you say, it's quiet.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. S'OK By Me!

I haven't heard that one, but if it's based on the same circuits as the DS-1, i'm sure it's a great stompbox. Steve loves his!
The Professor

[ProfessorGAC]

Again With The Multiposts

...

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Sorry

Multipost

[Sammy Pepys]

6. I like.....

The Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and the Tube Screamer. For heavier stuff I like Big Muff or a Boss DS-1. I've been meaning to pick up a Rat for a while too.

I find boutique fuzz pedals are where it's at mostly...I've never really been impressed with normal overdrives and distortions from that arena.

[smoogatz]

9. Fulltone OCD.

You can't do any better for a "contemporary" OD/distortion sound. If you want something a bit more retro, check out the Fulltone Soul Bender, a germanium-based distortion/fuzz that's incredibly soulful and kind of spooky, IMO.

[EarlG]

10. Depends what you want to use it for

I'm currently using a DOD preamp, which I like a lot:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/DOD-Overdrive-Preamp250-Reissue-Pedal?sku=150070

While in the studio recently I swapped it out for a Green Line, which was fantastic:



And my wife swapped out her Boss Dual Overdrive for a Red Threat:



Both of those pedals are from http://www.smartpeoplefactory.com">Smart People Factory, and they really were awesome.

[Idylle Moon Dancer]

11. I've only ever tried 2

since my primary instruments are bass and acoustic guitar, I don't have much use for one, but I like to keep one handy for the occasions when I get the spirit of Cliff Burton in me.

Ibanez Super Metal (I don't know if they make it anymore) and Boss Metal Zone.
The Ibanez did very well with bass, but changing the battery was a major pain.
The Boss doesn't seem to agree with bass so well, but I have run my acoustic
through it and it sounds pretty good.

[Swamp Rat]

12. I miss my MXR Distortion +

A Jefferson Parrish cop stole it from me.

Check out Electro-Harmonix:

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/

Though I have never tried their distortion effects box, I use their freedom amp for amplifying my classical guitar - it has worked perfectly for 4 years.

Here's their distortion units:

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/Default.asp?q=f&f=%2FCatalog%2F04%5FDistortion

Their new distortion pedal the Metal Muff:

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/Default.asp?q=f&f=%2FCatalog%2F01%5FNew%5FProducts%2F05%5FMetal%5FMuff

"The Metal Muff provides an awesome array of alloys ranging from slithering mercury to molten slag, lead belly to blast furnace dross" :D

"English Muff'n employs vacuum tubes, including one glovered 12AY7 cascading into another, to produce true Brit-valve sounds that are full of richness and natural saturation.":

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/Default.asp?q=f&f=%2FCatalog%2F01%5FNew%5FProducts%2F10%5FEnglish%5FMuff'n

Little Big Muff:

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/Default.asp?q=f&f=%2FCatalog%2F01%5FNew%5FProducts%2F03%5FLittle%5fBig%5fMuff

[greyl]

13. Line 6 Pod xt, hands down.

I'm not aware of anything mentioned in the above posts that the Pod can't do better.

If you really want to figure this question out, lets swap audio files and get some empirical evidence on the table. ;)

[SlackJawedYokel]

14. I just ordered

a Build Your Own Clone Tube Screamer.
http://www.buildyourownclone.com/screamer.html
http://www.buildyourownclone.com/

If I like it I'll get the Tri-Boost next.
http://www.buildyourownclone.com/tri.html

I should be getting a DIY 12watt Class A amp kit and I was curious as to what it sounded like with a good overdrive.

That being said, I'd check out the Seymour Duncan SFX-03 twin tube classic, just for kicks.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/effectsdescr.shtml#twin_tube

Tonepad has a Rat clone I think I'll look at sometimes in the near future as well, because at one point in the not so distant past I had 4 mid 80's Rat2s... 2 pedals and one R2DU. Stupidly, I Ebayed them *before* the current trend... sigh.
http://www.tonepad.com/

DIY Stompboxes.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/wb/

Have fun.

Cletus