Tonebox Recommended Pedals
ZVEX Vextron Distortron
The Vextron Distortion is boutique guitar effects pedal company Zvex’s offering to those who want a Box of Rock but don’t quite have the budget for it. Like its more expensive sibling, the Distortion captures the roaring sound of an overdriven 1966 Marshall JTM45 with all the knobs cranked up to 10. The DIstortion’s dirt tone is very dynamic and sensitive; you can use your guitar’s volume knob to adjust the exact amount of dirt you want layered ont your signal, from a subtle dusting to full-on crunch mode.
Friedman Amplification BE-OD
The legendary tube amp tone of the Friedman BE-100 amplifier, bottled and sold in compact stompbox form. The BE-OD overdrive effects pedal from Friedman Amplification is a wide-range, British-flavored overdrive that can do subtle as well as it can do screaming high-gain saturation. Dedicated Volume, Gain, Tight, Presence, Bass, and Treble knobs give you the same level of tone-shaping power as the BE-100, while the BE-OD’s rugged construction means it can take all the abuse that touring can dish out.
Mission Engineering EP-1
The EP-1 by Mission Engineering is a sturdy and reliable expression pedal that enables you to control an extensive range of your effects processors with expression inputs. It is perfect if you want to manage your modulation and delay effects instantly. Built in California, the EP-1 boasts high-quality components and all-metal construction for years of seamless operation and rock-solid reliability. This expression pedal is designed for use with your synthesizers, effects pedals, and other expression-capable products.
Empress Effects ZOIA
Empress Effects’ ZOIA is loaded with a massive collection of modules to realize virtually anything you can imagine. LFOs, oscillators, bit crushers, filters, envelope followers are only some of the available modules which may be connected in almost any way you desire. Essentially a modular synthesizer in pedal form, the ZOIA offers the modules required to build a tremolo or delay from the ground up. It allows you to craft your custom effects, midi controllers, synthesizers, and digital pedalboards. Empress Effects has also developed modules for all your common guitar effects.
Xotic SL Drive
Legendary British crunch tones compressed and bottled inside a tiny, easy to use boutique guitar effects pedal. The tonal lineage of Xotic’s SL Drive overdrive pedal traces a straight line back through the years to two specific Marshall amps: the Super Lead and the Super Bass. You’re basically getting two drive pedals in one, here; an internal dip switch lets you choose between the brighter high gain Super Lead and more bottom-heavy Super Bass settings.
Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi
The Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi is all about giving the beefy bottom ends of bass guitars some warm Muffy love. The Bass Big Muff Pi is actually based on two classic Big Muffs, taking the classic fuzz sounds of the Sovtek Big Muff Pi and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi and optimizing them to handle rib-rattling low frequencies. Dedicated tone, Volume, and Sustain knobs give you a wide range of control over your fuzzed-out tone, while a Bass Boost/Dry toggle switch lets you bump your low-frequency content up.
Drive Pedals
Rowin Tube Pusher
The LEF-328 Tube Pusher is, as you may have guessed from the name, is another Tube Screamer-style overdrive pedal from budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin. It continues Rowin’s tradition of stuffing massive sound into tiny packages, serving up a warm tube-like overdrive that sports a very wide dynamic range. The LEF-328 Tube Pusher comes with a two-position toggle that lets you between the low peak and extremely transparent Normal mode and a louder, high peak Boost mode.
Danelectro CO-1 Cool Cat Drive
The Danelectro Cool Cat CO-1 Drive guitar effect pedal serves up warm overdrive tones with a heaping helping of gain. Don’t let the three knobs fool you; the CO-1 packs quite the flexibility when it comes to tone shaping. The Level knob can actually help drive your amp instead of just clipping your signal, while the Tone knob can take the edge off of overly bright amp and speaker combos. The Danelectro Cool Cat CO-1 Drive comes with a true bypass feature.
Koogo Overdrive
The Koogo Overdrive pedal carries Tone, Level, and Gain knobs. It allows you a choice between Warm and Hot modes. Select the Hot model if you want a more powerful full tone or Warm for a sweeter and smooth sound, making the tone performance more unique and dynamic. The Koogo Overdrive is made of high-quality zinc alloy. It is sturdy, durable, and compact, saving plenty of space on your pedalboard. It also features an LED indicator that displays the working state and true bypass for transparent tone.
Joyo AT Drive
Lurking beneath the JF-305 AT Drive’s tiny chassis is a smooth, versatile, and harmonically rich overdrive sound. It can do warm blues dirt, aggressive hard rock, and everything in between. With dedicated Volume, Drive, High, and Low control knobs you can fine-tune your tone to your specific taste. As part of Joyo’s Ironman line, the JF-305 AT Drive is small enough to fit in your front pocket and features a flip cover to keep its control dials safe.
Walrus Audio 385 Overdrive
Here’s a little tip: the tube-powered audio sections of old film projectors work amazingly well as guitar amps. That not-so-secret tip lies at the heart of Walrus Audio’s 385 overdrive pedal, a drive stomp whose tone is modeled after the sound of a vintage Bell and Howell 385 Filmosound projector. With dedicated Bass and Treble pots, the 385 gives users free reign over the overdrive’s overall EQ and its unique, dynamic, highly responsive, and amp-like tone.
Pigtronix PolySaturator
The PolySaturator from Pigtronix is an ultra-versatile addition to your rig and comes in an enclosure that easily fits on your pedalboard. It lets you achieve anything from high-gain shred tones to classic tweed-esque git and everything in-between. Between the three-band EQ and Gain/Volume knobs, you can produce a remarkably diverse range of sounds. The true bypass switching allows your signal to remain true while the pedal is switched off. With the PolySaturator, you can add a new channel to your amp or drive your amp’s input.
Lone Wolf Audio Left Hand Wrath Deluxe
It seemed impossible at first, but Lone Wolf Audio has surpassed the LHW. The Left Hand Wrath Deluxe pedal loads brand new features to better chainsaw your tone to perfection. Four low mid settings, six high mid settings, and ten position midrange inductor. The Left Hand Wrath Deluxe is perfect for bassists and for selecting the ideal tone for your amp and guitar combo. It features a proprietary clean blend circuit without any phase issue and foot-switchable mode control for modern or vintage operation.
Danelectro DJ-22C Black Licorice Beyond Metal Mini
Brutal, hard-hitting, and downright nasty–all fitting adjectives for describing the Danelectro DJ-22C Black Licorice Beyond Metal guitar effect pedal. This evil little stompbox doesn’t just give you growling, snarling distortion, it also has an octave effect for that extra bone-crushing attack. The DJ-22C has a fixed high gain setting, but you can even out the distortion a little bit by holding back on the level knob. There’s also a Bass knob for finer, wide-range parametric control over your bottom end.
Fuzzrocious Cat Tail with 2nd Distortion Mod
The Cat Tail by Fuzzrocious is a low to high gain distortion boasting overdrive capabilities. This circuit is inspired by a much-loved, vintage distortion that makes a clean amplifier dirty and a dirty amp nasty. Fuzzrocious has tweaked the original circuit to better suit the requirements of bassists and guitarists alike. With the inclusion of a diode toggle for more tweakability for clipping options, Fuzzrocious has incorporated the Beavis double resistor mod to let you fine-tune how the signal clips on the lows and highs.
Amptweaker TightRock
The Amptweaker TightRock Distortion FX Pedal closes the gap between the TightDrive and TightMetal. Its gain range is way higher compared to the TightDrive, and the tone is not as heavy sounding as the TightMetal. The pedal features Gain Boost and EQ switches as well as an inbuilt noise gate which automatically follows the gain control. The mainstay of Amptweaker pedals, Tight control, allows you to get the attack that complements your picking style and guitar.
Dr. Scientist The Elements
Get ultimate control over your overdrive and tone with the Elements pedal from Dr. Scientist. This fuzz/distortion pedal boasts unprecedented versatility and is capable of delivering EQ, distortion, and overdrive to any electronic instrument. It is oriented towards high-gain tweakability and features several switches and knobs that are so intuitive you do not have to read the manual every now and then. The Elements pedal provides your desired control while blasting a mean tone.
JHS Pedals EHX OpAmp Big Muff Pumpkin Patch mod
The EHX OpAmp Big Muff Pi Pumpkin Patch mod by JHS Pedals takes an already well-loved fuzz and includes some additional controls that provide you with more dimension of fuzz. It consists of Volume, Sustain, and Tone controls, as well as a three-way gate toggle. The gate in a fuzz circuit makes a significant difference to your sound. It determines not only the length of the note sustains but also the response of the fuzz to your playing.
JHS Pedals Pollinator V2
A fuzz circuit boasting adequate control to realize the classic fuzz tone in your imagination. The Pollinator V2 includes true germanium transistors and upgraded controls from the first version. JHS Pedals updated the Volume knob for more headroom and overall power. The Fuzz and Volume controls work in tandem to provide you with a hive-full of tones. If you are big on vintage fuzz and the unparalleled touch sensitivity, response, and tone offered by authentic Germanium fuzz, the Pollinator V2 is an excellent choice.
Wampler Fuzztration
A modern fuzz box whose range of sound runs the gamut from vintage hair to swampy, sludgy doom, the Fuzztration stomp from Boutique guitar effects pedal maker Wampler is everything you ever wanted in a fuzz pedal—and more. You get iron-fisted tone sculpting power via a three band EQ, plus you can switch between a classic, tight voicing to a deep, open one via a built-in toggle. Although it can easily deliver classic fuzz tones, the Fuzztration really shines when you let it roar.
Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face Mini
Dunlop’s Fuzz Face Mini pedal collection loads iconic Fuzz Face tones into more compact and pedalboard-friendly enclosures with various modern appointments, including a bright status LED, true bypass switching, convenient battery door, and AC power jack. The Silicon Fuzz Face Mini pedal is spec’d from a 1970 Fuzz Face under Dunlop’s collection valued for its aggressive and bright Fuzz Face sound afforded by the BC108 silicon transistors. The Silicon Fuzz Face Mini is a perfect choice if you want that vintage fuzz tone.
Suhr Rufus
Whether you are into the vintage tones crafted at The Fillmore East back in ’69 or want the Grunge era’s more in-your-face, mid-scoped characteristics, the Rufus fuzz pedal from Suhr has you covered. It serves up an abundance of fuzz tone effects with the tactile response and dynamics of a tube amp. Press and hold the footswitch to change between Rufus’ two modes (fat and normal) in mid-performance. Configured for supreme versatility, the Rufus features a three-band EQ that lets you conveniently sculpt its tone without sacrificing your rig’s sound.
MXR Super Badass Variac Fuzz
Biting and aggressive, the Super Badass Variac Fuzz from MXR is a dream come true for guitarists seeking classic fuzz tone. By rolling a knob, you may drag it into that dying battery domain coveted by tone chasers—needless to manage a set of half-dead batteries. To build the Super Badass Variac Fuzz, the design team at MXR dusted off an elusive old-school silicon circuit, tuned it up, and incorporated a Variac knob so you can adjust its voltage from 5V to 15V.
