Tonebox Recommended Pedals
MXR Distortion +
The Distortion + pedal from MXR loads magical classic distortion tones into a roadworthy, pedalboard-friendly enclosure. It bridges the realm between exaggerated fuzz tones and overdrive, making it a fundamental component of your tonal toolkit. With the Distortion +, it is amazingly convenient to find your ideal tones. Just roll the Distortion control to achieve your desired amount of crunch, and utilize the Output knob to dial in your preferred volume level. The Distortion + lets you add a delightful character to your amp tones.
JHS Pedals Bonsai
Created as a homage to the legendary Tube Screamer, the Bonsai by JHS Pedals loads nine classic overdrives into one enclosure—OD1, TS808, TS9, MSL, TS10, XR, TS7, Keeley, and JHS. This nine-way screamer overdrive replicates four decades worth of pedals leveraging analog circuitry. An intuitive rotary knob lets you switch through nine vintage, classic, hard to find, or rare variations of the Screamer. Picking a mode from the Bonsai rotary activates the components explicit to each unit.
TC Electronic Spark Mini
Drive your guitar amp into glorious overdrive with the Spark Mini Booster from TC Electronic. You may also utilize it as a clean boost for a mild volume increase during solos. Either way, this innovative pedal boasts premium analog circuitry that does not degrade your tone. Additionally, you can utilize the Spark Mini Booster in two ways—hold the footswitch for a momentary boost or kick it on/off like other pedals. It comes in a compact footprint that easily fits on your pedalboard.
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.
TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2
The legendary reverb pedal is back better than ever with an added shimmer effect and revolutionary pressure-sensitive footswitch. The Hall of Fame 2 Reverb by TC Electronic boasts cutting-edge technology that takes an extensive range of creative expression to the party, controlled only by the amount of pressure you give to the depressed footswitch. Years in the making, and found only in select TC Electronic units, this groundbreaking innovation elevates the standard footswitch well above typical functions like on/off. Ultimately, MASH levels up your performance.
Chase Bliss Audio Brothers
Designed in partnership with Resonant Electronic, the Chase Bliss Audio Brothers Analog Gainstage pedal boasts 33 routing options and two independent JFET/IC analog channels, providing you full control over stacking and combining the circuits of your choice. This pedal crams six unique fuzz, drive, or boost circuits within one compact enclosure, making it an excellent choice for gigging musicians looking to build a tiny, diverse pedalboard for travel or smaller shows. Players with single-channel amps seeking more variety will love the Brothers Analog Gainstage pedal.
Drive Pedals
Joyo Lion’s Roar
Joyo built the JF-MK Lion’s Roar overdrive guitar effects pedal to capture the wide, spacious harmonics that exemplify the style of FirstBourne guitarist and 2016 IPMA winner Mike Kerr. The pedal’s tone itself is pure tube amp-style overdrive dripping with harmonic saturation and fat, dirty crunch. Dial back the gain for a subtle kick or crank it up for screaming leads. On the tone-sculpting front, you get dedicated Drive, Volume, Color, and Tone controls for extra tonal flexibility.
TWA SC-02
Totally Wycked Audio’s Fly Boys line is a collection of ultra-compact and super affordable mini pedals that pack boutique level tone but without the boutique level price tag. The FB-02 overdrive pedal is a must have for tube amp aficionados and purists. It serves up a tonally transparent and completely organic tube amp overdrive that ranges from subtle drive to full saturation. Switchable Hot and Warm modes open up all-new sonic possibilities, making the FB-02 an even more flexible drive stomp than it already is.
Gokko Sonic Flame
The GOKKO SonicFlame GK-24 overdrive guitar effects pedal is a very transparent, harmonically dynamic overdrive at a very affordable and budget-friendly price. Crank up your signal’s gain to cut through the mix without coloring your guitar’s core tonal characteristics. The Gain knob is a dual-ganged gain pot, letting you adjust both your low and middle frequencies. Dedicated Tone and Volume control dials add more tone-sculpting options. The SonicFlame also comes with a true bypass feature.
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.
Xotic Soul Driven
The Soul Driven overdrive pedal from boutique guitar effects pedal maker Xotic isn’t just your average, run of the mill drive stomp. It delivers creamy drive tones that push harmonics to the forefront while keeping your core tonal characteristics intact. Central to its amazing dynamic response is a Mid Boost knob that lets you dial in just the right amount of mid frequencies. A Tone pot powered by a special circuit, meanwhile, lets you go from tight bottom ends to hyper-bright highs.
Supro Tremolo
The Supro Tremolo has been configured to emulate two iconic vacuum tube-based modulation effects you can find in 60s American amps. It carries an Amplitude/Harmonic switch that lets you select between the two vintage effects. The Harmonic mode gives you the psychedelic tones of Leo Fender’s vintage blonde and brownface amps, while Amplitude serves up the old-school swampy, tremolo sounds produced by bias modulating the original Supro amps’ power tubes. The Supro Tremolo also consists of Speed, Gain, and Depth knobs.
Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi
The Little Big Muff Pi takes the well-loved vintage dirt of the Big Muff Pi and crams it all into a modern and pedalboard-friendly compact unit that’s almost half the size of the original. You get the sound and versatility you expect from a pedal sporting the Big Muff name. Dial in your preferred tone with the dedicated Volume, Sustain, and Tone control knobs to serve up some of the sweetest harmonic distortion and creamiest sustain ever produced.
REVV G3
Get Revv’s signature punch, clarity, and precision for any rig and budget. The G3’s voicing is based on Revv’s iconic Purple Channel. It lets you select from three aggression settings to modify the amount of gain. Middle, Bass, and Treble EQ knobs enable you to optimize the sound for virtually any kind of pickups. The G3 sounds exceptional whether you utilize it in its effects loop, straight into a cab simulator, in front of an amp, or with a modeler. It excels at contemporary metal tones and is versatile enough to cover other genres.
Caline Red Devil
The Caline CP-30 Red Devil Distortion guitar effect pedal lives up to its name; this high-gain distortion stomp can serve up downright demonic levels of distortion that you can freely sculpt via its dedicated three-band EQ knobs. There’s also a two-position toggle that lets you switch between Vintage and Modern modes; the former is more on the smooth side while the latter gives you a more defined sound. The Caline CP-30 Red Devil Distortion also comes with a true bypass feature.
Caline Sandstorm Distortion
The Caline CP-27 Sand Storm Distortion guitar effect pedal continues Caline’s legacy of reasonably priced, incredibly responsive, and highly versatile stompboxes. This distortion pedal can serve up anything from a lightly boosted sound, through to a classic crunchy rock tone, and, once cranked all the way up, screaming high-gain distortion. The Caline CP-27 Sand Storm Distortion is very responsive to picking attack and string dynamics, comes with a true bypass feature, and can be powered by a 9V battery or compatible power supply.
Donner Metal Head
Donner’s Metal Head is a tiny, all-analog circuit metal distortion pedal. The enhancement of the pedal’s high frequency makes the heavy tone color and hard skills perform better. The Metal Head is complete with basic adjustment knobs—Tone, Volume, and Gain. Use the Tone control to set the effect brightness of tone, Volume to select the effect output volume, and Gain to determine the gain of distortion sound. The Metal Head also includes a toggle switch that lets you select between Normal and Boost modes.
Blackstar LT Dual
The dual channel Blackstar LT Dual distortion pedal adds a different dimension to your rig. Its patent-applied-for clipping circuit provides the tube-like tone and response you need. Channel 1 delivers clean to crunchy overdrive while the Channel 2 carries on with crunch to screaming high-gain leads. The LT Dual’s control panel features Level and Gain controls for every channel and shared tone and ISF knobs. The ISF control allows you to change between British- and American-style raunch gradually.
EarthQuaker Devices Terminal V2
The Terminal is EarthQuaker Devices’ take on the elusive vintage JAX / Shin-Ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz sound. Of course, this isn’t a mere sonic recreation; the Terminal features even more output volume compared to the original and has dedicated Voice and Treble control knobs as well as a wide-sweeping Fuzz dial for precise control over a vast range of tonal possibilities. This isn’t a one-note, practice-only stompbox. It’s more than ready to growl with you onstage.
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.
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.
Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face Mini
Dunlop’s FFM4 Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face Mini produces thick, creamy fuzz tones similar to its larger counterpart but in a more compact enclosure with several modifications for ease of use. Packed with NOS Russian military germanium transistors, this mini pedal sports a glossy black finish and miniature top hat knobs. A battery door, AC power jack, and bright status LED deliver modern convenience to a vintage sound, and like other Fuzz Face pedals, the FFM4 includes true bypass switching.
Tech 21 Red Ripper
The Red Ripper fuzz box for bass from Tech 21 is more than your bog standard dirt stomp. It is highly responsive to you picking dynamics; the harder you hit your bass strings, the more saturated your tone becomes. Pull back on your attack and you get a smoother sound and heavier lower harmonics. The Red Ripper’s unique R.I.P. pot also lets you dial in a wide range of fuzzed-out bass tones, from vintage hair to octaver fuzz and even through to a Moogie-like synth tone.
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.
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.
Wampler dB+
Tone suck—it’s what happens when you have too many cables between your guitar and your amp. Your tone suffers and loses those sweet natural high frequency notes, giving you a muddy overall sound. Wampler’s Decibel Plus solves that problem by delivering top of the line independent buffering and full frequency boosting without taking up a lot of space on your pedalboard. Not only do you get to keep those natural high frequencies, you also get a clean boost to make sure your guitar floats above the mix.
ZVex Vexter Super Duper 2-in-1
Zvex’s Vexter line of silk screened pedals feature the exact same tone, feature set, and internal parts and circuits as their hand-painted counterparts. The only differences are the painting process and the price. With the ability to bring your signal from unity gain to a whopping 60 times the gain size, the Super Hard On boost is insanely loud. So of course it didn’t take long for boutique guitar effects company Zvex to cram two SHOs into one pedal and come up with the Super Duper 2-in-1. Be warned, though: this stomp is dangerously loud.
