Tonebox Recommended Pedals
TC Electronic Vortex
The Vortex Flanger by TC Electronic brings flanging to a different dimension. It consists of controls for Delay Time, Feedback, Depth, and Speed, taking you through an extensive range of flanging, from subtle to jet engine extremes. Its innovative Feedback knob lets you dial in both negative and positive feedback for very different tone styles. It also includes a toggle switch for choosing from vintage tape-esque warble to modern flanging. Set the toggle switch in the center position to access a TonePrint flanger style.
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.
Strymon El Capistan
The El Capistan dTape Echo by Strymon delivers three types of tape machine in one, each featuring three distinct modes. With ten parameters to tweak, you have comprehensive control of tone sculpting, tape quality, and machine health. The El Capistan allows you to go from the sound of a primitive, studio-grade tape machine to the intensely fluctuating sound of a machine needing service. Capture the full-bodied sound of new tape to the gnarled characteristics of old tape.
Vox V846-HW
The famed V846 returns better than ever as the V846-HW hand-wired wah wah pedal. It is the ultimate wah wah pedal for tone enthusiasts, boasting top-grade components and hand-wired turret board construction. While its iconic tone is undeniable, the V846-HW was not built merely to repeat history, but to create new chapters. Each of its component, including the capacitors, resistors, potentiometer, and inductors, has been meticulously picked for supreme fidelity and tone. It also incorporates a tone-preserving true bypass.
Xotic EP Booster
Eric Johnson, Jimmy Page, and Eddie Van Halen are just some of the legendary guitarists who used the classic EP-3 echo effects processor’s preamp stage to create their signature tone. Thanks to boutique guitar effects pedal company Xotic, you can use that preamp too via the EP Booster, a boost pedal based on that very same preamp. The EP Booster can dish out up to 20dB of extra juice that you can use to hit your amp harder and make your signal soar above the mix.
Suhr Riot
As its name implies, the Suhr Riot is a high-gain distortion box ready to make a tiny clean tube combo sound like an angry stack. It will make you forget that you are playing via a pedal. It works with the amp to produce a full sound that does not sound overly electronic or artificial. The Riot features the touch sensitivity and sonic characteristics of a high-quality 100-watt tube amp. It consists of Dist, Level, and Tone knobs. Use the Dist to set the amount of gain added to your tone, bringing you from classic crunch to high-gain goodness.
Drive Pedals
J. Rockett Archer
The J. Rockett Archer is a versatile overdrive/boost featuring exceptional headroom meant to help you cut through the mix. You may utilize it as merely a clean boost by turning down the gain. The Archer pedal packs the coveted K-style harmonic saturation and lots of clean output. This handbuilt pedal boasts excellent dynamics and sensitivity. Responsive, organic, and versatile, the Archer comes in a classic silver enclosure with a crimson three-knob design. It can be powered by a 9-volt battery.
Mosky Mini TM Overdrive
Small size, big sound. That’s the mantra budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Mosky Audio is following with the TM, an overdrive pedal based on the famous Timmy pedal by Paul Cochrane. The TM features a single control knob that lets you dial in the amount of Gain. If you need more precise tonal control, open the TM and inside it, you’ll find three additional internal trim pots that let you control the bass, treble, and volume.
Death By Audio Interstellar Overdriver Deluxe
The Death by Audio Interstellar Overdriver Deluxe packs two fantastic, all-analog Interstellar Overdriver pedals with additional revamped options. It allows you to slam the first channel into the second for otherworldly overdrive sounds. Death by Audio has also included a six-position selector switch on Channel 2, featuring six different fuzz/overdrive effects. From a nice boost to a jet rocket lift-off, the Interstellar Overdriver Deluxe is the pedal to blow up your sound into the universe.
Barber Electronics Gain Changer
The Barber Electronics Gain Changer Silver Sparkle is a compact yet highly versatile drive pedal that gives you warm low-gain overdriven tones, harmonic medium-level distortion, and everything else in between via a single toggle switch. Another toggle lets you cycle through three additional modes, two of which stay true to your guitar and amp’s tonal quality: the LTD SR’s flat EQ, the LTD v2’s fat EQ, and a new setting that adds a little extra fatness to the former.
JHS Pedals Charlie Brown V4
Put those killer Marshall JTM45 tones onto your pedalboard with the Charlie Brown V4 amp-in-a-box from JHS Pedals. While designing the Charlie Brown, JHS Pedals went to great pains to copy an entire Marshall-esque tone stack. The Charlie Brown V4 features controls for Treble, Middle, and Bass, which allow you to fine-tune your tone. The Volume and Drive knobs interact like a master volume amp head. Get yourself the Charlie Brown V4, and transform your rig into an iconic JTM45.
Dunlop Germanium Fuzz Face Mini
Based on the mid-’60s Fuzz Faces, Dunlop’s FFM2 Germanium Fuzz Face Mini distortion pedal gives you warm vintage fuzz tones thanks to slightly mismatched germanium transistors. It features an AC power jack, battery door, and status LED. Unlike traditional Fuzz Face pedals that come in an unusually large housing, this pedal provides you with the convenience of a pedalboard-friendly enclosure. If you are craving for that vintage germanium fuzz tone, the FFM2 Germanium Fuzz Face Distortion Mini has got you covered.
Morley Man FX Dual Boost Distortion
The folks at Morley know a thing or two about good guitar tone. They also know that sometimes some extra gain muscle is all that separates a milquetoast solo from a killer one during a gig. That knowledge and experience are evident in the Morley Man FX Dual Boost Distortion. a classic analog distortion pedal with two separate boost switches for cutting through the mix. The clean boost gives you up to 20dB of extra gain, while the distortion boost gives you another 15dB.
EBS Metal Drive
The EBS MetalDrive brings a pure, aggressive metal distortion for bass and more. It provides high-gain distortion for utilization in contemporary metal music and other music genres which require a mean distorted sound. It is based on a personalized MultiDrive created for bassist John Moyer of Disturbed. The Black Label Pedals offer exceptional tone for keyboard, guitar, as well as other instruments. Smooth working effects with minimal to zero noise and a fat tone which keep the bottom firm.
Fender Pugilist Distortion
Versatile and fiery sounding, the Fender Pugilist Distortion will deliver some heavyweight gain to your rig. It boasts dual gain engines, with separate controls for each, allowing you to choose several distortion variations, guaranteeing the pedal will play nicely with any rig. It carries a Blend/Series switch, which lets you stack channels for a fat cascading distortion, and a Bass Boost switch that beefs up your tone. The blend knob combines both channels to enjoy the best of both worlds, tailoring a sound for you.
ElectroHarmonix Green Russian Big Muff
The legend returns! It’s smaller now, but the new Green Russian Big Muff Pi still packs the same terrifying amount of fuzzed-out power that made the original a mid-‘90s favorite. Dedicated Tone, Sustain, and Volume knobs give you full control over all the growling aggression contained in the Green Russian. Aside from the size and knob placement, this compact and pedalboard-friendly stompbox is a very faithful reissue, from the sound down to the vintage-correct army green paint.
Seymour Duncan Power Grid
The Seymour Duncan Power Grid Distortion is a high-gain, solid-state distortion stompbox that serves up myriad tones credits to its three-band active EQ section. It is suitable for any rock genre. With the Power Grid, your tone is better refined due to the three active EQ bands. Each band enables up to 12dB of cut or boost at frequencies chosen for ultimate control of your electric guitar. That lets you craft tones with a higher degree of surgical precision than other distortion pedals with passive EQ.
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.
Seymour Duncan La Super Rica
The La Super Rica Fuzz by Seymour Duncan is a silicon-loaded fuzz with an extensive gain range and plenty of tone-sculpting potential. From aggressive and bright to musical and smooth, the La Super Rica is a flexible box. It consists of Mid Freq, Mid Lvl, Fuzz, and Volume controls. It also carries a three-way voice switch (Fat, Flat, Lean) that toggles between bass effects. A sweepable mid-frequency with a ±10dB level control tames the sting or unleashes the bite in your attack.
JHS Pedals Crayon
The JHS Pedals Crayon lets you experience the gritty preamp tones of the Colour Box within a more compact and budget-friendly guitar pedal. This simplified variant of the Colour Box is capable of delivering the compressed overdrive and fuzz sounds of various classic recordings. This mighty little box packs all the color and features of a vintage studio preamp when cranked. The Pre-Vol and Master knobs work in tandem to give you extremely useful colorful tones.
Fuzzrocious The Demon
Make your instrument sound “right” with The Demon pedal by Fuzzrocious. This low to medium-high gain guy has some awesome tweaks here and there. Boasting distortion-like abilities, The Demon is capable of a pushed amp sound at high drive settings and the “just on the verge of breakup” thing at lower drive settings. It consists of controls for Tone, Drive, and Volume. Twist the Volume knob to make the output of the circuit quieter or louder.
Walrus Audio Jupiter V2
Gritty, thick, and most importantly, loud. That’s the kind of fuzz tone that boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio was shooting for when they made the Jupiter fuzz box, and as the resulting stompbox itself shows, they hit the bullseye. V2 gives the Jupiter even more gain and an internal gate control trim pot for reining reining in any stray noises. The original Tone pot has also been updated to provide a better high end response.
Mooer Triangle Buff
The Triangle Buff is Mooer’s pedalboard- and budget-friendly take on the EHX Triangle Muff fuzz guitar effects pedal design. It packs a fuzz tone wallop that comes across as more clear and dynamically responsive than even the venerable Big Muff. Whether you want your fuzz thick and creamy or aggressively grainy, the Triangle Buff is versatile enough to conform to your ideal fuzz sound thanks to an intuitive and full-featured control knob layout that belies its tiny frame.