Xotic BB Plus
The BB Plus from boutique guitar effects pedal company Xotic is a dual channel boost and overdrive preamp stomp that boasts amazing tonal transparency. Channel A houses the heart of the original BB Preamp and packs the same amp-like tones that made the BB Preamp famous. Channel B, meanwhile, features one of Xotic’s most veratile booster circuits ever with its own three-band EQ stack. Go combo with Channel A, plexi with Channel B, or stack both in any order you want.
Walrus Audio Emissary
Make your solos soar over the mix or push your tube amp into natural breakup territory with the Emissary parallel dual boost box from boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio. It features two independent boost circuits that can be run in parallel or independently. The Bright boost circuit packs a high headroom, JFET-powered boost. The Mid boost is a more targeted one that you can set to either 1kHz or 800Hz via a toggle switch. Use the Bright and Mid pots to dial in the output level of each circuit.
Joyo Rated Boost
The JF-301 Rated Boost from Joyo is a tiny tone machine that pushes your amp through to overdrive territory without compromising or coloring your guitar’s core tonal characteristics. You can go crystal clear with a clean boost or sprinkle on a little dirt to give your solo an extra kick. As an Ironman pedal, the JF-301 is small enough to fit in your pocket and comes with a flip cover for keeping the control knobs safe from stray stomps.
MXR Micro Amp
Keep your guitar rig’s gain levels at bay with the Micro Amp from MXR. It provides you control over your volume level before your signal reaches the amp. Adding a preset amount of gain with only one knob, the Micro Amp is a perfect way to adjust between two separate guitars with unparalleled output or boost your signal for lead work. It is also capable of giving you a permanent boost in a lengthy effects chain in which signal drop off is an issue.
Keeley Katana Mini
Keeley’s popular Katana boost, in a new, more compact form. The new, smaller chassis skips the original Katana’s side-mounted Volume knob but adds a pair of internal micro-switches that give you more gain and let you turn on a high-cut more. Keep the Katana Mini engaged all throughout a song to give your amp an extra shot of gain or use it sparingly for those times when you need your signal to cut through the mix.
MOSKY Tone Makestation
Mosky Audio’s Tone Maker is a four-in-one multi-effects processor that combines a cab sim, a clean boost, an analog delay, and an effects loop in one floor-based based. The cab sim goes straight for the jugular by replicating the tube-powered British crunch of a Marshall 1960A amp. The clean boost section takes its cues from the preamp section of an Echoplex for extra sparkle and definition. Finally, the analog delay section seems to be based on BJF / Mad Professor’s Deep Blue ambient delay pedal.
MOOER PreAMP Live
The Preamp Live gives you full control over your amp tone wherever you play without having to lug around an entire amp stack. It houses 12 IR-ready preamp channels, each with its own independent boost function that can be placed before or after the preamp section and a workhorse noise gate for keeping signal noise to an absolute minimum. The Preamp Live also comes with serial and A/B effects loops, a Tone Capture feature, and USB and Bluetooth connectivity.
Carl Martin 3 Band Parametric Preamp
Carl Martin’s 3 Band Parametric Preamp is specially designed for use with your acoustic instruments. These instruments often necessitate a balanced line driver and high-quality EQ. Carl Martin packed those features within a handy stompbox enclosure with both XLR and 1/4″ outputs. For supreme flexibility, Carl Martin deemed it essential to build a top-grade 3 band semi-parametric EQ. Its 3 Band Parametric Preamp also works well for direct studio recordings and tweaking the sound of electronic instruments.
Joyo JF-310
Despite its tiny size, Joyo’s JF-310 Orange Juice amp sim pedal packs the full, in-your-face British-flavored power and attack of a vintage Orange amp. It perfectly captures an Orange amp’s dynamic, highly defined, and aggressive overdrive assault. Dedicated Drive, Tone, and Voice control pots give you plenty of built-in tone sculpting tools to dial in the exact tone you want. Whenever you need to layer some dirt onto you signal, the JF-310 Orange Juice will deliver.
JOYO Zip Amp
Tight, sparkly overdrive that responds nicely to your unique picking attack—that’s what you get with the R-04 Zip Amp guitar effects pedal from Joyo. This budget-friendly stompbox serves up a highly musical overdrive tone with insane sustain and a balanced gain that works well for both rhythm and lead work. And since the R-04 Zip Amp is an R Series pedal, it also features some cool ambient LED lighting effects to make it stand out on your pedalboard.
MOSKY DELUXE PREAMP
The Deluxe Preamp low to medium gain overdrive from budget guitar effects pedal brand Mosky Audio lets you dial in everything from extremely subtle overdrive right up to a mild, tasteful distortion thanks to its built-in boost circuit. It also one-ups the pedal it’s based on–the Love Pedal Amp Eleven, which itself is a combo of Love Pedal’s OD11 and COT50 stomps–by giving adding four distinct voicings to the overdrive section and two to the boost section.
J. Rockett Archer IKON
The Archer Ikon by J. Rockett is an exceptionally transparent overdrive that lends a special magic to anything you plug into it. It features a simple three-knob layout—Treble, Gain, and Output. It allows you to dial in gain without drastically changing your guitar’s tone. You may utilize it as a clean boost by turning down the Gain control or crank it for a beautiful, tube-like distortion. If you feel discontented with the overdrive pedals you have tried, plug into an Archer Ikon.
Friedman Amplification Buxom Boost
Taking its cue from Friedman Amplification’s Buxom Betty amp head, the Buxom Boost pedal lets you push a clear, uncorrupted tone to the absolute limit without coloring its tonal characteristics. Use the Buxom Boost’s three-band EQ for a wide range of tonal possibilities, or disengage the EQ circuit stack completely with the EQ Bypass switch for pure, transparent, boosted tone. There’s also a dedicated Tight knob that lets you rein in your low end for added sonic definition while boosting your signal.
Caline Purple Smoke
The Caline CP-22 Purple Smoke Clear Boost is a budget-priced boost guitar effect pedal that does exceptionally well in boosting mid- and high-range tones. It’s powerful, highly transparent, and gives your guitar tone a more extensive dynamic range, making it a perfect addition to your pedalboard rig if you feel your guitar signal is coming in far too weak. The CP-22 Purple Smoke comes with a true bypass feature and can be powered by a 9V battery or compatible power supply.
ZVex Super Duper 2-in-1
With the ability to bring your signal from unity gain to a whopping 60 times the gain size, the Super Hard On boost is insanely loud. So, of course, it didn’t take long for boutique guitar effects company Zvex to cram two SHOs into one pedal and come up with the Super Duper 2-in-1. Be warned: this stomp is dangerously loud. Zvex boss Zachary Vex seriously recommends starting off slow and keeping an eye on your amp to monitor any potential damage. This hand painted version comes with a lifetime warranty.
Joyo 6-Band EQ
The JF-11 6-Band EQ from budget guitar effects pedal company Joyo is a true workhorse graphic equalizer: versatile, unobtrusive, and essential to getting the exact tone you want. With six EQ sliders, each of which can cut or boost by 18dB, the JF-11 6-Band EQ can supercharge your high end with more harmonic articulation, keep your mids firmly in the mix, or let you dial in earth shakingly subterranean lows. Use it as an always-on pedal or engage the EQ for precise and specific frequency boosts.
Fender Engager Boost
Whether you are looking for a thicker tone or more volume, the Engager Boost from Fender is the perfect clean boost pedal. The onboard three-band EQ allows you to dial in your tone to cut through the mix, while the Frequency switch enables you to choose the middle frequency range, perfect for dead-on tone sculpting. The Engager Boost is suitable for boosting your signal into a tube amp’s preamp, beefing up your tone. Buffered and true bypass modes guarantee that this pedal works exceptionally in any rig.
Modulation Pedals
MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe
Powered by an all-analog bucket-brigade technology, the Bass Chorus Deluxe by MXR serves up swooshing, metallic flanger effects and shimmering, liquid chorus while retaining the fundamental and punch of your low end. It includes top-mounted X-Over and Flanger buttons with LED status indicators for more tonal flexibility. The Bass Chorus Deluxe consists of Treble, Bass, Width, Rate, and Intensity controls. With Treble and Bass knobs, you can boost/cut highs and lows and sculpt the effect’s tonal character.
Boss CE-5 Stereo Chorus Ensemble
Thanks to its high- and low-cut filters and its wide frequency range, the Boss CE-5 Stereo Chorus Ensemble guitar effects pedal is widely considered to be the most versatile and flexible chorus pedal Boss has ever produced. The CE-5 lets you access a wide array of stereo chorus effects ranging from a warm vintage sound to the more contemporary penetrating stereo chorus often heard today. Need to punch things up? Turn the Rate knob to the max to add a cool vibrato effect.
Catalinbread Callisto
The Callisto’s elegant, versatile feature set and compact size make it an invaluable addition to your pedalboard. It integrates several top-grade components to give you the best tonal response possible. It features a reliable, precise Bucket Brigade chip and Burr-Brown op-amp for clean amplification. The Callisto allows you continuous control of Mix, Density, Rate, and Width for 100% organic tones and impeccable impact. You can get wonderfully wobbly vibrato and chimey, glistening chorus effects in one sturdy footswitch-operated chassis.
MXR Analog Chorus
The MXR M234 Analog Chorus is capable of delivering your desired classic chorus effects. This pure analog device leverages bucket-brigade circuitry to give you classically rich, liquid textures you cannot achieve with digital circuitry. It carries Depth, Rate, and Level knobs, as well as controls for cutting Low and High frequencies, giving you superior control over your sound. As with other MXR pedals, the Analog Chorus is packaged in a sturdy chassis with high-quality switches and jacks for durability.
Keeley Super Mod Workstation
Pedalmeister Robert Keeley wasn’t kidding around when he named this modulation multi-effects pedal the Super Mod Workstation. It features two banks loaded with eight high-quality modulation effects each, from thick chorus and pristine digital delay to rotary emulation and wah. Mix ‘em, match ‘em, stack ‘em–you have the power. The Super Mod Workstation also comes with a dedicated tap tempo footswitch as well as expression pedal support for real-time parameter control. A truly super stompbox.
Mosky CE-NANO
The Boss CE-2 Chorus Ensemble is widely regarded as among the best chorus pedals ever produced. It’s already a scaled down version of the CE-1, but budget guitar effects brand Mosky Audio went ahead and made it even smaller, in the form of the CE Chorus. Like the CE-2, the CE Chorus’s dramatic analog ambiance and dreamy modulated tone are powered by a bucket brigade device. The CE Chorus also features Rate and Depth knobs for tone sculpting.
TWA Wah Rocker
Totally Wycked Audio’s Wah Rocker stomp resurrects the legendary Guyatone Wah Rocker “Duck Box,” a funk machine that has lent its distinctive sound to such greats as Lenny Kravitz and David Torn. The TWA Wah Rocker is based on Guyatone’s original WR3 circuit and adds a host of mechanical improvements including TWA’s Shortest Send Switching (S3) true bypass function. Tone-wise, it’s pure Wah Rocker funk; all the squawky, slippery, and souped-up grooves of the original, minus the vintage price tag.
Eventide H9 Core
Eventide H9 Core
The H9 Core acts as the entry-level version of Eventide’s monstrous H9 MAX multi-effects pedal. It comes with 25 presets from the original glitch-heavy, pitch-shifting H910/H949 Harmonizers, plus for a fee, you can augment its effects arsenal via the H9 Control app. You can pick and choose the effects you purchase to make an H9 Core that’s truly unique to your needs, or just go all out and turn your H9 Core into an H9 MAX.
