Welcome to GAK’s Guitar Effects Pedal Buying Guide! We’ll take you through how to set up a pedalboard (including what order to put your pedals in and how to power them) as well as the most common types of effects you’ll encounter.
Effects pedals are essential tools that can transform your guitar’s tone, adding depth, character, and creativity to your playing. They allow you to shape and sculpt your sound, explore different genres, and experiment with different tones.
With so many popular effects pedal brands like Boss, Electro Harmonix and MXR, as well as more boutique brands such as Walrus Audio, JHS, Earthquaker Devices and Origin Effects, navigating the world of effects pedals can be overwhelming.
That’s why we’ll also recommend our favourite pedals in each category of effect for you to check out. We’ll mention both affordable and high-end models so you can tailor your pedalboard to your budget.
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Setting Up A Pedalboard
Where do I start?
What’s the best order for my effects pedals?
How do I power my pedals?
Types of Pedals
Tuner Pedals
Distortion, Overdrive and Fuzz Pedals
Overdrive Pedals
Distortion Pedals
Fuzz Pedals
Compression Pedals
Modulation Pedals
Chorus Pedals
Vibrato Pedals
Phaser Pedals
Flanger Pedals
Tremolo Pedals
Multi-Modulation Pedals
Reverb Pedals
Spring Reverb
Plate Reverb
Hall Reverb
Delay Pedals
Analogue Delay
Tape Delay
Digital Delay
Multi-Delay Pedals
Delay and Reverb Pedals
Octave Pedals
EQ Pedals
Wah Pedals
Volume Pedals
Wrapping Up
Where do I start?
As a beginner wanting to experiment with their sound, or looking to build their first pedalboard, a tuner, an overdrive (or distortion if you’re into heavier rock or metal), a modulation pedal and a delay/reverb are a great start.
Whilst many guitarists swear by the sound quality and hands-on control of an individual effects pedal, a compact multi-fx like Zoom MS-50G or the Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeller can help you figure out what effects you’re into before diving into the wide world of stompboxes.
Plus, they’re great “jack of all trades” pedals that you can keep on your pedalboard into the future.
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What’s the best order for my effects pedals?
Understanding how to arrange your pedals on a pedalboard can be a daunting task for beginners, but it’s crucial in shaping your unique guitar sound. The order in which the pedals are placed in the signal chain can drastically affect your tone. Here is a basic guide to get you started.
Tuner → Compressor → Volume Pedal → Wah Pedal → Gain Pedals → Mod → Delay → Reverb
Tuner Pedals
Start your chain with a tuner pedal. This allows you to tune your guitar without any interference from other effects. Tuner pedals are also useful as mute switches during breaks or between songs.
Dynamics and Filter Pedals
Next up are the dynamics and filter effects like octave pedals, compressors, volume pedals, EQ pedals, and wahs. Compressor pedals often work best early in the chain, where they can control and smooth out the dynamics of your raw guitar signal.
Octave pedals work best as earlier in the chain, too. A cleaner input signal results in better tracking of the notes you play.
Volume pedals can be placed here if you want to control the overall volume without affecting the gain. EQ pedals can be placed at various points in your signal chain, but one common location is after dynamics and filter pedals.
Wah pedals, due to their sweepable frequency range, usually work best before any distortion or overdrive. Placing a wah after your dirt pedals emphasises the wah effect. It’s worth experimenting with your wah placement to find out what sounds best to you.
Gain Pedals
After dynamics and filters come the drive effects: overdrives, distortions, and fuzzes. These pedals add gain to your signal and shape the core of your tone. If you’re using more than one, it’s generally accepted to place them in order of strength, from the least to most gain.
Modulation Pedals
After your drive section, you’ll typically find modulation effects like chorus, flanger, phaser, or tremolo. These effects tend to sound best when they’re affecting a distorted signal, rather than being distorted themselves by a drive pedal placed after them.
Time-Based Effects
Towards the end of the chain, place your time-based effects, including delay and reverb pedals. These pedals add echoes and space to your sound, and placing them at the end helps keep these echoes and ambience clear and uncluttered by other effects.
Looper Pedals
Finally, if you’re using a looper pedal, it’s usually best to put it at the very end of the chain. This way, it will record and loop everything from your other pedals, allowing you to layer multiple parts with different effects. Some guitarists place effects after a looper in order to affect loops after they’ve been recorded.
