Tonebox Recommended Pedals
Dunlop Echoplex Delay
The EP103 Echoplex Delay from Dunlop comes in the size of Phase 90 and is capable of delivering the Echoplex EP-3’s iconic tones with a user-friendly control interface and hi-fi pure analog dry path. The Delay knob determines the time between repeats, Volume sets your repeats’ output level, and Sustain selects the number of repeats. You can also use the Age to modify the delay tone from clean and bright to saturated and dark. With stereo compatibility, high-quality analog dry signal path, and more, any guitarist will appreciate the EP103 Echoplex Delay pedal.
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.
Walrus Audio Julia
Boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio’s Julia pedal is a feature-rich and extremely flexible analog chorus and vibrato box that can dish out everything from a calm, smooth and recognizable chorus and vibe mix to a wildly thrashing, seasickness inducing vibrato with a splash of unique chorus notes. Switchable analog LFO wave shapes add extra tonal versatility to the Julia’s arsenal of sound, while a special Lag pot further extends the Julia’s sonic boundaries.
Ernie Ball 250k Mono Volume Pedal
Get complete and precise volume control right at your feet. The Ernie Ball 6166 250k Mono Volume Pedal is an excellent hands-free option for controlling your volume. It features a super-smooth sweep and has a micro taper switch that lets you choose between two different volume swell rates. It’s calibrated specifically for the perfect handling of passive audio signals and comes with an independent tuner output for unobtrusive onstage tuning. The 250k’s rugged aluminum construction means it can withstand the rigors of constant use.
JHS Pedals Muffuletta
For years, the Big Muff fuzz has been heard on various classic recordings and been through multiple variations that virtually any guitarist has a favorite version of its legendary tone. The JHS Pedals team wanted to pay homage to such an undeniably classic fuzz pedal, but could not agree on which Muff was king. With the Muffuletta, the group’s indecision is your gain. The Muffuletta loads five pure analog recreations of beloved Big Muff tones along with a JHS-exclusive take on the iconic stomp.
JHS Pedals Morning Glory V4
Built to be among the most transparent overdrives, the Morning Glory is undoubtedly JHS Pedals’ most popular overdrive pedal, receiving more recognitions and bagging more awards than any of its other designs. It gives you all the tonal and responsive nuance your amp is missing. Utilize it if you wish to impart mid- to low-level grit to your crystal-clean tone, add tube-esque touch response to a less-than-ideal amp, or boost a crunchy tone into thicker sustain.
Drive Pedals
Maxon VOP-9 Vintage Overdrive Pro
An update to the Maxon OD820, the VOP-9 Vintage Overdrive Pro pedal takes the OD820’s fundamental circuit and packs it into Maxon’s durable, industry-standard 9-Series enclosure. The VOP-9 leverages an identical JRC NJM4558D op-amp for low-noise performance. It boasts the same negative feedback loop clipping diode as the OD-9 and OD820. Similar to the ‘820, the VOP-9 includes a mechanical true bypass switching for unaltered sound in bypass and the capability to combine overdriven with clean tones.
Keeley Filaments
The Filaments guitar effects pedal fills the role of high-gain tube amp-style overdrive and distortion stomp in Keeley Electronics’ pedal lineup. With a full complement of wide-range EQ control knobs and three toggle switches for precise and flexible tone shaping, the Filaments will work well with whatever amp and guitar you’re currently using. And it can dish out enough gain and nuanced tone to handle whatever kind of metal you play. The Filaments is so metal you’ll automatically grow long hair once you stomp on it.
Mosky Golden Horse
The Klon Centaur is, hands down, one of the most copied overdrive pedals ever. Budget guitar effects pedal brand Mosky Audio takes its own stab at the Centaur with the Golden Horse, a mini stomp that delivers the full brunt of the original’s distinct drive and boost tone. Like the Centaur, the Golden Horse features a trio of dedicated control knobs: Treble, Output, and Gain. It features true bypass and, due to its size, can only be powered via a 9V power supply. No battery support here.
Vertex Steel String Clean Drive
The Steel String Clean Drive by Vertex is a faithful but original rendition of the vintage D-style sound. This pure analog overdrive emulates the sound as well as the feel of the iconic Dumble Steel String Singer amp. The Steel String Clean Drive pedal is capable of anything from EQ shaping to fat boost to overdrive to compression and more. Capture the distinctive fat clean tones and crystal clear overdrive from albums like Continuum, Texas Flood, and Venus Isle via any clean amp platform.
Tom’sline Overdrive/Distortion Mini
Need a drive stomp AND a dirt box but don’t have much space on your pedalboard? The Overdrive/Distortion pedal from budget guitar effects pedal maker Tomsline is the answer to your prayers. This two-in-one pedal can dish out everything from smooth, textured overdrive to crunchy, balls-to-the wall distortion and all points in between while taking up almost no pedalboard space at all. The Overdrive/Distortion packs a heavier distortion punch than its size and price would suggest.
GOKKO SonicFuel
The SonicFuel Overdrive GK-20 guitar effects pedal from GOKKO packs highly versatile overdrive tones in its compact and budget-friendly chassis. Crank the Gain knob all the way up for silky smooth, compressed overdrive. You can also use the SonicFuel as a clean boost for supercharging your signal by up to 30dB. An active two-band EQ lets you boost or cut your treble and bass frequencies by up to 15dB either way, while a true bypass function keeps it whisper-quiet when not engaged.
NUX Cerberus
The NUX Cerberus is an ultra-versatile effect pedal that you can utilize as a standalone device to ready your setup or with the four cable method. It comes loaded with innovative features such as IR loader, inside routing, analog overdrive, distortion and digital effects. The Cerberus also includes a MIDI control for organizing your effect pedals while also enhancing your effects control. NUX combined two analog drive/distortion pedals, delay & reverb effects, and modulation effects. These effects and sounds have been improvised from timeless and new gears.
TC Electronic Dark Matter
Experience a phenomenal distortion pedal with the TC Electronic Dark Matter Distortion. It features an extreme dynamic range providing you with incredibly musical distortion that covers a broad sound spectrum. Vintage-voiced distortion from analog circuits delivers a full sound with dynamic response easily adjustable to a variety of tones. Two-band EQ with active Bass and Treble controls allows you to sculpt your sound. The voicing switch lets you toggle between extra bass for a more contemporary sound or adding retro vibes to your tone.
Behringer Heavy Distortion
The Behringer HD300 Heavy Distortion guitar effects pedal gives you all the bottom-heavy distortion you could ever need to blaze through the most punishing and aggressive modern heavy metal and hard rock songs in your setlist. Still looking for a more bottom-heavy tone? Turn up the dedicated Bottom dial to high for more impact. Need some extra sustain? Cranking the Gain Boost knob up lets you achieve insanely liquid sustain—perfect for punctuating those epic guitar solos.
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.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Excess
The Excess by Old Blood Noise Endeavors is all you need for your upcoming ripping session in 1985 and so on. Lush chorus, high-gain distortion, and slapback delay in a selectable parallel or series signal path. The Excess carries individual volume controls for distortion and modulation effects. Change the modulation mode through the secondary stompswitch that switches between delay and chorus. You may select the signal path using the Series/Parallel toggle switch. The Excess’ artwork comes from Atiya Jones’ illustrative brain.
Electro-Harmonix Bass Metaphors
The Bass Metaphors pedal from Electro-Harmonix packs a staggering amount of bass-specific sound-sculpting functionality into a single stompbox. In one pedal, you get great-sounding distortion, high-quality EQ, and a versatile compressor. Can’t be bothered to lug a big, heavy amp to your gig? Use the Bass Metaphors to plug straight into the board without worrying about mangling your bass tone. The Bass Metaphors features balanced and unbalanced 1/4″ outputs, XLR out, and amp output.
ZVEX Silicon Fuzz Factory
Even fuzz heads who worship at the feet of germanium transistors will be hard pressed to find anything to hate in the Silicon Fuzz Factory’s sound. Boutique guitar effects pedal company Zvex used carefully curated silicon transistors in this vertical fuzz stomp to not only preserve the germanium-powered texture that made the original Fuzz Factory a modern classic, but to make it a more stable pedal that can be used in a wider number of situations and locations. Dial in everything from tight fuzz tones to lingering hairy oscillations, wherever you may be playing.
Fender The Pelt
The Pelt by Fender is complete with standard controls, including Tone, Fuzz, and Level for basic tone shaping. What makes it stand out from the pack is its Bloom knob which lets you sculpt your sound’s contours. Additionally, a Mid switch cuts or boosts your midrange for additional tonal textures, while the Thick switch adds some muscle and grit to your sound. The Pelt comes in a durable, yet lightweight, anodized aluminum enclosure designed for heavy stomping.
Amptweaker TightFuzz
The Amptweaker TightFuzz Distortion Effect Pedal is sure to incorporate some vintage flavor to your arsenal. Unlike most vintage fuzz boxes with limited controls, the TightFuzz features a Tone control that tames fuzzy edges and Tight control that varies the pick attack from thick and smooth to aggressive and tight. That is especially helpful for tweaking your fuzz tone as some tend to be very flubby on the low end. While most modern fuzz boxes decided to make excessive fuzz tone, Amptweaker chose to create something with several flexible yet usable tones.
Sabbadius Mostro Synthesizer Fuzz Modulator
A significant fuzz pedal created using top-grade materials and silicon transistors. The Sabbadius Mostro Synthesizer Fuzz Modulator was designed and inspired by Dante Spinetta, who asked Nico if he could devise a pedal for his band, IKV, and said he wanted one that is capable of delivering an explosive fuzz sound yet very deformed. The Mostro Synthesizer Fuzz consists of Wah Wah Trick, Bias, Fuzz, and Synth Controller knobs, as well as a toggle switch that lets you select from Normal or Deform settings.