Xotic Robotalk RI
The Xotic Custom Shop Robotalk RI is a reissued and revitalized version of one of Xotic’s most popular pedals, the Robotalk envelope filter. The Robotalk RI may be smaller, but it actually packs quite a few more features compared to the original, including an enhanced arpeggiator that lets you go from strictly old school to crazy space age sound effects. Xotic also put a lot of sweat into further improving the Robotalk’s envelope and filter tones for even more random filtery goodness.
EarthQuaker Devices Spatial Delivery V2
The Spatial Delivery isn’t your ordinary garden-variety envelop filter; with its latching and momentary switching features, this guitar effects pedal from EarthQuaker Devices gives you unprecedented control over your filter effects’ sound and tone. The Filter knob lets you sweep from Lowpass to Bandpass through to Highpass filter modes, the Range dial controls the response to your unique picking dynamics, and the Resonance control lets you serve up anything from subtle filter effects to balls-to-the-wall mayhem.
Source Audio Soundblox Pro Poly-Mod Filter
The Source Audio Soundblox Pro Poly-Mod Filter gives you all the functionality and power of the iconic Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter with specially voiced effects, suitable for keyboard and guitar. This carefully engineered “stompbox supreme” delivers unparalleled control, sonic diversity, and versatility, catering to all your wah-wah, envelope filter, and dubstep needs. The Poly-Mod Filter features 23 filter effects, including 2- and 4-Pole Low Pass, Peak & Notch, Single Peak, Triple Peak, and Phasers. It consists of a Wet/Dry Mix control featuring Source Audio’s low-end preserving algorithm Lo-Retain.
Alexander Pedals Wavelength
The Wavelength is a massively versatile digital modulation machine in one small, stompable package. The Wavelength has six distinct modulation engines—textured tremolo, bright chorus, eight-stage phaser, flexible flanger, photocell- and lamp-style vibrato, and resonant low-pass filter—all controllable via a customizable LFO. As a NEO pedal, the Wavelength can store up to four presets and up to 16 presets via a MIDI controller. Plug a foot switch into the multi-jack, and you can seamlessly sweep through two different effects settings.
Strymon Mobius
The Strymon Mobius packs twelve iconic modulation effects into a convenient guitar effects pedal. Handcrafted from the best components available, it brings together twelve of the most expressive, versatile, and organic modulation effects ever existed. Each vintage effect has been painstakingly emulated and then expanded upon to enhance versatility and broaden sonic possibilities. The Mobius is equipped with 200 inbuilt presets enabling the perfect modulation sound to be recorded and recalled at any time. That function is also controllable by a MIDI foot pedal to streamline the process.
Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature AF2 Airplane Flanger
Get two pedals within a single package with the Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature AF2 Airplane Flanger. It features two sections: one is an insane flange (Takeoff), while the other is a classic chorus flange (Taxi). The Airplane Flanger consists of Speed (modulation speed), Enhance (feedback), Range (depth of modulation), and Manual (delay time) knobs. It comes in a sturdy, die-cast chassis with a cool retro look. If you are in the market for an extreme modulation effect to include in your arsenal, look no further.
Koogo Mod Digital
The Mod Digital pedal from Koogo allows you to enjoy eleven distinct modulation effects—A.FILTER, B.TREMOLO, O.TREMOLO, PHASER, VIBRATO, U.VIBRATO, JET, S.CHORUS, T.CHORUS, P.FLANGER, and N.FLANGER. It is a fantastic pedal, leveraging a 32-bit high-performance DSP chip. Every tone is comparable. A range of modulation effects imparts musical color to your sound. The Mod Digital also consists of three function knobs labeled as Depth, Speed, and Level for setting the depth, speed, and level of the effect respectively.
Digitech Nautila
Create soothing rhythmic waves or unique tidal swirls with the DigiTech Nautila flanger and chorus pedal for your keyboard and electric guitar. It features Drift and Voice controls that let you add up to four flanger voices or eight chorus voices, and then combine and morph these waveforms at will. You can increase the modulation speed using the momentary footswitch. Individual Mix, Voices, Emphasis, Depth, and Speed controls shape your waves into soupy foam or clean curls. The Nautila’s rugged construction, stereo inputs and outputs, true bypass, and silent switching make it as practical as it is innovative.
TC Electronic Vortex Mini
Flanging has long been with music, utilized on anything from drums to vocals, but Edward Van Halen proved that the righteous place for flange is a guitar. The Vortex Mini Flanger from TC Electronic combines a vintage tape flange with the groundbreaking TonePrint technology, providing you with access to anything from customized rockstar sounds to through-zero flanges. It features everything exceptional about its big brother, the Vortex Flanger. Its ultra-compact chassis consumes hardly any space on your pedalboard.
Chase Bliss Audio Wombtone mkII
The Wombtone mkII from Chase Bliss Audio is a highly versatile pedal, and as with other Chase Bliss pedals, it delivers exceptional control and fine tuning. This pedal allows you to determine the waveform of the modulation, has several DIP switches for a maximum in control of the unit, and a tap tempo with a small toggle for setting the time value. The Wombtone mkII also includes a tap/midi output jack and expression/CV input jack.
Xvive V6 Phaser King
The 100% analog Phaser King from budget guitar effects maker Xvive is a bit of an odd duck, what with its 18v power requirement. The Phaser King’s tone, however, makes the power requirement completely worth it, as it delivers thick phaser sweeps reminiscent classic 10-stage phasers like the venerable MXR Phase 100 and the legendary Boss PH-2. The Phaser King also comes with an amazingly wide speed range, so you can dial in everything from slow-mo airplane takeoffs to almost vibrato-ish fast wobbles.
Eventide H9 MAX
With 51 effect algorithms that include literally everything Eventide’s TimeFactor, ModFactor, PitchFactor, and Space pedals can do, the H9 MAX Harmonizer is basically an entire pedalboard in compact effects pedal form. It features reverb, chorus, delay, modulation, pitch-shifting, distortion effects, all of which can be tweaked and edited via an intuitive single-knob interface. The H9 MAX comes preloaded with 99 presets, plus you can get over 500 more for free via the H9 Control app.
JOYO Vision
The R-09 Vision guitar effects pedal from Joyo is a modulation maniac’s dream pedal. It features two separate channels, each with its own set of highly tweakable modulation effects, that you can mix and match in parallel or series. Use a chorus on Channel A and an optical trem on Channel B. Phaser on A, Vibrato on B. It’s a giant sonic sandbox for you to play in. The R-09 Vision is an R Series pedal, meaning it also has cool ambient LED effects built into it.
Koogo Digital Combination
The Digital Combination pedal by Koogo boasts classic 60s sound that brings you into a retro psychedelic trip. Packaged in a durable aluminum alloy shell, the Digital Combination carries Level, Speed, and Intense knobs, as well as a three-way toggle that allows you to choose between Phaser, Vibe, and Chorus modes. Select Chorus for a great standard chorus with psychedelic and warm chorus effect, Vibe for a classic 60s vibrato sound, and Phaser for a modern feeling phaser, deep and rich.
Electro Harmonix Nano Small Stone
The Small Stone made waves when it Electro-Harmonix released it in the ‘70s, and now the 21st century has its own full-bodied, three-dimensional phaser pedal in the form of the Small Stone Nano Analog Phase Shifter. A simple two-knob interface lets you add a dash of swirl to your sound or crank it up for jet plane wooshes. The Small Stone Nano perfectly captures the sound of its bigger predecessor in a small, extremely pedalboard-friendly body.
Koogo Mod Digital
The Mod Digital pedal from Koogo allows you to enjoy eleven distinct modulation effects—A.FILTER, B.TREMOLO, O.TREMOLO, PHASER, VIBRATO, U.VIBRATO, JET, S.CHORUS, T.CHORUS, P.FLANGER, and N.FLANGER. It is a fantastic pedal, leveraging a 32-bit high-performance DSP chip. Every tone is comparable. A range of modulation effects imparts musical color to your sound. The Mod Digital also consists of three function knobs labeled as Depth, Speed, and Level for setting the depth, speed, and level of the effect respectively.
Electro-Harmonix Worm
All sorts of wriggling and writhing modulation madness have been packed into the sturdy, pedalboard-friendly chassis of Electro-Harmonix’s Worm pedal. This all-analog multi-effects stompbox features wah, phaser, tremolo, and vibrato effects. Pick a modulation effect with the four-way Mode dial then use the sweepable Range and Rate knobs to access a breadth of highly musical effect tones. The Worm also has a two-position toggle that lets you choose between auto modulation sweeping and manual or expression pedal control.
Donner Ripple
The Donner Ripple is a mini, all-analog circuit tremolo pedal equipped with basic adjustment knobs. It boasts classic tremolo effects with a broad range of depth and speed. The Ripple carries three function knobs: Speed, Depth, and Color. Use Color to select the effect brightness, Speed to determine the effect speed, and Depth to set the effect depth. You may also choose between Normal and Mod models. The Ripple comes in a compact, sturdy, and convenient aluminum-alloy enclosure.
Joyo Extreme Metal
The JF-17 Extreme Metal guitar effect pedal’s name speaks for itself. This distortion pedal from Joyo serves up epic metal tones swimming in defined highs and subterranean bass; cut or boost the mids–it’s your choice. In fact, the three-band EQ lets you boost or cut whichever frequency you want. The JF-17 Extreme Metal, by itself, already goes up to 11, but once you engage the Boost switch, which has its own Boost dial, you can crank this baby up to 12.
Morley Mini Tremonti
The Morley Mini Tremonti A Dying Machine Wah effects pedal packs all of the features in Mark Tremonti’s signature Morley wah into a pedalboard-friendly chassis wrapped in the album art for his album “A Dying Machine.” The hybrid classic-modern sound and sweep of the Mini Tremonti’s big brother is there as well as the extra 20dB of gain muscle. While small, the Mini Tremonti still features Morley’s electro-optical structure, True-Tone Buffer Bypass, and switchless operation.
Walrus Audio Monument V2
The Monument dual footswitch stompbox from Walrus Audio is essentially two tremolo effects in one. It’s both a harmonic and standard tremolo that lets you whip up a slew of rich modulation pulses with peaks and valleys that can be as smooth or as sharply jagged as you want them to be. The Monument V2 features a pretty sizeable redesign and has a much smaller form factor while still retaining the original’s terrific tremolo tone.
DigiTech Ventura Vibe
The DigiTech Ventura Vibe Rotary/Vibrato pedal will tweak your equilibrium adding swaying, spinning motion to your guitar playing. It serves up both modern and vintage sounds with three rotary/vibrato effects. You may uniquely contour each to accentuate high frequencies and drive to distort using the stacked Drive and Tone knob. These controls’ flexibility, coupled with individual Mix, Depth, and Speed controls let you dial up anything from a slight amplitude and frequency modulation to maximum case of vertigo. A foot-switchable speed function enables you to ramp between fast and slow speed on the fly.
