The Rainger FX El Distorto is a distortion pedal from Rainger FX, released in 2009, built around a silicon diode clipping stage and a two-voice design: a drive and volume knob pair for the main sound, plus an offset switch on the base that destabilises an offset in the circuit for a fuzzier, swimminess-laced alternative1. It is no longer made: Delicious Audio described it as discontinued in December 20212.
What it does and how it is controlled
The El Distorto keeps things simple on the surface: a drive knob and a volume knob3. The offset switch on the base is what gives it its second character. Without the offset, MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen described the pedal as sitting in fuzz/distortion borderland, with solid overdrive at lower drive levels and more of the fuzz character as the knob is advanced3. Engage the offset and, in Curwen's words, "the sound gets fuzzier around the edges, with a phasey swimminess and an increase in harmonic content"3.
There is no tone control. Curwen found the pedal very nicely voiced regardless, with an upper-mid presence that cuts through3.
The enclosure and its sockets
Rainger FX pedals are built to stand out, and the El Distorto is no exception. It is an asymmetrical pedal that stands on end and, in Curwen's description, looks like a cute cartoon alien3. Its "ears/antennae" double as locking Neutrik sockets for your jack plugs, part of the design of the asymmetric enclosure3. Curwen's one reservation was practical: "Those Neutrik sockets might not be for everyone"3.
The El Distorto and the Break Box
The circuit did not end when the pedal did. Rainger FX describes the Break Box as "Based on the Rainger FX El Distorto overdrive pedal from way back in 2009"1, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio wrote that "The 'normal' part of the Break Box is borrowed by the company's El Distorto overdrive circuit"4. The Break Box pairs that circuit with a Tonebender-style side, chorus fade-in, a noise gate and a guitar-triggered record scratch feature4. The El Distorto circuit also appears in the Air Space Invader 2, where De Gregorio noted the overdrive circuit is from the now discontinued El Distorto, making that pedal a two-in-one2.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's review, by Trevor Curwen, summed the pedal up in three positives and one caveat3:
"Unique looks."
"Nicely voiced overdrive and fuzz/distortion tones."
"Two distinct distortion voices in one pedal."
"Those Neutrik sockets might not be for everyone."
Videos
Prymaxe
Dennis Kayzer
CrisMusicMilano
Questions
Does the Rainger FX El Distorto have a tone control?
No. MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen noted there is no tone control, but found the pedal very nicely voiced, with an upper-mid presence that cuts through. The only knobs are drive and volume, so shaping is done at the pedal's two controls and the offset switch rather than with a dedicated tone knob.
What does the offset switch do on the El Distorto?
The offset switch is an extra switch on the base that destabilises an offset in the circuit. With it engaged, the sound gets fuzzier around the edges, with a phasey swimminess and an increase in harmonic content, turning the pedal's second voice on alongside its standard overdrive and fuzz character.
Is the Rainger FX El Distorto discontinued?
Yes. Delicious Audio described the El Distorto as now discontinued in a December 2021 article about the Air Space Invader 2, which borrows the pedal's overdrive circuit. The circuit itself continues in other Rainger FX designs, most directly the Break Box.
What is the relationship between the El Distorto and the Break Box?
The Break Box is based on the El Distorto. Rainger FX describes the Break Box as based on the El Distorto overdrive pedal from way back in 2009, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted that the normal part of the Break Box is the El Distorto overdrive circuit.
What kind of clipping does the El Distorto use?
Silicon diode clipping. MusicRadar's review describes the El Distorto as a silicon diode-based distortion pedal, which shapes how the drive section compresses and breaks up as the drive knob is turned up.
Sources (4)
- Break Box, Rainger FX
- Rainger FX Air Space Invader 2, Delicious Audio, 2021-12-13
- Rainger FX El Distorto review, MusicRadar, 2015-01-11
- Rainger FX Break Box, Delicious Audio, 2023-01-31
Nels Cline