Death by Audio Evil Fuzz/Filter
The Evil Fuzz/Filter from Death by Audio sounds great with your guitar, synth, or amplified skateboard. It is absolutely psychotic destruction with blooming inverted compression. The CV/Expression in lets you adjust the filter in sync with an arpeggiating synth or manage it using an expression pedal. The Evil Filter is a combination of fuzz/filter with chaos factor that surpasses the sum of its chaotic parts. While you can use filtering and fuzz individually, the two effects are sonic co-conspirators.
ZVex Fuzzolo
Boutique guitar effects pedal company Zvex’s Fuzzolo silicon fuzz box packs a way bigger sound than its diminutive chassis might suggest. A blendable pulse width control ripped straight from Zvex’s sub-heavy Mastotron silicon fuzz helps make the Fuzzolo a surprisingly versatile fuzz. This tiny monster can dish out all things fuzz, from the simple and straightforward to the radical and extreme. A very practical choice for adding thick fuzz textures that’ll earn its place on any pedalboard.
Donner Booster
The Donner Booster is an all-analog circuit booster pedal capable of providing you with a lush distortion sound and making it more powerful. It is perhaps the tiniest analog booster effect in the market. The Booster lets you switch between Mid and Normal modes to adjust the effect of the Metal drive. Tweaking the Gain knob gives you a transparent frequency boost. Complete with basic adjustment knobs (Volume, Tone, and Gain), the Booster will make it convenient for you to craft your unique guitar sound in various live performances.
Mosky BROWN Distortion
Mosky Audio’s Brown distortion guitar effects pedal is a versatile dirt stomp built to grind your signal into the classic “brown sound.” It’s highly tweakable, with two separate tone controls that act as a two-knob parametric EQ for precise tone shaping. The Gain dial goes from low-gain early rock to modern high-gain dirt. The Brown pedal also comes with a Vintage/Modern voicing switch that lets you choose between a darker vintage sound and a brighter, more modern tone.
EarthQuaker Devices Arrows
The Arrows Preamp Booster from EarthQuaker Devices is so no-nonsense it’s almost zen. With its lone dial, you can either boost or cut your signal to give overdrive and distortion pedals an extra gain and sustain boost, boost the mids of bass-heavy effects, tighten up your low end and brighten the highs, or just make your guitar signal float to the top of the mix. The Arrows is all-analog, all-discrete, and an all-around essential addition to any pedalboard.
J. Rockett Chicken Soup
Created to level up the twang of your Strat or Tele, the Chicken Soup Overdrive by J. Rockett gives you that classic Nashville sound. It carries Tone, Gain, and Volume controls that allow you to dial in any transparent, twangy overdrive you can imagine. Simple yet powerful at creating Nashville tone, the Chicken Soup Overdrive is capable of providing your sound with the Nashville resonance you want. Similar to other Rockett pedals, the Chicken Soup Overdrive is very quiet with true bypass.
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2
It’s not easy to cram the tone-sculpting capabilities of an audiophile-grade stereo preamp into a compact stompbox, but EarthQuaker Devices did exactly that with the Tone Job EQ and boost guitar effects pedal. The Treble, Bass, and Mid control knobs each have up to 20db of cut or boost, so you get a wide range of frequency responses from your signal. And speaking of your signal, the Level knob can kick it up by up to five times its original input level, letting you soar through the mix when you need a boost.
Supro Boost
The Boost pedal from Supro is perfect for transparently driving your tube amp. The JFET based pedal design gives you up to 20dB noiseless gain boost along with an optional Low Pass or High Pass filtering to sculpt your sound. Straightforward, simple, and efficient, the Supro Boost stays sweet and clean at any setting, regardless of how hard you drive it with your other pedals ahead in the chain. It remains frequency linear as you adjust the gain, letting you dial in your preferred boost level without compromising the overall tone.
Darkglass Vintage Deluxe V3
The Vintage Deluxe V3 serves up the tube-like tone of Darkglass’ Vintage Microtubes and provides improved functionality, including a balanced line driver, active four-band equalization, and parallel outputs. Apart from Drive and Level controls, the pedal equips you with four secret weapons—Grunt switch, Attack switch, Blend control, and four-band EQ. The Vintage Deluxe V3 is perfect if you want to supercharge your bass tone with the organic compression and natural dynamics of vintage tube amps and tape machines within a tiny unit that fits inside your gig bag.
Two Notes Le Bass
The tube-powered Le Bass dual channel preamp is Two Notes’ gift for bass players who want to create their own ampless rigs. The Le Bass preamp pedal features two separate channels—the clean, vintage voiced low gain A and the high gain B with its own post EQ—that 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.
Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra Gold
Whether you are going direct or plugging into a bass amp, the Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 bass preamp pedal from Darkglass is an excellent way to optimize your bass tone. It combines an independently switchable overdrive, powerful preamp, and four-band EQ to bring ample sonic options. The Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 carries Grunt and Attack switches that determine how the overdrive circuit affects your lows and highs. This pedal is great for bolstering your bass tone for recording or performance.
EarthQuaker Devices Bows
Germanium transistors have long been the go-to transistors for guitar effects pedal makers who want to create truly vintage sounds. EarthQuaker Devices went one step further with the Bows preamp booster by basing it around the rare, low-noise NOS black glass OC139 germanium transistor. Using it is dead simple. Select Treble for a brighter tone or Full for a more bass-heavy sound using the two-way toggle switch and then dial in an output level with the Level knob.
Tom’sline Vacuum Stack
Capture the classic hot tube powered distortion tone of a valve combo amp without having to lug around a giant stack of amps with the Vacuum Stack, a valve stack simulator stompbox from budget guitar effects pedal maker Tomsline. You get three distinct voicings: a full-bodied Fat mode, a Normal mode, and a juiced-up Boost mode. The Vacuum Stack features Tomsline’s patented stop bar design to keep your foot from messing up the pedal’s settings when you stomp on it.
Darkglass Microtubes X
The Darkglass Microtubes X perfects the recipe for a powerful distorted bass that keeps the low-end impact. The key to punchy distorted bass is letting your highs and mids give the harmonic drive while keeping your low fundamentals undistorted and firm. The Microtubes X pedal does that by dividing your signal to two variable filters before the gain stage, allowing you to shape your drive tone with the perfect blend of bite and boom. It is capable of delivering defined bass tones regardless of how thin or boomy your bass may sound alone or how old your strings are.
WMD Goldilocks Planet
Touted as WMD’s easiest to use pedal, the Goldilocks Planet is a versatile and flexible distortion stomp that delivers top of the line dirt sans the overly complicated controls usually associated with boutique guitar effects pedals. It features three different clipping modes that you can switch between using a mini toggle. For tone shaping, the Goldilocks Planet has dedicated Tone and Presence pots plus a Density knob that lets you fatten up your signal’s low end and body.
NUX Lacerate
A tiny pedal with a ginormous boost, the Lacerate FET Boost from NUX features two bypass modes (True Bypass or Buffer Bypass), two boost options, and a simple control-knob. Its surprisingly simple user interface comes from NUX’s intricate dual FET circuit design. It allows you the choice between two boosting modes: Clean and Crank. The Lacerate FET Boost pedal includes an integrated voltage-doubler that automatically converts 9V to 18V, providing you with massive headroom and dynamic.
TC Electronic Spark
Not merely a one-trick pony boost pedal, the Spark Booster by TC Electronic is a versatile, feature-rich boost pedal ready to rock. While plenty of boost pedals include a volume control only, the Spark Booster gives you intuitive tone-shaping controls that allow you to craft your ideal sound. A boost characteristic switch transforms the pedal from a transparent boost to mid-boosted blow to slice through whatever mix. With 26db of gain, you can push any amp into sonic bliss.
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.
ZVEX Channel 2
Despite the TV-sounding name and TV-inspired artwork, the Channel 2 actually takes its name from the second channel of Zvex’s Super Duper 2-in-1 boost pedal, which itself packs two Super Hard Ons into one box. This simple little pedal will give you the signature super clean boost of a SHO, but once you crank that gain knob up you’ll find yourself well inside tube amp-style overdrive country. The Channel 2 is part of Zvex’s California Mini pedal line.
NUX Boost Core Deluxe
No matter if your primary choice is a distortion or overdrive, the Boost Core Deluxe by NUX will be your reliable gear-mate. It will serve as an enhancement device for your pedal chain. It is handy enough as an EQ pedal and standalone boost. It gives you three types of boost modes—Spark, Drive, and Clean. Boasting an analog circuitry and tone enhancement, the Boost Core Deluxe is invaluable. Push the booster to your preferred overdrive to allow it to raise the sonic mayhem.
Modulation Pedals
EBS UniChorus Studio Edition
The EBS UniChorus is constructed with top-grade analog processing circuitry. It delivers a thicker, warmer, and smoother sounding flange/chorus effect, great for studio and live performances. The pedal output is capable of running in stereo or mono. The UniChorus is perfect for keyboard and bass. It includes a mix level control which let you determine the amount of the effect you want to be combined with the original sound. It features Chorus, Flanger, and Pitch Mod modes, as well as controls for Rate and Depth.
EBS Red Twister Guitar Edition
The Red Twister from EBS gives you a thick, smooth, and warm sounding flange/chorus effect, handy for both studio and live performances. It is based on the legacy of the UniChorus Studio Edition, but with changes in the frequency range and delay times to perfectly fit the guitar. The pedal output is capable of running in stereo or mono. The Red Twister features a mix level control which allows you to select the amount of the effect you wish to be blended with the natural tone.
Walrus Audio Julia
Boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio’s Julia pedal is a feature-rich and extremely flexible analog chorus and vibrato box that can dish out everything from a calm, smooth and recognizable chorus and vibe mix to a wildly thrashing, seasickness inducing vibrato with a splash of unique chorus notes. Switchable analog LFO wave shapes add extra tonal versatility to the Julia’s arsenal of sound, while a special Lag pot further extends the Julia’s sonic boundaries.
