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What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… October 13, 2025 Basic Pedals Needed for Metal (part one) In the last issue we went over part two of Re-amping Guitar Tracks in Your DAW (click here for a refresher). This time we’re going to determine the least amount of dollars for a basic metal pedal rig. Can we do it in two pedals? Can we beat $150 USA? We shall see, but we shall see. And we have a new piano tune called Unexpected Surprise. So sit back and relax. Welcome to Zystrix, the heartbeat of the universe. Where creativity and free-thinking have more value than conformity. Background Artwork The colorful artwork that surrounds the edges of this website is invisible to many cell phone users. It’s included here (with others) for your enjoyment. Multiple copies are tiled together for a cohesive and seamless background seen all around this page. Enjoy. Introduction to a Basic Metal Sound on a Budget Part One The main object of this issue it to get a great but individual metal guitar sound. We’re looking for our own personalized guitar sound. And I’m trying to use pedals that are easy to find new at a good price point right now. So I’m only going to concentrate on the meat and potatoes of a great sounding basic metal guitar sound. And we’re going to do it using only two pedals (at least for now). Here’s what I won’t cover. These pedal types are not allowed (at least for now)... No modulation pedals No delay pedals No reverb pedals No noise gates No compression pedals No tuner pedals No fuzz pedals No wah-wah pedals No volume pedals No buffer pedals No modelers We want decisive gain. What we’re NOT going for here is the typical sound of a 5150 into a 4x12 cabinet captured with a Shure SM57 microphone. Although it sounds great for metal, it’s so common as to be boring. What we ARE looking for is our own original sound on a budget. And there’s a lot of ways to get there. There’s so many ways, in fact, as to be dizzying. Needles to say, I left out many excellent and some very expensive pedals from this list. But that was the object. If you feel you need to spend lots of money that’s OK, and no one can fault you for that. But what we’re going for here is to start with an overview of some fairly common inexpensive pedals and build from there. Pedal #1 in Our Chain Affordable Low to Mid Gain Overdrive Pedals This pedal will be our first one on the pedal-board – something that offers slight (or more if you desire) breakup before the main gain pedal. There are a lot of pedals to choose from and they can be stacked (if you desire) for a more complex tone. However, you don’t need to stack low-gain pedals. You can stack them if you feel like being clever. But stacking is not mandatory, it’s just an option. The object here is to sound great and individual on a budget, and we’re also looking to keep the pedal count down to two (for now). So here are some affordable pedals that make a great first pedal choice in this small pedal-board lineup. Boss DS-1 Distortion This one is a great choice for a pre- distortion pedal sound and can be heard on many recordings. And if you search the used market and pawn shops they can be had for around $50 USA. I found one in pretty good condition for $45 USA at my local pawn shop. However, the Rowin Dist IV is a great alternative because it has more sound options (a three way toggle switch) than the original Boss DS-1, but I’ve noticed they are a little hard to find right now. Or give the similar Mooer Ultra Drive pedal a listen. Ibanez Tube Screamer This is another very popular pedal and one of those sounds that guitarists seem to either really love or they really don’t. If money is no object and you love Tube Screamers then check out the “Swiss Army Knife” JHS Bonsai pedal. Although the Bonsai pedal gives the user many TS options in one convenient package, I wouldn’t consider it inexpensive at about $250 USA and free shipping. There are many TS type pedals available, so the trick is to choose one that fits your sound requirements, and especially your budget. Check out the Mosky Mini Screamer. Or listen to the Behringer TO800. Or the Caline Midlander or the Captain Silver with the TS808 and TS9 switch for about $48 USA and free shipping on Reverb. Or check out the Mooer Green Mile pedal. The DemonFX King of Drive also comes with a Blues Breaker type circuit built in, so it’s like getting two pedals for the price of one for about $60 USA and free shipping. I found that deal on Reverb. Normally I would say purchase it from Starlight