The Teisco Distortion is a distortion pedal with a separate boost channel, listed at $149 with availability in January 202012. Guitar.com described the high-gain overdrive mode as tweaked for a British voicing with fat mids and a tightened low end1, and found the pedal loaded with options and full of rage, with a wide spectrum of sounds to explore1.
A British distortion with a separate boost
Delicious Audio's Alex Maiolo called the pedal "gain with attitude," with "strong British flavor" and endless amounts of gain on tap, and added it to the site's article about the best Plexi-style distortions3. The MORE channel can be used by itself as a clean-ish boost, or stacked with the distortion circuit for more of everything3. Guitar.com notes that the secondary footswitch can either add more girth to your overdriven tone or give your amp's clean signal a nudge1.
Josh Scott of JHS Pedals, writing about Teisco's comeback, placed the pedal in familiar company: "It makes me think of pedals like the classic MT10 Mostortion by Ibanez," adding that it also has the same sort of feeling as the Plexi Drive by Wampler and the JHS Charlie Brown4. On its circuit design, he said: "It does a really good job at sounding like an amp distortion because it has cascading stages"4.
The controls
The pedal carries five knobs and two toggles35:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Overall volume2 |
| Gain | Amount of saturation2 |
| Tone | Tone shaping35 |
| Presence | Tone shaping, top-end focus35 |
| Muscle | Toggle that adds another gain stage for more clipping, saturation and grit35 |
| Tight | Adjusts the feel response and how the pedal reacts with your guitar4 |
| More | Boost channel level, named after the JHS motto "loud is more good"4 |
Josh Scott's take on the voicing controls: "The tone and presence control are great"4. Of the Muscle and Tight switches, he said they "help you adjust the feel response and how it reacts with your guitar"4.
Power, bypass and housing
The pedal runs on a standard 9V DC supply with a 2.1mm center-negative barrel connector and draws 40mA3. Switching is true bypass3. The enclosure is a textured purple zinc case with recessed screws, removable feet, and a textured base for stronger velcro adhesion3.
At 40mA, the Distortion draws more than many standard low-current outputs supply, so plan your power supply's per-output budget accordingly3.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's April 2020 review summed it up: "Loaded with options and full of rage, it'll get your day started off in the right direction"5. The review highlighted the dual-circuit design, five knobs, two toggles, and the boost side5. Guitar.com included the pedal in its roundup of the best effects pedals of NAMM 20202.
Questions
Is the Teisco Distortion true bypass?
Yes. Delicious Audio's product page lists the switching as true bypass, so the pedal passes your guitar's signal straight through when it is off. That matters if you run a long pedalboard chain, since a true bypass pedal adds no buffering to your signal when disengaged.
Can the Teisco Distortion's More channel be used on its own?
Yes. The pedal has two independent circuits, each with its own footswitch. Delicious Audio describes the MORE channel as usable by itself as a clean-ish boost, or stacked with the distortion circuit for more level and push. Guitar.com notes the secondary footswitch can add girth to an overdriven tone or lift an amp's clean signal.
What does the Muscle switch do on the Teisco Distortion?
The Muscle toggle adds another gain stage to the distortion channel. Delicious Audio says it adds yet another gain stage for even more clipping, and Pedal of the Day describes it as producing more saturation and grit. Alongside the Tight switch, it shapes how the pedal responds to your guitar.
What power supply does the Teisco Distortion need?
The pedal runs on a standard 9V DC supply with a 2.1mm center-negative barrel connector and draws 40mA. That is within reach of most pedalboard power supplies, but it is worth checking your supply's per-output current budget before daisy chaining.
Is the Teisco Distortion analog?
Yes. Guitar.com's NAMM 2020 report describes the Distortion as one of the latest additions to Teisco's growing series of analogue pedals. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals has also described its cascading stages as giving it an amp-like distortion character.
Sources (5)
- Nine best effects pedals of NAMM 2020, Guitar.com, 2020-01-21
- NAMM 2020 Demo: Listen to Teisco raise a ruckus with new Overdrive, Distortion pedals, Guitar.com, 2020-01-17
- Teisco Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2022-03-08
- TEISCO'S BIG COMEBACK, JHS Pedals
- Teisco Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2020-04-16