Truetone V3H2O
Truetone’s H2O V3 still serves up the same warm, liquid chorus and echo tones of the original Visual Sound H2O, but in a completely redesigned enclosure that packs even more versatility and flexibility. The chorus section now has dedicated tone and chorus-vibrato pots plus a detune switch, while the echo section has been given the ability to go into controlled oscillation. This reboot is a full modernization of one of the finest Visual Sound dual pedals ever created.
Blackstar HT-Modulation
The Blackstar HT-MODULATION delivers all the musicality of standard vintage effects, from mild tremolo to roaring jet engine flange. For the convenience of use, the SLOW/FAST control allows you to set the modulation time of the eight modulation effects as you play. You may add harmonics and real tube compression through the SATURATION control. The SLOW/FAST mode footswitch allows seamless control. The eight modulation effects include Phaser 1, Phaser 2, Multi Chorus, Vintage Chorus 1, Vintage Chorus 2, Flanger, Rotary, and Tremolo.
Electro-Harmonix Stereo Polychorus
A sound staple heard in Nirvana and King Crimson records, the Stereo Polychorus from Electro-Harmonix does the work of three different pedals. It has four selectable modes: Chorus, Flange, Double Track, and Filter Matrix. From the first two modes, you get a lush analog stereo chorus and rich chiming flange, respectively. The Double Track mode gives you a short slapback echo effect, while the Filter Matrix mode lets you disengage the sweep flange adjustment so you can control the flange tones manually.
Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus
Elevate your sound to the funkiest of heights. The Q-Tron Plus envelope filter guitar effects pedal from Electro-Harmonix uses an innovative internal envelope follower to analyze your unique playing style and sweep the center of the envelope filter. You get auto-wahs that change dynamically depending on your pick attack. Plus, you can choose whether the sweeps go up or down. The Q-Tron Plus also features an effects loop and a Fast/Slow Attack Response dial.
Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water
Fairfield Circuitry took simulation mathematics—or K-field math—theory and used it to create a stompbox capable of generating familiar but still unique tone modulation effects. The Shallow Water effects pedal creates a short time delay then randomly modulates the delayed signal to give it a sprinkling of unexpected pitch shifts. The Shallow Water might look like some simple aluminum box, but this versatile stomp gives you a wide range of chorus, vibrato, pitch-shifting, and other vintage tape-style effects with which to wash your signal.
Dwarfcraft Devices Happiness
Dwarfcraft Devices’ Happiness multi-filter effects pedal is sure to put a smile on the face of any lover of synth sounds. This feature-rich multi-mode filter pedal lets you create a wide range of spacey synth-inspired tones via its low pass, band pass, and high pass filtering. With seven dedicated control dials and two separate selector switches, the sky’s the limit when it comes to tone sculpting, even for the most consummate stompbox sound shapers. Happiness also works well with basses, drum machines, and synths.
Earthquaker Devices Data Corrupter
EarthQuaker Devices’ Data Corrupter puts your guitar signal through a meat grinder, mangling it beyond all recognition—and in this context, that’s a good thing! A modulated monophonic PLL circuit turns your tone into a three-voice synth with a heaping helping of thick fuzz, and with six dials, two rotary selectors, and two toggle switches you get all the tone sculpting tools you’ll ever need. If you really want your guitar to stop sounding like an actual guitar, plug it into the Data Corrupter and watch the sonic sparks fly.
MXR Bass Envelope Filter
It’s time to bring on the funk with the Bass Envelope Filter from MXR. It packs vintage analog envelope filter sounds into a user- and pedalboard-friendly pedal designed particularly for bass. You may dial in the right amount of filtering with the individual Effect and Dry controls—valuable for keeping your low end intact. The Q and Decay knobs allow you to sculpt its extensive range of filter tones. A simple roll of the Sensitivity control can tailor the pedal for your attack and adjust for active or passive basses.
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.
Marshall Regenerator
Give your pedalboard an extra dose of ambiance with the RG-1 Regenerator, a two-in-one chorus and phaser guitar effects pedal from tone masters Marshall. Think of it as the ‘80s sound crammed into a sturdy, compact stompbox. You get six easily customizable modes: chorus, M chorus, flanger, phaser, step phaser, and V vibe, with the latter two being particular standouts. Separate speed and depth dials let you tailor the RG-1 Regenerator’s sound to your exact tonal tastes, plus there’s a dedicated knob for controlling the effect’s intensity.
Rowin Mod Station
A ton of high-quality modulation effects, all packed into a small, very affordable stompbox that you can carry around in your pocket. The powerful LEF-3808 Mod Station multi-effects stomp from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin comes with eleven distinct modulation effects, all of which can be further tweaked via its dedicated Level, Speed, and Depth pots. Its footswitch is also multi-functional: pressing down twice will switch between fixed and non-fixed mode while holding it down will let you store a setting you like.
NUX Flanger Core
The Flanger Core by NUX lets you pick between two kinds of flanger effect: Tape and Normal. It features a true bypass design, tone lock function for preventing incorrect operation and a preset save or recall. Effects like chilling vibrato, resonance modification, rotating speakers, jet sounds, and intensified studio flanging with two modes. The Flanger Core comes in an aluminum alloy enclosure, boasting solid construction. It consists of four control knobs: Feedback, Width, Depth, and Rate.
Electro-Harmonix Neo Mistress
Packing the same rich flange effects as the original Electric Mistress, the Neo Mistress is a must-have for flange-heads without a lot of pedalboard space to spare. This ultra-compact pedal goves you varied tonal density plus smooth sweeping flange effects. Thanks to a manual filter matrix mode, you can freeze the filter sweep for more precise control. The Neo Mistress features true bypass and can be powered by a standard 9V battery or compatible power supply.
NUX MOD Core DELUXE
The Mod Core Deluxe from NUX is a pro-quality modulation effects pedal featuring eight modulation effects (Phaser, Chorus, Pan, Flanger, Tremolo, U-vibe, Rotary, and Vibrato) with two kinds of algorithms suiting the needs of every musician for sound enhancement and colorization. Add-in Depth and Rate controls to adjust the primary parameters and Tweak knob to set relevant parameters for every effect, and you get more tone-sculpting possibilities compared to other modulation pedals. The Mod Core Deluxe includes a tone lock function to prevent improper operation.
Source Audio Mercury
The Mercury Flanger from Source Audio serves up three types of flanger, namely Thru-Zero Flange, Classic Flange, and an extremely resonant flanger called Shadow Flange. In the Classic mode, you get a dramatic and deep effect in the style of vintage flanger pedals. The Thru-Zero or “Tape Flange” dramatically provides a discernible twisting effect that happens when modulating and dry signals reach their intersection point. The Mercury Flanger also carries a Delay knob for exploring the marvelous cosmic space between flanger and chorus.
Fender Lost Highway Phaser
The Lost Highway Phaser by Fender delivers a powerful, versatile analog phasing to your rig. This eight-stage analog phaser boasts switchable waveforms and speeds. It also includes a sensitivity control that enables modulation rate changes according to your playing dynamics. A Fender amp jewel LED adds a classic one-two audiovisual punch to your pedalboard. LED-backlit knobs let you see your control settings on a dim stage quickly. The Lost Highway Phaser comes in a sturdy, player-friendly design.
MXR ’74 Vintage Phase 90
The ’74 Vintage Phase 90 from MXR is a faithful reissue of the original with a hand-wired circuit board and hand-matched FETs. The MXR Phase 90 has set the standard for phasers, credits to its rich and thick tone. The in-house workhorse, acquired in the 70s, has been thoroughly spec’d and reproduced as the ’74 Vintage Phase 90. This reissue features a simple single knob operation. It comes dressed in a classic orange paint job and is embellished with the signature Script logo.
Rowin Mod Station
A ton of high-quality modulation effects, all packed into a small, very affordable stompbox that you can carry around in your pocket. The powerful LEF-3808 Mod Station multi-effects stomp from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin comes with eleven distinct modulation effects, all of which can be further tweaked via its dedicated Level, Speed, and Depth pots. Its footswitch is also multi-functional: pressing down twice will switch between fixed and non-fixed mode while holding it down will let you store a setting you like.
MXR Phase 95 Mini
With its refined sound, portable size, and superior construction, the Phase 90 has set the benchmark for phasers. Two years after, MXR introduced a mellower version—the Phase 45. You can now enjoy both legendary circuits in one pedal while also tightening up your pedalboard. The Phase 95 packs the Phase 45 and Phase 90 circuits into a compact package. The 45/90 switch toggles between the Phase 90 mode’s pronounced four-stage phasing and Phase 45 mode’s subtle two-stage phasing. A Script switch changes between two phasing styles.
Ibanez Flying Pan
The Ibanez Flying Pan provides guitarists with the trippiest blend of tremolo, phaser, and stereo pan in all guitardom. By adjusting the pan rate, phase rate, and phase feedback, along with the panning on/off footswitch and phaser on/off footswitch, create your otherworldly cocktail of pure panning, pure phasing, or simultaneous panning and phasing. The Flying Pan features a three-way switch that controls the stereo output. This reissue of the highly-collectible ‘70s Flying Pan is limited to a production of 777 units.
Maxon Phase Tone
The Maxon Reissue Series Phase Tone pedal provides you with a transparent, smooth phasing that improves the character of your instrument instead of concealing it. Extensive dynamic range and ultra-low noise operation make the Phase Tone extremely useful for recreating the phasing effects heard on various rock classics of the 70s. Each Maxon Reissue Series pedal’s circuit is pure analog and housed within a durable enclosure for trouble-free performance. These units are designed to deliver steady low noise performance.
