That all depends on how much and what kind of distortion you want. If you want a little such as increased gain or overdrive you might be better off with an amp which has chanel switching, but if you are looking for lots of distortion or other effects you will need to add pedal(s) generated efx. Something to consider is that most efx sound better if you don't set them to maximum, and the best results will come from combining two or more efx pedals. Finding the right mix of pedals then finding the best settings for them is something you will need to experiment with, try several before you settle in on a sound which later on you may decide isn't quite what you are looking for. Multi efx pedals are convenient but are often noisy. Don't forget, a certain pedal which sounds great with one guitar may not sound good at all with another.