Experimentation Is Key
This guide offers a typical setup, but the beauty of pedalboards is that they invite experimentation. Don’t hesitate to mix things up and find a unique order that works best for you and your music. The rules are there as guidelines, but some of the most exciting sounds come from breaking them!
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How do I power my pedals?
Just as crucial as selecting the right effects pedals for your sound is understanding how to properly power your pedalboard. Inconsistent or incorrect power can cause all kinds of problems, from noise and hum to damaging your pedals.
Powering Your Pedalboard: A Basic Setup
- Determine the power requirements of each pedal (voltage and current).
- Choose a power supply with enough outputs for all your pedals. Make sure that it can meet the combined voltage and current requirements of all your pedals.
- Connect each pedal to the power supply using the appropriate cables. Check each pedal has the correct voltage before switching the power supply on.
- Turn the power supply on. Test each pedal individually and then together to ensure they are all receiving adequate power and functioning as expected.
Other parts of the world, such as the United States, have different voltages to the UK. If you plan on taking your pedalboard abroad, it is crucial to check your power supply with that country’s voltage. Many power supplies have been fried and gigs cancelled because a guitarist didn’t do this!
Understanding Power Requirements
Every pedal has specific power requirements. You can usually see them on the pedal itself or in the manual. The two key factors to consider are voltage (V) and current (mA).
Voltage: Most pedals use 9V, but some may require 12V, 18V, or even 24V. It’s crucial to use the correct voltage; using too high a voltage can permanently damage your pedal.
Current: This is measured in milliamps (mA) and varies widely depending on the pedal. Some simple analogue pedals might only need 10-20mA, while complex digital pedals may require up to 500mA or more.
Remember, a pedal will only draw the current it needs. So, if a pedal needs 100mA and you supply it with a 500mA power source, it will only use 100mA. However, if you supply it with less than 100mA, it may not function properly or at all!
What about “daisy chaining”?
“Daisy chaining” is when you power multiple pedals from a single power supply output using a chain of cables. While this can work for a small number of similar, low-current pedals, it can introduce noise and may not provide enough power if you’re using higher current-drawing pedals.
GAK’s Power Supply Recommendations
If your goal is to put together a well-rounded pedalboard with a variety of effects pedals, we highly recommend getting an isolated power supply. Whilst a quality power supply might not be the most exciting purchase, it’s well worth the investment if you want to get the best from your effects pedals.
Isolated power supplies come in a variety of formats so you should take into account how many pedals you have (or plan on owning in the future). The Truetone 1 Spot Pro CS12 is a popular choice, with enough outputs to power a decent-sized pedalboard, including two high-current digital pedals.
When it comes to flexibility, the Strymon Zuma and the CIOKS DC7 are hard to beat. Each output on these power supplies delivers enough current to power the hungriest pedal. They also feature multi-stage filtering for ultra-low noise and universal input voltage so you can perform abroad without worry.
If you’re on a tight budget, the Truetone 1 Spot Combo Pack can get you started. With 1700mA on tap and an eight-plug adapter included, you can power up to eight pedals. This is a good starter option if you’re mainly using low-current analogue pedals.
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Tuner Pedals
A tuner pedal is arguably the most important one you can have on your pedalboard. You could be lucky enough to own a pedalboard worth thousands of pounds. You might own three Klon Centaurs and every boutique pedal ever made. If your guitar is horrendously out of tune – you’re going to sound bad.
Tuner pedals are a staple on nearly every guitarist’s pedalboard for a reason. Regardless of the complexity of your setup or the type of music you play, staying in tune is an absolute necessity.
Modern tuner pedals have come a long way since the early days, boasting enhanced display visibility and more tuning modes. Tuning accuracy has also significantly improved with many models able to measure the pitch within +/- 1 cent (one-hundredth of a semitone).
One crucial function of tuner pedals is their ability to mute the output signal for silent tuning. This is particularly beneficial in a live setting where adjusting your tuning without interrupting the performance is vital.
GAK’s Tuner Pedal Recommendations
The Boss TU-3 is one of our top-selling pedals and is considered by many guitarists to be the “industry standard” tuner pedal. It’s seriously durable, features a top-notch display that’s easy to see on stage and delivers ultra-accurate tuning. Plus, you can power other pedals with it.
If the TU-3 is the “industry standard”, the Peterson StroboStomp HD is the “gold standard” for tuner pedals. It’s the go-to tuner for many pro guitarists, thanks to its outstanding tuning accuracy, HD colour display, selectable bypass options and Sweetened Tunings that fix inherent tuning issues in instruments.