MXR JIMI HENDRIX UNI-VIBE
The UniVibe Chorus/Vibrato’s thick wash which pervades the landmark Band of Gypsys album is undoubtedly among the most transcendent tones ever recorded. Boasting a chorusy, phasey, Leslie-sounding goodness, Jimi Hendrix had summoned surprisingly lush textures that sound like you can spoon them out of the speakers. The UniVibe pedal gives you those vintage tones in all their stellar analog glory and at a portion of the size of the original Shin-ei unit utilized by Hendrix. It sports a colorful, iconic artwork from rock artist Gered Mankowitz.
Keeley Super Mod Workstation
Pedalmeister Robert Keeley wasn’t kidding around when he named this modulation multi-effects pedal the Super Mod Workstation. It features two banks loaded with eight high-quality modulation effects each, from thick chorus and pristine digital delay to rotary emulation and wah. Mix ‘em, match ‘em, stack ‘em–you have the power. The Super Mod Workstation also comes with a dedicated tap tempo footswitch as well as expression pedal support for real-time parameter control. A truly super stompbox.
Sabbadius Funky Vibe
The Sabbadius Custom Pedal Effects Funky Vibe pedal emulates a rotary Leslie-like rotary speaker and works with four photocells as well as an incandescent light. Used by several prominent musicians, it consists of four controls (Speed, Depth, Volume, and Bias) plus two footswitches (Vibrato/Chorus and On/Off Effect). The Bias control helps you craft your distinct sound. You can tweak it to achieve the best performance. The Funky Vibe pedal comes in a Colonia bronze chassis with custom handmade chicken knobs.
Fulltone MDV3
The Fulltone Mini Vibe MDV-3 Mini DejaVibe 3 vintage rotary guitar effects pedal is the closest you can get to true Uni-Vibe sound without actually selling a kidney to buy a ‘60s-era Uni-Vibe. Fulltone already did the heavy lifting for you with the MDV-3, cloning original ‘60s photocells and using the exact same preamp transistor that old Uni-Vibes used. You get all of the Uni-Vibe’s legendary writhing, undulating pulsations plus more headroom and a wider dynamic range.
MOOER Mod Factory MKII
If modulation effects are what you’re looking for, you won’t go wrong with the Mod Factory MKII guitar effects pedal. This tiny wonder from budget-priced stomp creator Mooer packs 11 distinct modulation effects into its tiny, pedalboard-friendly chassis. It lets you dial in everything from a watery chorus to a dynamic auto wah and through to an extreme envelope ring effect. Three control knobs give you enough flexibility to create a wide range of lush sonic soundscapes for each effect mode.
Aguilar Octamizer
All bassists crave a deep, organic tone. The Octamizer produces an extensive range of musical sounds one octave below your original note. It boasts independent volume controls for both the Octave and Clean sounds, making dialing in the perfect amount of each a breeze. Both discrete signal paths have their tone controls intended to improve and broaden their musical possibilities. The CLEAN TONE control allows for boosting of bass while cutting treble and vice versa, while the OCTAVE FILTER control allows you to shape the octave sound from deep and smooth to aggressive and edgy.
Pigtronix Octava Micro
The Octava Micro by Pigtronix is a revamped variant of the octave up found in the Disnortion pedal. This pure analog frequency doubler features an onboard low pass filter control which lets you capture singing octave up tones, wherever on the neck, sans tweaking the tone control of your instrument. For increased overall flexibility and more signal power, Fuzz, Drive, and Blend knobs have been incorporated to the original two-knob design. Use the Blend control to combine its fuzz, drive, and octave effects with your dry signal.
EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid V2
The Arpanoid guitar effects pedal from EarthQuaker Devices is a polyphonic pitch arrpegiator; play a note and it automatically generates a scale based on that root note. Even better is that it doesn’t just track notes—even complex chords can get arpeggiated. It features eight selectable minor and major patterns that go from one octave below the root note to one above, plus you can select whether you want the arpeggios to be ascending or descending.
Boss PS-6 Harmonist
The Boss PS-6 Harmonist is four intelligent pitch-shifting effects in one sturdy stompbox: Harmony, Pitch Shifter, Detune, and the all-new S-Bend (Super Bend). The latter, in particular, gives you control over authentic pedal-bending effects and mind-bending three- and four-octave pitch sweeps. Plug in a compatible external expression pedal and you can control the pitch even more precisely. Need rich, three-voice harmonies? Just choose a major or minor key and set the Shift knob to the 3-Voice setting.
Fulltone Octafuzz
Few fuzz and octave-up pedals are as legendary as the Tychobrahe Octavia. That same vintage fuzz tone popularized by Jimi Hendrix himself can now be at your feet thanks to Fulltone’s Octafuzz, an exact copy of the Octavia packed into a modern and compact unit. You can use it as a straight-up fuzz pedal or engage the octave-up function for true Octafuzz tone. Other than the original Octavia itself, nothing comes close to creating that classic dirty, otherworldly vibe.
Wampler Fuzztration
A modern fuzz box whose range of sound runs the gamut from vintage hair to swampy, sludgy doom, the Fuzztration stomp from Boutique guitar effects pedal maker Wampler is everything you ever wanted in a fuzz pedal—and more. You get iron-fisted tone sculpting power via a three band EQ, plus you can switch between a classic, tight voicing to a deep, open one via a built-in toggle. Although it can easily deliver classic fuzz tones, the Fuzztration really shines when you let it roar.
Timing, Dynamics & EQ Pedals
Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail
Designed using the revolutionary Bucket Brigade circuitry, the Vapor Trail Analog Delay pedal from Seymour Duncan is capable of delivering authentic vintage tone with clarity, presence, and warmth. It features responsive modulation controls that add movement and shimmer to your tone—with Depth and Rate controls positioned on the top panel for convenient access in live settings. With the Vapor Trail, you get an abundance of brilliant sounds. It also incorporates a TRS insert which can send the wet signal to other pedals or effects, like chorus or flanger.
Walrus Audio ARP-87 Delay
As far as compact digital delays go, the ARP-87 from Walrus Audio is right up there at the top when it comes to the richness of its feature set. This multi-function delay box comes packed with four distinct delay algorithms: crystal clear Digital, warm and multi-dimensional Analog, warped and rowdy Lo-Fi, and chicken pickin’ optimized Slap Back. A unique X pot lets you adjust specific parameters depending on which algorithm you’re using. In Digital, Analog, and Slap back modes, it controls mod depth; in Lo-Fi mode, it controls the filter width.
TC Electronic Prophet
The Prophet Digital Delay from TC Electronic provides you with convenient access to contemporary, perfectly-pristine digital delay tones sans added coloration—only repeats. That makes The Prophet suitable for cascading post-rock ambience, beefing up rhythm chord passages, or more contemporary rock and country genres. This studio-grade digital delay pedal boasts the famed TC Electronic algorithm. It features up to 1300 ms delay time and true bypass for supreme signal integrity. Designed and engineered in Denmark, The Prophet is packaged in a durable metal enclosure.
Blackstar HT-DELAY
Featuring eight different delays within a single unit, the Blackstar HT-DELAY tube delay pedal can bring you from classic analog and linear full bandwidth effects to vintage and multi-head tape delays, along with two versatile loop modes. The unique SATURATION knob lets you add harmonics and real tube compression, while the TAP/LOOP footswitch allows easy control. The eight delay effects include Loop 1, Loop 2, Multihead 1, Multihead 2, Space, Tape, Linear, and Analogue.
Strymon Volante
With the Strymon Volante Magnetic Echo Machine, you enjoy the full gamut of analog-esque echoes—reel-to-reel studio echo, tape echo, and magnetic drum echo. It also serves as a multi-head delay with separate vintage spring reverb and onboard looper. The Volante pedal lets you dial in the vintage vibe, from the organic saturation and soft clipping of overdriven magnetic media to machine speed, head spacing, wear, mechanics, and more. You can get full control over each parameter through MIDI.
Death by Audio Micro Dream
The Micro Dream is a beautiful lo-fi delay that sounds pleasantly demented with an overdriven amp or fuzz pedal. It is a distilled variant of the Death by Audio Echo Dream II, providing similar magical lo-fi delays within an affordable and compact package. It gives you up to one second of classic analog-voiced echoes. It is an excellent delay for adding unique and lush textures to your songs. The Micro Dream is perfect if you want analog and tape-like tones with some mojo and serious character.
J. Rockett BOING
Crafted with the live club in mind, the Boing is part of the J. Rockett Tour Series pedal collection, which is built around convenience of use and simplicity of design. The Boing was planned to reproduce a classic reverb that was specially intended to cut through the mix and add some atmosphere to your tone. The Boing is a straightforward, single knob reissue of the Deluxe Reverb, and like several classic amps, it is only one knob for less or more reverb.
Chase Bliss Audio Dark World
The Dark World is a powerful, fun, and player-friendly reverb pedal. It is an innovative two-channel reverb created with some help from Chase Bliss Audio’s friends. Keeley Electronics developed the “World” channel that houses three beautiful Spring, Plate, and Hall algorithms. Cooper FX is behind the “Dark” channel, a collaborative effort slightly influenced by its Generation Loss and Outward designs. Put together, the channels may be routed in 33 different ways, forming an incredible reverb palette ranging from subtle, tasteful, and rich to glitch shimmer, infinite freeze, and broken video cassette.
Walrus Audio Slö
Walrus Audio’s Slö multi-texture reverb pedal is a boon for musicians who prefer to use reverb effects to add texture to their sound. This boutique guitar effects pedal ditches the ambient subtlety of most traditional reverbs and puts you in control of everything from lush auto swells to atmospheric octave effects. You can even throw in some modulation, of which the Slö has three wave shapes, to make the reverberation trails even more animated. Finally, the Slö has momentary switching capabilities so you can use the reverb effect to highlight specific notes.
Strymon BlueSky
The BlueSky Reverberator from Strymon brings virtually any reverb sound you will ever need for the studio and stage in pedal format: subtle room ambience, spanky tube-amp springs, and lush studio plates, each with controls for easy tweaks. Standard mix, decay, and damping controls will have you achieving your preferred reverb sounds in a flash. If you want more advanced textures, the Modulation mode allows you to color your reverbs with mild tonal movement while Shimmer mode provides infinite sustain to your chords and leads.
Laney Black Country Customs Secret Path
The Black Country Customs Secret Path by Laney is a charming pedal created reverbs for Plate and Spring, evocative of the glory days of vintage amp and studio tones coupled with contemporary sound quality and reliability. Boasting a solid metal chassis built, the Secret Path carries four control knobs as well as a three-way toggle switch that lets you select between three distinct modes: Plate, Spring, and The Secret Path. This ultra-versatile reverb pedal has plenty of great qualities.
Walrus Audio Descent
Walrus Audio’s Descent pedal is a three-mode reverb unit that lets you switch between Hall, Reverse, and Shimmer modes. Were it really gets interesting is that you can also mix in +1 and -1 octaves into each mode’s reverb effect. Hall mode can let you smoothly transition between small room and large hall echoes, Reverse mode comes with pre-delay time controls, and Shimmer mode brings the octave mix to the forefront to create a shimmering wall of reverberating sound.
Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor
Combining the sheer power of the Universal Audio 1176 compressor with the simplicity of a Ross, Walrus Audio’s Deep Six compressor pedal brings ultra versatile studio-grade compression right to your feet. An internal voltage of 18v gives your signal the maximum amount of headroom, while dedicated Blend and Attack control pots let you use the Deep Six to wash away any unwanted distortions even when used with instruments that have high output active pickups and humbuckers.
NUX Komp Core Deluxe
Are you looking for a compressor that will not color your sound? The Komp Core Deluxe by NUX is a versatile analog compressor pedal with an extensive range of compressor tones. Precise knobs and three different clip modes offer a broad range of taste. Blend, Sustain, and Attack knobs give you a great control perspective on signal, and you can add a low-noise sustain and set input sensitivity accurately. The Komp Core Deluxe can be as squishy or transparent as you want.
JAM Pedals Dyna-ssoR Bass
The Dyna-ssoR Bass is the product of Jam Pedals’ inspiration to combine an MXR DynaComp with a Ross Compressor, leveraging a novel NOS CA3080 chip. You may utilize it as an endless sustainer for droned out bass lines or a squashing compressor. The Dyna-ssoR Bass boasts componentry and design variations to let more low end come through. It also includes true bypass as well as Sustain and Level knobs. The Dyna-ssoR Bass represents Jam Pedals’ commitment to crafting well-tuned circuits.
ammoon KOKKO FCP2
Powered by a modded MXR Dyna Comp circuit combined with the Attack knob from the Boss CS-2 compressor, the FCP2 is a full-featured compressor in mini form that helps you fatten up your sound and achieve insane levels of sustain by gradually increasing a note’s volume as it decays. A fully analog circuit, a broad adjustable range, true bypass, and anti-skid rubber pads make the FCP2 Mini Compressor Pedal an excellent bargain for those in need of a budget-priced compressor pedal.
Origin Effects SlideRIG Compact Deluxe
The SlideRIG Compact Deluxe from Origin Effects packs the incredible sustain and transparent tone of the original SlideRIG into a portable enclosure. With its intuitive three-way parallel compression mix controls, the SlideRIG Compact Deluxe is capable of delivering thrice the tone-sculpting potential. It lets you access conventional single-stage compression and the SlideRIG’s signature dual-stage compression. Thanks to its innovative three-way mixer stage, you may blend in your dry, uncompressed signal with dual- and single-stage compression signals.
Mosky Dyna Compressor
From the name alone, it’s very clear that budget guitar effects pedal brand Mosky Audio is making no bones about which stompbox they took their design cues from when they made the Dyna Compressor. This take on MXR’s classic Dyna Comp pedal serves up the same leveled output signal, stabilized signal dynamics, and infinitely clean sustain that made the original so popular. The Dyna Compressor has a 100% analog signal path and comes with a true bypass function.
JHS Pedals Haunting Mids
Find that scary good tone that haunts your imagination with the Haunting Mids from JHS Pedals. This simple yet frightfully effective sweepable-mids EQ preamp is capable of transforming just about any pedal or amp into a ghastly monster. It consists of Volume, Sweep, and Mids controls, as well as a Hi/Lo toggle. The Sweep and Mids knobs work in tandem to get the right frequencies to scoop or boost mid frequencies. The Haunting Mids is great for manipulating the midrange character of your drive pedal.
Boss GEB-7 7-Band Bass EQ
The Boss GEB-7 Bass Equalizer is the pinnacle of seven-band equalizer pedals built specifically to handle the bottom-heavy frequency ranges of electric bass guitars, including five- and six-string models. Thanks to a frequency range that goes as low as 50Hz, the GEB-7 can also handle tone and depth adjustments for an upright bass outfitted with pickups. Each of the GEB-7’s seven EQ bands can be boosted or cut by up to 15dB, while a gain control features a range of +/-15dB.
MXR KFK1 10-Band EQ
If you are not contented with your MXR Ten Band EQ, check out its wicked twin—the Kerry King Ten Band EQ. This beastly, tattoo-covered unit gives you tone and level control identical to the M108, but the Kerry King is capable of punishing two amps simultaneously, credits to its dual outputs. Designed in collaboration with the iconic Slayer guitarist, you can use it to produce thrash approved, scooped-mid rhythm tones or as a boost for solos. Ten sliders allow for a cut or boost up to 12dB.
Boss GE-7 7-Band EQ
The Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer is one of the most useful guitar effect pedals you could ever add to your pedal chain. It doesn’t matter what style of music you play, its seven-band EQ will give you complete and precise control over your sound. The Boss GE-7 7-Band EQ’s equalizer ranges from 100Hz to 6.4kHz with a boost/cut of +/- 15dB per band, making it the ideal equalizer for guitar signals. Place it after your favorite distortion pedal and you can drastically cut down unwanted feedback.
Mooer Graphic B
Budget stompbox master Mooer is touting the Graphic B as the world’s smallest bass EQ pedal. Inside that tiny yet sturdy chassis is a beast of an equalizer that provides a level control range of up to +/- 18 dB across five EQ bands: 62.5 Hz, 125Hz, 500Hz, 1kHz, and 4kHz. It also features an independent Level control knob for even more precise tone tuning. You can also make it pull double duty as a booster.
Amptweaker Curveball Jr
The Amptweaker Curveball Jr 3-Band EQ boasts dual Boost functions and can be utilized as a clean channel preamp. The Curveball Jr is a convenient but potent tool for tweaking your pedalboard, boosting your amp, or shaping your tone. This 3-band active EQ is flat when set halfway and can emulate different classic passive guitar amp EQs. The Mid switch allows you to select the mid frequency for Thrash, UK, or US style of midrange. You can use the Curveball in front of distortion to increase the gain while tailoring the thickness and attack of your distortion.
Utility Pedals
Rowin Chromatic Tuner
What a good chromatic tuner lacks in glamour is offset by it being a must-have essential for any and all musicians. The high-precision LT-910 Chromatic Tuner from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin is a workhorse pedal that not only takes up a tiny spot on your pedalboard, but also costs less than half of your average stompbox. The LT-910 CHromatic Tuner features a big bright LED display that’s perfect for tuning while on a dark stage, plus it works equally well with guitar or bass.
Xvive PT-05 Pedal Tuner
Xvive’s PT05 chromatic tuner pedal is built to be unobtrusive but easy to see when you do need to use it. Its small chassis makes it easy to find space for it on any pedalboard, while its color display lets you tune your guitar without having to bend over and squint. Whether you’re playing on a dark stage, outdoors on the street, or in the comfort of a studio, you’ll be able to tune your instrument quickly and painlessly. It’s small, speedy, and straightforward—the three S’s that make for a great chromatic tuner pedal.
Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder
With up to 256 adjustable vocoder bands, the V256 vocoder pedal from Electro-Harmonix is a true beast of a machine. Talking guitar effects, futuristic robotic voices, and gender-bending pitch adjustment are just some of the cool voicings you can create with the V256 and then store in up to nine onboard memory locations. It’s even got a Reflex Tune feature, giving you an auto-tune pitch correction effect that you can take with you on stage.
Korg Pitchblack Mini (White)
The limited-edition white Korg Pitchblack mini features a large, easily readable LED meter with a light-emitting surface for exceptional visibility at whatever setting from stage light to daylight to entirely no light. The incredibly smooth eleven-segment LED meter enables precise visual tuning from different angles. The Pitchblack mini lets you select from four display modes. Thanks to its large note name display, red LED that displays the on/off status, and a tuning guide that shows whether your instrument is flat or sharp, you can always tune precisely and immediately in any situation.
Digitech LUXE
If you want to beef up your tone without that weird warbling effect from a flanger or chorus, you need to see the DigiTech Luxe. The Luxe is an astounding unison/detuning pedal that sounds fantastic on your bass or guitar. It allows you to blend a slightly detuned input with the dry signal to produce a constant thickening sound identical to the studio technique of double tracking. Whether you are playing chords or single notes, the Luxe delivers a solid, rich, and true pitch-detuning effect.
Rowin Power Tuner
Whether you’re practicing, recording, or performing, it’s important to always make sure that you instrument is in tune. LT-920 Power Tuner from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin is fast tuner with a large display whose chassis is small enough to fit even the most crowded pedalboards. Not only that, but it also pulls double duty as a power supply. The LT-920 Power Tuner can provide power to up to six 100mA pedals and upt to two 500mA pedals.
Rowin Beat Loop
The LBL-01 Beat Loop is a versatile and affordable combination drum machine and looper pedal from budget-priced guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin. The looper section can record for up to five minutes in each of 30 separate storage locations. The drum machine has two drum groups with 40 drum types, half of which are standard while the other half is electronic. The LBL-01 Beat Looper also has a separate dual footswitch controller that lets you control the drum section.
Digitech Jamman Solo XT
After inventing looping many years back, the DigiTech JamMan Solo XT gives you the ultimate stereo looping experience. Increase the energy in your performance and gain new inspiration with almost infinite loops. Smooth transitions between looped phrases make the Solo XT an indispensable device for performing and composing. It features ten pre-loaded drum loops from Pat Mastelotto. Enjoy the stereo looping experience you desire from simple backing loops to complex loop layers with your band or by yourself. Polish your performance with Auto-Quantize, Auto-Record, three Stop modes, and adjustable BPMs.
Digitech TRIOPLUS
The DigiTech Trio+ is among the most impressive performance, writing, and practice tools for guitarists. This simple-to-use guitar pedal is built on DigiTech’s famed Trio technology which listens to your playing and instantly plays drum and bass accompaniment. The Trio+ gives you five additional genres for achieving the perfect feel. You select a genre and style variation, then start playing. The Trio+ pedal also includes three bass line modes that will fit any style of music you are playing.
Rowin Twin Looper
Think of budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin’s LTL-02 Twin Looper as a looper pedal jacked up on stompbox steroids. This dual footswitch stomp is simple to use yet highly versatile and sophisticated. One footswitch controls the standard loop functions, while the other lets you take direct control and shape your loops to your liking. You can use it to stop, clear, or even manipulate the speed of a loop by using it alongside a dedicated Speed knob.
NUX MG-100
The NUX MG-100 features a six-band graphic EQ intended for electric guitars. It boasts 58 effects (up to eight can be utilized simultaneously) and an inbuilt drum machine with CD quality PCM sounds. Up to 40 secs phrase loop with sound on sound provides further playability. The MG-100 also includes 13 standard amp models with True Simulation of Analog Circuit, classic three-band passive EQ modeling for each amp model, and an overall 72 presets, 36 factory plus 36 user presets.
BOSS RC-30 Phrase Looper
Boss unveiled a new line of RC-series Loop Stations for the 10th anniversary of the original Loop Station, and the RC-30 is one of that line’s poster boys. The Boss RC-30 Loop Station is a twin pedal multitrack looper that comes with two synchronized stereo tracks, built-in loop effects, and a phantom power XLR input jack. The RC-30’s massive internal memory lets you record up to three hours, while a USB 2.0 port lets you import and export WAV files or save your loops to an external storage device.
Source Audio Soundblox2 OFD Bass microModeler
The Source Audio Soundblox 2 OFD Bass microModeler loads an extensive, low-end enhanced collection of vintage and new distortion, overdrive, and fuzz tones into a stage-ready stompbox designed for bassists of any style. Every effect has been thoroughly created to deliver naturally responsive and precise tones, from extreme fuzz to warm tube overdrive. The Bass OFD boasts very natural modeling of twelve bass specific variants of tones inspired by classic gears like Mesa Boogie preamp overdrive, Big Muff Pi, Fuzz Face, Octavia, Pro Co Rat, Tube Screamer, and Marshall Amplifiers.