Bogner La Grange
The La Grange pedal was designed with various tone-shaping tools and to emulate the famed “plexus” amp tones. Guitarists appreciate tools that carry switches for gain, structure, presence, and variance. Controls include tone, gain, volume, and a channel blend simulating the two channels of a 4 input 67-69 plexus amp. Unlike the Ecstasy blue and red pedals, the La Grange features an independent boost with level adjust as well as an expression pedal input that allows you to connect a volume pedal’s output to adjust the La Grange’s gain.
Seymour Duncan Killing Floor
The Killing Floor High Gain Boost from Seymour Duncan serves as both a musical amp-esque overdrive and a volume boost, with a distinctive bluesy vibe. You can utilize it to drive your amp further into overdrive, boost your overall output for solos, or for a thick, expressive solo tone. It also works well as an always-on pedal for giving the finishing touch to your tone, much like a total enhancer for your sound. The Killing Floor High Gain Boost features a single-knob layout with a three-position Voicing toggle switch.
Xotic BB Preamp v 1.5
The BB Preamp from boutique guitar effects pedal company Xotic is a boost and overdrive preamp stomp that boasts amazing tonal transparency. With up to 30dB of extra boost juice, the BB Preamp can deliver everything from a pristine clean boost to a gritty, crunchy drive tone—all while keeping your core tone’s unique characteristics intact. V1.5 of the BB Preamp still packs the same great tone but comes with a new look reminiscent of the BB Preamp Andy Timmons Limited Edition.
Boss AD-2 Acoustic Preamp
Many guitar pickup systems can’t quite reproduce an acoustic guitar’s warmth and depth, covering them instead in harsher-sounding tones. That’s where the Boss AD-2 Acoustic Preamp guitar effects pedal comes in. Whether you’re onstage or in the studio, you can draw out more of your acoustic-electric’s natural and woody tones with a twist of the Acoustic Resonance knob. You can also use the Ambience knob to add reverb and cut annoying feedback noise using the Notch dial.
Darkglass Vintage Deluxe V3
The Vintage Deluxe V3 serves up the tube-like tone of Darkglass’ Vintage Microtubes and provides improved functionality, including a balanced line driver, active four-band equalization, and parallel outputs. Apart from Drive and Level controls, the pedal equips you with four secret weapons—Grunt switch, Attack switch, Blend control, and four-band EQ. The Vintage Deluxe V3 is perfect if you want to supercharge your bass tone with the organic compression and natural dynamics of vintage tube amps and tape machines within a tiny unit that fits inside your gig bag.
Two Notes Le Bass
The tube-powered Le Bass dual channel preamp is Two Notes’ gift for bass players who want to create their own ampless rigs. The Le Bass preamp pedal features two separate channels—the clean, vintage voiced low gain A and the high gain B with its own post EQ—that can be used independently, in parallel, or cascaded for extreme tonal versatility. Each channel also features its own dedicated control knobs and EQ sections for iron fisted tone tweaking.
Xotic BB Preamp
The BB Preamp from boutique guitar effects pedal company Xotic is a boost and overdrive preamp stomp that boasts amazing tonal transparency. With up to 30dB of extra boost juice, the BB Preamp can deliver everything from a pristine clean boost to a gritty, crunchy drive tone—all while keeping your core tone’s unique characteristics intact. An adjustable two-band EQ stack provides plenty of control over your boosted signal’s harmonic content while true bypass switching keeps the BB Preamp quiet when you want it to be.
MOOER 004 Day Tripper
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 004 Day Tripper is packed full of British grit courtesy of the classic Vox AC30, an amp that’s been used in thousands of hit records. 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.
J. Rockett Archer Clean
The J. Rockett Archer Clean simulates the original Archer pedal’s magic but with less gain. Meaning, you can add Archer’s mythological midrange to your playing while keeping your signal clean. The Archer Clean is highly versatile, allowing you to tweak its Color control for more character or goose your amp with a transparent boost. It is easy to operate, thanks to its simple three-knob design. The Color knob controls the amount of midrange, Treble adjusts your high end, while Output sets the volume level.
JHS Pedals Clover
Spec’d from an ‘80s preamp pedal used by the Edge from U2 and other prominent players, the Clover from JHS Pedals is designed to serve as your always-on tone-shaping device. It is also primed for electric, acoustic, and bass guitars. It consists of three EQ controls that deliver plenty of control to boost or cut Bass, Treble, and Mids. A rotary switch lets you choose between three settings: No EQ, No Mids, and Full EQ.
J. Rockett Chicken Soup
Created to level up the twang of your Strat or Tele, the Chicken Soup Overdrive by J. Rockett gives you that classic Nashville sound. It carries Tone, Gain, and Volume controls that allow you to dial in any transparent, twangy overdrive you can imagine. Simple yet powerful at creating Nashville tone, the Chicken Soup Overdrive is capable of providing your sound with the Nashville resonance you want. Similar to other Rockett pedals, the Chicken Soup Overdrive is very quiet with true bypass.
Walrus Audio DEFCON4
Underneath the wicked cool War Games-inspired ‘80s chassis design of the DEFCON 4 lies a super versatile preamp, three band EQ, and boost pedal that makes switching instruments mid-set a breeze. This collaborative effort from boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio and musician Ryan Adams lets you cut and boost your low, mid, and high bands plus shape the mid cut even further with a parametric EQ. It also comes with up to 10dB of MOSFET-powered boost and internal mid EQ trim pots for even more precise tone sculpting.
Keeley Katana Mini
Keeley’s popular Katana boost, in a new, more compact form. The new, smaller chassis skips the original Katana’s side-mounted Volume knob but adds a pair of internal micro-switches that give you more gain and let you turn on a high-cut more. Keep the Katana Mini engaged all throughout a song to give your amp an extra shot of gain or use it sparingly for those times when you need your signal to cut through the mix.
Danelectro The Breakdown
The deceptively innocuous Breakdown guitar effect pedal from Danelectro is basically a tiny six-stage gain booster that serves up everything from light, subtle dirt to smooth overdrive and further on to heavy, full-on distortion. Set the gain level with the Break-Up rotary switch and shape it further with the pedal’s Volume knob as well as your guitar’s own volume controls. This slim form stompbox doesn’t run on battery juice and needs to be connected to a compatible 9V power supply.
Modulation Pedals
Behringer Chorus Space
Bring your sound to the 3rd dimension via the Behringer CD400 Chorus Space-D Digital 3-Dimensional Sound’s Real Sound Modeling (RSM) feature. By combining state-of-the-art digital signal processing (DSP) technology and highly-sophisticated algorithms to emulate lifelike acoustic environments, the CD400 takes your sound on a sonic journey without you having to take a single step beyond stomping on it. The CD400 features dedicated Level, EQ, Rate, and Depth control knobs for versatile and finely-tuned sound shaping.
Source Audio Gemini
With the Gemini Chorus by Source Audio, you get three styles of deep, hypnotic chorus—Classic, Dual, and Quad voiced effects. Classic mode produces a single voiced effect conjuring creamy and subtle tones from the initial wave of 70s chorus pedals. The lush and thick Dual chorus serves up a seamless but animated double voiced effect. The spacious and rich Quad chorus emulates that 80s feel with its subdued rack system sound. After finding your chorus, you can dial in the sweet spot using the Tone and Mix knobs.
Caline Ultra Chorus
Get a wide range of lush, shimmering chorus tones at a fraction of your average guitar effects pedal’s price with the Caline CP-28 Ultra Chorus. The dedicated Rate and Depth knobs let you dial in the chorus tone of your dreams; the Rate knob controls the chorus effect’ speed while the Depth knob controls the amount of chorus layered onto your guitar’s signal. The Caline CP-28 Ultra Chorus comes with a true bypass feature.
Mosky CE-NANO
The Boss CE-2 Chorus Ensemble is widely regarded as among the best chorus pedals ever produced. It’s already a scaled down version of the CE-1, but budget guitar effects brand Mosky Audio went ahead and made it even smaller, in the form of the CE Chorus. Like the CE-2, the CE Chorus’s dramatic analog ambiance and dreamy modulated tone are powered by a bucket brigade device. The CE Chorus also features Rate and Depth knobs for tone sculpting.
Boss CE-2W Waza Craft Chorus
The Boss CE-2W Waza Craft Chorus takes the still-venerated sounds of the classic Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, the first Boss pedal ever, and its successor, the CE-2, and then crams all of those gloriously spacious modulated effects into a single all-analog stompbox. A two-position toggle lets you switch between the CE-1’s chorus and vibrato effects and the CE-2’s classic chorus sound, while all-new analog circuitry adds more variable chorus depth to the former and stereo output to the latter.
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 Riddle
Few envelope filter effects pedals can come close to the tone-shaping power and precision that the Riddle: Q-Balls For Guitar brings to the table. This envelope filter pedal from Electro-Harmonix lets you dial in some truly expressive and funky tones using adjustable Q, sweep range, and filter type. Plug in an expression pedal and you get even more control over the Q frequency’s sweeps. There’s also a dedicated Distortion effect that can dish out everything from a subtle bite to an all-out crush.
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.
Death by Audio Evil Fuzz/Filter
The Evil Fuzz/Filter from Death by Audio sounds great with your guitar, synth, or amplified skateboard. It is absolutely psychotic destruction with blooming inverted compression. The CV/Expression in lets you adjust the filter in sync with an arpeggiating synth or manage it using an expression pedal. The Evil Filter is a combination of fuzz/filter with chaos factor that surpasses the sum of its chaotic parts. While you can use filtering and fuzz individually, the two effects are sonic co-conspirators.