If space is tight on your pedalboard or you’re on a budget, the D’Addario PW-CT-20, the EHX-2020 Mini Tuner, the Mooer MT1 and the Ibanez BIG MINI are great options.
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Distortion, Overdrive and Fuzz Pedals
Distortion and overdrive pedals are a cornerstone of rock and heavy music. They allow you to add grit, sustain, and harmonic richness to your sound with a single stomp.
Overdrive Pedals
At its core, an overdrive pedal is designed to simulate the natural sound of an overdriven valve amplifier. Whilst many consider a valve amp pushed to its limit as the ultimate overdrive tone, achieving this can require a lot of volume. An overdrive pedal emulates that sound at any volume level.
Overdrives gently clip your signal, giving it a warm and smooth texture. This becomes more pronounced as you turn up the gain. It’s a dynamic effect, responding to how hard you play. Strum lightly, you get a clean tone; dig in, and you get a gritty roar.
GAK’s Overdrive Pedal Recommendations
An iconic example of an overdrive pedal is the Ibanez Tube Screamer. Known for its mid-boost, it’s perfect for giving your solos that extra push to cut through the mix. The JHS Pedals Bonzai features multiple versions of the Tube Screamer in a single pedal.
The Warm Audio Centavo Overdrive Pedal is an accurate recreation of the Klon Centaur, one of the most sought-after pedals ever made. It has a more transparent character than the Tube Screamer. It doesn’t colour your tone, preserving the natural sound of your guitar and amp whilst adding extra gain.
The Boss BD-2 Blues Driver and EHX Soul Food are excellent overdrive pedals with a transparent tone at a beginner-friendly price point.
Guitar Songs That Use Overdrive
- “Back in Black” – AC/DC
- “Carry On Wayward Son” – Kansas
- “Pride and Joy” – Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Pretty much any classic rock song.
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Distortion Pedals
Distortion pedals take things up a notch. They clip your signal harder and add a significant amount of gain. The result is a more aggressive and heavier tone than overdrive. These pedals are commonly used in rock, metal, and punk genres to achieve a sustained, chunky, and powerful sound.
GAK’s Distortion Pedal Recommendations
The Boss DS-1 Distortion is a classic example. Used by legends like Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai, it offers a wide range of tones from subtle crunch to full-on heavy distortion. Other classic distortions include the Boss DS-2, the MXR Distortion+ and the ProCo RAT 2.
The DS-2 is a favourite effects pedal of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ John Frusciante. If you’re a fan of John Frusciante and want to learn more about the gear he uses, click here to read our article “Guitar Tones at GAK: John Frusciante”.
Guitar Songs That Use Distortion
- “From the Ritz to the Rubble” – Arctic Monkeys
- “Dani California” – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
- “Breed” – Nirvana
- “The Animal” – Steve Vai
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Fuzz Pedals
Now, if you’re looking for something wild, a fuzz pedal is the way to go. Fuzz pedals drastically clip your signal to create a heavily saturated, sustain-rich, and buzzy tone. They’re less about precision and more about thick, harmonic-laden textures and raw energy.
GAK’s Fuzz Pedal Recommendations
The Electro Harmonix Big Muff is a staple fuzz pedal, used by countless musicians across a wide range of genres. It delivers that unmistakable, creamy fuzz tone that’s ideal for creating epic solos and massive walls of sound. Plus, it’s affordable and comes in multiple formats and flavours.
You’ve got the Nano Big Muff and Little Big Muff that condense that thick Muff tone into a pedalboard-friendly size. There’s also the Green Russian Big Muff, the Op-Amp Big Muff, the Rams Head Big Muff and the Triangle Big Muff. Each is based on a different era of Muff and has its own personality.
That isn’t all. You’ve got the Bass Big Muff and the compact Nano Bass Big Muff that are tailored towards bassists. The Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker, Deluxe Big Muff, Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff and Deluxe Bass Big Muff feature more controls and features, letting you take the classic Muff tone to new places.
Other popular fuzz pedals include the Fuzz Face, as used by Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, the Beetronics Swarm Fuzz, the Walrus Audio Eons and the Boss Waza Craft FZ-1W.
Guitar Songs That Use Fuzz
- “Time” – Pink Floyd
- “Foxy Lady” – Jimi Hendrix
- “Cherub Rock” – The Smashing Pumpkins
- “Plug in Baby” – Muse
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Compression Pedals
Compression pedals are often seen as a “secret weapon” in the guitarist’s arsenal. They help to balance your guitar’s output, ensuring more consistency and control over the dynamics of your performance.