Two Notes Le Lead 2-channel Tube Preamp
The Le Lead dual channel preamp pedal from Two Notes is a tube-powered beast, capable of unleashing everything from a subtle drive crunch to in your face metal and over the top fuzz. Use channel A for the crunch, then switch to channel B for a modern high gain sound. These channels can be used independently, in parallel, or cascaded for extreme tonal versatility. Each channel also features its own dedicated control knobs and EQ sections for iron fisted tone tweaking.
Rowin Booster
The RW-LEF-318 Booster from budget guitar effects brand Rowin is a solid boost pedal choice, especially if your wallet is hurting and your pedalboard is getting a little too crowded. It serves up a high headroom signal boost that’s surprisingly transparent. If any coloration still creeps into your tone, the Booster comes with dedicated Bass and Treble EQ knobs for fine-tuning your sound. This reliable clean boost will do well straight in front of an amp or behind another drive or dirt stomp.
WMD Geiger Counter Pro
This is the future of digital dirt. WMD’s Geiger Counter boutique distortion guitar effects pedal delivers a cornucopia of dirt tones, from the classic and recognizable to some insanely twisted, octave folded lo fi fuzz that brings to mind the irradiated wind that follows in the wake of a mushroom cloud. The Geiger Counter Pro is the evolved version of the Geiger Counter that crawls out of that radiation fallout. It ups the number of wavetables to 512 in total, has a wavetable morphing feature, comes with 16 switchable presets, and is even upgradeable via USB..
Source Audio Programmable EQ
The Programmable EQ by Source Audio is a highly streamlined and thoroughly modern update to old-school equalizer pedals. This portable, sturdy, cast aluminum stompbox gives you instant hands-free access to four user programmed EQ settings. No matter your playing style, instrument, or genre, the Programmable EQ is the must-have tone-shaping tool for your live rig. It loads ± 18dB of range over seven frequency bands as well as an extra frequency band at 62Hz, accessible through Octave Extend feature.
Mission Engineering EXP1-PRO
Boasting a sturdy, all-metal construction, the Mission Engineering EXP1-PRO is a professional quality expression pedal compatible with expression pedal inputs on keyboards, MIDI controllers, multi-effect units, and stompboxes. It carries an input level knob that enables adjustment of minimum level from zero to 80%. The EXP-1-PRO incorporates a custom made 10K Ohm linear, wholly sealed potentiometer that works nicely with various devices, and is rated at over a million operations for durability and excellent response.
Morley Kiko Loureiro Mini Switchless Wah
The switchless signature wah pedal Morley created for Brazilian guitar virtuoso Kiko Loureiro is beautiful. Small, simple, and extremely musical, this little green monster is powered by a custom MQ2 inductor set to Loureiro’s favorite wah tone and sweep. It also features Morley’s famous Electro-Optical wah circuit design, True Tone bypass, and a glow-in-the-dark treadle design. Whether you plug in a guitar, a bass, or keyboards, the Kiko Loureiro Mini Switchless Wah will let your signal soar high above the mix as you lay down scorching hot grooves.
Caline Blue Ocean
Getting great, natural-sounding delay tones doesn’t have to be expensive, and the Caline CP-19 Blue Ocean Delay guitar effect pedal proves it. You can dial in a delay time of anywhere from 25ms to 600ms with the Delay knob and then use the Repeat knob to control the delay signal’s repeats for slap back effects and classic delays. The Caline CP-19 Blue Ocean Delay comes with a true bypass feature and can be powered by a 9V battery or compatible power supply.
Big Joe B-406
The Big Joe B-406 A/B Switcher does one thing—let you switch between two different channels—and does it really well. It’s simple to operate, the switch is extremely quiet, and is all passive with virtually no additional overall noise. It also has two bright LEDs that indicate which of the two channels are active, so you don’t have to strain your ears to verify that the right amp is engaged while you’re in the middle of a gig.
Caline Time Space
With a delay time range of 25ms to 600ms, the Caline CP-17 Time Space Digital Delay guitar effects pedal gives you a lot of digital delay bang for your buck. Dedicated Mix, Repeat, and Time knobs give you full control over your delay settings, while a high-quality filter makes this digital delay pedal come very close to the sound of more expensive classic analog delays. The Caline CP-17 Time Space Echo Digital Delay comes with a true bypass feature.
Boss LS-2 Line Selector
Simplify your setup with the Boss LS-2 Line Selector, a pedal that lets you easily and quickly switch between different effects loops and amplifiers as well as route input and output signals on the fly. The LS-2 has two line loops with independent level controls and comes with six looping modes. Use it with an AC adapter and you can turn the LS-2 into the ideal power supply and master switching unit for other Boss pedals in your pedalboard.
Morley Mini Maverick Switchless Wah
The Mini Maverick Switchless Wah pedal, now updated with Morley’s iconic trapezoid treadle! The Mini Maverick is all about bringing you big sound and expansive features in a tough, compact chassis ideal for crowded pedalboards. It packs a hybrid punch of vintage and modern wah tones powered by a custom MQ2 inductor. The Mini Maverick features Morley’s whole slate of modern wah innovations: it’s electro-optical, it has True-Tone Bypass Buffer circuitry, and it has a switchless operation.
TC Electronic PolyTune 3
The PolyTune 3 by TC Electronic is quicker, more intuitive, and more reliable than ever, featuring precision within 0.1 cents and a no-frills approach to the instrument and guitar tuning. Credits to its inbuilt BonaFide Buffer circuitry, the PolyTune 3 is now capable of enhancing your tone for lengthy cable runs. Meaning, you obtain the treble and transient response way closer to connecting straight to an amp. Alternate tuning modes enable you to explore different ways to create your art.
Xotic Super Clean
In the battle against tone suck, a good buffer pedal is an indispensable weapon in your arsenal. And when it comes to high-end buffer pedals, the Super Clean from boutique guitar effects stompbox company Xotic is one of your best choices. This buffer stomp is powered by a legendary JRC4558 chip and delivers up to +12dB of clean boost. It features a convenient Gain mini-pot as well as four side-mounted dip switches that let you tweak the EQ settings to your liking.
Orange Amp Detonator
Running two amps is an accepted way of capturing bigger tones in the studio and on stage. No matter if it is changing between two amps for their characteristics or employing them simultaneously for vast walls of sounds, professionals have been using this setup for years. The Amp Detonator by Orange is arguably the tiniest active, wholly functional, buffered ABY pedal available. The transformer output was painstakingly engineered to become as transparent as possible, while the two outputs are buffered with a low-noise, linear circuit. Drive lengthy cable to your amplifiers without clarity loss and change quietly between them.
J. Rockett SOS
Your pedalboard needs a reliable buffer that will balance out your impedance to get high tones losses back on track, especially with long cable runs and multiple pedals. The quality of guitar cables differs so if you have ever plugged directly into your amp then back into your board, you understand what this means. J. Rockett’s SOS is precisely that—a pedal designed to save your tone. It lets you bypass any insane interaction with wah and fuzz pedals. The SOS features a single knob layout for slightly varying the focus of your high end to dial it where necessary.
MOSKY PURE BUFFER
Buffer pedals are indispensable weapons in the constant struggle against tone suck. Budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Mosky Audio’s Pure Buffer is a tiny one, which makes it the ideal candidate for inclusion in compact and crowded pedalboards. The Pure Buffer helps eliminate the inherent issues of multiple daisy chained pedals and long cables, making your guitar signal’s core tone sound like you’ve plugged your instrument straight into an amp with a short cord.
Vertex Dynamic Distortion
The Dynamic Distortion by Vertex is a sonic mix of rock ’n’ roll’s two most legendary distortion pedals: the 80s TS Overdrive and 60s Germanium Fuzz. This iconic combination gives you unrivaled touch sensitivity and clean-up with your guitar volume control from sparkly clean to fuzz to overdrive while delivering the full-bodied woolliness of an old-school fuzz and the midrange cut of a vintage TS pedal. The Dynamic Distortion boasts all the benefits of mixing the tonal DNA of these iconic pedals without the drawbacks.
TC Electronic Iron Curtain
Presenting the no-nonsense way to get rid of your sound gremlins, the Iron Curtain Noise Gate by TC Electronic. It is an ultra-fast and efficient noise gate that minimizes unwanted noise from your instrument signal. Its convenient two-knob interface controls decay and threshold. The toggle switch allows you to select between reducing unwanted noise or muting signal entirely. Designed and engineered in Denmark, the Iron Curtain Noise Gate comes in a durable metal chassis. It features a true bypass for supreme signal integrity.
Donner Noise Killer
The Noise Killer is arguably one of the most competitive noise gate pedals you can find on a limited budget. It delivers the core performance and features that are essential for a decent pedal of this kind. It lets you choose between Hard and Soft modes, which provide hard effect and soft effect of noise reduction respectively. The threshold range goes from -70dB to +10dB. The Noise Killer comes in an aluminium-alloy enclosure, and like many great effector pedals, it also features a true bypass function.
ZVex Loop Gate
Noise gates are infinitely useful, but gating becomes a lot more challenging when you’re facing a pedalboard full of sonically complex effects such as fuzz boxes and delay stomps. The Loop Gate is boutique guitar effects company Zvex’s answer to that conundrum. It acts as a loop switch with an excellent built-in high headroom noise gate with zero distortion and hiss. You can switch effects loops in and out at will, plus you can even crossfade them using the Mix knob and deliver tremolo-style effects in Chop mode.
Pigtronix Gatekeeper
The Gatekeeper from Pigtronix is a lightning-fast, studio-grade noise gate pedal that eliminates any unwanted noise from your rig. Carrying Threshold and Release time controls, the Gatekeeper gives you 100% attenuation with unparalleled response time, making it the most efficient and valuable noise gate pedal available. It leverages high-speed JFET circuitry to fully get rid of hiss, buzz, hum, and other non-musical sounds from your signal path. The Gatekeeper will let you crank up your volume without worrying about hearing the disgusting 60-cycle hum or white noise common to high gain rigs.
Rowin Noise Gate
Make unwanted signal noise a thing of the past with the LEF-319 Noise Gate from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin. With this in your pedal chain, you can cut out all of the hisses, buzzes, and hums that dirty up your signal without sacrificing your core tonal characteristics. A dedicated threshold knob lets you dial in that sweet spot where you want the gating effects to kick in, while a two-position toggle lets you switch between hard gating and soft gating.
MXR Smart Gate
Whether you need to silence your chain of stompboxes or tame your hissing high-gain amp, the MXR Smart Gate has got you covered. This ingenious tool is armed with three selectable noise reduction ranges to manage just about any signal type. The Smart Gate bites down on sizzle and hum but allows the tiniest detail of your playing through. It possesses an uncanny capability to sense when and how fast to engage. It also boasts an incredibly clean circuitry, precise threshold trigger, and hardwire bypass.