Electro-Harmonix Frequency Analyzer
The Frequency Analyzer XO guitar effects pedal from Electro-Harmonix is, at its most basic, a ring modulator, but the sounds it can produce go way beyond what your garden variety ring modulators are capable of. This updated stompbox adds moving harmonies to the notes you play while integrated high order filters enhance the variety of the harmonies and cut down on cross-distortions. Dedicated Blend, Fine, and Shift controls make it easy to dial in the perfect techno-tinged sound for your purposes.
Sabbadius Funky Filter Tone
The Funky Filter Tone from Sabbadius Custom Pedal Effects is an analog filter pedal that emulates an automatic wah-wah, featuring a little noise compressor. This funky 70s-esque pedal has an incredibly versatile range on your attack and sensitive. Users of the Funky Filter Tone pedal include Luis Alberto Spinetta and several others. The Funky Filter Tone features a true bypass mechanical footswitch. It is packaged in a taxi yellow enclosure consists of custom handmade chicken knobs.
Maxon 9-Series Auto Filter
Maxon’s AF-9 Auto Filter loads the coolest auto-wah and swept filter effects into a portable, user-friendly enclosure. Opto-coupler circuitry emulates the shimmering, watery filtering of iconic vintage units. The AF-9 consists of Threshold and Peak sliders that let you adjust the degree of effect as well as Drive and Range switches that determine the filter sweep’s direction and range. The 100 Hz to 4 kHz frequency range and three selectable filter types (Hi Pass, Low Pass, and Band Pass) enable the AF-9 to work with just about any instrument or input signal.
MXR Flanger
The MXR M-117R Flanger provides you with an arsenal of wild sounds from short delay, vibrato, and chorus to a dynamic jet plane and cool space effects. You get full control over the filter so you can shape your sound to your liking. The M-117R Flanger consists of Regen, Speed, Width, and Manual knobs, as well as a footswitch. This mainstay of 70s funk and rock is back by popular demand, featuring dynamic and wild sounds. Use it with bass, keyboards, guitar, or vocals.
Caline Lucky 7
The Caline CP-38 Lucky 7 Seven Modes guitar effects pedal packs seven different modulation effects into a tiny, sturdy, and very affordable stompbox. You get high-quality Detune, Flange, Phase, and Vibe effects, plus custom effects including a bias tremolo effect, a classic Roland amp-style jazz chorus, and a U-Vibe effect that simulates an effect close to the classic tonal characteristics of the venerable Uni-Vibe chorus and vibrato pedal. The Caline CP-38 Lucky 7 comes with a true bypass feature.
TC Electronic Vortex Mini
Flanging has long been with music, utilized on anything from drums to vocals, but Edward Van Halen proved that the righteous place for flange is a guitar. The Vortex Mini Flanger from TC Electronic combines a vintage tape flange with the groundbreaking TonePrint technology, providing you with access to anything from customized rockstar sounds to through-zero flanges. It features everything exceptional about its big brother, the Vortex Flanger. Its ultra-compact chassis consumes hardly any space on your pedalboard.
Electro-Harmonix Neo Mistress
Packing the same rich flange effects as the original Electric Mistress, the Neo Mistress is a must-have for flange-heads without a lot of pedalboard space to spare. This ultra-compact pedal goves you varied tonal density plus smooth sweeping flange effects. Thanks to a manual filter matrix mode, you can freeze the filter sweep for more precise control. The Neo Mistress features true bypass and can be powered by a standard 9V battery or compatible power supply.
TC Electronic Thunderstorm
The Thunderstorm Flanger from TC Electronic beautifully captures those vintage analog flanger tones of yesteryear, from lush chorusing and gentle, tape-esque sweeps to a no-holds-barred flanger madness. Designed by guitarists around a pure analog Bucket-Brigade Device, it delivers the goods in a very affordable package—one that lifts your music as well as mood. The Thunderstorm Flanger comes in a durable metal enclosure, featuring a true bypass for superb signal integrity and lush, three-dimensional modulation tones.
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.
Aguilar Grape Phaser
If you are in the market for a bass phaser that will not zap your low end and is easy to use, check out the Aguilar Grape Phaser. This simple two-knobber produces fat, funky filter effects and liquid-y movement on the fly. The Grape Phaser contains a RATE control that manages your modulation speed and COLOR control that sends a portion of your signal back through the phase-shifting circuit to produce super funky and unique bass sounds. Needless to worry about root notes popping through as its four-stage circuitry maintains your low end.
MOOER Phaser Player
Budget stompbox company Mooer gives the classic phaser pedal a unique spin with the Phaser Player guitar effects pedal. It features three different phaser sounds: a classic phaser effect; a repeating, sample and hold type of phaser; and a phaser with manual wah-like sweeping. Tiny as it is, the Phaser Player also acts as its own expression pedal. It actually has three activation modes: normal latching footswitch, momentary footswitch, and a hybrid mode combining the first two. Not bad for a stompbox you can put in your pocket.
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.
EBS D-Phaser
The DPhaser from EBS provides three distinct phaser effects. Choose anything from vintage 70’s sounds to contemporary swirling phasing effects. DPhaser users include Jamareo Artis (Bruno Mars) and Pete Griffin (Dr. John, Zappa Plays Zappa, and others). The DPhaser features three distinct modes of phaser effects. Wide delivers swirling flanger-like effects, Long highlights the effect, while Short is the classic phaser effects known from the ’70s. Hi, Lo and Off set the effect’s resonance while the two knobs adjust the rate and width.
Xvive V6 Phaser King
The 100% analog Phaser King from budget guitar effects maker Xvive is a bit of an odd duck, what with its 18v power requirement. The Phaser King’s tone, however, makes the power requirement completely worth it, as it delivers thick phaser sweeps reminiscent classic 10-stage phasers like the venerable MXR Phase 100 and the legendary Boss PH-2. The Phaser King also comes with an amazingly wide speed range, so you can dial in everything from slow-mo airplane takeoffs to almost vibrato-ish fast wobbles.
Maxon Phase Tone
The Maxon Reissue Series Phase Tone pedal provides you with a transparent, smooth phasing that improves the character of your instrument instead of concealing it. Extensive dynamic range and ultra-low noise operation make the Phase Tone extremely useful for recreating the phasing effects heard on various rock classics of the 70s. Each Maxon Reissue Series pedal’s circuit is pure analog and housed within a durable enclosure for trouble-free performance. These units are designed to deliver steady low noise performance.
Electro-Harmonix Stereo Pulsar
True vintage tremolo/vibrato and panning effects in high-definition stereo, whether you’re down in the studio or rocking it onstage. The Electro-Harmonix Stereo Pulsar features a two-way switch that lets you choose between triangle and square waves, plus it has a dedicated Shape dial for controlling the transitions from negative to positive saw tooth. All the sonic finesse and tone-sculpting power you want and need in a tremolo pedal, packed into a sturdy, road-worthy chassis.
Dophix GIOCONDA
La Gioconda is the most mysterious and iconic masterpiece of Leonardo. Dophix’s Tremolo effect is inspired by the veil of mystery surrounding La Gioconda. For the first time, Leonardo wanted to capture a subject’s soul, which is there but unreachable. Gioconda looks elusive, sometimes idoled and loved but also assaulted or mocked. The tremolo effect possesses an enigmatic and ambiguous soul, and like Leonardo’s artwork, you either love or hate it. The Gioconda Tremolo features Depth and Rate controls.
Rowin Roto Engine
Psychedelic mind bending dimensional sounds are the LEF-3801 Roto Engine’s stock in trade. This compact and affordable multi-effects stomp from budget guitar effects pedal maker Rowin packs three distinct effects in its tiny chassis. You get a psychedelic phaser, an undulating vibe, and a shimmering chorus, each of which can be shaped to perfection using the Level, Speed, and Intense pots. The LEF-3801 Roto Engine will open up a new tonal dimension for your sound.
Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar
If you thought the Pulsar’s vintage tremolo/vibrato effects weren’t enough, Electro-Harmonix just made it all kinds of Super. The Super Pulsar lets you create unique stereo tremolo effects via selectable sine, triangle, and pulse waveforms. Keep everything in sync via tap tempo and tap divide then save up to eight of them as customized presets. Still not super enough? Plug in an expression pedal for on-the-fly tremolo shaping by taking control of the Rate, Depth, Shape, Phase, or Volume parameters.
Danelectro Wasabi AC-1
The Danelectro Wasabi AC-1 Chorus-Trem guitar effect pedal is all about creamy chorus effects and tube-amp style tremolo. With four EQ presets and an independent Tone control knob, you can dial in a wide range of chorus effects, plus a Hard/Soft toggle lets you pick a wave for the tremolo effect. The AC-1 also features a Wet/Dry mix control, a pickup selector that lets you better match your guitar setup, and a a dry output jack for a stereo effect.
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.
Amptweaker SwirlPool
The Amptweaker SwirlPool Tremolo/Vibe pedal is the brand’s first dive into non-distortion pedals. Highly requested by Amptweaker’s customers, the SwirlPool is a two-speed synchronized Tremolo/Vibe reminiscent of the circuits found in some vintage 60’s amplifiers. This analog pedal is capable of emulating various modulation tones and even inventing several new ones. The two footswitch buttons let you switch between two different Speed & Vibe settings while sharing one Tremolo control. The SwirlPool also features switches that help you fine-tune the pedal’s vibrato.
JOYO VISUAL MODULATION
With modulation effects up the wazoo, the R-09 Vision guitar effects pedal from Joyo is bound to be an instant shoegazer favorite. 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.
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.
Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl mkII
The Warped Vinyl mkII is an analog chorus/vibrato pedal built to emulate the sound of warped vinyl and more. It boasts a 100% analog signal path which may be dialed in to produce an infinite palette of chorus and vibrato. Warped Vinyl mkII includes some revisions, including an increased signal to noise ratio and tone knob for shimmery, transparent chorus/vibrato. Moreover, every switch and knob is connected to a digital brain while your guitar signal remains fully analog and not digitally processed.