How do they work? By automatically reducing the volume when you strike the strings too hard (threshold level) and amplifying them when you play too soft (make-up gain).
The result is a smoother, more balanced sound that brings out subtler nuances of your playing. Additionally, compressors can add sustain without adding gain. Listen to David Gilmour’s intro solo on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” to hear an effective use of compression on a clean lead tone.
While the effect can be subtle and sometimes hard to notice, a compressor can make a significant difference in the mix, adding clarity and balance. It’s especially useful for country, funk, and blues players who rely on clean or lightly driven tones.
GAK’s Compressor Pedal Recommendations
Our favourite compressor pedals feature a blend knob. Compressor pedals with a blend knob (sometimes referred to as a “mix” or “dry/wet” control) allow you to blend the compressed signal with your guitar’s original dry signal.
This gives you the best of both worlds – the enhanced sustain and balanced output of a compressed signal, coupled with the dynamic response, pick attack and natural tone of your original sound. The result is a clean tone that is both punchy and dynamic, but also smooth and controlled.
The Keeley Compressor Plus is one of our top choices for compression. It features a blend control, a tone knob (handy for reintroducing sparkle to a heavily compressed tone) and a single-coil/humbucker switch that tailors the response to your pickups.
The JHS Pedals Whitey Tighty and the Xotic Effects SP are excellent compressors in a compact form factor. If you’re looking to add a compressor pedal to your pedalboard and you’re on a budget, it’s worth checking out the Nux Sculpture. It’s currently the most affordable comp pedal with a blend knob.
At the premium end of the spectrum, the Origin Effects Cali76 is considered by many guitarists to be the best compressor pedal money can buy. This pedal offers studio-quality compression that’s based on a classic rack unit.
Famous Guitar Songs That Use Compression
Practically every recorded guitar tone is compressed in some way. Here are some songs that use compression as a distinct effect.
- “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” – Pink Floyd
- “Constellations” – Darwin Deez
- “Nitpickin'” – Danny Gatton
- “Cory Wong” – Vulfpeck
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Modulation Pedals
Modulation pedals are like the secret sauce of your pedalboard – they add that unique flavour to your sound that makes it stand out. Essentially, these pedals alter or “modulate” your guitar signal’s pitch, time or volume to create a variety of interesting effects.
These inspiring effects pedals can add depth, movement, and otherworldly characteristics to your tone, making them a vital part of any guitarist’s arsenal.
Chorus Pedals
A chorus pedal works by duplicating your guitar signal, altering the pitch of the duplicated signal slightly, and then mixing it back in with the original. This creates a shimmering, rich effect that can add depth to your sound, giving it the feel of multiple instruments playing in unison.
GAK’s Chorus Pedal Recommendations
Popular chorus pedals include the Boss CE-5 Super Chorus, the JHS 3 Series Chorus Pedal, the MXR M234 Analog Chorus Pedal, the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone and the Walrus Audio Julia V2.
Famous Guitar Songs That Use Chorus
- “Purple Rain” – Prince and the Revolution
- “Come As You Are” – Nirvana
- “Paradise City” – Guns N’ Roses
- Pretty much any song with electric guitar from the ’80s.
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Vibrato Pedals
Vibrato pedals periodically shift the pitch of your signal up and down, giving the impression your sound is “shaking”. This produces a warbling, pulsating effect that can add a lot of character to your sound.
It creates a sense of movement and expressiveness, like the vibrato in a vocalist’s or string player’s performance.
Vibrato is similar to chorus in that it modulates the pitch of your guitar to give it that wonky, wobbling tone. Whilst a chorus effects pedal blends your dry, unaffected signal with a detuned version of it, a vibrato pedal doesn’t mix in the dry signal, providing a more pronounced and singular pitch fluctuation.
GAK’s Vibrato Pedal Recommendations
A couple of popular vibrato pedals include the EarthQuaker Devices Aqueduct, Gamechanger Audio Bigsby, JHS Pedals Artificial Blonde and the Boss Waza Craft VB-2W. Nowadays, many chorus pedals, such as the EHX Eddy and Walrus Audio Julianna, include a vibrato mode to give you both types in one pedal.