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.
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.
Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz
Hairy fuzz and massive boost for your bass in a single stompbox. The Boost Bass Fuzz from Tech 21 serves up the classic, creamy germanium fuzz tone you need, plus up to 21bD of punchy crystal clear boost via a separate boost section. Dedicated Drive and +Clean pots give you complete control over the wet and dry signal mix, while the Tone control knob lets you sculpt your fuzzed out sound even further. Plug into a Bass Boost Fuzz and go massive.
Walrus Audio Plainsman
When it comes to boost pedals, tonal transparency is perhaps the most important requirement. With the Plainsman, boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio has created a dual stage clean boost that doesn’t color your tone with unwanted overdrive overtones when engaged. A Tone toggle lets you bypass the Plainsman’s tone circuit and use it as a clean boost in the purest sense, while a Boost toggle lets you switch between a maximum level boost of +8dB or +15dB.
Joyo Dr.J Emerald Overdrive
The Dr.J D-60 Emerald Overdrive is a budget-friendly overdrive and boost guitar effects pedal from Joyo. It can dish out a healthy amount of warm, creamy overdrive tones that can be sculpted further using dedicated Tone, Drive, and Output knobs. The D-60 Emerald also features a two-position clip switch, giving you a choice between MOSFET and diode clipping. Its 15dB boost can also be placed before or after the overdrive effect for even more tonal variety.
Morley Man FX Distortion Boost
The Morley name has been around since the early days of rock and roll, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about good guitar tone. That knowledge and experience are evident in the Morley Man FX Distortion Boost, a classic analog distortion pedal with a separate boost switch for cutting through the mix during a screaming solo. Want to drop the distortion and boost a clean signal? The boost circuit works independently of the distortion, too.
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.
Carl Martin 3 Band Parametric Preamp
Carl Martin’s 3 Band Parametric Preamp is specially designed for use with your acoustic instruments. These instruments often necessitate a balanced line driver and high-quality EQ. Carl Martin packed those features within a handy stompbox enclosure with both XLR and 1/4″ outputs. For supreme flexibility, Carl Martin deemed it essential to build a top-grade 3 band semi-parametric EQ. Its 3 Band Parametric Preamp also works well for direct studio recordings and tweaking the sound of electronic instruments.
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.
Radial Bassbone OD
Many players, including Bootsy Collins and Victor Wooten, rely on Radial for exceptional tone with or without an amplifier, and same goes with the Bassbone OD. It is a bass preamp pedal that provides you with two instrument input channels that feature passive EQ, level control, and low-frequency filter for sculpting your bass tone. Multiple outputs allow you to feed PA pre/post EQ, send a signal to a pedal, and connect to your amp on stage simultaneously with several instruments.
MOOER 010 Two Stone
Mooer Audio’s Micro Preamp line of guitar effects pedals is all about giving shoestring budget shoegazers easy and affordable access to the legendary tones served up by classic and boutique amp models. The Mooer 010 Two Stone gives you professional-grade stompbox sound by replicating the tone of a Two Rock Coral amp. It comes with two switchable channels as well as volume, gain, bass, mid, and treble controls. It also features a cab sim on and off switch.
T-Rex Spindoctor 2
Music equipment critics and musicians were fascinated when T-Rex Effects unveiled the SpinDoctor, a tube-driven preamp stompbox featuring four programmable channels, a beautiful vintage tone, motorized knobs, and a comprehensive arsenal of tone controls. Equipped with all the innovative features of the original, the SpinDoctor2 incorporates revamped electronics that gives a richer, more vibrant tone and a broader spectrum of dirty and clean sounds. When connected to your stage amp, the SpinDoctor2 is nothing less than the best overdrive pedal ever existed.
Morley Man FX Distortion Boost
The Morley name has been around since the early days of rock and roll, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about good guitar tone. That knowledge and experience are evident in the Morley Man FX Distortion Boost, a classic analog distortion pedal with a separate boost switch for cutting through the mix during a screaming solo. Want to drop the distortion and boost a clean signal? The boost circuit works independently of the distortion, too.
Maxon DB10 Dual Booster
An innovative idea in booster design, the DB10 Dual Booster packs two independent boost circuits into a compact enclosure. The Vintage channel is Maxon’s take on the legendary Treble Booster circuit, while the Clean channel gives you up to +20 dB of clean boost with flat frequency response. Each circuit has separate input/output jacks, enabling cascading them into one another in whatever order. Both channels include true bypass switching leveraging a 3PDT switch. Individual status LEDs display which channel is engaged.
Tech 21 Boost Comp
Tech 21 brings together two essential effects into one handy stompbox with the Boost Comp, a combined compressor and boost unit designed for bass. The compressor section helps fill out your sound by letting you rein in wayward signal spikes and give you insane sustain. The separate boost section, meanwhile, helps push your amp over the edge with up to 21dB of extra signal juice. Engage the boost while you’re playing a solo and hear your sound soar.
T-Rex Karma
A simple pedal with various uses, the T-Rex Karma helps you ensure your solos slice through—no matter whether your soundman is not quite in command of it. You can utilize the Karma to compensate for power lost across lengthy cables and multiple pedals. Allow it to highlight the gain and sustain your distortion and overdrive pedals are giving you. The Karma’s character changes as you turn it up, providing you with an extraordinary variety and lushness within a single-knob pedal.
Xotic Super Sweet
Like its close cousin, the Super Clean buffer, the Super Sweet boost pedal from boutique guitar effects stompbox company Xotic is built around a top of the line preamp that harnesses the legendary power of a JRC4558 chip. It delivers up to 20dB of highly dynamic and extremely transparent clean boost that fully retains articulation even as it pushes your signal well above the mix. The Super Sweet also features four side-mounted dip switches that let you shape your tone further.
Electro-Harmonix The Mole
Dig deep into the bowels of your sound to unearth low-end frequencies that are positively subterranean. The Mole bass booster pedal from Electro-Harmonix gives your signal’s low frequencies a rich tone and a 20dB boost. Operation is dead simple: dial in the amount of boost via the Boost knob and step on the footswitch to start rattling ribcages. Whether you’re a guitarist or a bassist, this little critter will let you plumb the depths of your bottom end.
Modulation Pedals
Electro-Harmonix Stereo Clone Theory
The Clone Theory’s lush and well-loved chorus and vibrato effects, now in Electro-Harmonix’s affordable, smaller, and more modern XO chassis. With its familiar three-mode chorus and vibrato dial, Depth, and Rate knob layout, the Stereo Clone Theory analog chorus and vibrato guitar effects pedal faithfully recreates the sparkling, elegant washes of tone that made the original Clone Theory a fan favorite. And of course, as its name suggests, the Stereo Clone Theory features stereo outputs because it would be weird if it didn’t.
Digitech Mosaic
Adding the DigiTech Mosaic to your pedalboard lets you produce lush 12-string sounds with your 6-string amplified acoustic or electric guitar. The Mosaic achieves that by generating doubled high strings and octave low strings that inspire your guitar tone with an extraordinary polyphonic richness and crisp shimmer. The pedal consists of Tone and Level knobs that give you full control over the 12-string effect. You will be amazed by the resonance, richness, and celestial movement the Mosaic brings to your guitar tone.
Electro-Harmonix Neo Clone
Packing a high-quality bucket brigade chip and a direct recreation of the legendary Small Clone chorus pedal circuitry, the Neo Clone pedal from Electro-Harmonix gives you lush, analog chorus packed into a compact, pedalboard-friendly enclosure. Fatten up your tone with everything from shallow, subtle chorus sweeps to thick, watery textures with a twist of the Rate dial and a flick of the two-way Depth switch. This affordable, low-noise, stompbox also comes with a true bypass feature.
JOYO Vision
The R-09 Vision guitar effects pedal from Joyo is a modulation maniac’s dream pedal. It features two separate channels, each with its own set of highly tweakable modulation effects, that you can mix and match in parallel or series. Use a chorus on Channel A and an optical trem on Channel B. Phaser on A, Vibrato on B. It’s a giant sonic sandbox for you to play in. The R-09 Vision is an R Series pedal, meaning it also has cool ambient LED effects built into it.
JOYO Classic Chorus
Solid as a rock and packing complex, clear chorus tones, the JF-05 Classic Chorus from Joyo is clearly punching way above its price range when it comes to sound quality and tonal textures. Rate and Width knobs, the latter of which is a take on the classic Boss CE-2’s well-known Depth knob, give you a lot of room for sonic experimentation. You can dial in everything from subtle embellishments to sonically intricate 12-string sounds without drowning out your core tone.
Joyo JF-05
The JF-05 Classic Chorus guitar effects pedal is Joyo’s approximation of another true classic, the Boss CE-2. Rate and Width knobs, the latter of which is a take on the classic Boss CE-2’s well-known Depth knob, give you a lot of room for sonic experimentation. You can dial in clear, soft, and watery chorus effect ranging from subtle embellishments to sonically intricate 12-string sounds without drowning out your core tone. An absolute steal for bargain-hunting musicians.
Emma Electronic Discumbobulator V2
The original EMMA DiscumBOBulator was arguably the world’s best auto-wah, making appearances at the feet of Ida Funkhouser, Richard Fortus, Warren Haynes, and Pino Palladino. When building the revamped version, Emma Electronic has improved the filter-triggering, extended the dynamic range, tripled the headroom signal, and added a 10dB independent boost. The DiscumBOBulator v2 features an extensive range of vintage auto-wah tones and new filter sweeps. It also boasts precise tracking, both on chords and single notes, and a wide frequency spectrum, making it perfect for virtually any instrument.