EarthQuaker Devices Aqueduct
Wobbles, trills, pulsations, bends, squiggles, and wiggles—you get all these and more with EarthQuaker Devices’ Aqueduct pitch vibrato guitar effects pedal. This vintage-inspired stompbox uses eight different modulation modes to serve up almost any kind of pitch vibrato effect your mind can think of. Its intuitive and easy-to-use interface features only three knobs: one for Rate, another for Depth, and a rotary selector for picking the modulation mode—but those three are really all you need to break new sonic boundaries.
TC Electronic Viscous Vibe
The Viscous Vibe by TC Electronic is a marvelous vibe pedal that allows you to emulate the Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe’s iconic sound in a contemporary, portable piece of kit. It features spot-on accurate reproduction of the unique tones and dramatic swirls of the Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe plus the ease of a modern pedal. It is TonePrint-powered so you can beam beautiful signature tones into your pedal using the free TonePrint App. The Viscous Vibe comes in a durable die-cast metal chassis built for life on the road.
Electro-Harmonix Holy Stain
The Holy Stain is notable for being Electro-Harmonix’s first true multi-effects pedal, and they really went all out. You get Room and Hall reverb, pitch shifting, and tremolo effects bolstered by analog overdrive and fuzz for creating a truly unique and rich sonic stew. The Holy Stain is like manna from heaven for true knob-twiddling aficionados, as all of its control dials dynamically interact with each other for an even wider range of custom tones and sounds.
Zvex Instant Lo-Fi Junky Vertical
Boutique guitar effects pedal company Zvex built the Instant Lo-Fi Junky to replicate the crazy low fidelity sounds of the Lo-Fi Loop Junky in real time. That in itself is impressive enough, but the Instant Lo-Fi Junky actually ups the ante by giving you full control over the dry and wet signal blend. You can create haunting chorus sounds, strange vibrato pulses, and otherworldly lo-fi warbles that push your arsenal of sonic textures to the next level. The Instant Lo-Fi Junky Vertical does everything its horizontally-oriented sibling does; the only difference is the chassis design.
Rowin Harmonizer
The LEF-3807 Harmonizer from budget guitar effects manufacturer Rowin is a three-mode pitch shifter and harmonizer pedal with a compact, pedalboard-friendly form factor. It can serve up a lush harmony with precise polyphonic pitch shifting as well as a spacey chorus-like detune effect. The Harmonizer has a ±2 octave pitch range, with up to 16 optional parameters that you can select via a dedicated Range dial. A three-way toggle switch that lets you go Up, Detune, and Down, combined with Dry and Wet knobs, give you a very wide range of shifting flavors.
Aguilar Octamizer
All bassists crave a deep, organic tone. The Octamizer produces an extensive range of musical sounds one octave below your original note. It boasts independent volume controls for both the Octave and Clean sounds, making dialing in the perfect amount of each a breeze. Both discrete signal paths have their tone controls intended to improve and broaden their musical possibilities. The CLEAN TONE control allows for boosting of bass while cutting treble and vice versa, while the OCTAVE FILTER control allows you to shape the octave sound from deep and smooth to aggressive and edgy.
ammoon Octa
WIth super fast tracking and dynamic octave generation, budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Ammoon’s Octa precise polyphonic octave stompbox can make your six-string sound like a 12-string with one stomp. You craft the Octa’s tone by using three dedicated control knobs: the Up and Sub dials control the output level of the upper and sub octaves, respectively, while the Dry knob lets you dictate how much of your dry signal is present in the mix.
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
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.
TC Electronic Prophet
The Prophet Digital Delay from TC Electronic provides you with convenient access to contemporary, perfectly-pristine digital delay tones sans added coloration—only repeats. That makes The Prophet suitable for cascading post-rock ambience, beefing up rhythm chord passages, or more contemporary rock and country genres. This studio-grade digital delay pedal boasts the famed TC Electronic algorithm. It features up to 1300 ms delay time and true bypass for supreme signal integrity. Designed and engineered in Denmark, The Prophet is packaged in a durable metal enclosure.
Animals Pedal Relaxing Walrus Delay
The vintage-voiced Relaxing Walrus Delay from Animals Pedal brings the lingering echoes of Japan’s legendary echo spirit, the Yamabiko, onstage. Featuring delay times of as low as 1ms up to a max of 1250ms, a wet/dry Blend control, and a Repeat knob for precise echo adjustments, and an internal trimpot for fine-tuning self-oscillation, the Relaxing Walrus Delay is a monstrous delay machine in a small stompbox package. The Relaxing Walrus Delay features artwork by Jonas Claesson and comes with true-bypass switching.
Donner Water Echo
The Water Echo from Donner is a compact twin pedal featuring meticulously selected delay and chorus effects. It consists of Level, Delay, Feedback, Depth, and Rate knobs. Use the Level knob to control the level of the delay effect, Delay to set the delay time, and Feedback to adjust the delay feedback. For the chorus effect, the Depth knob lets you control the chorus depth, while Rate allows you to determine the chorus speed. The Water Echo also features a Tap Tempo function for seamless chorus speed/delay time control.
T-Rex Replicator Junior
The T-Rex Replicator Junior is crafted for those who are intrigued by the Replicator’s tape echo concept but does not want all the bells and whistles. Featuring the same basic circuit as its big brother, you enjoy all the goodies from a tape echo without spending too much or consuming plenty of pedalboard real estate. T-Rex maintained the most valuable features and controls, so it is a no-brainer in use. The Replicator Junior captures authentic tape echo sound quality within an ultra-compact unit with replaceable tape cartridge and motor.
EarthQuaker Devices Ghost Echo V3
The Ghost Echo vintage voiced reverb guitar effects pedal, a chimeric cross between analog and digital, is based on classic spring reverb units but is just as capable of dishing out cavernous hall-type reverb effects and rockabilly slapback delays. For its V3 update, EarthQuaker Devices kitted out the Ghost Echo with upgraded low-noise op-amps, twice the reverb signal output compared to the V2, and a recalibrated Dwell control knob that can trigger self-oscillations when cranked to the max.
Walrus Audio Slö
Walrus Audio’s Slö multi-texture reverb pedal is a boon for musicians who prefer to use reverb effects to add texture to their sound. This boutique guitar effects pedal ditches the ambient subtlety of most traditional reverbs and puts you in control of everything from lush auto swells to atmospheric octave effects. You can even throw in some modulation, of which the Slö has three wave shapes, to make the reverberation trails even more animated. Finally, the Slö has momentary switching capabilities so you can use the reverb effect to highlight specific notes.
TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2
The legendary reverb pedal is back better than ever with an added shimmer effect and revolutionary pressure-sensitive footswitch. The Hall of Fame 2 Reverb by TC Electronic boasts cutting-edge technology that takes an extensive range of creative expression to the party, controlled only by the amount of pressure you give to the depressed footswitch. Years in the making, and found only in select TC Electronic units, this groundbreaking innovation elevates the standard footswitch well above typical functions like on/off. Ultimately, MASH levels up your performance.
MOOER Ocean Machine
The Ocean Machine is the stompbox equivalent of a Swiss army knife. You get a 60-second looper, nine distinct reverb types, and two independent delays with a total of 17 different delay effects. This multi-effects monster is the brainchild of budget stompbox maker Mooer and self-confessed multitrack aficionado/metal maestro Devin Townsend, so you’ll definitely find some of the spaciest and craziest delay tones you’ve ever come across on the Ocean Machine. It’s a knob-twiddler’s dream instrument.
Digitech Polara
The Polara from DigiTech will architect of your soundscape, defining space and giving dimension to your playing. It boasts seven reverb types: Spring, Hall, Halo, Modulated, Reverse, Plate, and Room. The new Halo reverb will add a heavenly glow to your tone. With its vacuum-style footswitch and compact size, the Polara represents the freshest development in DigiTech pedal design. The Polara consists of separate Decay, Liveliness, Level, and Type controls, a soft click footswitch, stereo inputs/outputs, and a reverb Tails on/off toggle switch.
GOKKO Creepy
Forget the name; the GOKKO Creepy GK-26 guitar effects pedal is made of pure reverb love. It can serve up a wide range of highly musical reverb effects with which to wash your tone. Use the RES and MIX knobs to set the echo and reverb levels then use the PPD and DECAY dials to set the delay time and reverb length, respectively. Add some warmth with the LPF knob and finally, use the CFR dial for additional tonal control.
ammoon ENO Reverb
Ammoon pedals are known for two things: good, reliable performance and low, almost insane prices. The ENO Reverb guitar effects pedal fits those two things to a T. Coax everything from intimate room-level reverb to lush hall-like ambient tones using three reverb modes—Room, Spring, and Well—controllable via the Level and Time knobs as well as the Dry and Wet path selector. As with most ammoon guitar effects pedals, the ENO Reverb comes with true bypass.
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.
TC Electronic Forcefield
With the Forcefield Compressor from TC Electronic, you get all the delicious classic dynamics control that country and rock ’n’ roll icons were built on. Find anything from mild sustain enhancement that slightly boosts a sweet yet gently played interlude or blues passage to intense compression that makes your guitar burst in the mix. The Forcefield Compressor’s classic circuit design allows you to tap into the sweet sag of a tube amp or the merciless slap of a sledgehammer. It includes controls for Attack, Sustain, and Level.
Barber Tone Press
With control knobs for volume, blend, and sustain as well as Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) gain staging, the Barber Tone Press Parallel Compressor is a small but muscular high-end compressor pedal fit for even the most tonally demanding of guitar players. The new Speed toggle on the left lets you play percussively without losing any attack, while the Brilliance toggle on the right adds an extra layer of luster to your tone’s treble frequencies.