TC Electronic Pipeline
With the Pipeline Tap Tremolo’s introduction, TC Electronic takes a highly-anticipated tremolo device to their innovative TonePrint range of effects pedals. Credits to Square and Vintage settings, the Pipeline is a blessing for vintage tone enthusiasts and players seeking new and inspiring sounds. A roll of a knob gives you six tap tempo-based note subdivisions, delivering great rhythmic depth to your sound. As if that were not enough, the TonePrint Library and Editor provide conveniently accessible custom sounds produced by you and artists.
Rowin Mod Station
A ton of high-quality modulation effects, all packed into a small, very affordable stompbox that you can carry around in your pocket. The powerful LEF-3808 Mod Station multi-effects stomp from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin comes with eleven distinct modulation effects, all of which can be further tweaked via its dedicated Level, Speed, and Depth pots. Its footswitch is also multi-functional: pressing down twice will switch between fixed and non-fixed mode while holding it down will let you store a setting you like.
Ernie Ball Expression Tremolo
WIth its rocker-style pedal form, the Ernie Ball Expression Series Tremolo pedal gives you complete and precise control over its sweepable tremolo effects without requiring any extra expression pedal attachments. Choose from five different tremolo waveforms—Slow Rise, Slow Fall, Sine, Square, and Harmonic—and then use the treadle to control the tremolo depth and rate individually or both at the same time. Leave the treadle open in the zero position and you get an ultra-clear transparent signal that doesn’t color your core tone at all.
JAM Pedals The Big Chill
The Big Chill is Jam Pedals’ flagship tremolo pedal boasting a slew of features that would bring you from the rich smooth tremolo sounds of old Fender amps to strobe-esque chop effects that can slice through just about any mix. Its thoughtful feature set and design are sure to inspire sonic adventurers across different music styles. You may also use the Big Chill as a clean boost. Simply roll the Depth knob to zero then set the Level to your liking. The Big Chill also pairs well with bass guitars.
Keeley DynaTrem
The Keeley DynaTrem dynamic tremolo and reverb guitar effects pedal is a highly-responsive tremolo stomp. The tremolo effect’s rate and depth respond directly according to your unique picking attack. Play harder and it responds more; go soft and the effect relaxes with you. You get a trio of tremolo modes: Dynamic Rate, Dynamic Depth, and a vibey, highly-musical Harmonic Tremolo + Reverb mode. You also get a choice between Ramp Up, Sine Wave, Ramp Down, and Square waveforms for iron-fisted tonal control.
Electro-Harmonix Stereo Pulsar
True vintage tremolo/vibrato and panning effects in high-definition stereo, whether you’re down in the studio or rocking it onstage. The Electro-Harmonix Stereo Pulsar features a two-way switch that lets you choose between triangle and square waves, plus it has a dedicated Shape dial for controlling the transitions from negative to positive saw tooth. All the sonic finesse and tone-sculpting power you want and need in a tremolo pedal, packed into a sturdy, road-worthy chassis.
Caline Lucky 7
The Caline CP-38 Lucky 7 Seven Modes guitar effects pedal packs seven different modulation effects into a tiny, sturdy, and very affordable stompbox. You get high-quality Detune, Flange, Phase, and Vibe effects, plus custom effects including a bias tremolo effect, a classic Roland amp-style jazz chorus, and a U-Vibe effect that simulates an effect close to the classic tonal characteristics of the venerable Uni-Vibe chorus and vibrato pedal. The Caline CP-38 Lucky 7 comes with a true bypass feature.
Amptweaker SwirlPool
The Amptweaker SwirlPool Tremolo/Vibe pedal is the brand’s first dive into non-distortion pedals. Highly requested by Amptweaker’s customers, the SwirlPool is a two-speed synchronized Tremolo/Vibe reminiscent of the circuits found in some vintage 60’s amplifiers. This analog pedal is capable of emulating various modulation tones and even inventing several new ones. The two footswitch buttons let you switch between two different Speed & Vibe settings while sharing one Tremolo control. The SwirlPool also features switches that help you fine-tune the pedal’s vibrato.
Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water
Fairfield Circuitry took simulation mathematics—or K-field math—theory and used it to create a stompbox capable of generating familiar but still unique tone modulation effects. The Shallow Water effects pedal creates a short time delay then randomly modulates the delayed signal to give it a sprinkling of unexpected pitch shifts. The Shallow Water might look like some simple aluminum box, but this versatile stomp gives you a wide range of chorus, vibrato, pitch-shifting, and other vintage tape-style effects with which to wash your signal.
Dunlop Rotovibe
The Dunlop Rotovibe Chorus/Vibrato is capable of reproducing the rotating speaker sounds made famous by Hendrix and several others. It is an extremely expressive effect, credits to its inbuilt real-time control. You can pick between Vibrato and Chorus, select the effect’s intensity, and control the speed of the effect by rocking the pedal back and forth. The Dunlop Rotovibe combines a rotary speaker’s vintage appeal with a tremolo or chorus effect, delivering an abundance of Hendrix-like warble.
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.
Strymon Ola
The Ola dBucket Chorus & Vibrato from Strymon covers an extensive range of sonic territory, from very subtle studio stereo richness to ping-ponged vibrato and milkshake-esque pedal chorus, to impart different textures to your arrangements. You can use each of these three effects types in any of three modes for an interactive or traditional experience: a Ramp mode allows you to add after-effects to chords with a selectable ramp-up speed, while Envelope mode lets you manage depth and speed with your playing dynamics.
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.
Joyo Voodoo Octave
Trippy octave-up fuzz sounds for a fraction of a boutique pedal’s price. The JF-12 Voodoo Octave guitar effects pedal from Joyo is a budget-minded fuzz-head’s dream come true. Thick, full-bodied fuzz with all the snarls and grain you’d expect plus endless sustain–and that’s just the fuzz section! Engage the independent octave up function over the fuzz and you can serve up some interesting alien-like broken tones. The JF-12 Voodoo Octave also features a two-position toggle that lets you scoop out the mids.
DigiTech Whammy Ricochet
The Whammy Ricochet brings you the effects of DigiTech’s legendary Whammy without a bulky treadle. This compact pitch shift pedal is controllable using its momentary footswitch. The Whammy Ricochet is simple, featuring a Range toggle switch and seven selectable pitch intervals giving you several tone-bending options. It also includes an LED ladder that displays your shift trajectory and a latching footswitch mode, which allows you to fall or rise to pitch and remain there. All that combine to form the signature Whammy pitch-shifting along with new sounds.
JOYO XVI
The Joyo R-013 XVI polyphonic octave guitar effects pedal adds meat to your sound by layering on an extra octave and sub-octave. It tracks notes fast, comes with a dry mix knob, and has independent volume controls for the extra octaves for complete tonal control. A warbling, wriggling chorus/trem-like modulation effect opens up even more sonic soundscapes to explore. The R-13 XVI is an R Series pedal, meaning it also has cool ambient LED effects built into it.
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.
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.
Top Categories
Timing, Dynamics & EQ Pedals
T-Rex Replica
Built by and for musicians, the well-loved T-Rex Replica delay pedal serves up virtually everything demanding guitarists could want in a delay, which perhaps explains why guitar heroes from John Mayer to Pete Townsend turn to the Replica to help yield their sound. The Replica features a brilliant toggle-switch tap control. It embodies all T-Rex Engineering stands for: exceptional tone, perfect feature set, and intuitive design. The Replica could be the only delay pedal you will need for a lifetime of beautiful music.
MOOER REECHO PRO
Budget stomp creator Mooer overdosed the awesome Reecho pedal on stompbox steroids to create the Reecho Pro, a dual footswitch delay and looper unit that doubles up on almost everything the original Recho could do. It features six distinct delay types: Digital, Analog, Real, Tape, Tube, and Galaxy. You can also layer on modulation, dynamic, and reverse effects to any of the aforementioned six. Plus, of course, there’s the 20-second loop function, tap tempo, EQ controls, and more.
Alexander Pedals Radical Delay DX
The Radical Delay from Alexander Pedals is a three-mode pedal first launched in 2015 as a homage to the aesthetic and tones of the 1980s. The brand was shooting for neon nights, video games, and perhaps a hint of ALF. The Radical Delay is now back as part of the Neo Series and designed for quirky sounds to make you stand out. The Radical Delay DX is loaded with six delay modes (MOD, BEND, DYNA, REV, ARP, and DUAL) that deliver a broad array of flavors to color your guitar tone.
TC Electronic Flashback Mini
TC Electronic has taken everything you know and love about its delay sounds and packed them into a compact footprint. The Flashback Mini Delay pedal contains more magic per square inch than a Smurf. The industry-standard, highly acclaimed TC Electronic delay tones, alongside TonePrint—the best development to guitar after guitar strings. The Flashback Mini Delay consists of controls for FX Level, Feedback, and Delay. It works seamlessly with your guitar and FX loop signals. Its ultra-compact enclosure conveniently fits on your pedalboard.
Ibanez Analog Delay Mini
The Analog Delay Mini pedal from Ibanez boasts real analog delay tone. It gives you the same sonic goodness as the well-loved Ibanez AD9 analog delay pedal. It includes a pure analog signal path and true bypass switching that removes the effect from your guitar’s signal path while disengaged. You can also get up to 600ms delay time. With a tiny package that can fit on even the most cramped pedalboard, you can always find room for the Analog Delay Mini.
Keeley Delay Workstation
The Keeley Delay Workstation guitar effects pedal is a delay and reverb monster. If features separate delay and reverb channels, each with its own dedicated control knobs. Both the delay and reverb effects also come with eight modes each. From slapback to pitch-shifting delay, spring reverb to a flanged reverb, you can mix and match a wide number of top-quality effects to expand your sound’s sonic horizons. The reverb channel also comes with an expression pedal jack while the delay channel features an on-board tap tempo footswitch.
TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2
The legendary reverb pedal is back better than ever with an added shimmer effect and revolutionary pressure-sensitive footswitch. The Hall of Fame 2 Reverb by TC Electronic boasts cutting-edge technology that takes an extensive range of creative expression to the party, controlled only by the amount of pressure you give to the depressed footswitch. Years in the making, and found only in select TC Electronic units, this groundbreaking innovation elevates the standard footswitch well above typical functions like on/off. Ultimately, MASH levels up your performance.
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Plus
Belying its stature as one of the simplest digital reverb pedals available on the market, the Holy Grail reverb guitar effects pedal from Electro-Harmonix lets you add a layer of truly heavenly reverb to your tone. The Holy Grail Plus does the original one better, adding a new, graceful Room reverb. Faithful recreations of classic guitar combo-type Spring and lush, spacious Hall reverb modes plus the completely unique flange-flavored Flerb reverb round out the Holy Grail Plus’ four selectable reverb modes.
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.
Behringer Digital Reverb
The Behringer DR600 Digital Stereo Reverb lets you bring studio-quality reverb onstage with its array of six 24-bit high-resolution stereo reverb modes: Spring, Plate, Hall, Gate, Room, and Modulate. All the sound shaping tools you need are at your fingertips thanks to the DR600’s dedicated Level, Tone, and Time dials, giving you deep, full reverbs for any style or situation. The DR600 comes with stereo input so you can plug in other stereo pedals and stereo output so you can feed your signal to separate amps.
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Neo
Belying its stature as one of the simplest digital reverb pedals available on the market, the Holy Grail reverb guitar effects pedal lets you add a layer of truly heavenly reverb to your tone. The Holy Grail Neo still features three selectable reverb modes, with one change. The unique flange-tinged Flerb reverb is out, replaced by a divine-sounding Plate reverb. Faithful recreations of classic guitar combo-type Spring and lush, spacious Hall reverb modes round out the Holy Grail Neo’s reverb offerings.
JHS Pedals Spring Tank
Get all the tools you need to achieve killer spring reverb with the JHS Spring Tank. This portable reverb pedal provides you with an arsenal of settings to modify, yet with practical usability and simplicity. Craft your ideal spring reverb with controls for Boost, Highs, Length, Depth, as well as Tank 1 and Tank 2 (two individual and switchable reverb mixes). Featuring a sleek graphic faceplate, the Spring Tank is convenient to use, giving you lush overtones and lovely reflections that are easy to dial in.
Rowin Compressor
Another worthy entry in budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin’s LEF-300 compact pedal series, the LEF-333 Comp helps level out any rough spikes in your guitar signal for a more stable, full-bodied tone with increased sustain. You get a choice between Normal and Treble voicings plus Level, Tone, and Comp control knobs for precise tone sculpting. The Comp shines when used with guitars, even ones with active pickups, but can do wonders for a bass signal, too.
Mad Professor Hand-Wired Forest Green Compressor
Low noise regardless of range, a high overload margin, and a wide dynamic range are all important aspects of a great compressor pedal. The hand-wired Forest Green Compressor from Mad Professor nails all of these essentials and then kicks things up a notch. It comes packed with a special Tone knob that lets you fine-tune the compressed signal even further for enhanced clarity and transparency. You can also switch between compressor and sustainer modes, with the latter mode serving up a dynamic, touch-sensitive tone with insane sustain.
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.
Bogner Lyndhurst
Packed with a Rupert Neve-designed transformer, the Lyndhurst compressor pedal brings the coveted classic recording console sound into your pedalboard. Its inbuilt studio-grade preamp unleashes all nuances of your instrument before its signal reaches the compressor. The Lyndhurst employs the same revolutionary VCA technology often found only in expensive outboard gears. Expect an abundance of vintage warmth and rich harmonics when you plug into this pedal. The Lyndhurst might well be the only compressor you will need.
Diamond Compressor
Recording studios usually employ rackmount vocal channels, a mic preamp, EQ, and compressor all within a single unit as the front end for vocal recording. The Diamond Compressor comes in a straightforward three-control package consists of Volume, Comp, and EQ knobs. It is Diamond’s take on a guitar channel, a tone and dynamics shaping tool for studio and live use with smooth opto-based compression, low-noise, ultra-linear signal buffering, and versatile tilt EQ.
Keeley Aria
Two of Keeley’s most popular effects, combined in one stompbox. The Keeley Aria guitar effects pedal marries Keeley’s highly-transparent compressor circuit with the touch-sensitive overdrive circuit that powers the Red Dirt pedal. There’s a lot of versatility in this box; you get seven dedicated control knobs, plus the Drive channel has switchable low- and high-gain modes. Oh, and you can choose to put the compressor before or after the drive effect and even insert some other pedals between them.
Maxon GE601 Graphic Equalizer
The Maxon Reissue Series Graphic Equalizer pedal is the ideal accessory for guitarists who need accurate control of the tone of their instrument. Providing +/- 12 dB of boost or cut and covering six meticulously picked frequency bands from 100 Hz to 3.2 kHz, you may utilize the GE601 EQ as a level booster, feedback eliminator, tone filter, or pickup simulator. Maxon’s Reissue Series gives you the classic sonic palette that defined the tones of guitarists over the last three decades. Every model’s circuit is pure analog and housed in a durable chassis.
Orange Two Stroke
Two Stroke is Orange’s take on the classic clean boost pedal, boasting increased flexibility. With an active dual parametric equalizer coupled with up to 12dB of output boost, the Two Stroke serves as an exceptional tool for fine-tuning your sound or driving the front end of your amp with unparalleled control. The dual-parametric active EQ enables anything from wide, mild cuts and boosts to narrow dips or peaks. The Two Stroke also features transparent buffered bypass and internal charge pump.
Death by Audio Apocalypse
The Apocalypse is touted as Death by Audio’s jack-of-all-trades fuzz pedal. Once greatly overdriven, the signal is routed to your chosen post-amp. You may toggle through its five signal paths and select the apocalyptic sound you desire. To make it more refined, adjust the sweepable frequency equalizer and craft your tone to your liking. Utilize the Apocalypse as your main sound, an amp simulated recording DI, bass blitzer, boost for solos, or run into it anything you want to supercharge, beef up, or blast out.
Empress Effects ParaEq
If you are continuously aiming to improve your tone, it’s about time to unleash the ParaEQ’s power on your instrument. It features a very transparent, sweet-sounding EQ, letting you refine your sound without covering your instrument’s tone. The ParaEQ gives you all the control you need—a switchable Q, 15dB of cut and boost, and over-lapping sweepable frequency selection. The Empress ParaEq w/Boost leverages true bypass to ensure that it will not affect the signal when disengaged.
JOYO BAND EQUALIZER
Whether you shred or keep the bottom end tight, Joyo’s R-12 10-Band Graphic Equalizer will be a welcome addition to your pedalboard. The 10-band EQ sliders give you full control over the 31.25Hz to 16 kHz frequency bands for serving up subterranean lows, sparkling mids, and highs that break through the stratosphere. As a part of Joyo’s Revolution or R Series line of pedals, the R-12 comes with some cool switchable ambient LED effects.
Tom’sline Guitar EQ
Budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Tomsline’s Guitar EQ stomp does exactly what it says on the tin: let you shape the overall EQ and tone of your guitar signal. The five EQ bands—100Hz, 250Hz, 630Hz, 1.6KHz, and 4KHz—can each be cut or boosted by up to 18dB. You also get a single Level pot for controlling the overall volume output. Use the Guitar EQ to brighten up your sound, build a heftier bottom end, or tame any unwanted frequencies in your signal.
Utility Pedals
Donner DT-1
The Donner DT-1 is among the most affordable and best tuner pedals for both live and solo situations. Despite its price range, this chromatic tuner includes a true bypass and insane visibility. At first, it looks faded since it is different from what other tuners give you. You cannot clearly read the letter from afar, but you may still tune your string and recognize when you have hit the right spot. The whole screen becomes green when you are at the perfect frequency. The DT-1 is very handy if you love wandering around the stage.
BOSS TU-3s Tuner
The Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner is the go-to stompbox tuner for any and all serious musicians, and its little brother the Boss TU-3S Compact Chromatic Tuner serves up everything the TU-3 can, in a more compact form factor. Everything from the bigger TU-3’s performance and durability to its tuning functions and display are recreated in the TU-3S, minus the actual pedal switch. If you’re running low on precious pedalboard space, the Boss TU-3S Compact Chromatic Tuner is what you need.
BOSS TU-3W Tuner Waza Craft
Just when you thought there was no way to improve the Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner, Boss comes along with the new and enhanced TU-3W. This Waza Craft stompbox takes the TU-3’s benchmark functionality to the next level. The TU-2’s original circuitry has been redesigned from the ground up for the most transparent, pure, and uncolored audio signal pass-through currently possible–an essential feature for any and all tuner pedals. The Boss TU-3W also features selectable buffered and true-bypass operation modes.
Caline Tuner Power
The Caline CP-09 Tuner-Power may not serve up any bizarre, mind bending guitar effects, but it can serve as the literal heart of any pedalboard rig by acting as both a tuner and a power supply device. In Tuner mode, you get a sensitive and stable chromatic tuner with am easy-to-see LED display. Switch it to Power mode and you can power up to six standard 100mA effects pedals and up to two 500ma power guzzlers.
Digitech DROP
The DigiTech Drop pedal allows you accurate and quick pitch shifting. You can drop your tuning from one semitone to a whole octave. You only need to step down on your Drop pedal to achieve your desired tuned-down chunk with the playing action you want. The DigiTech Drop pedal features nine settings. The first seven offer one to seven semitones of downward pitch shifting, while the other two settings give octave downshifting with or without dry signal.
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.
