I'm looking for an OD pedal that has a subtle distortion to it. Something rather mellow and controlled, nothing overpowering. What would be a good pedal to achieve this sound?

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Just let the lovin take ahold.

Guitars=Gibson Les Paul 1960 V.O.S., Epiphone Dot w/57 Classics, upgraded electronics, upgraded bridge, Homemade Tele, Homemade Fender Jazzmaster w/P-90s, Homemade Billie Joe Armstrong "Blue" Strat Replica, Epiphone Les Paul (never play it)>Pedalboard=Digital Reference Wireless System>Boss TU-2>Digitech Whammy > Crybaby Original>MXR Distortion +>Cmat Signa Drive>MXR Phase 90>MXR Flanger>MXR Carbon Copy>Amp=Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue

Loads to choose from! Out of the ones I've tried I like the Fulltone OCD for subtlety and transparency. It isn't over-the-top; it's a fairly dark-sounding type of distortion so it's not fizzly or brittle. There's plenty of volume boost though if you need it, but it's very sensitive to the volume of your playing so the distortion disappears as you roll off the guitar's volume knob...a side-effect of this is it doesn't add much compression or sustain.

If you want an inexpensive, solidly-built OD the best Boss pedal I've tried is the OD-3. That does improve sustain, but again it's not overbearing so doesn't smother the sound. It's not an 'extreme' effect either.

There are others that are popular with people on these boards, like the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret or the Digitech Bad Monkey...there's the classic Tubescreamer of course, but the midrange 'hump' may or may not be what you're after.

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Guitar rig: CIJ Fender Jazzmaster/CIJ Fender Mustang -> TU-3 -> RV-5 -> OD-3 -> custom IC Muff -> PS-2 -> DD-3 -> RE-20 -> LS-2 -> Fender '65 DRRI & Mesa/Boogie F-50

Bass rig: Fender MIM Jazz Bass -> TU-2 -> RAT 2 -> Sansamp BDDI -> RV-3

"...So now you know the true secret to great tone: all the espresso you can handle."

Concrete Badger hit on some nice ones. The empress effects germ drive is also nice. As is the Xotic Effects BB Preamp. I used to own a Catalinbread SCOD and that was a helluva nice pedal with a lot of range in its drive knob that was super musical. I'd own one of them again in a heartbeat.

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- IAN C. -
Rig: PRS | Schecter USA | Gibson | Axe-Fx II | empress effects
Beta tester: Fractal Audio | empress effects

IMHO the best bang for the buck is a Bad Monkey. It's a TS like pedal with tone controls. You can get one for under $40. If you don't like it move on. But you will probably like it if you aren't a cork sniffer.

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Stage Guitars: '80s Thin line LP Custom, '70 LP Standard, '83 Squier Black Headstock Strat w/ Dan Torres pickups, '59 Black Danelectro DC, sometimes others.

Pedal Board: Nady UHF 10 -> TU2 -> Rocktron Big Crush -> 70s MXR Phase 100 -> Cry Baby -> Bad Monkey -> Early '80s Rat -> Early '80s Ibanez CS 9 -> Ibanez DE 7 -> Behringer Dr 100 Stereo Reverb

Stage amps: '63 Blonde Tremolux w/ two original 2X10 cabinets with a '60 Ampeg Rocket/18 watt VTB Marshall clone/ Epi VJ into a Mashall 1965A