Mosky Tone Bus
Every pedal board needs a good power supply. And an overdrive. And maybe a compressor. Mosky Audio combines these three essentials into one multipurpose floor unit: the Tone Bus + Power Supply. You get not one, but two overdrive effects–Overdrive 1 is voiced like the popular OCD stomp with a High/Low Peak switch while Overdrive 2 is more tube-style like the TS9 Tube Screamer. It also comes with a Dyna Comp-based compressor and can supply power to up to eight separate pedals.
Wampler Ego Compressor V2
When it comes to boutique guitar compression effect pedals, nothing gets as much praise as Wampler’s Ego Compressor. It doesn’t just do what a compressor pedal is supposed to do, i.e. make the quiet parts louder and the loud parts quieter while boosting the sustain, it’s superb at retaining your natural playing dynamics and core tonal characteristics. Feature-wise, there are no differences between the Ego Compressor V1 and V2; only the I/O jack positions, knob placement, and graphics were changed.
DOD Compressor 280
Keep your dynamics and volume in check with the DOD Compressor 280. It allows you to tame the wildest peaks and balance out dynamics between chords and single notes. This compact pedal is suitable for your gain-saturated metal solos or spanky-clean country licks. The DOD 280 consists of a lightweight aluminum chassis, modern 9V power supply input, and blue indicator light. It will help you control the dynamic range of the input signal from your instrument and give finesse to your picking attack for steady performances.
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.
Walrus Audio DEFCON4
Underneath the wicked cool War Games-inspired ‘80s chassis design of the DEFCON 4 lies a super versatile preamp, three band EQ, and boost pedal that makes switching instruments mid-set a breeze. This collaborative effort from boutique guitar effects pedal maker Walrus Audio and musician Ryan Adams lets you cut and boost your low, mid, and high bands plus shape the mid cut even further with a parametric EQ. It also comes with up to 10dB of MOSFET-powered boost and internal mid EQ trim pots for even more precise tone sculpting.
J. Rockett I.Q. Compressor
The J. Rockett I.Q. Compressor is a compressor with a six-band graphic EQ. The pre-compression EQ lets you select the frequencies you wish to be compressed harder according to their gain setting. Each frequency slider contains 18db of cut or gain. The compressor carries Mix and Volume knobs. The Mix knob combines your compressed and dry signals, while the Volume adjusts the output level. You can also use the Volume pot to mitigate the slight volume bump when you engage the Mix control.
Fulltone Secret Freq
Serving up everything from clean boost to overdrive and through to full-on distorted rock tones, the Fulltone Secret Freq Overdrive guitar effects pedal is one versatile stompbox. It’s got all the hallmarks of a classic overdrive stomp; it’s highly dynamic, has a natural tube-style overdrive tone, and is very responsive to picking attack. The Secret Freq also has a secret weapon: a Freq control knob that lets you dial in up to 20db of active, narrow-band midrange for more tone-shaping possibilities.
Rowin Equalizer Mini
Budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin’s LEF-317A GT EQ is a five-band EQ pedal that packs a lot of use and versatility in its tiny full metal shell. Each of the five bands’ frequency centers—100Hz, 250Hz, 630Hz, 1.6kHz, and 4kHz—can be boosted or cut by up to 18dB of adjustable gain. The GT E also features a dedicated master Volume control knob. Its tiny and unobtrusive design also makes it an ideal addition to compact or crowded pedalboards.
Electro-Harmonix Knockout
The Knockout attack equalizer effects pedal from Electro-Harmonix is a one-two punch straight to the head for maximum carnage. It packs a seven-pole low-pass filter for shaping your mids’ low ends while a six-pole high-pass filter takes care of sculpting your mids’ top ends. The Knockout’s low-frequency cutoff is set at 85Hz while the high-frequency cutoff is at 6.5kHz, plus it comes with a Dry signal knob. Place it after your distortion pedal for a true knockout attack.
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Latest News
Minneapolis pedal company Chase Bliss Audio has unleashed an adventurous delay-based unit called the Habit. Advertised as a “freeform sampler and musical sketchpad,” the Habit yields traditional delays with the
KMA Machines has announced a revamped and slimmed down version of its Wurhm distortion pedal—the Wurm 2. When the Wurhm first came to the music realm in 2020, it was
Boss has lifted the veil on two new digital stompboxes spec’d from its legendary RE-201 Space Echo—the RE-2 and RE-202. Stripping the RE-201 sound down to its core essentials, the
Line 6 has updated its cult-favorite DL4 Delay Modeler to MkII, hauling the 1999-dated original into the present-day era by some tonal tweaks and pretty aesthetic. Under the hood, the new-and-improved
Metallica electric guitar star Kirk Hammett has taken to Instagram to announce that his second signature Dunlop Cry Baby Wah is in the works. Dressed in a striking purple colorway
Award-winning pedal manufacturer Mad Professor Amplification is taking advantage of the coronavirus downtime to launch a limited-edition modded variant of its Ruby Red Booster. Since its manufacturing facility has not
Walrus Audio has introduced the new Kangra Filter Fuzz — a true bypass, two-in-one pedal designed alongside fuzz-obsessed Saturday Night Live guitarist Jared Scharff. The pedal draws inspiration from Scarff’s
Just last August, Morley added a trio of effects stompboxes to its 20/20 line—the Power Wah, Power Wah Volume, and Bad Horsie. Now, the company has again expanded the collection
Korora Audio has unveiled the Merlo—a unique harmonic tremolo boasting an extensive palette of tone-shaping options, tap-tempo rate control, and LFO shapes. Similar to traditional harmonic tremolos, the Merlo changes
China-based musical accessories manufacturer Mooer Audio is looking to shake up the compact multi-effects market with the introduction of its versatile, IR-equipped GE150 amp modelling and multi-effects unit. The GE150
Fredric Effects has unveiled its take on the Blues Breaker style of overdrive stompbox, the Blue Monarch Overdrive. The Blue Monarch Overdrive comes with the same mods incorporated for the
Lehle has introduced the Dual Expression—an active, wear-free expression stompbox with two outputs and a precise magnetic sensor known from the brand’s volume pedals. In the Dual Expression, the sensor
Strymon has unveiled the most innovative addition to its Sky roster of reverb pedals, the NightSky Time-Warped Reverberator. Per Strymon, “NightSky evolved from a desire to push the envelope and
Pigtronix has introduced the evolution of its famed Infinity Series looper, the Infinity 2 Double Looper. This new stereo looping effect pedal features a streamlined user interface that gets musicians
Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the Nano Metal Muff, a scaled-down variant of its award-winning Metal Muff high-gain distortion pedal. Sporting the same drive circuit as the classic Metal Muff, this nano
Utility Pedals
NUX PT-6 Pedal Tuner
The PT-6 Chromatic Pedal Tuner from NUX features a highly sensitive chromatic tuning mode with an extensive range. It boasts a true bypass design and comes in a sturdy metal chassis. The PT-6 Pedal Tuner is professional, high-quality, and easy to use. The bright LED screen delivers clear visibility outdoors as well as on stage. The true bypass circuit enables tuning sans signal loss or latency. When the signal is lost after five minutes, the power save feature will turn the device off automatically.
MOOER Baby Tuner
The Baby Tuner is so small, light, and useful that you might never remove it from your pedalboard once you plug it in. This compact mini tuner from budget stomp master Mooer is lightning fast, meaning you spend more time actually performing than waiting for it to tell you whether or not your guitar is in tune. The big red and blue LED display also works well on dimly lit stages, and it has true bypass so you won’t have to worry about tone loss.
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.
Xvive PT-05 Pedal Tuner
Xvive’s PT05 chromatic tuner pedal is built to be unobtrusive but easy to see when you do need to use it. Its small chassis makes it easy to find space for it on any pedalboard, while its color display lets you tune your guitar without having to bend over and squint. Whether you’re playing on a dark stage, outdoors on the street, or in the comfort of a studio, you’ll be able to tune your instrument quickly and painlessly. It’s small, speedy, and straightforward—the three S’s that make for a great chromatic tuner pedal.
Korg Pitchblack Chromatic Tuner
Compact yet tough, the Korg Pitchblack Chromatic Tuner serves as your one-stomp ticket to staying in tune. This gig-bag essential loads exceptional functionality and accurate tuning into a sleek, portable floor unit that is convenient to use anywhere. An innovative chromatic floor tuner with a large LED screen makes it an indispensable tool for bassists and guitarists. When performing live, you will appreciate the Pitchblack’s clear, well-lit display and the large footswitch allows for convenient access. The Pitchblack’s sturdy aluminum enclosure makes it roadworthy.
Chase Bliss Audio MOOD
The MOOD from Chase Bliss Audio is a dual-channel granular micro-looper/delay. Built to be immediate and playful, it is a study of interaction, and is designed to be “internally collaborative.” The MOOD enables audio to freely pass back and forth between its two sides—wet channel and loop channel, which were developed by Old Blood Noise Endeavors and Drolo FX respectively. The MOOD’s heart is a clock control that accelerates or slows both sides in harmonized steps.
TC Electronic G-System
For years, TC Electronic has been a leading creator of various high-quality audio equipment for recording studios. Its G-System is the first comprehensive floor-based guitar system to provide an unparalleled arsenal of effects, integration, and control. The special mix of two DSP sections delivers excellent amp switching, analog loops, floor control, effects, as well as 9VDC power outputs for your pedals to obtain the utmost level of integration possible. You can select from a rack or floor-based setup, determine how the effects are routed, set the footswitch layout, and pick from over 25 onboard effects.
ammoon Stereo Looper
Budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Ammoon’s Stereo Looper turns you into a one-man band. The Stereo Looper’s feature set is similar to the Electro-Harmonix 720, which incidentally sells at almost twice the Ammoon’s price. The Stereo Looper comes with 10 selectable independent loops, each of which can record up to 10 minutes of high quality uncompressed audio. It also features 24-bit A/D/A, a 44.1KHz sample rate, unlimited overdubs, and undo/redo along with footswitch-controlled reverse, half speed, and fadeout effects.
