The Dunlop Distortion III is a Dunlop distortion pedal, currently around $94.75. Close alternatives include the RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion and the Aria Lil' RAT Distortion. It pairs well with the Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head and the Friedman Dirty Shirley.
Dunlop Distortion III
Dunlop · pedal
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.
- distortion
- clipping
- eq
- metal
- hard rock
- reliable
- boutique
- saturation
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Dunlop Distortion III is commonly used in
- Hard Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
- Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Dunlop Distortion III
Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head
amplifier
27% matchMarshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
26% matchDunlop Distortion III leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Friedman Dirty Shirley wants
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchGallien-Krueger Fusion 210 takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchFeed a crunchy signal into Ceriatone HRM 50 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchStack Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50 on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward
Ampeg Micro CL Stack
Ampeg
tonal matchFeed a saturated signal into Ampeg Micro CL Stack and it comes out closer to tight
Ampeg V-4
Ampeg
tonal matchAmpeg V-4 takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Peavey Invective 120
Peavey
tonal matchFeed a saturated signal into Peavey Invective 120 and it comes out closer to tight
Pedals that stack with the Dunlop Distortion III
MXR Micro Amp
MXR
16% matchStack MXR Micro Amp on top and a saturated tone tightens toward clean boost
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Boss
15% matchBoss BD-2 Blues Driver pushes a saturated tone toward clean boost
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
12% matchWhat Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio brings here leans toward tight — that's worth building a pairing around
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
12% matchKeep Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after Dunlop Distortion III in the signal chain, clear of Dunlop Distortion III's own gain stage
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
7% matchKeep Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte after Dunlop Distortion III in the signal chain, clear of Dunlop Distortion III's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Catalinbread Belle Epoch
Catalinbread
7% matchPut Catalinbread Belle Epoch after Dunlop Distortion III in the signal chain, clear of Dunlop Distortion III's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Friedman Buxom Boost
Friedman
tonal matchInto Dunlop Distortion III, Friedman Buxom Boost is right at home: it's built around a high-gain amp's front end
Spaceman Effects Atlas IV
Spaceman
tonal matchSpaceman Effects Atlas IV takes that saturated character and pushes it toward clean boost
Cheaper alternatives
Caline CP-15
Caline
71% similarityShared character: higher_gain, hard_rock, treble
Hotone Chunk Distortion
Hotone
65% similarityShared character: tone_shaping, aggressive_playing, distortion
Carl Martin Crush Zone
Carl Martin
96% similaritysimilar tone character
DigiTech Metal Master
Digitech
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
MXR Distortion+
MXR
72% similarityShared character: high_end, treble, hard_rock
Free The Tone IF-1D
Free The Tone
71% similarityShared character: high_end, treble, hard_rock
J. Rockett 10 Ton Hammer Overdrive
J Rockett
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Electro-Harmonix Hellmaster Distortion
Electro-Harmonix
95% similaritysimilar tone character
DOD Carcosa
Dod
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion
Rhc Audio
72% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, hard_rock, distortion
Aria Lil' RAT Distortion
Aria
72% similarityShared character: treble, aggressive_playing, crunch
Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition
Suhr
72% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, hard_rock, crunch
MXR ZW-44 Berzerker Overdrive
MXR
72% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, hard_rock, crunch
Maxon OD808
Maxon
71% similarityShared character: hard_rock, middle, crunch
Catalinbread CB-Distortion
Catalinbread
70% similarityShared character: higher_gain, aggressive_playing, hard_rock
See all alternatives to the Dunlop Distortion III (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Dunlop Distortion III?+
The closest matches in character are the RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion, the Aria Lil' RAT Distortion, the Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition. Budget picks: Caline CP-15, Hotone Chunk Distortion, Carl Martin Crush Zone. Boutique upgrades: MXR Distortion+, Free The Tone IF-1D, J. Rockett 10 Ton Hammer Overdrive.
What pairs well with the Dunlop Distortion III?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head, Friedman Dirty Shirley, Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 — Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/55 100W Amp Head takes that saturated character and pushes it toward tight.
How much does the Dunlop Distortion III cost?+
Around $94.75 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
Compare
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