Eventide H9 MAX
With 51 effect algorithms that include literally everything Eventide’s TimeFactor, ModFactor, PitchFactor, and Space pedals can do, the H9 MAX Harmonizer is basically an entire pedalboard in compact effects pedal form. It features reverb, chorus, delay, modulation, pitch-shifting, distortion effects, all of which can be tweaked and edited via an intuitive single-knob interface. The H9 MAX comes preloaded with 99 presets, plus you can get over 500 more for free via the H9 Control app.
Source Audio Soundblox2 Stingray Multi-Filter
The Source Audio Stingray Multi-Filter multi-effects pedal boldly forges a different path in filter modulation. With four filter modulation modes, 12 filter effects, full MIDI functionality, and onboard overdrive, the Stingray goes well beyond the usual approach of other filter effects pedals. Capture a different world of guitar tones, from super-funky envelope filter quack or swirling LFO psychedelia to synth-inspired fuzz. The Stingray features 12 flavors of high pass, low pass, phaser, multi-peak, and single-peak filter effects, each controllable using any of the four modulation modes: Hot Hand, LFO, envelope follower, or expression pedal.
EarthQuaker Devices Interstellar Orbiter
With nine different control knobs and dual resonating filters that sweep together from opposite directions, the sheer range of tonal possibilities that the Interstellar Orbiter guitar effects pedal opens up is a dream come true for even the most consummate of shoegazing knob twiddlers. EarthQuaker Devices even threw in dedicated expression pedal jacks for the Rate and Frequency controls for precise, on-the-fly sound shaping, plus a Direct dial so you blend your original signal with both filters for a three-signal attack.
TWA Wah Rocker
Totally Wycked Audio’s Wah Rocker stomp resurrects the legendary Guyatone Wah Rocker “Duck Box,” a funk machine that has lent its distinctive sound to such greats as Lenny Kravitz and David Torn. The TWA Wah Rocker is based on Guyatone’s original WR3 circuit and adds a host of mechanical improvements including TWA’s Shortest Send Switching (S3) true bypass function. Tone-wise, it’s pure Wah Rocker funk; all the squawky, slippery, and souped-up grooves of the original, minus the vintage price tag.
TC Electronic Dreamscape
Craft unique effects for your electric guitar with the Dreamscape John Petrucci Signature Modulation Pedal from TC Electronic. Leveraging TC Electronic’s revered TonePrint technology, John tailored six distinct tones for the Dreamscape. You get flanger, chorus, and vibrato effects, along with a custom voicing switch that provides you with the “dark” feel of John’s chorus sounds. Since it is a TonePrint unit, you may add new effects presets whenever you desire. It consists of controls for Speed, Depth, and FX Level.
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.
Source Audio Soundblox2 Orbital Modulator
Boasting a diverse sound palette, the Source Audio Soundblox 2 Orbital Modulator is an ultra-compact, versatile, and sturdy multi-effects pedal. It features a dynamic arsenal of precision-engineered flanger, tremolo, chorus, and phaser effects. Nine adjustable parameters, twelve effect types, and internal/external modulation control elevate it way beyond the sonic limitations of old-school modulation pedals. The Orbital Modulator’s rack-mount power gives you infinite modulation possibilities, including variable notch phasers, rotary speaker simulation, through zero flange, multi-voiced choruses, and many more.
Eventide ModFactor
When it comes to modulation effects, Eventide’s ModFactor multi-effects pedal is the pinnacle. You get all the classics—Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Rotary, Tremolo, and Vibrato—plus a couple of unique Eventide effects. There’s the dreamy, pulsating Undulator, which combines two delays, two detuned voices, and a tremolo effect. Also included is a RIngMod effect that adds futuristic bell-like overtones to your sound. The ModFactor can hold up to 100 presets, has true analog bypass, and supports real-time control via MIDI or expression pedal.
Joyo Raptor Flanger
Packing a bucket brigade device circuit in its tiny chassis, the Joyo JF-327 Raptor Flanger can serve up highly musical flange effects ranging from subtle swirls to full-on jet engine fly-bys. A simple four-control layout featuring dedicated Regen, Delay, Width, and Speed knobs gives you all the tone-tweaking tools you need. Since it’s an Ironman pedal, the JF-327 Raptor Flanger is small enough to fit in your front pocket and features a flip cover for keeping your control dial settings safe from stray stomps.
Donner Jet Convolution
Get an outstanding flanger at a bargain price with the Donner Jet Convolution. A lot is going on in such a compact pedal. The Jet Convolution features true bypass and a toggle switch for selecting between Filter and Normal modes. In the Normal mode, the pedal acts like a regular flanger, while the Filter mode is what your manual mode would be. The Jet Convolution consists of a giant Rate knob plus smaller Range and Color knobs that are pretty intuitive to use.
Dunlop Univibe
The Jimi Hendrix Uni-Vibe Chorus/Vibrato pedal from Dunlop gives you that signature chorusy, phasey, Leslie-sounding goodness utilized by Jimi in the late ’69/’70. It includes modern features such as a 9V power jack, true bypass switching, status LED, and pedalboard-friendly enclosure. The Uni-Vibe’s thick wash which permeates the landmark Band of Gypsys album is definitely among the most transcendent tones of all time. The Jimi Hendrix 70th Anniversary Tribute Series Univibe produces vintage tones at a fraction of the size of the Shin-ei unit used by Hendrix.
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.
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.
Skreddy Swirl
Starring a classic 1969 voice, the Skreddy Swirl is a chewy, watery, vibe-esque phaser with exceptional frequency response and clarity versus a clone or vintage specimen. It is an addictive and beautiful tone, swampy enough. The sweep was optimized for optimum intensity and range without being exaggerated. It gives you the ideal balance between a throbbing, asymmetrical and smooth, symmetrical waveform. It features extremely low distortion and noise, preserves natural EQ and volume footprint. The Swirl carries a large knob for effortless foot control.
MXR Phase 90
MXR’s Phase 90 has long been a staple on numerous pedalboards around the world. Regardless whether the instrument is bass, guitar, keys, strings, or vocals, or if the genre is metal, jazz, rock, worldbeat, or alternative, the Phase 90 is has been present through it all to inject its unique lush voice to a player’s tone palette. This little orange box boasts a rich warm analog tone. The Phase 90 can go from subtle, spatial shimmer to full-on high velocity swooshing. The classic phase shifter behind several Van Halen recordings.
Mooer Micro Liquid
The Liquid guitar effects pedal from budget stompbox maker Mooer packs a lot of phasing options into its tiny and very affordable chassis. It gives you five different phaser modes, each with three selectable wave types: square, triangular, and sine. And if that still doesn’t whet your sonic appetite, you can easily shape the phase tones using dedicated speed, color, and mix control knobs. This highly versatile stompbox is a worthy addition to your pedalboard.
Donner Pearl Tremor
The Pearl Tremor from Donner boasts a pure analog phase effect and produces a plump and warm sound. It carries a toggle switch that lets you choose between Vintage and Modern. It also features an LED indicator that shows you the working state and true bypass, which gives a transparent tone. The Pearl Tremor is packaged in a sturdy, aluminum-alloy chassis. It should not be used in direct sunlight, high humidity, high temperature, or subzero environments.
Diamond Tremolo
The Diamond Tremolo features an all-analog signal path leveraging an optoisolator like the 60’s vintage tube amps. The analog signal path is coupled with a microprocessor controller to give you a range of quirky features. The Tremolo boasts a double speed switch and multiple selectable waveforms, from sine and sharkfin wave to square wave and chop. That is comparable with the Empress Tremolo regarding its shaping ability but has a bit more far-out settings.
MOOER Triangolo
The tiny and affordable Triangolo packs a bigger and more diverse tremolo punch than its size and price would have you believe. This digital tremolo guitar effects pedal from budget stomp maker Mooer features three highly nuanced and musical modes: Triangular, Square, and Sawtooth. You can adjust the tremolo effect speed using the dedicated Speed knob or tap tempo, then engage the Subdivision knob’s five tremolo rhythm patterns for chopped up varying time subdivision tremolo craziness.
Walrus Audio Janus
The Janus tremolo and fuzz stomp from boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio is a stompbox oddity. Instead of control pots for Tone, Speed, and Depth, it features Tremolo and Fuzz joysticks. The former controls the tremolo effect’s speed and depth while the latter lets you dial in the fuzz effect’s tone and depth. There’s nothing gimmicky about its sound, though; the Janus can dish out both throbbing tremolo and thick, heavy fuzz. You can use both effects independently or together for a wild mix.
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.
JHS Pedals Tidewater
The iconic sound of vintage Fender and Vox amp tremolo lives on in JHS Pedals’ Tidewater pedal. It is capable of simulating some classic, well-loved amp tremolos with a character and warmth you would expect only from a vintage amplifier. It consists of Speed, Volume, and Mix knobs. You may roll the Mix control back and utilize it as a lush preamp boost by dialing its volume up. The Tidewater is perfect if you want a vintage tube-tremolo tone that you can utilize with just about any amp.
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.
Strymon Mobius
The Strymon Mobius packs twelve iconic modulation effects into a convenient guitar effects pedal. Handcrafted from the best components available, it brings together twelve of the most expressive, versatile, and organic modulation effects ever existed. Each vintage effect has been painstakingly emulated and then expanded upon to enhance versatility and broaden sonic possibilities. The Mobius is equipped with 200 inbuilt presets enabling the perfect modulation sound to be recorded and recalled at any time. That function is also controllable by a MIDI foot pedal to streamline the process.
Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl HiFi
Improving on the fan-favorite mkII version, the Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl HiFi is the answer to all of your vibrato and chorus concerns. It features various updates from the earlier versions, including a redesigned tone circuit, a lag knob for rich chorus tones, lower noise, and opportunities for brighter and more transparent tones. The newly created hold, tone, and lag controls allow you to produce brighter, lusher, more shimmering chorus and vibrato tones than ever before.
TC Electronic Shaker Mini
If you want some vibrato in your guitar tone, you have to check out the Shaker Mini Vibrato pedal from TC Electronic. The TonePrint technology allows you access to an infinite variety of vibrato effects, from mild flatters to mind-blowing modulation. The free TonePrint software editor is great for crafting your custom vibrato effects, and it is the key to unleashing this innovative pedal’s full potential. With a compact size that easily fits on your pedalboard, the Shaker Mini Vibrato will be a celebrated addition to your rig.
Electro-Harmonix Good Vibes
The Good Vibes analog modulator guitar effects pedal from Electro-Harmonix combines selectable iconic chorus and vibrato effects ripped straight from the ‘60s with 21st-century conveniences. Taking a page from the original Uni-Vibe, the Good Vibes creates rippling, undulating chorus and vibrato effects by way of photocells. The Good Vibes also features boosted power rails for extra definition, an always-on speed indicator, and expression pedal support for more precise control over the Speed and Intensity settings.
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.
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.
EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid V2
The Arpanoid guitar effects pedal from EarthQuaker Devices is a polyphonic pitch arrpegiator; play a note and it automatically generates a scale based on that root note. Even better is that it doesn’t just track notes—even complex chords can get arpeggiated. It features eight selectable minor and major patterns that go from one octave below the root note to one above, plus you can select whether you want the arpeggios to be ascending or descending.
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.
Caline Big Dipper
The Caline CP-36 Big Dipper Pitch Shifter guitar effects pedal combines the modulation effects of a pitch shifter and an octaver into one sturdy, affordable stompbox. A simple three-position toggle switch lets you choose between Pitch Up, Pitch Down, and Detune modes, while a selector knob gives you a wide range of shifting modes, including one- and two-octave modes. Dedicated Wet and Dry knobs give you full blending control over your signal. The Caline CP-36 Big Dipper Pitch Shifter comes with a true bypass feature.
Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork
Open up bold new dimensions for your sound with the Pitch Fork polyphonic pitch shifter from Electro-Harmonix. This compact guitar effects pedal lets you transpose your signal’s pitch by three octaves, plus you can choose whether you want the transposition to go up, down, or both simultaneously. Use the dedicated control dials to control your pitch-shifted tone or plug in an expression pedal for more precise sweeps and multi-octave jumps, all with glitch-free note tracking.
Electro-Harmonix HOG2
Electro-Harmonix broke new sonic ground with the original HOG, but with the HOG2 Harmonic Octave Generator, they’ve punched right through to a completely different auditory dimension. Not only do you get 10 customizable harmonic intervals and seven expression modes, the HOG2 sports updated algorithms that improve the quality of the HOG’s 10 generated octaves and harmonics as well as full MIDI-based parameter and preset control. The HOG2 comes packaged with an external expression pedal while an optional foot controller lets you save and load up to 100 presets.
Top Categories
Timing, Dynamics & EQ Pedals
JHS Pedals Milkman
The Milkman is a convenient two-in-one pedal with a tiny footprint that easily fits into your rig. It is a collaborative concept between JHS Pedals’ Josh Scott and Milkman Sound’s Tim Marcus, aiming to build a pedal that serves up an echo/slap delay and boost which can double as an always-on enhancer. If you play rockabilly, surf, country, swing, or just about any other style of good old American twang, then you need to get your hands on the Milkman.
Alexander Pedals Sky FI
The Sky FI Delay and Reverb Pedal gives you full tonal control over amazingly ambient helpings of delay and reverb. Aside from its tone-sculpting Reverb, Delay, Mix, and Repeat knobs, he Sky FI also has a Hold function that lets you control its Wash, Gleam, and Echo modes by keeping the footswitch held down. In Wash and Gleam modes, holding down the footswitch enables you to crank up the Reverb time and mix to infinity. Doing the same while in Echo mode pushes the pedal’s Delay feedback to the max.
Maxon AD10 Analog Delay
The AD10 Analog Delay takes Maxon’s over three decades of expertise in analog delay design and serves it up in a portable WYSIWYG chassis. It gives you as much as 600ms of beautiful organic delay which will not get in the way of your natural tone. The AD10’s simple control layout makes it extremely convenient to dial in a range of valuable delay effects, including tight rhythm slapbacks, faux reverb, double-tracking, and longer delays for solos. It keeps its unique sound even if you stack it with distortions and overdrives.
NUX Time Core Deluxe
The Time Core Deluxe by NUX gives you unique modes that you can’t find in most delay pedals. It boasts incredible versatility in delivering up to eight types of delays (Digital, Tap, Analog, Pan, P.Pong, Reverse, and Mod) to the utmost ambiance. The Tape mode will add a vintage flavor to your classic sound. You may also preserve your natural sound using the Digital delay mode. Whether modern or classic, the Analog mode constructed with bucket-brigade (BBD) device makes your sound more extraordinary and warmer.
Mad Professor MAD-DBD
Classic slapback, modern delays, and everything else in between is yours for the stomping with the Deep Blue Delay. This Mad Professor creation features an analog direct signal path and a bandwidth nearly identical to vintage tape echo machines. The Deep Blue Delay works well with clean signals, adding zero coloration or distortion to your core tone, as well as distorted tones, which is an area that a lot of delays fail at. It also has no noise reduction circuits, making the echo decay as naturally as possible.
Pigtronix Echolution 2 Remote
Optimize your Echolution 2 using the Echolution 2 Remote footswitch from Pigtronix. It is a two-button momentary controller which allows you convenient access to your four preferred presets in every bank of your Echolution 2 Deluxe or Echolution 2 delay pedal. It also activates your Echolution 2’s Freeze feature as well as the innovative Jump function which sends your delays cascading up in octaves on each repeat. The Echolution 2 Remote footswitch will let you get the most out of your effects pedals.
Alexander Pedals Sky 5000
The next evolution of Alexander Pedals’ Sky FI Delay and Reverb Pedal, the Sky 5000 Reverb Delay’s delay and reverb engines let you break through the sonic stratosphere with torrential waves of echoes, delay, and shimmer. Its onboard digital delay engine is crystal clear, with a tone filter that lets you tailor it precisely to your taste. Its reverb engine, meanwhile, is a no-nonsense nod to classic digital rack units from the ’80s and ’90s. These two engines run in parallel to keep your guitar signal from getting muddy.
EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath V2
The Afterneath reverb guitar effects pedal from EarthQuaker Devices generates a horde of super short delays to create shimmering washes of ambient reverb. You can get traditional room- and hall-style reverb tones at the lower settings; crank up the Afterneath’s control knobs and it dishes out swirly tones bordering on self-oscillation that still keep your dry signal shining through the mix. The Afterneath V2 builds upon the original with the addition of an upgraded silent switching system.
Donner Alpha Acoustic
Distinguished by its remarkable tone, user-friendly form factor, and compact size, the Donner Alpha Acoustic is an effects chain combining three effects in one, including a hall reverb, acoustic preamp, and dreamy chorus. It features an LED indicator that shows you the working state and buffer bypass that gives a transparent tone. The Alpha Acoustic consists of a Reverb module with natural decay and rich spaciousness, Preamp module for tonal improvement, and Chorus module for making the natural sense of space.
Marshall Original Footswitch
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 PEDL-10009 or P802 footswitch is a dual footswitch pedal; it’s basically the big brother of the P801. This musician must-have is built to work with both valvestate and tube amps and handles switching duties for your amp’s channels and reverb. It’s built to be road-tough, so you don’t have to worry about it conking out while you’re onstage.
J. Rockett Monkeyman
The J. Rockett Monkeyman can tour you back in the past. Imagine Hotel California, Kid Charlemagne, Hurricane, Funk 49, and many more. An inbuilt Spring Reverb for some atmosphere is the icing on the cake. No vintage Tweed has provided reverb, so it is J. Rockett’s simple gift to you. By simply rolling the Speaker Breakup control, the Monkeyman can go from gritty clean to an erupting speaker sound. You may hit the front end with everything you have, and it compresses like an old tweed.
EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V2
Rich, cavernous reverbs and lush, shimmering delays are a single stomp away with the Dispatch Master digital delay and reverb guitar effects pedal from EarthQuaker Devices. The Dispatch Master lets you serve up delays that don’t degrade despite ultra-long repeats, versatile reverb tones that go from tight to super spacious, or a highly musical and unique combination of the two. V2 builds on the original Dispatch Master by adding soft-touch relay-based switching for truly silent operation.
Carl Martin Comp/Limiter
Carl Martin’s Comp Limiter is a studio-quality compressor within a pedalboard-friendly enclosure. It was born out of the request of musicians seeking a studio-level compressor that comes in a convenient, yet versatile pedal. Limiting and Compression are serious business for guitarists. These are capable of transforming your tone from being incredibly musical to sounding as if you are playing via a crushed tin can. To make this extremely dynamic pedal user-friendly, Carl Martin pre-set the Response and Threshold controls, leaving only the Level and Compression knobs.
Maxon CP101 Compressor
The Maxon Compressor gives you a clean, smooth compression with ridiculous transparency and ultra-low noise. Its 4:1 compression ratio is very subtle you can forget it is on until you turn it off. When on, you will see more consistent and smoother note-to-note levels, tighter and more focused arpeggios and chords, and when you utilize it with an overdriven amp, long-lasting sustain. Ultimately, you will notice slight guitar signal coloration and less of the note-attack alterations typical to most compressors.