Digitech Jam Man Express XT
The JamMan Express XT is the easiest-to-use and most compact DigiTech looper yet. DigiTech describes it as the “most full featured compact looper” available. The JamMan Express XT looper loads plenty of handy features into a sturdy, compact, all-metal package. Featuring ten minutes of stereo looping, Jam Sync, Silent Clear, and true-bypass, the Express XT is a welcomed addition to your JamMan XT looping set-up. The revolutionary JamSync function allows you to hook up several units to create a multi-track looping rig.
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.
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.
Donner Alpha Cruncher
The Donner Alpha Cruncher is an effects chain that features three types of effects, including a dreamy chorus, analog distortion, and analog-voiced delay. The Delay model gives you a warm, analog-voiced delay with rich echo feedback and 1000ms max delay time. The Chorus model delivers a warm and pure sound to form a dream chorus world. With the Distortion model, you get a high-gain British amp distortion within a stompbox. It is the ideal option for various vintage rock music styles.
Donner Alpha Force
The Alpha Force from Donner packs three types of guitar effects into a single chain, including Higain, Chorus, and Delay. It is capable of delivering intense distortion with a full-range response suitable for rock and metal styles. The Alpha Force comes in a convenient, sturdy, and compact aluminium-alloy enclosure adorned with a novel design logo. It is perfect for going out to play or practicing at home. You can take the Alpha Force anywhere you desire.
Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl mkII
The Warped Vinyl mkII is an analog chorus/vibrato pedal built to emulate the sound of warped vinyl and more. It boasts a 100% analog signal path which may be dialed in to produce an infinite palette of chorus and vibrato. Warped Vinyl mkII includes some revisions, including an increased signal to noise ratio and tone knob for shimmery, transparent chorus/vibrato. Moreover, every switch and knob is connected to a digital brain while your guitar signal remains fully analog and not digitally processed.
HeadRush Looperboard
Designed to level up the art of looping live audio, the HeadRush Looperboard leaves no room for compromise. This intuitive and powerful standalone looper pedal leverages an innovative quad-core DSP system built from the ground up, coupled with a 7” touch interface, and a range of audio inputs/outputs with premium circuitry for excellent sound. The Looperboard also features more than eight hours of onboard recording time with smart time-stretch, external USB/SD loop storage, superb onboard effects, and so on, all within a travel-friendly steel enclosure.
Lehle D-Loop
Employ two different effects loops with the D.Loop from Lehle. It boasts two true-bypass loops and high-end gold-plated relays, so your tone stays pristine when you are not utilizing it. Stomp on the D.Loop to bring in whatever range of effects you desire. You may also use the D.Loop to incorporate another preamp on the fly or utilize the main input and a return to bring in various instruments. Whatever you do, you will appreciate this stompbox’s full MIDI capacity, since you can make its switches operate the way you desire.
Source Audio Gemini
With the Gemini Chorus by Source Audio, you get three styles of deep, hypnotic chorus—Classic, Dual, and Quad voiced effects. Classic mode produces a single voiced effect conjuring creamy and subtle tones from the initial wave of 70s chorus pedals. The lush and thick Dual chorus serves up a seamless but animated double voiced effect. The spacious and rich Quad chorus emulates that 80s feel with its subdued rack system sound. After finding your chorus, you can dial in the sweet spot using the Tone and Mix knobs.
Marshall PEDL-00001
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. This goes double for Marshall’s AS acoustic series amps. The PEDL-00001 single latching footswitch was specially built to handle channel switching duties for AS amps like the AS50D and the AS100D. It’s built to be road-tough, so you don’t have to worry about it conking out in the middle of an intimate acoustic set.
JOYO PXL4
The Joyo PXL-4 effects pedal loop controller lets you simplify your pedalboard setup without sacrificing any of the great effects you love using. This fully-programmable pedal and amp switcher lets you connect up to four effects loops and save 16 preset combinations in two banks. Whether you use four pedals or a dozen, you only ever have to worry about stomping on a few footswitches to control them all. No more doing the stompbox tapdance, unless that’s your thing.
T-Rex Shafter Wah
A sturdy, ultra-versatile wah-wah effect that lets you take control of your pedal not the other way around. The Shafter Wah is T-Rex Engineering’s best shot at an authentic next-generation wah-wah pedal. With plenty of adjustability, a more extensive frequency sweep, greater durability, quieter operation, and three entirely different wah characters, it addresses all the drawbacks of a classic wah. T-Rex Engineering believes it is the best wah-wah ever existed. The Shafter Wah is highly tuneable via Slope and Boost knobs.
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.
Lehle D-Loop
Employ two different effects loops with the D.Loop from Lehle. It boasts two true-bypass loops and high-end gold-plated relays, so your tone stays pristine when you are not utilizing it. Stomp on the D.Loop to bring in whatever range of effects you desire. You may also use the D.Loop to incorporate another preamp on the fly or utilize the main input and a return to bring in various instruments. Whatever you do, you will appreciate this stompbox’s full MIDI capacity, since you can make its switches operate the way you desire.
Boss AB-2 2-Way Selector
Make changing between different outputs and inputs a breeze with the Boss AB-2 Two-Way Selector. With a single stomp, you can switch between two different guitars, amps, or guitar effects pedal setups. Plug in a tuner and you can easily check your tuning while in the middle of a gig without having to worry about stray notes messing up your group’s performance. You can also use the Boss AB-2 Two-Way Selector as a quick kill switch.
JHS Pedals Buffered Splitter
Add the JHS Pedals Buffered Splitter to your pedalboard for a simple yet efficient signal-splitting tool that keeps your tone pristine, clear, and powerful. It is capable of perfectly driving your pedalboard chains and long cable runs. It preserves your guitar’s natural tone without coloration from the other gears within your signal chain. The Buffered Splitter comes in a compact enclosure that makes it handy for any rig. It works well with keyboards, bass, guitar, and more.
MOSKY Clean Buffer Tone Saver
Buffer pedals play an important part in any musician’s ongoing battle against one suck. Budget guitar effects brand Mosky Audio gives you a compact and affordable alternative to boutique buffer models in the form of the Clean Buffer. It helps keep your guitar signal strong and steady even when you have over a dozen pedals daisy chained together on your pedalboard. The Clean Buffer has an input impedance of 1M Ω and an output impedance of 150 Ω.
Carl Martin Buff Deluxe
The Buff Deluxe is built to run alongside huge multiple effects boards with plenty of true bypass effects. The drawback of utilizing true bypass effects is that your guitar signal stays high impedance, leading to the loss of high note because of the several feet of cables running at the pedalboard, and not the slightest from board to amp. The Buff Deluxe features a Mute switch that directs your signal to the Tuner Out. That enables the removal of even the tuner from the signal chain as well as convenient and silent guitar tuning.
Empress Effects Buffer Plus
The Buffer+ by Empress Effects features an incredibly handy set of features that will make your life a little better. Switchable clean boost, noise filters, input loading, and input pads are all potent tools you can find on the Buffer+. It was constructed to become the perfect I/O interface for your pedalboard while keeping the highest fidelity of your guitar signal. It will eliminate the signal loss caused by long, unbuffered cable runs, guaranteeing that your tone stays unaffected by your cables.
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.
Mosky Dec Mini
The Dec Buffer Booster from budget guitar effects pedal brand takes its circuit design and tonal cues from the Wampler Decibel+ buffer and boost pedal. It packs two essential pedalboard problem solvers into one compact pedal: excellent, stable signal buffering and a pristine clean boost. Controls are dead simple; you get one knob that controls the gain level and one footswitch. THe Dec Buffer Booster knows what it’s supposed to do and does it well.
MXR Noise Clamp
Clampdown on excess noise and hiss with the Noise Clamp pedal by MXR. By sensing the dry signal of your guitar, it lowers the noise level in the effect loop, putting the kibosh on even your noisiest signal. A single Trigger dial lets you select the volume threshold at which the Noise Clamp is active, and a green LED tells you whether the gate is on/off. The Noise Clamp can trim noise up to 26dB, preserving riff definition at massive gain levels.
Electro-Harmonix The Silencer
Give unwanted signal noise a double-tap to the head with Electro-Harmonix’s The Silencer. This sophisticated noise gate pedal gives you Threshold, Reduction, and Release controls for precise fine-tuning that takes your gear and playing style into account. It doesn’t just help eliminate annoying buzzes and hums, either; the Silencer also expands your pedal routing options. You can use it as an inline noise gate or add it to an effects loop to kill noise from specific pedals.
MOSKY Noise Reduction
The Noise Gate is budget guitar effects pedal maker Mosky Audio’s offering to those musicians who are having headaches dealing with unwanted buzzes, hisses, and hums in their signal. It takes you guitar’s dry signal and eliminates the noise level by up to 26dB within your effects loop. You can set the minimum volume threshold where the pedal’s functions kick in via a dedicated Gate knob. Just dial in your preferred threshold, hit the footswitch, and enjoy noise-free playing.
Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Noisy signals are the bane of musicians the world over. That’s why noise suppressor pedals have become pedalboard mainstays, and the Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor is one of the best options available. It uses a unique noise detection circuit that identifies and separates your instrument’s signal from the noise and hum components, eliminating the latter while letting the former shine through with its natural attack and sonic envelope perfectly preserved. You can dial in the precise amount of noise elimination and suppression via dedicated Threshold and Decay knobs.
JOYO Noise Gate
The JF-31 Noise Gate guitar effects pedal from Joyo is the bane of the unwanted buzzes, hums, hisses that infect your guitar signal. With just a lone Threshold knob, its control scheme is so simple and no-nonsense that it’s practically zen. It’ll take some experimentation with your overall input level and the Threshold knob, but when you find that silent sweet spot the JF-31 Noise Gate will definitely be a worthy addition to your pedalboard.
