Dunlop Distortion III vs MXR Distortion II
The Dunlop Distortion III and the MXR Distortion II are both pedals sharing saturated, aggressive, bright. The Dunlop Distortion III leans full and mid-forward.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.55% — moderately similar
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- saturated
- aggressive
- bright
Dunlop Distortion III
Dunlop · pedal
MXR Distortion II
MXR · pedal
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$94.75via Reverb
The Dunlop Distortion III is a solid-state distortion pedal from the American effects manufacturer, delivering hard-clipping distortion with a wide gain range and three-band EQ for tonal shaping. It provides classic hard rock and heavy metal distortion character with separate bass, mid, and treble controls alongside gain and output level knobs. The Distortion III offers the conventional aggressive distortion tone widely used in classic 1980s and 1990s hard rock and metal contexts. Suited for hard rock, metal, and players seeking a straightforward, aggressive distortion with broad EQ control.
The MXR Distortion II is a hard clipping op-amp distortion pedal from MXR delivering the bright, hard-edged, harmonically aggressive distortion character that defined the MXR distortion sound. The distortion II provides a harder, more saturated clipping character than the MXR Distortion+ while sharing the op-amp topology that makes MXR's early distortion designs distinct.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Hard Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
- Rock
- full
- mid-forward