Singular Sound BeatBuddy
Introducing a drum machine within a guitar pedal format—the BeatBuddy by Singular Sound. It allows you hands-free and creative control of the beat. You can conveniently insert fills, throw in drum breaks, add accent hits, shift from verse to chorus, and more, to produce an unparalleled live drummer effect—all in an iconic, natural 24-bit sound. The BeatBuddy is loaded with features for all kinds of musicians. A visual beat display makes it effortless to enhance rhythm or play with unusual time signatures.
Digitech Jam Man
DigiTech’s JamMan Stereo Looper boasts the ability to save 35 minutes of CD-quality loops within 99 internal memories and an SD memory card expansion slot that allows you to store more than 16 hours of material in an added 99 slots. It also includes reverse playback, true stereo looping, and a mic input making it suitable for DJ applications and backing tracks. The JamMan Stereo has USB connectivity and will sync to the JamManager XT software which organizes and records your JamMan Stereo loops to your Mac or PC.
JOYO O.M.B
Joyo’s OMB Looper and Drum Machine turns you into a one-man band with a single stomp. This single pedal can act as a looper, a drum machine, or a combo looper plus drum machine. The looper function lets you record up to 40 minutes of audio and features unlimited overdubs, auto-align, and count-in. You get seven drum patterns and seven drumbeats in drum machine mode, plus you can add fills to the patterns and use a tap tempo function. The OMB is an R Series pedal, meaning it has cool ambient LED effects built into it.
Mooer Micro Drummer
Rock, pop, jazz, R&B, funk, latin, metal, blues, reggae—whatever style of music you play, the Micro Drummer can serve up a pretty authentic drum track emulation for it. This digital drum machine guitar effects pedal from budget stompbox masters Mooer is packed with 121 different drumbeat patterns spread across 11 genres. Just pick a genre with the rotary selector, dial in your preferred volume, speed, and tone, and then use the tap tempo to get the beat you want.
Rowin Beat Loop
The LBL-01 Beat Loop is a versatile and affordable combination drum machine and looper pedal from budget-priced guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin. The looper section can record for up to five minutes in each of 30 separate storage locations. The drum machine has two drum groups with 40 drum types, half of which are standard while the other half is electronic. The LBL-01 Beat Looper also has a separate dual footswitch controller that lets you control the drum section.
Singular Sound BeatBuddy Mini
The Singular Sound BeatBuddy Mini is a drummer within a guitar pedal enclosure. It provides entirely hands-free, creative control of the beat. No matter what instrument you use, you can easily transition from verse to chorus, insert fills, throw in drum breaks, add accent hits, and more to yield an unparalleled live drummer effect. Utilized in the music programs of Berklee College of Music and Frost School of Music, the BeatBuddy Mini is arguably the most efficient way to enhance your rhythm and master different genres while improvising and having a great time.
Other Pedals
Morley George Lynch Mini Dragon 2 Wah
All the tone of metal legend George Lynch’s signature Dragon 2 wah pedal packed into a smaller and more pedalboard-friendly yet still road-tough chassis. The George Lynch Mini Dragon 2 Wah from Morley packs all of the features of its big brother. You get the Dragon 2’s Wow, Wah, and Wah Lock modes as well as Morley’s famous Electro-Optical circuit design and switchless operation. The Mini Dragon 2 also wrapped in a brand new custom graphic design.
Morley Dual Bass Wah
Why settle for one funky wah tone when you can have two? Morley’s Dual Bass Wah was built to satisfy any bass player’s funkiest desires. Go classic with the Traditional Wah mode then switch over to Funk Wah mode to really get down and dirty with a groove. The Morley Dual Bass Wah effects pedal features switchless operation as well as Morley’s famous Electro-Optical design and True Tone Bypass. And the treadle rubber glows in the dark, too.
EBS Stanley Clarke Signature Wah-Wah
Achieve bass legend Stanley Clarke’s signature tone with the EBS Stanley Clarke Signature Wah/Tone Filter. This ultra-versatile wah-wah pedal does not affect the whole frequency range and lets you choose from four distinct pre-shape pass modes (Low-pass, High-pass, Band-pass, and Boosted Band-pass). It also provides controls to set the Width and Range of the effect span. It features a unique pedal design that meets Stanley’s high standards with the best wah-wah effects possible. It is the first time EBS has launched a signature product.
Jim Dunlop John Petrucci Cry Baby
The John Petrucci Signature Cry Baby Wah is the product of the iconic prog metal shredder’s yearslong journey to create his ideal wah sound. John has long utilized the Cry Baby Rack Wah system to adjust and fine-tune its several parameters until he discovered the sound that best represents the intensity and expression he requires. He, together with Dream Theater engineer Richard Chycki, recently cooperated with the Cry Baby design team to reproduce and better fine-tune that sound with one pedal. It is a wah suitable for manipulating growling heavy chords or molding single notes.
ZVEX Vexter Wah Probe
The Vexter Wah Probe from boutique guitar effects pedal company Zvex is a wah pedal that replaces the standard-issue rocker pot with a proximity sensor that allows for insanely fast wah action. It also packs a built-in Super Hard On for extra volume drive. Zvex’s Vexter line of silk screened pedals feature the exact same tone, feature set, and internal parts and circuits as their hand-painted counterparts. The only differences are the painting process and the price.
Dunlop Slash Cry Baby Classic
The Cry Baby has been a significant part of Slash’s career, helping him produce his signature epic solos which he weaves into his revolutionary gritty, blues-inspired rock. Dunlop worked closely with him to build the Slash Cry Baby Classic, custom-voiced for the organic, expressive sound which inspired a generation of guitarists. Boasting a custom-wound resonance inductor and tuned to a lower frequency, this wah-wah features a wide sweep and extensive dynamic range. It has two side-mounted blue LEDs displaying the On/Off status, visible from any angle onstage.
Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator
The AC-2 Acoustic Creator by Zoom is a revamped direct box that serves up everything you need to achieve your natural acoustic tone anywhere you play from the studio to the stage. It instantly restores the tone lost via acoustic pickups, guaranteeing that your live sound stays resonant, lush, and true to your selected instrument. The AC-2 Acoustic Creator features high-quality preamp, piezo/magnetic input pickup select, reverb effect, and three-band equalizer. It also includes an inbuilt chromatic visual-led Tuner and Anti-Feedback control.
Rowin Auto Wah
Boutique level auto wah sound at a price that won’t flatten your wallet. The LEF=3804 Auto Wah from budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin can serve up a wide range of classic wah tones, from a soft, slow wah to a faster, more watery Cry Baby-esque attack. You can dial these in using the dedicated Cutoff, Shape, Reso, and Speed control knobs. The LEF-3804’s Auto Wah’s footswitch also has a secondary function: hold it down to store a parameter to create some interesting layered tones.
JOYO D-SEED
The Joyo D-Seed guitar effects pedal is a dual-channel digital delay that serves up a bevy of highly musical delay tones. You get 17ms to 1000ms of delay time plus four delay modes. First is Copy, which just plays back the notes you play without any additional effects. Analog emulates the warmth of an analog BBD delay pedal and Modulation adds a splash of chorus to the delay effect. Finally, there’s Reverse for when you want to get really weird and trippy. Great delay effects at a similarly great price.
Rowin AC Stage
The LEF-320 AC Stage pedal from budget guitar effects stompbox maker Rowin gives your electric guitar the strummy goodness of an acoustic. The AC Stage is particularly adept at adding a deep layer of the shortened, glassy resonance that characterizes a good acoustic guitar. It features three acoustic modes, with Standard being the basic acoustic sound. Jumbo mode simulates the deep voice of a full bodied dreadnought guitar while a Piezo mode rounds out the three voicings.
Tom’sline Acoustic
The aptly named Acoustic budget guitar effects pedal from Tomsline is a workhorse acoustic simulator pedal that gets the job done. Plug in an electric guitar and you can give it the body and natural woody sound of an acoustic. You can adjust the gain with the Top knob, the resonance of the simulated acoustic body with the Body dial, and the overall volume with the Volume pot. The Acoustic also features a three-way toggle that lets you switch between three voicing modes: Piezo, Standard, and Jumbo.
Danelectro D-8 Fab Delay
The Danelectro Fab D-8 Delay guitar effect pedal dishes out up to 600ms of amazingly musical delay at an unbeatable price point. Proving that you can get a lot of flexibility out of a mere three control knobs, you can use the dedicated Delay, Time, and Repeat knobs to dial in anything from a quick and fast slapback effect to long, spacey delays. A worthy digital delay to add to any budget-conscious musician’s everyday pedalboard setup.
Source Audio Soundblox2 Multiwave Bass Distortion
The Source Audio Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass Distortion repackages all the Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion’s low-end retaining fuzz and distortion tones into a portable, cast-aluminum chassis. It gives you 23 non-traditional and traditional synth-esque effects plus two user presets, a Clean Boost mode, individual Clean and Distortion Mix knobs, three-band tone control, three-level noise gate, universal bypass, and a multifunction input compatible with MIDI, Hot Hand, or the Source Audio Dual Expression Pedal. The Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass Distortion includes both single- and multi-band processing.
Radial BigShot EFX
Set up two independent effects loops then add them to your pedal chain as you see fit with the BigShot EFX true bypass effects loop switcher from Radial. Therefore, those tone robbing non-true bypass pedals and noisy pedals that you love to hate can already be utilized and entirely removed from the signal path when you don’t need them. Better yet, when your effects loop is on standby, you can turn on/off pedals at will and ready your sound.
Tech 21 Red Ripper
The Red Ripper fuzz box for bass from Tech 21 is more than your bog standard dirt stomp. It is highly responsive to you picking dynamics; the harder you hit your bass strings, the more saturated your tone becomes. Pull back on your attack and you get a smoother sound and heavier lower harmonics. The Red Ripper’s unique R.I.P. pot also lets you dial in a wide range of fuzzed-out bass tones, from vintage hair to octaver fuzz and even through to a Moogie-like synth tone.
Boss GEB-7 7-Band Bass EQ
The Boss GEB-7 Bass Equalizer is the pinnacle of seven-band equalizer pedals built specifically to handle the bottom-heavy frequency ranges of electric bass guitars, including five- and six-string models. Thanks to a frequency range that goes as low as 50Hz, the GEB-7 can also handle tone and depth adjustments for an upright bass outfitted with pickups. Each of the GEB-7’s seven EQ bands can be boosted or cut by up to 15dB, while a gain control features a range of +/-15dB.
Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive
Bassists already excel at putting out chest-pounding rhythms and lines, but if you want to push the envelope even further then the Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive pedal is the right stompbox for the job. Designed specifically for bass guitar signals, the ODB-3 gives you all the bone-shattering distortion you need for your aggressive hard rock, thrash, and punk riffs. You can control your dry and overdriven sounds with the Balance knob, while an onboard two-band equalizer lets you sculpt your tone even further.
Electro-Harmonix Bass Soul Food
The Bass Soul Food overdrive effects pedal from Electro-Harmonix lets you add a layer of overdriven and clean boosted attitude to your bass guitar’s signal without compromising your original sound’s unique character. Dedicated Treble, Drive, and Tone controls let you shape the exact overdrive tone you want, while the Blend dial lets you fine-tune how much of that gets mixed with your original tone. The Bass Soul Food is also useful for guitarists who want to add more crunch and punch to their low end.
