I have sometimes thought a distortion or fuzz would be nice but then I look at what is available and realize how many sonic options I need to understand before I could even narrow a search and decide the effort would be better spent in learning to play
It's a reasonable question. It's taken me years (and years) to settle on the right overdrives for me. If you play electric guitar, there's a dizzying universe to navigate. Jazz, country, blues, and metal players want very different sounds.
Luckily most overdrive pedals fall into just a few families:
- Clean boosts: They're not truly clean, but they don't distort, they just add a little, well, boost. I have a BBE Boosta Grande, just for soloing (and for when the rest of the band gets too loud).
- Tube Screamer: Ibanez introduced the Tube Screamer, and it's the effect most pedal makers emulate.
- Range Master: The Dallas Range Master, also widely imitated, is for guitarists who are already overdriving their amps and still want more. They're for playing loud. Eric Clapton's old Cream solos are good examples.
- Klon Centaur: The Klon and its klones are favored by Chicago-style blues players. Warm, not too brassy, assertive without being annoying. I have an Electro-Harmonix Soul Food (a.k.a. the poor man's Klon). It's always on and always set low, just to add presence. Lots of people use it that way.
- Marshall Bluesbreaker and Guv'nor: Like Marshall amps: crunchy and hairy. But not out of control. I have a Chicago Stompworks Blooze Maker. It's more humane than turning the amp up to ten.
- Fuzz: The germanium chip that most fuzzes have serves up over-the-top distortion — which smooths out violinishly when driven hard. Think Hendrix.
A vesatile all-in-one pedal is the Barber Gain Changer. There are several well-engineered voicings in it, so chances are, everything you want is there and easy to dial in. A good company, and a safe choice for a first (or only) pedal.
And for mellow (and expensive) overdrive options, Google artists like Julian Lange, Bill Frizzel, and Pat Metheny to see what they use.