Death by Audio Total Sonic Annihilation 2
The Death by Audio Total Sonic Annihilation is regarded as the “most insane pedal of all time,” transforming all your pedals into various effects by force-feeding them back into themselves. Death by Audio has revamped the original circuit to introduce the Total Sonic Annihilation 2. This new variant boasts additional controls and updated functionality that deliver more wildly warped alien space sounds. The Total Sonic Annihilation 2 consists of Stomp Switch, Feedback, On, Phase, Gain, and Limit controls.
TC Electronic Ditto Stereo Looper
The most exceptional and intuitive looper known to musickind has made a comeback. The Ditto Stereo Looper loads an abundance of stellar creative features that will see you jamming along with the best in music now through the revolutionary StarJam feature while producing multilayered masterpieces in seconds flat. With the Ditto Stereo Looper, TC Electronic takes some of the most legendary features of the bigger two-switch Ditto X2 Looper into a more compact enclosure without sacrificing the essential functionality that has made the Ditto Looper extremely popular.
Lehle Little Lehle II
The Little Lehle II Looper Switcher fits in any pedalboard setup. It is a genuine true bypass switcher/looper which you can use as a simple A/B box or to manage an effects loop. It lets you route your guitar signal to two amplifiers and change between them. You may plug in both your backup guitar and your main axe, and change instruments at any time. Add the Little Lehle II to your setup, and you will wonder how you survived without it.
NUX Stageman Floor
The Stageman Floor Acoustic Preamp + DI by NUX is an analog acoustic preamp boasting digital effects and looper function. Preamp featured with an extremely sensitive three-band EQ with input gain control, adjustable notch filter, and MID scoop toggle switch. It also offers a massive headroom that gives you the sound all-natural. The notch filter helps you cut the resonating frequency. The Stageman Floor consists of Treble, Middle, and Bass knobs, depending on the speaker/amp characteristic, acoustic guitar’s body type, and playing style, you may tune your sound to your liking.
Nux Loop Core
The NUX Loop Core is a turbocharged variant of the original and already the most versatile Looper in the market. NUX covered all the essentials in a Looper that lets you record and play back several layers, but now it incorporated a different level of goodies. Boasting 99 personal-user memories, 40 inbuilt drum patterns and now, a new range of well-thought-out user assists. Whether you compose, rehearse, or play live gigs, you will appreciate the innovative features of the Loop Core.
Rowin Looper
Looper pedals are becoming more and more ubiquitous these days, especially on the pedalboards of solo artists and home recording enthusiasts. Budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin’s LEF-332 Looper is a compact looping pedal that lets you record up to 10 minutes of audio. You can also export and import loops from and onto the LEF-332 Looper via USB. Controls are easy; there’s a Volume knob and a single footswitch that controls recording, playback, and overdubs.
Eventide TimeFactor
Wielding the sheer tone-sculpting power of Eventide’s extensive arsenal of studio-quality delay effects has never been easier than with the TimeFactor effects pedal. Nine dual delays form the TimeFactor’s sonic backbone. Each effect has its own mix, time, and feedback controls, plus you can set individual tempo subdivisions for them to create your own unique rhythmic echoes and engage infinite repeats via a dedicated footswitch. Rounding out the effect modes is a looper function that features variable speed and loop head/tail editing.
Source Audio Ventris
The Ventris Dual Reverb by Source Audio lets you achieve rich, spacious reverberations. It boasts 14 painstakingly created reverb engines based on two different 56-bit signal processors, holding a matching pair of high-powered stereo reverb pedals in one enclosure. The Ventris’ dual DSP architecture delivers massive processing muscle, advanced dual reverb effects, and selectable preset spillover time. It consists of Control 1, Control 2, Mix, Treble, Pre-Delay, and Time knobs. It also includes an ever-expanding collection of reverb effects accessible through the Neuro Desktop Editor or Neuro Mobile App.
Chase Bliss Audio Faves
Delivering increased functionality within a tiny package, the Chase Bliss Audio Faves MIDI controller pedal serves as an ideal companion for your favorite Chase Bliss pedals. The Faves gives you access to six presets and live mode on-the-fly settings. It is incredibly convenient to use and only requires a 9V power source. With its streamlined design, simple connectivity, and multi-functional footswitch, the Faves MIDI controller pedal is a nice add-on for any Chase Bliss pedal.
Donner Alpha Bass
The Donner Alpha Bass is a mini effects chain that features three types of bass guitar effects, including a rich chorus, a versatile bass drive, and an opto-voiced compressor. Distinguished by its user-friendly form factor, portable size, and remarkable tone, the Alpha Bass is perfect for any music style. It features an LED indicator displaying the working state, buffer bypass that offers a transparent tone, and classic-voiced bass drive with a broad tonal range.
Alexander Pedals Space Race
With just a few twists and turns of its four face knobs, you can squeeze out the characteristic reverb sounds of different spaces ranging from your tiny shower to the largest of concert halls. Find your favorite and store up to four on the pedal itself or up to 16 with a MIDI controller, and then plug in an expression pedal to seamlessly morph your preset’s parameters together. The Space Race Reverb also comes with Alexander Pedals’ signature an Auto-Trail setting, giving you full control over the effect decay when you turn the pedal off.
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
Tone-suck is a prevalent pedalboard problem, but with the Swiss Things pedalboard reconciler from EarthQuaker Devices, it’s practically a thing of the past. It lets you use as many pedals as you want without having to worry about loss of tone, bypass or engage all of your pedals with a single footswitch, give your pedals Flexi-Switch capabilities, and more. The Swiss Things junction box and loop switcher can act as the true beating heart of your pedalboard setup.
Xotic X-Blender
Boutique guitar effects pedal company Xotic’s X-Blender is a unique loop unit with a switchable parallel effects loop. That big knob in the middle controls the wet and dry signal mix, giving you complete tonal control over your sound. As you might expect from a high-end boutique effects loop pedal, the X-Blender remains completely transparent all throughout and dutifully preserves your core tone and signal. It features true bypass switching to eliminate any signal interference when you switch it off.
Morley ABY Mix
Morley’s ABY Mix Mixer/Combiner pedal lets you route any two input signals to any two outputs. You can, for example, quickly switch between an electric and an acoustic in between songs without having to mute your electric, unplug it, then plug the acoustic into your amp. Each input section has its own independent level control and LED indicator for quick visual feedback so you don’t forget which amp is active. The ABY Mix also features Morley’s True-Tone bypass buffer circuit to ensure your core tone shines through.
Radial Twin-City
With the Twin-City AB/Y Amp Switcher from Radial Engineering, you can connect to two guitar amps and run them simultaneously sans losing gain, noise, or degrading your original guitar tone. The design starts with Radial’s legendary class-A buffer for a very natural tone. To eradicate buzz and hum from ground loops, the Twin-City features an isolation transformer on output B. As a buffer, it reduces impedance and susceptibility to noise, making it an excellent signal driver for big stages when employing lengthy cable runs.
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.
Marshall PEDL-91003
Every good pedalboard setup needs an amp footswitch or two. If you’re gunning your signal through a Marshall amp, then there’s no better fit than a Marshall footswitch. The Marshall PEDL-91003 two-button footswitch is a dual latching footswitch pedal that gives you hands-free control over the company’s DSL401, VS100R, SV100RH, and VS102R amps. It features a stereo jack connector and each footswitch has its own indicator light so you don’t lose track of which channel you’re feeding your guitar signal into.
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.
ammoon Clean Buffer
Housed in a compact, heavy-duty zinc-aluminium alloy body, ammoon’s Mini Clean Buffer pedal sounds amazing no matter how many pedals you utilize. It includes 1/4” monaural input and output jacks, pure signal path, and ON/OFF LED indicator light. The Mini Clean Buffer pedal is the remedy for weak guitar sound resulting from using multiple pedals. It reduces the loss of guitar signal and tone efficiently. It addresses capacitance issues by delivering the perfect input impedance for your rig. You can now utilize effect pedals, long cable, and speakers with your guitar without experiencing signal degradation.
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.
Lehle Sunday Driver SW
The Sunday Driver SW from Lehle is a portable high-end preamp for acoustic and electrical instruments. It allows acoustic guitars, electric guitars and basses, as well as other stringed instruments like cellos, double basses, and violins to unleash their musical potential. Boasting a high-quality JFET technology, the Sunday Driver SW lets you switch between two operation modes: D (Driver) and S (Sunday). In off status, the Sunday Driver SW offers two modes of operation—TB (True Bypass) and TS (True Sound).
Mooer Microbuffer
Ever notice that the longer your cable gets, the worse your tone seems to become? It’s especially noticeable when you’re a consummate shoegazer with a pedalboard filled with dozens of interconnected pedals. The MBF1 Micro Buffer guitar effects pedal from budget stomp maker Mooer helps you minimize tone suck caused by pedal and cable impedance problems. Stick it in your pedal chain, choose a high or low EQ cut, and use the Boost knob to bump up the signal level in case of any volume loss.
T-Rex Nitros Hypergain
The Nitros Hypergain by T-Rex Engineering is capable of capturing a very punchy and scooped high gain distortion. As a highly tweakable dirt pedal, the Nitros Hypergain will make the “80s hair rock” sound to a T as well. Lower gain settings are perfect if you want Texas boogie-rock. By featuring an active three-band EQ, the distortion’s color is adjustable, and the EQ knobs’ range is extensive. The Nitros Hypergain features an aggressive and bold clipping circuitry.
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.
Electro-Harmonix The Silencer
Give unwanted signal noise a double-tap to the head with Electro-Harmonix’s The Silencer. This sophisticated noise gate pedal gives you Threshold, Reduction, and Release controls for precise fine-tuning that takes your gear and playing style into account. It doesn’t just help eliminate annoying buzzes and hums, either; the Silencer also expands your pedal routing options. You can use it as an inline noise gate or add it to an effects loop to kill noise from specific pedals.