Behringer Noise Reducer
Cut all those annoying hums, buzzes, and unwanted noises out of your guitar signal entirely with the Behringer Noise Reducer NR300. You can dial in your perfect response using the Threshold and Decay knobs, use the send and return loop to reduce noise from your other pedals, or even cut out your signal entirely with a single stomp. If you love using guitars with single-coil pickups and high-gain amps but hate all those extra noises that clutter up your signal, this is the pedal for you.
Joyo JAM BUDDY (Black)
There are a lot of guitar multi-effects processor units that have headphone jacks now. The Jam Buddy from Joyo one-ups them all by having both a headphone jack and built-in speakers. The Jam Buddy’s two 2” 4W speakers have enough power for a quick practice session without bothering the neighbors, and its rechargeable battery will let you extend the jam session to up to three hours. The Jam Buddy also features footswitchable clean and OD channels, a built-in delay, and Bluetooth connectivity for playing along to an audio track.
MOOER Groove Loop
Budget pedal maker brings together the Micro Looper and the Micro Drummer into one affordable, pedalboard-friendly guitar effects pedal. The Groove Loop makes for the perfect portable jamming companion, letting you use its looper and drum machine features either independently or simultaneously. The looper features 20 minutes of recording time and can sync automatically with the drum track. The drum machine comes with eight groove styles, each of which has two variations for a total of 16 different grooves.
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.
BOSS DB-90 Talking Dr. Beat
Practicing alone becomes a whole new experience with the Boss DB-90 Dr. Beat, the flagship product of Boss’s Dr. Beat Metronome line. This monstrous metronome packs four great metronome sounds—including human voice!— as well as dozens of drum patterns in its tiny, lightweight frame. The Boss DB-90 Dr. Beat also comes with a Rhythm Coach function, a reference-tone tuning function, instrument and MIDI input, and other useful tools for making solo practice less mundane.
JOYO O.M.B
Joyo’s OMB Looper and Drum Machine turns you into a one-man band with a single stomp. This single pedal can act as a looper, a drum machine, or a combo looper plus drum machine. The looper function lets you record up to 40 minutes of audio and features unlimited overdubs, auto-align, and count-in. You get seven drum patterns and seven drumbeats in drum machine mode, plus you can add fills to the patterns and use a tap tempo function. The OMB is an R Series pedal, meaning it has cool ambient LED effects built into it.
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.
Other Pedals
Dunlop Cry Baby Chrome
Take control of your wah tone with the Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby Multi-Wah Chrome pedal. Dunlop engineers have cooperated with acclaimed guitarists to build the 535Q Cry Baby Multi-Wah, which lets you fine-tune your wah sound. It features a six-position Range Selector control that enables you to select from six frequency ranges, every position based on the distinct tonal characteristics of Dunlop’s most valuable wah specimens. Use the Variable Q control to take the 535Q’s response from sharp and narrow to subtle and broad.
Donner Vowel Mini
The Donner Vowel Mini is a two-in-one Wah/Volume pedal that delivers an exceptional Wah response based on the original Crybaby response along with a Volume function. Donner gives you all that within a footprint smaller than a standard Volume or Wah pedal. Press the footswitch to shift between Volume mode and Wah mode. The Vowel Mini includes two LED lights that show you the current mode: red for Wah and green for Volume. As a Volume pedal, the Vowel is capable of fulfilling the strict demands of each guitarist.
Xotic Wah
For sheer versatility, few wah pedals can come close to the XW-1 Wah from boutique guitar effects pedal maker Xotic. Almost everything about this beautiful wah pedal can be adjusted to fit your exact tastes, from the rocker pedal tension to the Wah-Q and Bias settings. For tone sculpting, it comes with a two-band EQ stack you lets you cut or boost the treble and bass by 15dB each. It also features a fuzz-friendly buffer circuit and true bypass switching, plus it’s smaller than the average wah pedal.
Morley Power Fuzz Wah
Any pedal that pays tribute to thrash metal god Cliff Burton should come with a snarl and a growl, and the Cliff Burton PowerFuzz Wah pedal from Morley is no different. This wah/fuzz hybrid bass effects pedal packs a lot of hairy aggression but is also versatile enough to be used effectively in styles other than metal. This 500-piece limited edition run of the PowerFuzz Wah comes with a premium chrome finish and a cleaning cloth.
Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Mini
The Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Mini Wah allows you to enjoy the 105Q’s functionality and sound without consuming larger space than a Phase 90. At half the size of the 105Q, the Bass Mini Wah has a thunderous presence. It was meticulously designed to maintain and complement your low end, with Q and Volume controls to better fine-tune your wah sound. The Bass Mini Wah comes in a lightweight aluminum chassis, and with such a tiny footprint, it will fit perfectly on your downsized travel board.
Boss PW-3 Wah
A wah pedal built like a tank but doesn’t eat up too much of your precious pedalboard real estate? That’s the Boss PW-3 Wah pedal in a nutshell. The PW-3 features a newly-developed Rich mode that packs a wah voice that manages to keep the fullness and low-end definition typically when using by pedals powered by the average wah circuit. For a more traditional, classic wah tone, just flip the two-position toggle on the rear panel from Rich to Vintage.
Boss AD-2 Acoustic Preamp
Many guitar pickup systems can’t quite reproduce an acoustic guitar’s warmth and depth, covering them instead in harsher-sounding tones. That’s where the Boss AD-2 Acoustic Preamp guitar effects pedal comes in. Whether you’re onstage or in the studio, you can draw out more of your acoustic-electric’s natural and woody tones with a twist of the Acoustic Resonance knob. You can also use the Ambience knob to add reverb and cut annoying feedback noise using the Notch dial.
Pigtronix Bob Weir’s Real Deal
The Pigtronix Bob Weir’s Real Deal acoustic preamp gives you a very clear, screaming acoustic guitar tone while faithfully preserving the natural wooden sound of your instrument. It is universally compatible with all kinds of acoustic guitar pickup—from a simple, passive piezo element to intricate active systems leveraging internal microphones, magnetic pickups, and/or contact elements. The Bob Weir’s Real Deal features 60db gain on microphone channel and crossover sweeps from 300Hz to 3kHz. It consists of Volume, Piezo, Crossover, and Microphone controls.
Rowin Ocean Verb
The LEF-3800 Ocean Verb earns its name thanks to the watery reverberations it conjures up. This compact and extremely affordable stompbox from budget guitar effects pedal manufacturer Rowin is a versatile workhorse. It features a full complement of Mix, Tone, and Decay pots for shaping the reverb effect, of which there are three selectable via a three-way toggle switch: Room, Spring, and Shimmer. If you want to add depth and dimension to your tone, you won;t go wrong with the LEF-3800 Ocean Verb.
Koogo Acoustic
The Koogo Acoustic pedal makes your electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar. It also boasts the ability to transform an intermediate level electronic or acoustic guitar into an incredible sounding professional guitar. The beautiful sounds produced by each knob and switch make it suitable for virtually any style or player. The Acoustic pedal carries a toggle switch that lets you select between Jumbo, Standard, and Piezo modes. All three modes work well for various genres and effects.
NUX Stageman Floor
The Stageman Floor Acoustic Preamp + DI by NUX is an analog acoustic preamp boasting digital effects and looper function. Preamp featured with an extremely sensitive three-band EQ with input gain control, adjustable notch filter, and MID scoop toggle switch. It also offers a massive headroom that gives you the sound all-natural. The notch filter helps you cut the resonating frequency. The Stageman Floor consists of Treble, Middle, and Bass knobs, depending on the speaker/amp characteristic, acoustic guitar’s body type, and playing style, you may tune your sound to your liking.
Mooer Woodverb
The Woodverb from budget stompbox maker Mooer is a reverb guitar effects pedal tuned specifically for expanding the tonal palettes of acoustic guitars. The Woodverb comes with three reverb modes, all selectable via a three-position toggle switch. First is the classic, lush space of the pedal’s magnificent plate reverb. The second mode adds a subtle chorus effect to the reverb. The third and final mode adds mild filtering into the mix for a snappier attack.
MXR Bass Envelope Filter
It’s time to bring on the funk with the Bass Envelope Filter from MXR. It packs vintage analog envelope filter sounds into a user- and pedalboard-friendly pedal designed particularly for bass. You may dial in the right amount of filtering with the individual Effect and Dry controls—valuable for keeping your low end intact. The Q and Decay knobs allow you to sculpt its extensive range of filter tones. A simple roll of the Sensitivity control can tailor the pedal for your attack and adjust for active or passive basses.
Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi
The Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi is all about giving the beefy bottom ends of bass guitars some warm Muffy love. The Bass Big Muff Pi is actually based on two classic Big Muffs, taking the classic fuzz sounds of the Sovtek Big Muff Pi and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi and optimizing them to handle rib-rattling low frequencies. Dedicated tone, Volume, and Sustain knobs give you a wide range of control over your fuzzed-out tone, while a Bass Boost/Dry toggle switch lets you bump your low-frequency content up.
Tech 21 SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver DI
The perfect rig-in-a-box for bass players, Tech 21’s three-channel SansAmp Bass Driver Programmable gives you instant and seamless access to three of your favorite bass tones with a single stomp. Don’t mistake this for a cold, sterile-sounding digital pedal; the only thing digital about the Bass Driver Programmable is its programmability. Its sound is all analog, warm, and natural. The Bass Driver Programmable features dedicated Drive, Bass, Treble, Presence, Blend, and Level pots for complete tonal control.
Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe
Tech 21 marries the warm, natural sound of an all analog signal path and the convenience of digital programmability in the SansAmp VT Bass Deluxe. You get two dual inputs for keeping two separate instruments always ready to go, with each input sporting up to three custom tones. You can also use all six for a single instrument. Dial in everything from punchy cleans to rib-rattling distortion and seamlessly switch between them. And since it’s a SansAmp unit, you can dial in your favorite amp tone no matter your current backline.
Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus
When you’re all about that bass, you need a chorus pedal that can keep up with your bottom end. The Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus is specially designed to handle the strictest demands of a professional bass player, applying rich chorus effects to higher frequencies while minimizing muddiness on the low end with a Low Filter knob. The Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus is the perfect stompbox for bassists who want a greater range of expression and a resonating, more compelling sound.
Boss SYB-5 Bass Synthesizer
Getting fatter and funkier bass sounds has never been easier than with the Boss SYB-5 Bass Synthesizer stompbox. Based on the classic SYB-3, the SYB-5 takes synth pedals to a whole new level by using the latest in Boss’s Digital Signal Procession (DSP) technology to recreate the SYB-3’s classic analog synth tones and giving it more punch and sonic power. You can even use the stompbox’s pedal to hold a note and jam to it.
Death By Audio Soundwave Breakdown
Now boasting an external volume control, the Soundwave Breakdown from Death by Audio turns the idea of a screaming fuzz pedal inside out. It leverages reversed matched transistors to achieve its bombastic sound. The very positions of the controls produce entirely different sounds ranging from grind, fuzz, and buzz to bleeps, synth sounds, and more. The Soundwave Breakdown grants you a massive universe of gnarliness and creates the alien to your amp. Be warned though as it is always only grizzled psycho fuzz.
Fender Downtown Express
The Fender Downtown Express is your one-stop-shop for bass tone sculpting, carrying all the bass essentials—overdrive, three-band EQ, and compressor. It is an all-original Fender circuit designed by Alex Aguilar. The Downtown Express features a direct output that allows for convenient integration into any studio or performance situations. Fender acknowledges that a strong signal chain has to be versatile, so it added a switch that allows you to reorder the overdrive and compressor circuits to your liking.
Morley M2 Passive Volume
The M2 Passive Volume guitar effects pedal from Morley gives you an audio level taper that’s as smooth a silk. Its response is consistent, it’s easy to use, and it’s very expressive. And since the M2 Passive Volume is a passive pedal, you don’t have to stick a battery in it or connect it to a power source in order to use it. Simply plug in and you’re good to go. This is plug and play volume control at its finest.
Boss FV-30H
Built like a tank and small enough to save valuable real estate on your pedalboard, the Boss FV-30 series of foot volume pedals is the epitome of the workhorse volume pedal. These volume pedals built using 100-percent professional-grade, aluminum die-cast units with smooth pivot action that registers even the most subtle of volume changes. The Boss FV-30H foot Volume pedal is a high-impedance pedal with a built-in tuner specially designed to handle direct guitar or bass connections.
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.
Mission Engineering EP-11
The EP-11 by Mission Engineering is the most suitable expression pedal for the Pro Tools Eleven Rack. For a natural and accurate response, the linear potentiometer is matched precisely to the Eleven Rack’s specifications. Simply connect to the Exp. Pedal input on the Eleven Rack’s rear panel with a 1/4″ TRS cable, then choose EP-11 on the Eleven Rack expression pedal settings. If you are leveraging the Eleven Rack with a MIDI controller, flip the EP-11’s toggle switch then plug it into an expression pedal input.
Mission Engineering EP 25 Pro
Mission Engineering’s EP-25 Pro expression pedal sports the sleek Mission Aero design. The pure Zinc Aero is half the weight of a regular Mission pedal, perfect for weight-sensitive applications. The 25K Ohm linear taper potentiometer is fully sealed for durability and smooth action. Two-channel outputs control up to two devices simultaneously. It can be extended with the Expressionator to manage as much as four devices from a single expression pedal. The Aero design’s extended sweep makes the EP-25 Pro a versatile expression pedal for volume control and whammy, wah, and effects parameter controls.
Ernie Ball Ambient Delay
The Ernie Ball Expression Series Ambient Delay pedal gives you access to lush digital delay and plate reverb effects. Intuitive controls let you dial in a delay time ranging from 50ms to 1s, delay feedback, and reverb level. Since the Ambient Delay already comes in expression pedal form, you don’t need to plug in an external expression pedal to control the sweepable effect levels. Leave the footswitch open for a clean, transparent tone and rock the treadle forward to increase the amount of delay and reverb.
Mission Engineering SP-HR
The SP-HR by Mission Engineering is a switching expression pedal purpose-built for your Headrush Gigboard. It allows you seamless, expressive control over whammy, wah, volume, and any number of assignable parameters. The SP-HR features an ergonomic design that combats foot fatigue while giving an expressive throw, which will be intuitive for all guitarists to utilize. It also incorporates a toe switch toggle that enables you to change pedal assignments on the fly. The SP-HR delivers everything you need to take charge of your HeadRush Gigboard.
Electro Harmonix Dual Expression
So many wonderful stompboxes now come with expression pedal support, so choosing which one to use with your lone expression pedal can be a headache. The Dual Expression Pedal from Electro-Harmonix eases that headache a bit by letting you control two individual functions or two separate devices using one expression pedal. Both EXP outputs have independent range and reverse, plus they each have their own polarity switch for enhanced compatibility with a wider range of pedals.
MOOER Expline
Expression pedals are an essential piece of any good pedalboard setup, but most of them just take up too much space. Enter the Expline, budget stompbox maker Mooer’s answer for shoestring shoegazers faced with a lack of premium pedalboard space. The tiny Expline features a pair of built-in foot rings that unfold to give you a larger surface area to work with. Once you’re done rocking out you can fold them back in to save room.
Pigtronix Rototron
It is virtually impossible to achieve realistic dual-rotor cab sound until the Rototron came. This pure analog rotary speaker effect merges phase shifting, frequency modulation, bucket brigade-based chorusing, tremolo, and a three-position crossover all carefully voiced to nail unparalleled, three-dimensional rotary realism within a portable, user-friendly pedal. Designed by David Koltai and Howard Davis, the Rototron faithfully emulates the intricate acoustic sensation of the iconic dual rotor 122 and 147 cabinets as utilized by the Beatles, Danny Gatton, and Peter Frampton, among several others.
Joyo Golden Face
It’s tiny, it’s tuney, but the British-flavored crunch Joyo packed into the Ironman JF-308 Golden Face guitar effects pedal is anything but loony. This extremely small pedal that you can literally carry in your front pocket serves up massive Marshall stack sounds for rocking any audience to their knees. One issue that really small pedals usually face is the control knobs getting accidentally stepped on and mangled. The JF-308 Golden Face fixes that by using a flip cover to keep them safe.
Joyo British Sound
The JF-16 British Sound rounds out Joyo’s early series of compact and affordable amp simulator pedals. It comes packed full of a Marshall amp’s Brit-flavored crunch, from the warm, vintage overdrive of early ‘60s Marshall amps to the high-gain tube scream of the JCM800 and JCM900 amp heads. The JF-16 British Sound features a three-band EQ for flexible tone sculpting, plus it has a unique Voice dial that opens your tone up to more exciting sonic possibilities.
Danelectro BK-1 Big Spender Spinning Speaker
The Danelectro BK-1 Big Spender Spinning Speaker guitar effect pedal is the perfect rotary speaker stompbox for musicians working with a very tight budget. Separate Volume and Treble knobs keep the simulated rotary speaker effect from becoming just another mishmash of phaser, chorus, and vibrato effects. A dedicated Speed knob and a Ramp switch separate from the main Effect switch simulate the speeding up / slowing down sounds of a real Leslie speaker for a greasy, gritty, shimmering rotary speaker effect.
JOYO CAB BOX
Calling the Joyo Cab Box an amp modeler and IR loader is technically accurate, but it does so much more that it stretches the definition. You get four different tube amp models, 20 cabinet models, and 11 classic mic models. Tweak the model parameters, load up to 30 impulse response (IR) files, and then save all your personal presets in up to 128 cab memory slots. The Cab Box also comes with a three configurable five-band post-EQs for guitar, bass & parametric.
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.
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.
Seymour Duncan FOOZ
The FOOZ pedal from Seymour Duncan transforms your guitar into an over-the-top analog synth. It leverages an extremely saturated square-wave fuzz to turn your instrument into the “oscillator,” geared to be shaped by other blocks—it also makes for an exceptional fuzz tone alone. It consists of Depth, Speed, Wave, Shape, Freq, Resonance, Level, and Gain controls. Inspired by synth flexibility and iconic guitar tones, the FOOZ imparts the spirit of synth creativity in your guitar.
Earthquaker Devices Data Corrupter
EarthQuaker Devices’ Data Corrupter puts your guitar signal through a meat grinder, mangling it beyond all recognition—and in this context, that’s a good thing! A modulated monophonic PLL circuit turns your tone into a three-voice synth with a heaping helping of thick fuzz, and with six dials, two rotary selectors, and two toggle switches you get all the tone sculpting tools you’ll ever need. If you really want your guitar to stop sounding like an actual guitar, plug it into the Data Corrupter and watch the sonic sparks fly.
Pigtronix Mothership2
Transform your bass or guitar into a three-voice analog synthesizer with the Mothership 2 pedal from Pigtronix. It consists of five custom dual-concentric knobs that give you incredible control over synth parameters, including separate level controls for square wave, triangle wave, and sine wave oscillators. Paired with your clean guitar tone, you have a massive synth voice capable of covering three octaves. It accurately tracks your instrument’s pitch and amplitude. The Mothership 2 will unlock a different world of creative potential for your bass or guitar.
Electro Harmonix Superego Synth Engine
Part synth, part sustain pedal, and part sampler—the Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine is a truly versatile and unique guitar effects pedal. Make your guitar sound like a synthesizer. Give your tone insane levels of sustain. Sustain a chord then freeze it so you can solo over it. If you’re looking to break through to new and unexplored soundscapes, this stompbox is your ticket. The Superego Synth Engine features all-analog circuitry and comes with a built-in effects loop.
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.