MOOER Free Step
The Free Step is an innovative little guitar effects pedal from budget stompbox masters Mooer that pulls double duty as a vintage analog wah and a versatile volume pedal while being less than half the size of a regular expression pedal. You can shape the wah tone to you liking via the side-mounted Q dial. In volume mode, you can set the minimum volume from 0% to 50% using the Min. Vol. dial located on the pedal’s side.
Mission Engineering VM-Pro (Red)
Housed in a fiery red chassis, the VM-PRO by Mission Engineering is the most sophisticated volume pedal you will find. It addresses several common issues with volume pedals, which result in mismatching and tone sucking problems. It works with your baritone, bass, electro-acoustic, or electric guitars. The VM-PRO is also compatible with other electric and acoustic instruments such as steel guitars, electronic keyboards, and instrument microphones. It incorporates compatibility switches for utilization with passive/active pickups as well as fuzz pedals.
Morley Power Wah Volume
The Morley PWO Power Wah cranked up to 11 by the addition of a new volume control circuit. The PWO Power Wah Volume comes equipped with a custom HQ2 inductor that brings the classic funk and a volume control section with a silky smooth audio taper. Morley’s innovative electro-optical circuit design makes worn out pots a thing of the distant past while True-Tone Bypass Buffer technology keeps your tone pure and pristine in both wah and volume mode.
Morley M2 Passive Volume
The M2 Passive Volume guitar effects pedal from Morley gives you an audio level taper that’s as smooth a silk. Its response is consistent, it’s easy to use, and it’s very expressive. And since the M2 Passive Volume is a passive pedal, you don’t have to stick a battery in it or connect it to a power source in order to use it. Simply plug in and you’re good to go. This is plug and play volume control at its finest.
Dunlop Volume X Mini
With the DVP4 Mini Volume (X) Pedal, conserving space does not mean sacrificing functionality or durability. It lets you manage volume and FX parameters without congesting your pedalboard. It is capable of anything the larger DVP3 does. For ultimate precision and convenience, the DVP4’s rocker tension is adjustable. The AUX output merges tuner and expression functionality into a single jack which can be toggled with a switch on the pedal. You no longer need to give up control of your volume level and FX pedals when employing a travel-sized board, thanks to the DVP4 Volume X Mini.
Mission Engineering VM-PRO
Not your dime a dozen volume pedal, the VM-PRO by Mission Engineering is a multi-output, buffered, adjustable volume pedal that is ready for action. Imagine it as an excellent starting point for your signal chain. Suitable for your acoustic-electric guitar, bass, and electric guitar, you can set the VM-PRO’s input jack for active or passive instruments. The buffered output guarantees proper frequency response via your pedals and lengthy cable runs. The VM-PRO volume pedal can handle whatever rig you are running.
Dunlop DVP4
Manage your FX parameters and volume without congesting your pedalboard with the Dunlop DVP4. Thanks to its ability to do everything the bigger DVP3 does at half the size, you no longer have to skimp on functionality or durability to conserve space. The DVP4 is just as sturdy and solidly constructed with an aggressive non-slip tread, lightweight aluminum enclosure, and Dunlop’s patented Low Friction Band-Drive for consistent performance and seamless range of motion. For supreme precision and comfort, its rocker tension is adjustable.
Pigtronix Dual Expression
The Pigtronix Dual Expression features two outputs, giving you the ability to control expression functions on two different effects simultaneously. Presently, no other expression pedal in the market can do that. Besides Pigtronix EXP’s dual functionality, the model also incorporates a polarity reversal switch, so you can move the parameters of the two effects in different directions. Manufactured in the USA by Mission Engineering for Pigtronix, it is arguably the most exceptional expression pedal ever. It features industry-standard TRS wiring and precision machined dual potentiometer.
Mission Engineering EP1-KP Kemper
Utilize the EP1-KP switching expression pedal from Mission Engineering to maximize your Kemper Profiling Amp. It incorporates a linear potentiometer that has been matched exactly to the specs of the Kemper Profiler for a natural and accurate response. It also includes a toe switch so you can turn effects on/off without needing a separate footswitch. The EP1-KP comes in black or green finish and is compatible with both the rack and head variants, as well as the Remote floor controller.
Fender EXP-1 Expression Pedal
The Fender EXP-1 Expression Pedal manages the volume or amp/effect parameters on the Mustang Floor multi-effects unit as well as Mustang III, IV, and V amps. By stepping on the pedal’s toe end, you can move between Expression and Volume modes. Green and red LEDs show you the mode in use. The EXP-1 allows you exceptional tonal control and delivers a revolutionary way to make your Mustang multi-effects unit or amplifier more expressive, versatile, and exciting.
Source Audio Reflex Universal Expression Controller
The Reflex Universal Expression Controller from Source Audio serves as a standalone command center for your every expression pedal need. This programmable expression pedal can control DAW software via USB and connect to any rack system, effects pedal, or synthesizer with an expression or MIDI jack. Its outputs include a USB port, MIDI five-pin DIN in/out connectors, three 1/4 ” analog expression outs, and the proprietary 1/8″ Sensor Out. The Reflex is capable of sending six LFO wave shapes with expression control over the depth, beat division, or modulation speed.
Zoom FP02M
Get a pitch bender, a wah pedal, and a volume pedal in one with the FP02M expression pedal from Zoom. Plug it into your bass effects device or guitar to add real-time command over the pitch, wah, or volume, as well as effect parameters like distortion gain, modulation rate, and reverb or delay level. Sturdy enough for the road, the FP02M comes in a metal enclosure and includes a ¼” to ¼” connection cable. It works with various Zoom effects processors.
Joyo JF-307
The JF-307 Clean Glass guitar effects pedal from Joyo brings the classic tone of blackface-era Fender amps straight to your feet. As its name suggests, this tiny stompbox does justice to Fender’s classic twangy and clear clean channel sound. There’s also a dedicated Drive knob for when you want to add saturated, sustain-friendly dirt. The JF-306 Night Train is an Ironman pedal, so it’s small enough to fit in your front pocket and features a flip cover to keep your control dial settings safe.
Joyo Golden Face
It’s tiny, it’s tuney, but the British-flavored crunch Joyo packed into the Ironman JF-308 Golden Face guitar effects pedal is anything but loony. This extremely small pedal that you can literally carry in your front pocket serves up massive Marshall stack sounds for rocking any audience to their knees. One issue that really small pedals usually face is the control knobs getting accidentally stepped on and mangled. The JF-308 Golden Face fixes that by using a flip cover to keep them safe.
Danelectro BK-1 Big Spender Spinning Speaker
The Danelectro BK-1 Big Spender Spinning Speaker guitar effect pedal is the perfect rotary speaker stompbox for musicians working with a very tight budget. Separate Volume and Treble knobs keep the simulated rotary speaker effect from becoming just another mishmash of phaser, chorus, and vibrato effects. A dedicated Speed knob and a Ramp switch separate from the main Effect switch simulate the speeding up / slowing down sounds of a real Leslie speaker for a greasy, gritty, shimmering rotary speaker effect.
Tom’sline AC Stage
Much like the slightly bigger Acoustic, Tomsline’s AC Stage budget guitar effects pedal is a workhorse acoustic simulator pedal that gets the job done, giving your electric guitar the full-bodied resonance and natural woody sound of an acoustic. The Acoustic also features a three-way toggle that lets you switch between three voicing modes: Piezo, Standard, and Jumbo. The AC Stage features Tomsline’s patented stop bar design to keep your foot from messing up the pedal’s settings when you stomp on it.
Joyo Boogie Master
The JF-309 Boogie Master guitar effects pedal from Joyo is a Mesa Boogie amp sim that gives you that trademark “roided-out Marshall” sound without having to spend over a thousand bucks on an actual Mesa Boogie amp. Crank the Drive knob up for a high-gain Mesa sound or stay clean to hew closer to a Boogie. The JF-309 Boogie Master is an Ironman pedal, so it’s small enough to fit in your front pocket and features a flip cover to keep your control dial settings safe from stray stomps.
Fender The Pinwheel
Stomp on Fender’s The Pinwheel to inject vintage organ speaker and amp effects to your performance. You can create astonishing sounds with three distinct rotary speaker voices, including Fender’s Vibratone effect. Switchable fast and slow speeds allow you to spin up the perfect effect, while the onboard overdrive gives your tone some texture. You may also adjust the modulation rate based on your playing dynamics with the Sensitivity control. The Pinwheel boasts unparalleled sonic textures, thanks to Fender’s all-original circuit.
Seymour Duncan FOOZ
The FOOZ pedal from Seymour Duncan transforms your guitar into an over-the-top analog synth. It leverages an extremely saturated square-wave fuzz to turn your instrument into the “oscillator,” geared to be shaped by other blocks—it also makes for an exceptional fuzz tone alone. It consists of Depth, Speed, Wave, Shape, Freq, Resonance, Level, and Gain controls. Inspired by synth flexibility and iconic guitar tones, the FOOZ imparts the spirit of synth creativity in your guitar.
WMD Geiger Counter Civilian Issue
This is the future of digital dirt. WMD’s Geiger Counter boutique distortion guitar effects pedal delivers a cornucopia of dirt tones, from the classic and recognizable to some insanely twisted, octave folded lo fi fuzz that brings to mind the irradiated wind that follows in the wake of a mushroom cloud. The Geiger Counter Civilian Issue is a stripped down version of the original, featuring 32 preset sounds and a far less complicated control layout.
Electro Harmonix Superego Synth Engine
Part synth, part sustain pedal, and part sampler—the Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine is a truly versatile and unique guitar effects pedal. Make your guitar sound like a synthesizer. Give your tone insane levels of sustain. Sustain a chord then freeze it so you can solo over it. If you’re looking to break through to new and unexplored soundscapes, this stompbox is your ticket. The Superego Synth Engine features all-analog circuitry and comes with a built-in effects loop.
DigiTech Dirty Robot
The Dirty Robot Stereo Mini-Synth from DigiTech empowers you to transform your bass or guitar into an industrial-strength booty-shaking device. It presents a broad array of controls to reshape and mangle your sound into something new. This metallic monster consists of seven controls, two distinct voices, and a new Drift knob which lets you morph and combine Octave, Sub, and Square waveforms instantly. By merely spinning a knob, an extensive range of cyborg sounds can already come to life.
Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone
The Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone guitar effects pedal is among the vanguard of Boss’s next generation of stompboxes. Powered by the magic of Roland’s innovative Multi-Dimensional Processing (MPD) technology, the MO-2 generates harmonically rich overtones that complement, enhance, and thicken your guitar or bass sound, whether you’re playing clean or distorted. Three unique modes and a dedicated Detune knob let you add all-new dynamic resonance textures to your sound, ranging from shimmering multi-string sounds to organ- and synth-like voicings.
EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander V2
The Bit Commander is EarthQuaker Devices’ love letter to old-school 8-bit beeps and primitive synth sounds. It features four octaves of vintage square wave synth tones which you can sculpt to sonic perfection by adding or subtracting octaves. The Bit Commander lets you easily make your guitar sound like a whole squad of analog synths with a single stomp. The V2 release builds on the original by adding soft-touch relay-based switching for truly silent operation.