Distribution out of Canada, but right now there are artificially imposed trade tensions between Canada and the USA. Maybe the USA mid-term elections in November 2026 will help alleviate that and give moronic politicians a college lesson in macro economics. ProCo Rat If the gain on this pedal is turned up it can be a little too fuzzy, but at noon or less it’s not bad. Use it to inject your amp with badness – it’s the guitar pedal sound of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The price of the original pedal is prohibitive, but a new Rat 2 weighs in at only about $120 USA and the turbo version is about $160 USA. However, listen to the DemonFX Fat Mouse with the two toggle switches for a cool change of pace, or the Mosky Black Rat is another great option. The Donner Dark Mouse is another one to give a listen, and on Ebay I found them for less than $30 USA and free shipping. MXR Distortion + Welcome to the sound of Randy Rhoads; a Distortion + pedal into a Marshall. And it’s a worthy combination because I tried it myself at many gigs. Yeah, it rocks. But trying to find a Distortion Plus clone is a nearly impossible effort. But if you like the MXR Distortion + you may also like the Finch Plus. I found one used for $130 USA. That’s not what I consider an affordable pedal, but it gets the MXR Distortion + sound dead on with many variations the original doesn’t offer. Or a used Caline White Heat (no longer made) from Reverb may be something to consider, and they are still available for under $30 USA. The Behringer DM-100 pedal imitates the Boss DS-1, the MXR Distortion +, and the ProCo Rat, so it’s three times the fun but it doesn’t fit on this list because it’s a modeler. Sorry. There are also kits from General Guitar Gadgets a person can build (or purchase pre-built from builders) that are exact replicas of the MXR Distortion + circuit for about $60 USA. On the other hand, the DOD 250 is a very close sounding circuit to the Distortion+ (so is the Ross), and some people prefer it. But there are imported clone pedals that are cheaper than the do-it-yourself kits. And speaking of that, consider the… DOD 250 This pedal, like the MXR Distortion +, goes great into a Marshall type amp (or Marshall-like pedal). Last I knew Yngwie Malmsteen used the DOD 250. You may also want to listen to the Mosky D250x Overdrive. I found them at Walmart Online Shopping for less than $30 USA and free shipping. Now that’s a steal deal. Paul Cochrane Timmy This is an excellent transparent overdrive pedal, and it gooses the front end of an amp without injecting too much of an obtrusive gain (if that’s what you are looking for). But it all depends on what end sound you have in mind. Unfortunately it is not an affordable pedal, or at least not for this list. But if you like the sound of the Timmy you may also like the Caline Pure Sky Overdrive, and it’s at a considerable savings. If I had to complain about the Pure Sky pedal it seems to be slightly microphonic, but that complaint is very minor since I don’t play at ear-splitting volumes. Well, not anymore. I really like mine, and I feel the sound is slightly better than the Timmy. Listen for yourself. I found one new for less than $30 and free shipping at Amazon. That’s a great value for a pedal that sounds this good. Klon The Klon is so expensive it costs more than the down payment I put on my last home. However, the Wampler Tumnus also does a great job, but to me at $150 USA and free shipping, it’s still not what I would call an affordable pedal. By far the Mosky Golden Horse is an excellent sounding mini pedal at a great price. I found one at Ebay for less than $30 USA and free shipping. You may also want to give the Caline Pegasus a listen, but I couldn’t find what I would call a deal on the Caline version. The DemonFX 83 Drive is two normal pedals wide but it’s nice because it also offers the Marshall Blues Breaker type of circuit. Put a Tube Screamer type pedal after it and it’s like super John Mayer on a budget. These two pedal sounds in the DemonFX 83 Drive can be used individually or stacked in whatever order you like. I found one new on Reverb for less than $60 USA with free shipping. I own one and it’s a great pedal. Marshall Blues Breaker This pedal has one sound and does it OK. And the original version is way out of the price range of this listing. If you are looking for only the Blues Breaker sound check out the Joyo Blue Rain for about $43 USA and free shipping on Reverb. Rowin makes the Bluesy pedal which has the same volume problem as the original Marshall pedal, but it’s a