Animals Pedal 1927 Home Run King Comp
The Animals Pedal 1927 Home Run King Compressor delivers studio-quality compression within a pedalboard and pocket-friendly unit. It boasts an uncomplicated control system for leveling low and high frequencies while controlling the tonal density and sustain. The EQ knob controls the frequency range, VOL sets the pedal’s overall output level, and COMP selects how little or how much compression you want running on your signal path. It also features two LED lights—one indicates when the compression is working hard, and another shows if the pedal is bypassed or active.
JHS Pedals Whitey Tighty
The Whitey Tighty packs the indispensable FET compressor into a portable, user-friendly guitar effects pedal. Its straightforward three-knob control layout (Volume, Blend, and Compression) makes dialing in a pleasing squash child’s play. The Compression knob adjusts the amount of compression, while Volume lets you dial in a volume bump or obtain unity gain. With the Blend control, you can discover the magic sweet spot between your compressed and unaffected signal. The Whitey Tighty will provide you with the studio-quality compression you need to upgrade your sound.
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.
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.
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.
Boss GE-7 7-Band EQ
The Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer is one of the most useful guitar effect pedals you could ever add to your pedal chain. It doesn’t matter what style of music you play, its seven-band EQ will give you complete and precise control over your sound. The Boss GE-7 7-Band EQ’s equalizer ranges from 100Hz to 6.4kHz with a boost/cut of +/- 15dB per band, making it the ideal equalizer for guitar signals. Place it after your favorite distortion pedal and you can drastically cut down unwanted feedback.
Tom’sline GT EQ
Budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Tomsline’s GT 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 GT EQ to brighten up your sound, build a heftier bottom end, or tame any unwanted frequencies in your signal.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Buffer + EQ
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Utility 3 is a switchable three-band EQ and always-on Buffer. You will find the EQ useful in tailoring frequencies to particular parts. The Buffer is perfect if you are utilizing multiple pedals or lengthy cable setups. The On/Off switch works to activate or deactivate the three-band EQ. The EQ + Buffer carries Low, Mid, and High knobs that allow you to adjust the low, mid, and high frequencies. It is made in the USA and features true bypass.
Donner Equalizer
Whether you want to adjust your tone finely or connect to complete range pedals, you can get a master volume control of different frequencies with precision from Donner’s Equalizer pedal. The frequency centers include 100Hz, 250Hz, 630Hz, 1.6 kHz, and 4 kHz. Uniquely crafted for guitarists, this 5-band graphic EQ has a ±18 dB alterable gain range per band, helping you sculpt your sound across five frequencies to prevent feedback resulting from extra distorting effects. The Equalizer carries a Volume knob so you can flexibly adjust the volume.
J. Rockett Rockaway Archer
The Rockaway Archer from J. Rockett was built as a complete solution to iconic guitarist Steve Stevens’ EQ and overdrive needs. It boasts an extensive range of sounds, from clean boost to tube-like distortion that integrates smoothly with the tone of various amps. It falls under the “transparent overdrive” category, allowing you to dial in a nice amount of gain without drastically changing your guitar’s tone. The Rockaway Archer is an excellent way to hit the front end of an amp harder compared to a stock Archer pedal.
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.
Joyo Irontune
Your pedalboard may have the best-sounding and most expensive effects, but it won’t do you any good if you don’t even have a reliable guitar tuner. The Joyo JF-326 Irontune is a tiny, budget-friendly pedal that does the very important job of making sure your guitar is in tune. It’s fast, too, plus an easy to read LED display lets you know how in-tune or how far off you are. As one of Joyo’s Ironman pedals, the JF-326 Irontune is small enough to fit in your front pocket and features a flip cover for keeping your control dial settings safe.
Korg Pitchblack Custom (Blue)
Korg’s Pitchblack pedal tuner has established a reputation as a must-have tool for any pedalboard due to its excellent visibility, high sensitivity, and solid built. To continue its legacy, Korg launched the Pitchblack Custom, which gives you unprecedented precision and visibility. Besides the ultra-high +/- 0.1 cent tuning accuracy, the Pitchblack Custom includes true bypass switching that prevents any coloration or loss in your sound. It also features four kinds of meter display modes. The Pitchblack Custom comes in a limited edition bright blue finish and is built to provide years of worry-free operation.
Korg Pitchblack Mini (Black)
Bassists and guitarists worldwide love Korg’s Pitchblack pedal tuners for their design, quality, and durability. While the Pitchblack mini comes in a tinier, sleek package, it possesses all of its exceptional tuner functionalities. It boasts a large LED screen with excellent visibility and supports battery operation despite its small size. The Pitchblack mini contains stabilizers to avoid overturning. It also features a high tuning precision of +/- 0.1 cents. Small yet powerful, the Pitchblack mini can satisfy your demands.
TC Electronic Polytune Noir Mini 2
The original PolyTune Noir has set the benchmark for how supercool a tuner could be with its sleek black appearance and compact design. Now the PolyTune 2 Noir is a portable tuner featuring strobe, chromatic, and polyphonic tuning for quick and precise tuning. It comes with an ambient light detector and an ultra-bright 109-LED display that give you a clear and instant readout in any viewing condition. It loads the most groundbreaking tuning technology into an ultra-compact chassis sporting a basic black paint job.
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.
ammoon Mini Loop Box
The Loop Box Pedal addresses some typical signal path scenarios. It features an LED indicator light displaying the working status as well as RETURN and SEND jacks for other effects to get true bypass function. You can use the Loop Box pedal to split one signal to two amps and switch from several instruments. You can plug two instruments simultaneously—one into the IN jack and another in the RETURN. You can switch between them modestly and without needing to unplug instruments.
ammoon Mosky DTC
Ammoon’s DTC multi-effects unit is a budget-friendly four-in-one stompbox that combines three different effects with an effects loop function. Even if you don’t count the effects loop as an effect, the four-in-one designation still kinda works since the distortion section is actually split into two voicings: a vintage-leaning Crunch-style sound and a more modern high-gain tone based on the Riot. The DTC also comes with an overdrive section based on the TS9 Tube Screamer and a delay with a range of 25ms to 600ms.
Joyo D-Seed II
Joyo’s D-Seed II is a ramped-up version of the D-Seed dual-channel digital delay. The original D-Seed’s 1s maximum delay time has been stretched out to 2s, and the four delay modes—Copy, Analog, Modulation, and Reverse—have been reinforced with an additional four modes: Space, Lo-Fi, Filter, and Tape. Rounding out the improvements is a looper function that has up to 3½ minutes of recording time and a tape simulation effect as well as a new ping-pong-style effect toggle.
Xvive Duet Looper D3
Although the Duet Looper from budget guitar effects maker Xvive may not be the first micro stereo looper pedal on the market, it does have the distinction of being the first to let players use series recording and dual loop playback. It features two modes you can switch between via a toggle. In Undo/Redo mode, you can record a five-minute loop with undoable and redoable overdubs. Verse/Chorus mode, meanwhile, lets you record two separate loops of up to five minutes each. you can then record, overdub, or play these loops separately.
Donner Looper
Make looping as easy as one-two-three with the Looper from Donner. It records your loops when you power down or remove the power plug. No more worries as the music you made remains stored and is ready to go when you need it—be it rehearsal, jamming on ideas, studio, or live performance. The Looper is boiled down to the fundamentals and makes control simple yet versatile, so you can concentrate on performing and playing. It features unlimited overdubs, true bypass, and Undo/Redo function.
Line 6 JM4 Looper
The JM4 Looper from Line 6 is an incredible looping pedal boasting plenty of features. It provides you with a complete array of exceptional loops and jams to spark your creativity, all loaded within a portable foot pedal-esque enclosure for hands-free operation. It has more than 100 Endless Jam tracks and drum grooves recorded by prominent players. You have as much as 24 minutes of recording time and storage for up to 100 jams, letting you hang onto amazing ideas and riffs.
Digitech Bass Whammy
Leveraging sophisticated pitch detection and polyphonic note tracking technology, the DigiTech Bass Whammy forms the perfect pitch shifting effect pedal optimized for bass. It maintains the original’s standard settings plus several modern upgrades. The Bass Whammy features two distinct tracking modes, Chord and Classic, to let you make the smooth pitch shift effect or emulate the shift glitch effects from the original. Classic mode keeps the tracking artifacts of the original Whammy, while Chord employs polyphonic tracking algorithms for a smooth and more precise pitch shift effect.
Eventide H9 MAX
With 51 effect algorithms that include literally everything Eventide’s TimeFactor, ModFactor, PitchFactor, and Space pedals can do, the H9 MAX Harmonizer is basically an entire pedalboard in compact effects pedal form. It features reverb, chorus, delay, modulation, pitch-shifting, distortion effects, all of which can be tweaked and edited via an intuitive single-knob interface. The H9 MAX comes preloaded with 99 presets, plus you can get over 500 more for free via the H9 Control app.
Pigtronix Infinity Looper
The Pigtronix Infinity is arguably the most musical looping pedal in the market. Exceptionally powerful and versatile but still easy to use, the Infinity Looper establishes a new world standard for latency-free looping. Pigtronix’s revolutionary looping platform delivers quick record, dub, playback, redo and undo, on two stereo loop pairs configurable in different ways. Besides its performance friendly feature set and unparalleled speed, the Infinity Looper sounds marvelous due to its discreet analog limiter stages, 24bit/48kHz HD recording engine, and transparent analog pass-through.