CNZ Audio Noise Gate
If you are looking to minimize the buzz in your signal when you are not playing, look no further. The Noise Gate from CNZ Audio successfully tames your overdrive pedals, guitar signal, and whole effects chains. The Toggle Switch includes two settings: the Soft setting relaxes on the release and lets it end less abruptly, while the Hard setting is ideal for removing undesired string noise and creating clean silence in between a heavy-metal riff’s notes.
Mooer Noise Killer
Pop the Noise Killer at the end of your pedal chain and say goodbye to annoying buzzes, hisses, and hums. This noise gate pedal from budget stompbox maker Mooer ticks all of the important boxes: it’s tonally transparent, has a wide threshold range that goes from -70dB to +10dB, and has silky smooth gating. You can also set the gating to Hard or Soft with a two-way toggle switch. Set it, forget it, and enjoy a noiseless signal.
MXR Noise Clamp
Clampdown on excess noise and hiss with the Noise Clamp pedal by MXR. By sensing the dry signal of your guitar, it lowers the noise level in the effect loop, putting the kibosh on even your noisiest signal. A single Trigger dial lets you select the volume threshold at which the Noise Clamp is active, and a green LED tells you whether the gate is on/off. The Noise Clamp can trim noise up to 26dB, preserving riff definition at massive gain levels.
GOKKO KULT
Rein in unruly and unwanted signal noise with the Kult Noise Gate GK-28 guitar effects pedal from GOKKO. This budget- and pedalboard-friendly stompbox helps reduce the hums, hisses, and buzzes that invariably show up to pollute your signal when you have a lot of pedals, especially high-gain ones, in your chain. Use the sensitivity control knob to tell the noise gate when to kick in and use the two-way selector switch to choose between a soft, gradual volume cut or a hard and steep drop.
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.
Joyo JAM BUDDY (Black)
There are a lot of guitar multi-effects processor units that have headphone jacks now. The Jam Buddy from Joyo one-ups them all by having both a headphone jack and built-in speakers. The Jam Buddy’s two 2” 4W speakers have enough power for a quick practice session without bothering the neighbors, and its rechargeable battery will let you extend the jam session to up to three hours. The Jam Buddy also features footswitchable clean and OD channels, a built-in delay, and Bluetooth connectivity for playing along to an audio track.
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.
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.
DigiTech SDRUM
The DigiTech SDRUM is an intelligent drum machine for bassists and guitarists. By merely scratching across your guitar strings, the SDRUM learns a kick and snare pattern which establishes the foundation of the beat you wish to hear. The SDRUM yields, according to this pattern, a professional sounding drum beat with different variations and embellishments to complement your beat. You no longer have to disrupt your creative flow when browsing through lists in a frustrating attempt to get your desired beat.
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.
Other Pedals
MOOER The Wahter
Finally, a great sounding wah that’s literally small enough to carry in your back pocket on the way to a gig. The Wahter guitar effects pedal from budget stomp maestro Mooer is an inversion of the classic wah pedal design; it’s about a fourth the size of a typical wah pedal but still serves up a classic wah tone. The Wahter uses pressure sensors instead of a switch, plus it has built-in foot rings that unfold to give you a larger surface area with which to work your wah magic.
Dunlop Cry Baby Bass
Designed by bassists for bassists, the Dunlop 105Q Cry Baby bass pedal allows you new ways to groove. It concentrates on the top end and midrange of your tone, keeping your lows solid and intact so your sound remains powerful and thick. It also features an adjustable Q that allows you to set how extreme the wah effect is. This amazing pedal is used by acclaimed bassists such as Robert Trujillo, Doug Wimbish, Flea, and several others.
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.
Vox V847 Union Jack
Vox’s limited-edition V847 Union Jack advances on the V847’s legendary design with improved functionality and dynamics, credits to some design changes. A revamped inductor takes the new pedal’s specs way closer to that of the original. The input buffer prevents impedance loading of the signal to keep your instrument’s tone in bypass mode. By remaining true to the feel and tone of the 60s Vox wah while broadening its legacy, the V847 Union Jack provides you with a contemporary update on a classic.
Mission Engineering ReWah Pro
Featuring a metallic candy purple finish, the ReWah Pro by Mission Engineering is the new generation pure analog wah pedal. It has been built around an inductor of the type utilized in extremely high-end audio amps. The resistance and inductance are similar to the classic halo inductors, which are sought-after for wah pedals. The ReWah could be rewired with four circuit modifications to adjust the tonal characteristics through a tiny internal switch block. Switches can be used together or individually for sixteen tonal variations overall.
Dunlop Cry Baby Standard
Equip yourself with a modern classic—the GCB95 Cry Baby Wah pedal from Dunlop! It is the only wah you need to conjure up vintage tones or take a different direction. Ever since its introduction in the late 1960s, Cry Baby has been a standard in the music world, gracing the foot of David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and several other guitar legends. This pedalboard classic boasts a durable die-cast construction for years of stomping.
Koogo Acoustic
The Koogo Acoustic pedal makes your electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar. It also boasts the ability to transform an intermediate level electronic or acoustic guitar into an incredible sounding professional guitar. The beautiful sounds produced by each knob and switch make it suitable for virtually any style or player. The Acoustic pedal carries a toggle switch that lets you select between Jumbo, Standard, and Piezo modes. All three modes work well for various genres and effects.
Rowin LT-901
A tuner is arguably the most important tool a musician can have in their arsenal. The tiny LT-901 mini chromatic guitar tuner from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin is an ideal fit for those who want to make efficient use of space on their pedalboards. Short of a clip-on tuner, the LT-901 is one of the most inconspicuous and affordable tuners available on the market. Don’t let its small size deter you, though; it’s fast and has a large display so you won’t have to squint.
MOOER Slow Engine
Mooer has done all musicians a big favor by faithfully recreating the incredibly expensive Boss Slow Gear SG-1 guitar effects pedal and turning it into the Slow Engine, a budget-friendly pedal barely bigger than a roll of quarters. The Slow Engine silences the attack of your guitar signal to give you a classic volume swell effect that you don’t have to execute using your hands. The Slow Engine’s simple control layout features sensitivity and attack knobs, plus it comes with true bypass.
Boss AD-2 Acoustic Preamp
Many guitar pickup systems can’t quite reproduce an acoustic guitar’s warmth and depth, covering them instead in harsher-sounding tones. That’s where the Boss AD-2 Acoustic Preamp guitar effects pedal comes in. Whether you’re onstage or in the studio, you can draw out more of your acoustic-electric’s natural and woody tones with a twist of the Acoustic Resonance knob. You can also use the Ambience knob to add reverb and cut annoying feedback noise using the Notch dial.
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.
Mooer Woodverb
The Woodverb from budget stompbox maker Mooer is a reverb guitar effects pedal tuned specifically for expanding the tonal palettes of acoustic guitars. The Woodverb comes with three reverb modes, all selectable via a three-position toggle switch. First is the classic, lush space of the pedal’s magnificent plate reverb. The second mode adds a subtle chorus effect to the reverb. The third and final mode adds mild filtering into the mix for a snappier attack.
MXR Bass Distortion
The nasty sound of the MXR Bass Distortion comes in two flavors, selectable using the SIL/LED switch. The LED setting utilizes LEDs for a beautiful gain bump and more wide-open sound, while the default SIL setting leverages silicon clipping diodes for a biting, aggressive sound and a hint of compression. The Bass Distortion was co-designed with Fuzzrocious Pedals founder Ryan Ratajski, taking a popularly raunchy sounding distortion circuit and tweaking it for modern bassists. It includes Dist, Tone, Wet, and Dry knobs.
Pigtronix Philosopher Micro Bass Compressor
The Philosopher Bass Compressor Micro by Pigtronix loads the iconic Philosopher’s Tone compressor circuit into a compact stompbox format designed for bassists. It consists of Sustain, Blend, Volume, and Grit knobs. Use the Sustain control to adjust the compression threshold to achieve anything from mild peak limiting to endless clean sustain, all with an unbelievable low-end response. The Blend knob lets your instrument’s clean sound be heard in parallel with the optical compression, while the Grit control mixes in bass distortion. The Philosopher Bass Compressor Micro features true bypass switching and noiseless clean sustain.
MXR Blowtorch
The Bass Blow Torch Distortion by MXR can go from a classic tube-esque growl to searing high-gain distortion with a three-position Mid Shift switch, active three-band EQ, and Blend knob to preserve your low end. By concentrating the overdrive in the midrange frequencies, the Bass Blow Torch allows you to maintain high end sizzle and low end thunder while distorted mids lead the way to even the densest mix. The Blend control enables you to balance your distortion and direct signal.
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.
ZVex Basstortion
Zvex boss Zachary Vex went all out to create what he believes is the ultimate tube-style dirt pedal for bass. The Basstortion proves that he’s not that far from the truth. It can deliver everything from warm, fat tube tone to full on basstortion. An intuitive three-knob layout makes it easy to dial in your favorite dirt tone. There’s also a Bright/Dark toggle switch for when you want to up the high frequency content in your signal.
Tech 21 VT Bass
Tech 21 has taken their renowned SansAmp system and used it to create the Character Series pedals, stompboxes designed to emulate some of the most highly respected classic amp tones ever heard. These effects pedals aren’t just for guitarists, either, as exemplified by the VT Bass. The VT Bass lets bass players access the massive sound of a full-stack SVT, going from vintage crystal clear clean thumps to more modern, straight up rib rattling booms.
Ernie Ball MVP
The Ernie Ball MVP definitely deserves its “Most Valuable Pedal” name. This volume pedal gives you a silky smooth, super-precise volume sweep that doesn’t lose any high frequencies at any volume level. It’s very versatile, as well, working extremely well with both active and passive electronics. The MVP also features a minimum volume knob that lets you set the open position to have anywhere from 0% to 50% volume, plus a gain boost control lets you set the closed rocker position either to 100% volume or a pretty significant signal boost of up to +20dB.