good deal for the money. I found one for $35 USA and free shipping from Amazon. Give it a listen. The JHS Double Barrel has the Blues Breaker type circuit plus a Tube Screamer circuit but it’s also a little pricey. The Tone City King of Blues pedal offers the same circuits or so and it’s about $70 and free shipping on Reverb. As I mentioned above in the Tube Screamer section, the DemonFX King of Drive is also an excellent way to go at under $60 USA and free shipping. Give it a listen. Marshall Shred Master The original pedal is another one that costs much more money than is allowed here, but the re- issue is available now. However, the cost is about $200 USA with free shipping on Reverb. This is the pedal circuit that inspired the enviable Truetone Jekyll and Hyde pedal which in turn inspired the Truetone Son of Hyde pedal which in turn inspired the Joyo High Gain Distortion pedal. It even sports a cool flaming skull and crossbones. I found the Joyo for $33 USA and free shipping on Ebay. I happen to own the Joyo High Gain and it rocks like hell, and it could be a high-gain amp sound all by itself if run through an IR pedal. Even the softer distortion tones are great. It doesn’t have a bass control knob, but I haven’t found that to be a problem. And if needed it can always be run through an EQ pedal to sculpt a tone that suits you. Check out the sound of the Joyo High Gain Distortion pedal if you enjoy killer over-the-top flame- throwing super gain guitar distortion. I know I do. Excellent. Boss Blues Driver The Boss Blues Driver sounds great on a low gain setting, but when it’s really driven it’s like plugging into a Fender Deluxe Reverb and strangling the hell out of it. Yeah baby. I haven’t heard any other pedal that sounds exactly like it. I haunted the local pawn shops and finally found mine for $60 USA. Some pedal imitations come close, but they don’t quite get the Boss Blues Driver sound. But does the sound need to be exact? Maybe not. I suppose it depends on how hard you are going to drive it. That’s where the differences lie. The Donner Blues Drive does a pretty good job -- I like the toggle in the up or HOT position -- and it’s about $32 USA and free shipping from Ebay. Another fairly good one is the Mooer Blues Mood pedal. Give it a listen. Here are some other pedals you may want to give a listen for your first selection in the pedal-board lineup. The Fulltone OCD is quite popular, and it has some imitators you may like. Listen to the Caline Leon Drive, the Mosky Obsessive, and the Joyo Ultimate Drive. If you prefer something with a slight compression and fatness listen to the Caline Enchanted Tone or the Rowin Dumbler Overdrive. The Suhr Riot is another great sounding pedal, and an excellent clone is the Joyo US Dream. You may also like the Donner Morpher. Give the Boss Turbo Distortion DS-2 a listen for some heavier distorted tones. For a pretty good imitation of those sounds listen to the Behringer OD-300. I found one at Adorama for only $30 USA and free shipping, although lately (maybe because of the tariffs?) Behringer pedals are starting to get a little hard to find in the USA. Listen to the TC Electronic MojoMojo pedal. It’s got a realistic and pleasant amp-like distortion. If you like the extreme sounds of the Electro Harmonix Metal Muff check out the Caline Tantrum and also the Joyo Extreme Metal. I’m not sure what distortion pedal it’s imitating, but the Rowin Holy War is an excellent pedal to my ear and worth a serious listen. The price is right too hovering around $30 and free shipping. Conclusion Affordable Low to Mid Gain Overdrive Pedals And there you have it. There are many many more pedals that could be listed here, but I tried to hit the highlights. If there’s a pedal you prefer in front of your metal amp simply use it in the next examples coming in two weeks. I hope this has inspired you to begin the search for a new ultimate guitar voice. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… In the next issue we’re going to look at pedal two of two in this series. We’re going for the least amount of pedals for the greatest amount of thrust. We’ll examine the affordable maximum gain beauties that make all the difference. Maybe I’ll see you then. Unexpected Surprise solo piano by Dangerous Neighbors Surprises can be good or bad. It’s a miracle -- this time it’s all good. Click here for the MP3 version of Unexpected Surprise. Click here for the video version. Enjoy. Since Trump got re-elected exaggerations have gone up a million percent.

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