Exar DS-2

For a distortion pedal with only three knobs, it's not the easiest to use because it tends to be very bright but the tone pot isn't voiced very well so it muddies the sound when turned down. But it is very simple if you want maximum trebly noise abrasiveness.

This is a VERY high-gain pedal. My theory is that it was designed to overcompensate for the weak pickups of Communist-era guitars, but for whatever reason, this is one for seekers of excess. I can put a soundboard piezo on a mandolin, bow the strings, and even that weak signal gets turned into a wall of severe distortion. It is also dead quiet (though it will boost any noise coming into it, of course), far quieter than any other distortion pedal I've heard.

The distortion can be musical if this pedal is in front of a good, warm tube amp. But run it into a cheap solid-state amp, or record its output directly, and it is painfully bright (though not thin).

A good distortion pedal for the price, but also quite possibly the ultimate distortion unit for abrasive black metal or harsh noise. I'd give it a six as a conventional distortion (it's about average but has gain to spare), or a ten for unconventional abrasion.

I've had this pedal some seven years (though it has mostly seen studio use) and other than breaking the top off one of the plastic knobs, no problems. The metal housing is certainly very solid.

I remember this cost some $20 new in Poland. It's not the world's most musical distortion pedal (though far from the worst), but if you want excess and abrasive treble, this is it. I mostly use my Dean Markley Overlord when I want "musical" distortion and use this pedal when the occasion calls for unmusical hideous noise. It's something of a specialist, which makes it difficult to rate.