List of Dual Overdrive Pedals
Our favorite from the list
Our favorite recommendation from this list is the Empress Heavy, which could be categorized as a distortion or overdrive pedal. It can be heavy and modern, or subtle and bluesy. The Strymon and Wampler options are solid as well.

This is a roundup of dual overdrive pedals that we're adding updating as we can find pedals that qualify. A lot of boutique brands are harder to spot, so we've focused on more of the mainline options to start.
Our criteria:
Dual overdrive pedals need to have two channels, preferably with at least some level of independent EQ for both.
Keep in mind that an overdrive pedal with a boost switch is not something we'd consider a dual overdrive, because it still technically has one channel.
Also note that we're making a loosely-held distinction between overdrive and distortion pedals. The terms are used interchangeably in a lot of cases, but we tend to categorize overdrive pedals as a more subtle and bluesy level of gain, while distortion is a heavier and more aggressive/saturated level of gain.
For example, this dual distortion from T-REX effects.

The Sunset is one of our favorite dual overdrive pedals. Image via Boothe Music
Suggestions?
If you have suggestions, PLEASE feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Roundup lists like this have been really engaging for our community and many of you have helped us keep them updated and growing for future readers.
Thank you!
We'll add whatever suggestions you all provide, and give you credit in the update box at the top of this page.
Enjoy.
Full List of Dual Overdrive Pedals
Here's what we have so far. There's a wide range of pricing here, but most of them are in the $200 to $400 range (at least they were at the time of publishing this list).
- Empress Heavy
- JHS Sweet Tea
- JHS Double Barrel V4
- Strymon Sunset
- Wampler Dual Pantheon
- Electro-Harmonix Hot Wax
- Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
- Origin Effects Revival Drive
- Wampler Brad Paisley Drive Deluxe
- Wampler Tom Quayle Dual Fusion
- Blackstar Dept. 10
- Pro Co Deucetone RAT
- Jackson Audio Asabi Mateus Asato Signature Overdrive/Distortion
- Ashdown Geezer Butler Pedal of Doom
- Truetone V3 VS-XO
- Fender Dual Pugilist
- Ashdown John Myung Double Drive

The Empress Heavy is distortion and overdrive, but it's easily our favorite of this list. Lots of flexibility here and tons of EQ to work with.
For most of our product reviews we take our own photos, in-house. Thank goodness for portrait mode. For those interested in using these photos, that is completely fine with us as long as you give us credit and don't claim the work as your own. Simply linking to guitarchalk.com near the photo is totally fine.

More on naming conventions
Here are a few of the different naming conventions to watch out for when you're looking for a dual overdrive pedal.
- Independent channel
- Two-channel
- Dual channel
- Dual mode
- Dual circuit
You'll need to read the fine print, or at least the specs sheet, because it can get a bit confusing in terms of how these pedals are actually set up. For example, the Revv Glenn Fricker is listed as a dual-circuit single-channel distortion.
And as we mentioned before, a boost option (while helpful) doesn't make it a dual overdrive.
Those are just a couple of things to keep an eye on.
Features to look for
Here are few features we'd look for in dual overdrive pedals.
- Independent EQ controls for each channel
- Wide range of gain levels (subtle/saturated)
- Multiple modes or models (not to be confused with channels)
- Noise gate (these are not as common in overdrive pedals)
Read more: List of distortion pedals with noise gates
Wrap up
This is not a comprehensive list, at least not yet.
But we've covered the biggest brands and some of the more popular boutique builders.
Like I said earlier, if you have anything to add, feel free to mention it in the comments section. We'll have a look, and if it fits the bill, we'll add it to the page and give you credit at the top.
Thanks to everyone for trusting our content.
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Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Pedals & Roundups
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Pedals & Roundups
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