Source Audio Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion
The Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion by Source Audio caters to sonic explorers, those musicians seeking unique sounds. It serves up 23 distinct and highly customizable effect types spanning from traditional to distinctive and aggressive synth-esque distortions. It incorporates a seven-band graphic EQ, MIDI input, six programmable user presets, and an expression pedal input that lets you smoothly morph from a preset to another. Programmability, versatility, and a bold sense of adventure make the Multiwave Pro an invaluable tool for both stage and studio.
Electro-Harmonix MEL9
If vintage tape-based keyboard sounds get you hot and bothered, then the MEL9 Tape Replay Machine from Electro-Harmonix deserves a prime spot on your pedalboard. The MEL9 comes packed with authentic recreations of nine of the coolest Mellotron sounds ever: Orchestra, Cello, Strings, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Brass, Low Choir, and High Choir. The MEL9 features dedicated Attack and Sustain controls for full sound-shaping freedom as well as separate Dry and Effect outputs, each of which has its own volume dial.
Mission Engineering EP-1 (Red)
Sporting a vibrant red finish and all-metal construction, the EP-1 by Mission Engineering is a professional quality, one channel expression pedal compatible with an extensive range of stompboxes, MIDI controllers, digital amps, and effects processors. You can utilize the EP-1 anywhere would use a Boss FV500, M-Audio EXP, Roland EV-5, or similar pedal. The EP-1 comes in a sturdy metal enclosure and purpose-designed sealed 10K linear potentiometer. It is a conventional style full-range sweep expression pedal.
Boss FS5U Unlatched Footswitch
The Boss FS-5U is a compact, lightweight, and durable momentary or non-latching footswitch built to withstand even the roughest and toughest of tours and stages. Plug the FS-5U into any guitar effects pedal that has external footswitch compatibility, and you can engage that pedal’s effect only for as long as you keep your foot on the switch. The FS-5U is the perfect non-latching footswitch for getting those insane solo-punctuating sustains or hitting precisely-timed spot delays.
MOSKY TAP SWITCH
The Tap Switch doesn’t do anything to your guitar signal by itself, but it’s an indispensable tool for musicians who have a lot of tap tempo pedals like delays and modulation effects. The Tap Switch is normally open, which means stepping on the footswitch will close the circuit; the tap is registered on the down switch instead of the other way around. You can still use it with a pedal that requires normally closed switches, although you’ll have to remember that with those pedals, taps are registered upon release.
Morley Maverick Mini Switchless Wah
The modulation masters at Morley have outdone themselves with the Mini Maverick Switchless Wah. It’s smaller than the average wah pedal, which instantly makes it a much better proposition for those concerned about pedalboard space, but it also packs an impressive variety of both vintage and modern wah tones into its small, road-tough chassis. Whether you use it with a guitar, bass, or keyboard, the Mini Maverick Switchless Wah will serve up all the funk you need.
Radial Big Shot Mix
The Big Shot Mix by Radial Engineering lets you blend your instrument’s direct sound with effects like how a professional mixing console allows you to add reverb to a dry vocal. It is configured for demanding guitarists and bassists who wish to introduce excellent effects pedals to their signal path, less the noise and artifacts resulting from cheap buffers and poor circuitry. Similar to other Radial pedals, the Big Shot Mix boasts solid, roadworthy construction and a durable footswitch.
Joyo PXL-PRO
Got a cluttered pedalboard? Have you started taking tapdancing lessons just to keep up with constant stompbox switching? Make your life easier and get a Joyo PXL-PRO effect pedal loop controller and switcher. The PXL-PRO comes with eight programmable effects loops; use it to chain eight effects together or split them into two loops of four stompboxes each, then save up to 32 different effects sets. The PXL-PRO also comes with four programmable latching/ momentary switch triggers for controlling switchable functions on your other pedals or amp.
Radial Bigshot PB1
When you need more muscle to drive long cable runs or punch for your solos, the BigShot PB1 by Radial Engineering provides the clean, Class A gain you want. Adding the BigShot PB1 buffer into your loop lets you drive as many pedals as you wish without producing unwanted noise. If you like silent tuning, you may utilize the second loop as tuner out, and the Radial BigShot EFX will mute your signal with one stomp. The BigShot PB1is constructed with the same sturdiness as other Radial DI boxes.
J. Rockett Steampunk
Easy yet ultra-versatile, the J. Rockett Steampunk is an exceptional two-in-one Buffer Booster. The Buffer is great for addressing impedance issues caused by employing big boards and long cables. It will let you save your tone and recover any high end loss. An LED indicator watches the Buffer control while it is in phase. The Boost feature gives a clean 20+ Db push to your effects and amps. The Steampunk can also take perfectly clean tones and impart clarity and sustain.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors 3 Band EQ + Buffer
The EQ + Buffer is a special edition of Old Blood Noise Endeavors’ Buffer and 3 Band EQ. Sliders and inverted color scheme provide you with a different visual and tactile experience for a handy circuit you must have in your chain. A switchable 3 Band EQ and always on Buffer. You will appreciate the Buffer when you employ multiple pedals or long cables, while the EQ is perfect for tailoring frequencies to specific parts, guitar switches, or as an always-on EQ.
TC Electronic Bonafide Buffer
Joining TC Electronic’s renowned collection of mini pedals, the Bonafide Buffer is another essential tone tool that will help you win the battle against treble loss due to massive pedalboards and lengthy cable runs. This no-frills pure analog buffer provides you with a 1K ohm output and 1M ohm input so your instrument’s signal can flow freely through your chain. You get an unaltered and transparent tone just like you would when you connect directly to your amp. The Bonafide Buffer serves as your natural gateway to a strong tone.
Mission Engineering VM-PRO
Not your dime a dozen volume pedal, the VM-PRO by Mission Engineering is a multi-output, buffered, adjustable volume pedal that is ready for action. Imagine it as an excellent starting point for your signal chain. Suitable for your acoustic-electric guitar, bass, and electric guitar, you can set the VM-PRO’s input jack for active or passive instruments. The buffered output guarantees proper frequency response via your pedals and lengthy cable runs. The VM-PRO volume pedal can handle whatever rig you are running.
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.
Suhr Buffer
Modern players demand reliability, quality, and exceptional tone. The Suhr Buffer leverages only top-grade components, including a machined billet aluminum chassis, Glass Epoxy PCB, and low noise audiophile Op-Amps, to guarantee that your tone investment is preserved across your signal chain. Regarding reliability and quality, Suhr designed the Buffer with the same attention to detail as its other award-winning products. It is equipped with two individual outputs and comes in a portable, solid, aluminum enclosure.
ZVex Loop Gate
Noise gates are infinitely useful, but gating becomes a lot more challenging when you’re facing a pedalboard full of sonically complex effects such as fuzz boxes and delay stomps. The Loop Gate is boutique guitar effects company Zvex’s answer to that conundrum. It acts as a loop switch with an excellent built-in high headroom noise gate with zero distortion and hiss. You can switch effects loops in and out at will, plus you can even crossfade them using the Mix knob and deliver tremolo-style effects in Chop mode.
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.
TC Electronic Sentry
Enjoy a dynamic, noise-free performance with the Sentry Noise Gate pedal from TC Electronic. Leveraging the groundbreaking multi-band System 6000 algorithms, it provides you with smooth, natural-sounding noise reduction. The Sentry Noise Gate comes packed with a classic hard-gate mode sporting a Return/Send loop for dealing with noisy pedals or utilizing it for creative sidechaining. It consists of controls for Decay, Threshold, and Damp. Keep your rig’s noise in check with the Sentry Noise Gate pedal.
Donner Noise Killer
The Noise Killer is arguably one of the most competitive noise gate pedals you can find on a limited budget. It delivers the core performance and features that are essential for a decent pedal of this kind. It lets you choose between Hard and Soft modes, which provide hard effect and soft effect of noise reduction respectively. The threshold range goes from -70dB to +10dB. The Noise Killer comes in an aluminium-alloy enclosure, and like many great effector pedals, it also features a true bypass function.
Xvive Noise Gate
The innocuously named Noise Gate from budget guitar effects pedal creator Xvive is a wide range noise suppressor that packs an excellent amount of dynamic response. It features 100% attenuation when gated and makes great use of ultra-high speed circuitry to get rid of all the unwanted noise lurking in your signal. Perhaps best of all, it doesn’t require a manual to get the settings right. The Naoise Gate is easy to use, compact, road-tough, and comes with true bypass switching.
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.
NUX MFX-10
The MFX-10 boasts 55 models overall (you may use as much as eight simultaneously), vintage three-band passive EQ for each amp model, 19 classic amp and pedal models with A/B channel switching, and parametric EQ with additional mid-frequency sweep control for pedals. Twelve cabinet models give you two distinct modes for a guitar amp or mixer/PA input. The MFX-10 also features an inbuilt drum machine with CD quality PCM sounds, and 72 presets: 36 user plus 36 factory presets. The A/B switch lets you utilize up to 144 presets.
Singular Sound BeatBuddy
Introducing a drum machine within a guitar pedal format—the BeatBuddy by Singular Sound. It allows you hands-free and creative control of the beat. You can conveniently insert fills, throw in drum breaks, add accent hits, shift from verse to chorus, and more, to produce an unparalleled live drummer effect—all in an iconic, natural 24-bit sound. The BeatBuddy is loaded with features for all kinds of musicians. A visual beat display makes it effortless to enhance rhythm or play with unusual time signatures.
