The Visual Sound Garagetone Chainsaw is a distortion pedal from the company's budget GarageTone line, now sold under the maker's current name as the Truetone GarageTone Chainsaw Distortion. Despite a name that suggests something harsh, both the maker and reviewers describe a musical, full-bodied distortion. MusicRadar's review called it "a unique and very musical distortion, in contrast to its name"1.
What it does
Truetone describes the pedal as "Full-Bodied Distortion · Surprisingly Musical", and elaborates: "Creamy, full-bodied, with a well-balanced frequency response that keeps the low-end powerful without getting muddy, the mids present without becoming harsh"2. MusicRadar's verdict was similarly positive at lower gain settings: "Nice lower-level gain. Good tone."1
Controls and build
The pedal keeps things simple, with three controls on a steel chassis1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of distortion |
| Tone | Shapes the treble response |
| Volume | Sets the output level |
The Chainsaw has true bypass, which MusicRadar called "the much-coveted true bypass", and its steel chassis houses the circuit. The pedal was manufactured in China, which is how the GarageTone line reached its budget price point; MusicRadar noted it could "shoot for 'expensive boutique distortion' at sub-60-quid"1.
The Chainsaw is built in China, which the reviewer noted was unusual for "this high-end US builder," and it pairs that construction with true bypass switching1.
For where the Chainsaw sits among its siblings, Visual Sound's line also included pedals such as the Visual Sound Vans Warped Distortion and the Visual Sound Son Of Hyde V2, and the Chainsaw belongs to the broader family of Distortion Pedals1.
Videos
GuitarCubeChina
Ernie Williamson Music
MarshallGTV2
Sources (2)
- Visual Sound Garagetone Chainsaw review, MusicRadar, 2011-06-17
- GarageTone Chainsaw Distortion, Truetone, 2026