Guitar Songs That Use Vibrato
- “Ode To Viceroy” – Mac Demarco
- “Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden
- “505” – Arctic Monkeys
- “I Always Knew” – The Vaccines
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Phaser Pedals
Phaser pedals split your guitar signal and alter the phase of one path, then mix it back with the unaltered signal. This creates a sweeping, spacey, “whooshing” sound due to the phase cancellation and reinforcement. Want to inject some psychedelia into your sound? A phaser effects pedal is a great choice.
GAK’s Phaser Pedal Recommendations
Two iconic phaser pedals are the MXR Phase 90 and the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone. Both the Phase 90 and Small Stone deliver classic phase tones at an affordable price point. Other popular phasers include the Boss PH-3, the EHX Bad Stone, the Walrus Audio Lillian and the Strymon Zelzah.
Guitar Songs That Use Phaser
- “It Is Not Meant To Be” – Tame Impala
- “Ice Cream Man” – Van Halen
- “Tighten Up” – The Black Keys
- “Paranoid Android” – Radiohead
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Flanger Pedals
Like a chorus pedal, a flanger works by duplicating your guitar’s signal. However, the flanger then delays this duplicate by a very short, constantly changing interval.
This results in a fascinating interplay between the original and delayed signals, which creates an array of swirling harmonic overtones and cancellations known as “comb filtering”. This is responsible for the characteristic sweeping, spacey sound of the flanger effect.
GAK’s Flanger Pedal Recommendations
A famous example of a flanger pedal is the Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress. Created by the legendary effect designer David Fox, this flanger/doubler was one of the first-ever flanger units available and was used by artists like David Gilmour and Andy Summers.
Other best-selling flanger pedals include the Boss BF-3, the Walrus Audio Polychrome, the MXR M152 Micro Flanger and the EarthQuaker Devices Pyramids.
Guitar Songs That Use Flanger
- “Killing in the Name” – Rage Against The Machine
- “Walking on the Moon” – The Police
- “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” – Van Halen
- “A Forest” – The Cure
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Tremolo Pedals
Tremolo pedals add rhythmic pulsations to your guitar’s volume, delivering everything from a subtle shimmer to a dramatic, throbbing staccato effect. It’s like having a little heartbeat in your tone that can breathe life into your sound, especially when you’re going for a more atmospheric or vintage vibe.
The tremolo effect was the first designed especially for electric guitar, predating reverb. It was built into various classic valve amps, including the Fender Twin Reverb and the Vox AC30.
The tremolo effect is achieved by rapidly and rhythmically altering the volume of your guitar’s signal at a speed and depth of your choosing. You can typically control these parameters with the rate (or speed) knob and the depth knob on your tremolo pedal.
GAK’s Tremolo Pedal Recommendations
Some of our most popular tremolo pedals include the Boss TR-2, the JHS Pedals Kodiak, Walrus Audio Monument V2 and the Electro-Harmonix Nano Pulsar.
Guitar Songs That Use Tremolo
- “Guerilla Radio” – Rage Against The Machine
- “How Soon is Now?” – The Smiths
- “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” – Nancy Sinatra
- “All I Have to Do Is Dream” – The Everly Brothers
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Multi-Modulation Pedals
Running out of your space on your pedalboard and want access to more than one type of modulation? On a budget and want to explore different mod effects?
Fortunately, some effects pedal companies offer models that can deliver multiple flavours of modulation. Plus, they cover a wide range of price points – from affordable stompboxes to all-out modulation workstations.
Popular examples include the Universal Audio UAFX Astra Modulation Machine, the Electro-Harmonix Worm and Mod 11, the Walrus Audio Mako M1, the Boss MD-200 and the Strymon Mobius.
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Reverb Pedals
In essence, reverb is the sound of space. It’s the ambience, the echoes that bounce around in a room after you’ve made a sound.
In a more musical context, reverb pedals recreate these acoustic phenomena, helping you establish a sense of space and depth in your music. From simulating the sound of a small room to the grandeur of a cathedral, reverb pedals are a crucial tool for sculpting your sonic landscape.
There are many different flavours of reverb out there so we’ll cover the three most common ones – spring, plate and hall.
Spring Reverb
Spring reverb is a type of reverb effect that was initially produced mechanically within guitar amplifiers. The effect is created using a set of springs located in a tank within the amp. An audio signal is driven into one end of the springs, and the vibrations are picked up at the other end.
The result is a distinctive, twangy echo that’s become a signature of surf music and is beloved by many guitarists for its characterful retro charm.