Digitech Jamman Solo XT
After inventing looping many years back, the DigiTech JamMan Solo XT gives you the ultimate stereo looping experience. Increase the energy in your performance and gain new inspiration with almost infinite loops. Smooth transitions between looped phrases make the Solo XT an indispensable device for performing and composing. It features ten pre-loaded drum loops from Pat Mastelotto. Enjoy the stereo looping experience you desire from simple backing loops to complex loop layers with your band or by yourself. Polish your performance with Auto-Quantize, Auto-Record, three Stop modes, and adjustable BPMs.
Joyo JAM BUDDY (Orange)
With its pair of built-in 2” speakers packing 4W of output each, the Jam Buddy is Joyo’s solution for musicians looking for a quick way to practice without having to lug along a big and heavy amp. Bluetooth connectivity also lets you connect your phone or media player to the Jam Buddy so you can play along to a song or rhythm track. This floor-based multi-effects unit also features clean and overdrive channels,
Digitech TRIOPLUS
The DigiTech Trio+ is among the most impressive performance, writing, and practice tools for guitarists. This simple-to-use guitar pedal is built on DigiTech’s famed Trio technology which listens to your playing and instantly plays drum and bass accompaniment. The Trio+ gives you five additional genres for achieving the perfect feel. You select a genre and style variation, then start playing. The Trio+ pedal also includes three bass line modes that will fit any style of music you are playing.
Joyo GEM BOX III
The Gem Box III is Joyo’s flagship entry in the guitar multi-effects processor arena, and it packs quite a punch. The Gem Box III features 61 preamp models, 157 effect types, and 300 preset tones. It also comes loaded with 26 impulse responses, to which you can add your own via Joyo’s Studio software. For playing solo, the Gem Box III’s drum machine with 40 presets and 10 metronome rhythms will come in handy along with the 52-second looper. And when it’s time to hit the stage, this sturdy unit will hold up to the rigors of the road.
Other Pedals
Dunlop GCB95F
Add an authentic vintage sound to your rig with Dunlop’s GCB95F Cry Baby Classic! It leverages the original Italian-made Fasel inductor—similar to that of the first wah pedals, including the iconic Cry Baby, which are among the most coveted effects of all time. It sports the familiar, heavy-duty, time-tested Cry Baby body style, featuring a Hot Potz potentiometer and heavy die-cast construction. You can be sure that your Cry Baby Classic perseveres its incredible sound after years of stomping.
Morley Power Wah Volume
The Morley PWO Power Wah cranked up to 11 by the addition of a new volume control circuit. The PWO Power Wah Volume comes equipped with a custom HQ2 inductor that brings the classic funk and a volume control section with a silky smooth audio taper. Morley’s innovative electro-optical circuit design makes worn out pots a thing of the distant past while True-Tone Bypass Buffer technology keeps your tone pure and pristine in both wah and volume mode.
MXR MC404 CAE
Built by Custom Audio Electronics’ Bob Bradshaw and the Cry Baby design team, the MC404 CAE Wah boasts dual Fasel inductors with two different voices (low to mid resonance or high-end emphasis). It also includes an inbuilt MXR MC401 Boost/LineDriver which gives higher versatility. Select between inductors and turn the boost on/off via side-mounted kick switches. Vibrant LEDs on each side of the wah tell you the operation status. The MC404 features a long-life CTS potentiometer and true hardwire bypass.
Dunlop Eddie Van Halen Wah
Experience Eddie Van Halen’s iconic wah sound with Dunlop’s EVH95 Eddie Van Halen Signature Wah Wah. It is a replica of Eddie’s famed Cry Baby—a regular Cry Baby he had modified to achieve a more vocal-like tone. Dunlop recreated the “worn-in” pot feel and sweep to give you Van Halen’s wah playing feel. The EVH Wah Wah sports “Van Halen II” black-and-yellow striped graphics and delivers the same tone definition as Eddie’s favorite wah. It features an extra wide frequency sweep, custom inductor, and pot.
Behringer Hellbabe Wah-Wah
Versatile, impressive tonal control, built to last, and affordable—the Behringer Hellbabe HB01 Ultimate Wah-Wah pedal is the perfect wah pedal for the guitar hero on a budget. Thanks to the Hellbabe’s fully optical controls, there are no mechanical pots and switches always in danger of wearing out in the middle of a gig. It also comes with an adjustable spring-back mechanism that you can remove if you want a more standard approach to your wah pedal’s operation.
Donner Wah Cry
The Donner Wah Cry gives you an excellent Wah response as well as a Volume function. It comes in a tiny footprint, way smaller compared to a standard Volume or Wah pedal. Switch on the side for either Volume or Wah. The response in the WAH mode is based on the original Crybaby response. For the VOL mode, Donner crafted an active circuit which ensures retaining all the details of your sound. Donner has also included a volume range control for VOL mode. As a volume pedal, the Wah Cry is capable of catering to the demand of any guitarist.
TC Electronic Body-Rez
Capture studio-grade acoustic tones at live gigs with the BodyRez Acoustic Pickup Enhancer from TC Electronic. This invaluable tool serves up tweaked and sweetened tones that give your piezo pickup realistic and natural acoustic guitar tones. It features intuitive single-knob control that takes the guesswork out of achieving exceptional tone. The BodyRez merges pre-configured filters with just the right amount of compression to stir your plugged-in acoustic tone. An inbuilt feedback suppression keeps the pesky low-end howl at bay.
Caline Snake Bite Reverb
The Caline CP-26 Snake Bite Ambient Reverb guitar effects pedal is an affordable slimline stomp with a six-knob interface that gives you full tone-shaping control over your sound. Dial in a reverb mode with the RES knob, shape the tone with the CFR knob, and add a little warmth with the LPF knob. Then, use the PRD knob to set the delay time, the MIX knob to control the amount of reverb, and the DECAY knob to set the reverb’s decay length. The Caline CP-26 Snake Bite Ambient Reverb comes with a true bypass feature.
Tom’sline AC Stage
Much like the slightly bigger Acoustic, Tomsline’s AC Stage budget guitar effects pedal is a workhorse acoustic simulator pedal that gets the job done, giving your electric guitar the full-bodied resonance and natural woody sound of an acoustic. The Acoustic also features a three-way toggle that lets you switch between three voicing modes: Piezo, Standard, and Jumbo. The AC Stage features Tomsline’s patented stop bar design to keep your foot from messing up the pedal’s settings when you stomp on it.
Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator
The AC-2 Acoustic Creator by Zoom is a revamped direct box that serves up everything you need to achieve your natural acoustic tone anywhere you play from the studio to the stage. It instantly restores the tone lost via acoustic pickups, guaranteeing that your live sound stays resonant, lush, and true to your selected instrument. The AC-2 Acoustic Creator features high-quality preamp, piezo/magnetic input pickup select, reverb effect, and three-band equalizer. It also includes an inbuilt chromatic visual-led Tuner and Anti-Feedback control.
Rowin Auto Wah
Boutique level auto wah sound at a price that won’t flatten your wallet. The LEF=3804 Auto Wah from budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin can serve up a wide range of classic wah tones, from a soft, slow wah to a faster, more watery Cry Baby-esque attack. You can dial these in using the dedicated Cutoff, Shape, Reso, and Speed control knobs. The LEF-3804’s Auto Wah’s footswitch also has a secondary function: hold it down to store a parameter to create some interesting layered tones.
MOOER Lofi Machine
The LoFi Machine guitar effects pedal from budget stompbox masters Mooer takes your guitar signal and reduces its sample rate to create everything from subtle grunge with a sprinkling of glitch to full-on digital squawk effects. The sample rate and wet/dry signal mix are controlled via dedicated mini-knobs while the big Bit knob dictates the sampling depth. The LoFi Machine also has a three-way toggle switch for optimizing the effect for guitar, bass, and synth inputs.
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.
Vertex Steel String
Get faithful recreation of the feel and tonality of the legendary Dumble Steel String Singer amp within a stompbox format with the Steel String Clean Drive from Vertex. It has been designed alongside the “Real Deal” Dumble Steel String Singer for real D-style tone, warmth, and touch sensitivity. It consists of Gain, Volume, and Filter knobs for adjusting the signal saturation, the output level of the effect, and the midrange emphasis respectively. EQ shaping, compression, boost, overdrive—the Steel String Clean Drive does it all.
EBS MicroBass II
Touted as the Swiss army knife of bassists, the EBS MicroBass II is a DI box, dual-channel preamp featuring effects loop, speaker simulation, phones output, and several other innovative features. You can use it as an active direct box, a single or dual-channel preamp, blender, or instrument switcher. The two channels offer tone sculpting from high-end, solid-state kinds to distorted timbres, leveraging the famed tube-emulation circuitry seen in EBS’ collection of bass heads.
EBS TremoLo
The TremoLo from EBS is a welcomed addition to the famed Black Label Pedals collection. It is a stereo vintage-style tremolo or sweeping filter effect for keyboard, guitar, and bass. It features full-bodied thick sound within a compact yet durable tiny box that fits well on your pedalboard, providing you with all the astounding tremolo effects you desire. Best known as a guitar effect, the tremolo is also capable of imparting a beautiful character to bass.
Diamond Bass Comp Jr
Just like the original BCP1, the Diamond Bass Comp Jr provides a similar high-quality optical compression as well as a simple yet efficient Tilt style EQ control featuring selectable center frequency (250Hz or 900Hz), increased frequency response and high headroom to fit various active or passive 4/5/6 string basses. All that within a more compact and pedalboard-friendly enclosure compatible with a broader selection of pedalboard power supplies. The Bass Comp Jr features true bypass operation, bi-color LED, and premium audio components.
