Best overdrive pedal for guitar?
Boss pedals are great. I never really liked Digitech - I have a multi-effect pedal from them (RP) but I don't liek the distortion on them. I'm not sure about the Marshall pedal. But Overdrives are meant to do just that - take your amp distortion, and boost them. You shouldn't rely solely on OD pedals to get your sound. That's what distortion's for. You need to have solid distortion to start with, then boost that sound with an OD pedal. Also, the better the amp, the more effect an OD pedal will have. A Maxon Tube Screamer will do little to boost a solid state, 15 watt marshall. But hook up the Maxon to a Marshall Tube, and it will definitely enhance your sound.
Overdrive Guitar Pedals?
The overdrive is good just for that >> overdrive the pre-amp stage and giving more guts to your sound. If you like your sound the way it is, then the overdrive will only make it better by adding a fuller tone. MXR is a good pedal but, as you mentioned, it is good for tube amps. I suggest the Overdrive from Boss OD-3 which will fit well with your Randall. I used to sell Randall amp back in the days when Gibson used to own it. That is a super clean amp and the new OD-3 from Boss is a Dual-Stage Overdrive Circuit offering levels of sustain and compression unmatched by any overdrive pedal. This pedal will increased dynamics and yield a "bigger" sound than other overdrinves. You can't go wrong.
You’re looking at an analog delay pedal and a reverb, the flavor of which is entirely up to you.However, I do suggest that you get a very good overdrive and a distortion (if necessary) first. Since you’re using a Mustang 1 amp, I do suggest that you stay away from transparent overdrives, as those are most suitable for driving tube amps. I suggest that you get a Tube Screamer type pedal, and in fact, the TS Mini is a small and affordable pedal that gets you the sound right away, well, because it is the real thing, just mini. If you’re gonna be doing higher gain stuff for the rock part of your repertoire, I do suggest getting a distortion pedal as well. It will depend on the music of course, for late 80s and 90s type stuff, a Boss DS-1 is a pretty safe and period correct choice. For something more classic, versatile, and cheap, I use an Artec Twinhead.I think the Mustang 1 has built in delay and reverb, so you can hold off on those purchases first and save up for a good OD/dist pedal. When you already have the money for the delay and reverb, go out and buy some. I can’t suggest reverbs and delays for you as the sound is even more nuanced and the price can vary greatly. If you want to save though, you can get a digital effect pedal like a Zoom MS-CDR which is a singe pedal multi-effects unit that specializes in chorus, delay, and reverb effects. It’s digital, but it’s better than your Mustang’s built-in delay and reverb, fully tweakable, and price wise, you can only get better tones for much more money whether it’s analog or digital.
Distortion/overdrive pedals?
Hello there, The Boss Metal Zone would probably work fine for you. It is one of the less expensive heavy distortion pedals. If you are looking to spend less, take a look at the Danelectro Black Coffee. If you are looking to spend more, take a look at the ProCo RAT. One other you can check out is the Digitech Grunge pedal. I have never been fond of the quality of Digitech. Boss makes good inexpensive pedals. The ProCo RAT is the best of that group. Talk to you later, Norm
Distortion or overdrive guitar effects pedal?
A Distortion pedal offers more gain than an over drive pedal. I myself did not understand the difference when I first started playing guitar but over the years of trying out a lot of different pedals I have heard the difference. You could turn up an over drive pedal all the way and still not get as much gain as you may have wanted. Maybe a distortion pedal offers to much gain for you even when at it's lowest. Now as far as which you should get really depends on what you want it for. If you are playing metal or any music that involves a lot of "in your face" type of gain then you will want to go with a distortion pedal. If you want a only a bit of gain maybe like country players I recommend you get an over drive pedal. Now just to clarify, I'm not saying that metal players don't use over drive pedals and that country players don't use distortion pedals. One thing you may want to consider is, if you have come across a certain song or band that you like their sound, you may wan't to look into researching the guitarist (which I assume you want the pedal for guitar) and see what they are using to get that sound. some guitar players like myself like the gain that the amp comes with and it's enough for their sound. However I will say this, I do include an overdrive pedal in my setup but I only use the gain for solos to give it that little boost of gain to make the solo stand out. If your amp has any gain at all and it isn't enough for you then you most likely will want to go for a distortion pedal. Once you make the choice of which you wan't between the two then I recommend you do some research, watch videos, read reviews on many types of distortions/overdrives before purchasing so you can get something you will be happy with for a long time. This way you don't buy something without knowing too much about it then after buying it turns out it's not that great then you have to save up for something else and you're not even gonna use your first purchase anymore. Hope this helped and best of luck to you!
Since I’m not playing professionally I don't need a lot of pedals. I have an overdrive pedal which gives me better control than the amp overdrive, I use a Morley Wah pedal and a Cry baby. The Morley has built in distortion. Personally I like a clean sound and I play loud. I get better tone when I play loud. I also have a Radial Big Shot ABY pedal that allows me to play through two amps either single or in tandem. I have the amps set for lead and rhythm singly plus the combination of both gives me a totally different sound. I have lots of fun experimenting with that setup. My final advice, keep it simple.