CNZ Audio Active Volume
The CNZ Active Volume Pedal is constructed with a sturdy steel housing, weighted knobs, and a golden CNZ Audio logo. It holds up under an overzealous volume controllers and intense heavy-footed players. This volume pedal is easy to use, making it an ideal choice for beginners. Just plug the pedal in and you get complete control of your volume. The CNZ Active Volume Pedal also boasts boost capabilities and adjustment knobs that advanced players will enjoy.
Morley Volume Plus
Guitar, bass, keys, and whatever else—the Morley PVO+ optical volume pedal can handle any and all comers. This all-purpose pedal serves up two volume control modes. In standard mode, it works just like your typical full-range volume pedal. Switch over to audio taper mode and you can do violin-like volume swells. A switchable minimum volume control lets you set separate rhythm and lead tones while Morley’s famous electro-optical circuit design means you won’t have to worry about wearing down your pots ever again.
Boss FV-500L
The FV-500 series takes Boss’s industry-standard volume pedal designs into the future. Tank-tough with a stylishly designed high-grade aluminum body and packing silky smooth action, the FV-500 line of volume pedals were created to go above and beyond the needs of even the most hard-touring and demanding musician. The FV-500H is the line’s stereo low-impedance model with a convenient tuner-output jack and an Expression output for use with expression pedal-compatible amps, synthesizers, and other effects pedals.
Death By Audio Soundwave Breakdown
Now boasting an external volume control, the Soundwave Breakdown from Death by Audio turns the idea of a screaming fuzz pedal inside out. It leverages reversed matched transistors to achieve its bombastic sound. The very positions of the controls produce entirely different sounds ranging from grind, fuzz, and buzz to bleeps, synth sounds, and more. The Soundwave Breakdown grants you a massive universe of gnarliness and creates the alien to your amp. Be warned though as it is always only grizzled psycho fuzz.
Boss FV-30H
Built like a tank and small enough to save valuable real estate on your pedalboard, the Boss FV-30 series of foot volume pedals is the epitome of the workhorse volume pedal. These volume pedals built using 100-percent professional-grade, aluminum die-cast units with smooth pivot action that registers even the most subtle of volume changes. The Boss FV-30H foot Volume pedal is a high-impedance pedal with a built-in tuner specially designed to handle direct guitar or bass connections.
Mission Engineering SP-HR
The SP-HR by Mission Engineering is a switching expression pedal purpose-built for your Headrush Gigboard. It allows you seamless, expressive control over whammy, wah, volume, and any number of assignable parameters. The SP-HR features an ergonomic design that combats foot fatigue while giving an expressive throw, which will be intuitive for all guitarists to utilize. It also incorporates a toe switch toggle that enables you to change pedal assignments on the fly. The SP-HR delivers everything you need to take charge of your HeadRush Gigboard.
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.
Mission Engineering EP-11
The EP-11 by Mission Engineering is the most suitable expression pedal for the Pro Tools Eleven Rack. For a natural and accurate response, the linear potentiometer is matched precisely to the Eleven Rack’s specifications. Simply connect to the Exp. Pedal input on the Eleven Rack’s rear panel with a 1/4″ TRS cable, then choose EP-11 on the Eleven Rack expression pedal settings. If you are leveraging the Eleven Rack with a MIDI controller, flip the EP-11’s toggle switch then plug it into an expression pedal input.
Mission Engineering Expressionator
Get more from your expression pedal with the Mission Engineering Expressionator Multi-Expression Controller. It lets you connect a single expression pedal with as much as three expression-enabled effects and manage them either separately or simultaneously. It samples the input from a standard expression pedal, digitally manipulates it, keeps it, then converts the signal back to three analog outputs through CV or digital potentiometer. It works with expression pedal inputs on most multi-effects units, stompboxes, and MIDI controllers.
Dunlop Volume X
Keep your effect pedal parameters in check or produce amazingly smooth volume swells with Dunlop’s DVP3 Volume (X) Pedal. This amazing pedal is compact, solidly-built, and ready for the road. The Volume (X) Pedal manages volume and FX parameters, boasting an adjustable rocker tension and Dunlop’s patent-pending Low Friction Band-Drive for supreme durability—all within a pedalboard-friendly enclosure. Together with FX, Volume, and Output jacks, the DVP3 also includes a handy Tuner output for quiet tuning onstage.
MOOER Expline
Expression pedals are an essential piece of any good pedalboard setup, but most of them just take up too much space. Enter the Expline, budget stompbox maker Mooer’s answer for shoestring shoegazers faced with a lack of premium pedalboard space. The tiny Expline features a pair of built-in foot rings that unfold to give you a larger surface area to work with. Once you’re done rocking out you can fold them back in to save room.
Carl Martin Rock Bug
The Rock Bug by Carl Martin is an amp/speaker simulator and headphone rehearsal unit running on a single 9v battery. Simply plug your guitar into the unbalanced 1/4″ input of the headphone amp, connect your favorite headphones to the unbalanced 1/4″ output, and off you go. You can choose between closed and open cabinet simulation through the mini-toggle switch, adjust your guitar’s volume using the Guitar knob, and wail away thanks to the privacy of your headphones.
MOOER Audiofile
The Audiofile guitar effects pedal from budget stomp maker Mooer is an all-analog hi-fi headphone amplifier for your pedalboard. It’s basically a tiny amp that you can use to practice in peace while having complete access to every single pedal on your chain. Put it as the last pedal on your pedalboard, plug in a pair of headphones, activate the analog cab sim, and you’re good to go. You can even leave it connected when you’re playing live; you can either bypass the Audiofile or turn the cab sim off and use it as an always-on signal buffer/booster.
Blackstar HT-Modulation
The Blackstar HT-MODULATION delivers all the musicality of standard vintage effects, from mild tremolo to roaring jet engine flange. For the convenience of use, the SLOW/FAST control allows you to set the modulation time of the eight modulation effects as you play. You may add harmonics and real tube compression through the SATURATION control. The SLOW/FAST mode footswitch allows seamless control. The eight modulation effects include Phaser 1, Phaser 2, Multi Chorus, Vintage Chorus 1, Vintage Chorus 2, Flanger, Rotary, and Tremolo.
Strymon Lex Rotary
The Strymon Lex Rotary gives you a complete, faithfully recreated rotary system: the tube-driven amp, the rotating treble horn, finely tuned microphone placement, the low-frequency bass rotor, and all the intricate sonic interactions between such elements. Leveraging an incredibly powerful SHARC DSP, each bit of processing power is exploited to represent the details genuinely. With eight parameters to tweak, you get extensive control of the rotating speaker system’s mechanics and tonality. You may manipulate every element, from horn level, mic distance, rotor speed, tube drive and saturation, acceleration time, and volume level.
T-Rex Viper
The Viper by T-Rex Engineering is an attractive, phenomenal-sounding effect pedal taking the classic swirling vibe sound and delivering some added bite with more voltage hurling your instrument’s sound across the room. Pulsating, shimmering, whirling, and spinning, it is meant to join other award-winning T-Rex pedals as a contemporary classic, yielding sounds from the heyday of rock ’n’ roll to the 21st century. The Viper is controllable using the Mode, Speed, Level, and Depth controls.
Koogo Acoustic
The Koogo Acoustic pedal makes your electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar. It also boasts the ability to transform an intermediate level electronic or acoustic guitar into an incredible sounding professional guitar. The beautiful sounds produced by each knob and switch make it suitable for virtually any style or player. The Acoustic pedal carries a toggle switch that lets you select between Jumbo, Standard, and Piezo modes. All three modes work well for various genres and effects.
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.
TC Helicon Talkbox Synth Pedal
The Talkbox Synth pedal from TC Helicon serves up new and vintage sounds to your arsenal. From wonderfully electronic talking robot effects to easily distinguishable talkbox hose-in-the-mouth sounds, picture yourself commanding attention at gigs and jams. Even while the effect is off, the Talkbox Synth is capable of drastically enhancing your core vocal sound with studio-quality reverbs, pitch correction, and Adaptive Tone. Designed and engineered in Canada, the Talkbox Synth comes in a sturdy, roadworthy chassis for years of reliable performance.
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.
Dr. Scientist Bitquest
Dr. Scientist’s BitQuest is equipped with eight digital effects that work even sans an inbuilt digital fuzz. This innovative pedal has got you covered wherever the future takes you. It is arguably among the most exciting multi-headed beasts within the boutique world. The BitQuest packs Flanger, Infinite Reverb, Bit Crusher, High Pass and Low Pass Filters, Ring Mod, Notch Filter, Glitch Delay, and Pitch Shift into a single pedal. A simple interface enables seamless control of each parameter, paving the way to a previously undiscovered sonic territory.
Boss SY-300 Guitar Synth
Boss and its parent company Roland have built up a staggering amount of expertise in guitar synth technology. With the Boss SY-300 Guitar Synthesizer, they’ve bottled up that legendary level of expertise and sold it in guitar effects pedal form. The SY-300 lets you turn your guitar into a polyphonic synth machine straight out of the box, while three simultaneous synth sections and four effects processors let you create your own rich and dynamic synth tones.
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.
















































































































































































