Aguilar Chorusaurus
Aguilar Chorusaurus Bass Chorus Pedal is not your dime-a-dozen chorus. Delivering Aguilar’s signature warm, rich tone, the Chorusaurus leverages analog bucket-brigade technology for a luxurious, organic chorusing. The Chorusaurus provides bassists unparalleled control over their tone with an intuitive, 4-knob layout. The WIDTH, RATE, and INTENSITY controls enable maximum tonal sculpting, while the BLEND controls the ratio of wet and dry signals. The Chorusaurus allows you to dial in full-on chorusing, subtle swirling textures, and anything in between.
DOD Mini Volume
The passive DOD Mini Volume pedal provides you with a complete range of volume control, without taking up a lot of pedalboard real estate. Despite its extremely compact package, its rugged steel construction, non-slip rubber base, and gear drive mean there are no strings to break. The Mini Volume boasts the same footprint as most pedals that are double its size and price. It also has a high-quality 500k potentiometer that makes it suitable for all volume pedal applications.
Tom’sline Slow Hand
Create dramatic volume swells to make your sound more epic with budget guitar effects pedal maker Tomsline’s Slow Hand stompbox. It cuts off the attack of each note you play to produce a volume swell similar to rolling up your guitar’s volume knob from zero. You can even use it to make your guitar sound like a violin. The Slow Hand features Tomsline’s patented stop bar design to keep your foot from messing up the pedal’s settings when you stomp on it.
Ernie Ball VPJR 25K
Much like Ernie Ball’s larger volume pedal offerings, the Volume Pedal Jr 25K is an excellent hands-free option for controlling your volume. It features a super-smooth sweep, a 25k ohm potentiometer resistance calibrated specifically for the perfect handling of active audio signals, and an independent tuner jack for unobtrusive onstage tuning. The 25k’s rugged and roadworthy construction means it can withstand the rigors of constant use despite being a very compact unit with a small pedalboard footprint.
Lehle Mono Volume
If you want a powerful and precise volume pedal, the Lehle Mono Volume pedal is worth your while. This premium volume pedal belongs to any type of rig. Omitting the usual potentiometer-driven design, Lehle employed a magnet-controlled VCA design for unprecedented accuracy in a volume pedal. Using the gain control, you can select the volume range from -92dB to 0dB, as well as add a +10dB boost if necessary. A direct output allows you to send your unaffected signal to another amplifier, a mixer, or a tuner.
Mooer Mini Series Leveline
A good volume pedal is an essential component of any good pedalboard setup, but most of them just take up too much space. Enter the Leveline, budget stompbox maker Mooer’s answer for shoestring shoegazers who need a volume pedal with a smooth transition and doesn’t distort the core tone. The tiny Leveline 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.
EBS WahOne
The WahOne by EBS lets you produce anything from vintage classics to contemporary wah-wah sounds with depth and warmth. This genuinely versatile wah-wah pedal is specially developed to level up your bass groove. The WahOne is built on the classic wah-wah concept plus additional features. It includes various cool options such as an inbuilt tube simulator circuit. Boasting a convenient dial-in design, the WahOne keeps you in control. Employ it as a volume pedal, wah-wah, or envelope filter.
Ernie Ball Expression Overdrive
Silky smooth transitions from clean to tube-style overdrive are made super easy by the Ernie Ball Expression Series Overdrive pedal. No need to play around with a guitar, pedal, or amp dial mid-song; it’s all hands-free so you can smoothly pile on the gain even in the middle of a complicated solo. Dial-in natural, tube-like overdrive via the dedicated Drive, Tone, and Boost knobs and then rock the treadle forward to effortlessly increase the foot-sweepable gain. Leave the treadle open and you get ultra-clear transparency that doesn’t color your core tone at all.
Korg XVP-20
A smoother, more powerful, and compact keyboard volume pedal, the XVP-20 from Korg gives you a must-have tool for broad-ranging control over their feel, routing, and levels. It is built with a sturdy aluminum enclosure and non-slip rubber on the bottom and treadle of the pedal. Stereo inputs and outputs provide you with various routing options. The XVP-20 also features a minimum volume control for preselecting your levels. Get all the functionality you want from a volume/expression pedal with the XVP-20.
Korg EXP-2 Expression
Bring your keyboard playing to life with Korg’s EXP-2 Foot Controller. You can use this ultra-versatile foot controller as a compact and lightweight expression pedal when using OUTPUT-2 or a volume pedal when employing OUTPUT-1 and INPUT-1. You may set the minimum volume in a range from zero to about 50%. The EXP-2 works with most Korg keyboards, modules and effect processors. It features a selectable minimum setting through the side-mounted slide control and carries a three-conductor cable.
Mission Engineering SP25L Pro Aero Gold Carbon
The SP-25L-PRO has two expression outputs with separate polarity switches for every channel. That enables compatibility with an extensive range of devices. A third output connects the latching toe switch to compatible MIDI controllers as well as digital effects permitting effects like pitch and wah to be turned on/off from the expression pedal. This SP-25L-PRO unit comes in a classy gold carbon fiber graphic finish and features an illuminated base. When utilized with compatible digital devices and MIDI controllers, the illuminated base may indicate a remote effect’s status.
Tapestry Audio Bloomery Active Volume Pedal (White)
Save precious pedalboard real estate with the Tapestry Audio Bloomery, an efficient, compact, and user-friendly active volume pedal. It boasts several differences from a standard volume control pedal. It is machined out of steel, getting that tough solid feel. A slide potentiometer is paired with a direct shaft drive, eradicating the need for pesky strings. The active model lets you avoid tone loss at high-end frequencies and preserve a clean instrument tone. With a smooth volume curve, you get a more nuanced pedal sweep.
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.
Joyo Boogie Master
The JF-309 Boogie Master guitar effects pedal from Joyo is a Mesa Boogie amp sim that gives you that trademark “roided-out Marshall” sound without having to spend over a thousand bucks on an actual Mesa Boogie amp. Crank the Drive knob up for a high-gain Mesa sound or stay clean to hew closer to a Boogie. The JF-309 Boogie Master is an Ironman pedal, so it’s small enough to fit in your front pocket and features a flip cover to keep your control dial settings safe from stray stomps.
Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator
Want to dive into a soft and sweet acoustic ballad in the middle of a set but don’t have the slightest inclination to bring along a big and bulky acoustic guitar? The Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator lets you travel light. With its powerful Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM) technology and four different acoustic simulation modes, you can turn any electric guitar into a variety of warm and bright acoustics using the Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator.
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.
Tom’sline AC Stage
Much like the slightly bigger Acoustic, Tomsline’s AC Stage budget guitar effects pedal is a workhorse acoustic simulator pedal that gets the job done, giving your electric guitar the full-bodied resonance and natural woody sound of an acoustic. The Acoustic also features a three-way toggle that lets you switch between three voicing modes: Piezo, Standard, and Jumbo. The AC Stage features Tomsline’s patented stop bar design to keep your foot from messing up the pedal’s settings when you stomp on it.
Rowin Shaper
Only a few musicians can afford a home recording studio with 11 different amps in it. It’s not just the price, either; you’d have to find room for all of those amps, too. What most musicians can afford, though, is the tiny little LEF-3802 Shaper from budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin. This very compact and extremely affordable cab sim stomp comes packed with 11 distinct high quality cab models, making it a perfect tool for the musician on a budget.
NUX Solid Studio
The NUX Solid Studio IR & Power Amp Simulator has been designed and built to address the cumbersome transport reality of speaker cabinets/amps and limited gear availability. It is the pedal version of typical cabinet/amp scenarios including power amp tubes and microphones. The Solid Studio caters to the fundamental needs of sound technicians and discerning musicians. It delivers versatility, reliability, the convenience of use, and incredible audio quality. It is equipped with eight speaker cabinet simulations and eight microphone models you can use with any cabinet.
EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine V2
Lose yourself in the mesmerizing, mind-altering sounds conjured up by the Rainbow Machine from EarthQuaker Devices. Every sound you can dish out with the Rainbow Machine is frankly unnatural, making this polyphonic pitch mesmerizer the perfect tool for musicians who want to experiment and push the sonic envelope. V2 sports double the output level, longer delay times, and deeper chorus compared to the original. Both the Activate and Magic footswitches have also been upgraded to Flexi-Switches, so you can use them as both latching and momentary-type footswitches.
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.
Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine
It’s always fun to make a guitar sound like a completely different instrument. If old-school organ tones are your thing, then the B9 Organ Machine from Electro-Harmonix is the perfect guitar effects pedal for you. It doesn’t just work with a guitar either; plug in a modern keyboard and you can make it sound like it came straight from a ‘60s recording studio. The B9 comes with nine classic organ-voiced presets, setting-specific modulation effects, and a dedicated control knob for percussive click sounds.
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.
EarthQuaker Devices Organizer V2
The Organizer is a polyphonic organ emulator that makes your instrument sound like a massive, old-timey church organ. The Organizer’s Leslie-style warbles give your sound a decidedly haunting atmosphere, whether you plug in a guitar, a bass, drums, synths, or even a mic into it. Create brand-new sonic soundscapes quickly and easily with the Organizer’s six control knobs, including Up and Down controls for the octave effect and a Choir knob that lets you dish out an additional two octaves up, two octaves down, and slightly delayed direct signal for that full church organ sound.
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.


















































































































































































