One of the most notable aspects of spring reverb is its “boingy” quality. When you hit a note, you get a fast initial bounce followed by a rapid series of diminishing bounces. This characteristic “drip” or “splash” is what sets spring reverb apart from other types of reverb.
It’s not as smooth or linear as plate or hall reverbs, and that’s part of its charm. It can add a palpable sense of space to your tone without washing it out.
Moreover, spring reverb tends to accentuate certain frequencies, which can create a warm and dark echo effect that many players find musically pleasing.
GAK’s Spring Reverb Pedal Recommendations
Pedals like the Surfy Industries SurfyBear Compact Tank, the Carl Martin Headroom and the Gamechanger Audio Light use a real spring tank. These pedals (or an amp with an onboard spring tank like the Fender Deluxe Reverb) are the best choice if you want authentic spring reverb.
Many digital reverb pedals, like the JHS Pedals Spring Tank, the Fender Tre-Verb and the Keeley Hooke authentically emulate the spring reverb sound without the tank.
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Plate Reverb
Plate reverb was born in the realm of recording studios in the 1950s and ’60s, well before digital technology enabled us to carry a myriad of reverb sounds in a compact effects pedal.
Its creation offered an innovative solution to simulate the natural reverb of different spaces, without needing an actual room. The concept of plate reverb is ingenious in its simplicity. It involves sending an audio signal to a large, thin sheet of metal (the “plate”), which vibrates with the input signal.
Transducers — devices that convert energy from one form to another — are attached to the plate. One acts as a speaker, causing the plate to vibrate, while the others act as microphones, picking up the vibrations of the plate to create the echo effect.
The resulting sound is then picked up by a contact microphone, giving you the “reverberated” signal. Damping mechanisms allow control of the reverb tail, making the effect more versatile.
Sonically, plate reverb has unique characteristics. It delivers a smooth, high-fidelity echo that’s denser than room or hall reverb, but less chaotic than spring reverb. The effect has a distinctive “shimmer”, adding a beautiful sheen to any audio source.
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Hall Reverb
Hall reverb is designed to emulate the acoustics of large spaces, such as concert halls or cathedrals.
Imagine yourself playing the guitar on a stage in a grand, expansive hall, your music reverberating, bouncing off the high ceilings, ornate walls and far-off back rows. Hall reverb in an effects pedal aims to recreate that rich, immersive experience in a much more compact and accessible format.
In a physical hall, the sound doesn’t bounce back all at once as a single echo, but rather as a series of reflections that return at different times, depending on the size, shape, and materials of the hall. This creates a complex wash of sound with a long decay time that can add a sense of depth and grandeur to your playing.
Unlike room or plate reverb, hall reverb typically has a slower onset and a more extended decay. The sound tends to be more diffuse, with a lush, complex tail that can linger and fill out the sound in a mix, giving the impression of a larger and more open space.
Hall reverb is great for adding an air of sophistication to your sound, making it ideal for slower, atmospheric music. However, it’s versatile enough to be used in any genre where a sense of space and depth is needed.
GAK’s Plate and Hall Reverb Pedal Recommendations
Whilst it’s possible to get an authentic spring reverb on your pedal, genuine plate reverbs are huge and normally reserved for recording studios and natural hall reverbs require… an actual big hall! Fortunately, there are plenty of fantastic reverb pedals that emulate the plate and hall sound digitally.
What’s more, you don’t have to break the bank to get these reverb sounds on your pedalboard. Our favourite affordable options such as the Boss RV-6, the MXR M300 Reverb Pedal, the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Max and Fender Hammertone Reverb Pedal boast multiple reverb modes, including plate and hall.
Premium models like Strymon‘s blueSky and bigSky, the Universal Audio UAFX Golden Reverberator and the Walrus Audio Mako R1 are the reverb of choice for many pro guitarists. If you’re looking for studio-quality reverb and then some, any of the aforementioned pedals is a great choice.
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Delay Pedals
While reverb simulates the echo in a space, delay repeats your playing after a set period – from the rapid “slapback” of rockabilly to the ethereal echoes of U2’s The Edge. By manipulating the feedback, mix, and time controls, you can create everything from subtle thickening to psychedelic soundscapes.
Guitar Songs That Use Delay
- “Where The Streets Have No Name” – U2
- “Don’t Forget Me” – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
- “Cliffs of Dover” – Eric Johnson
- “Brighton Rock” – Queen
Analogue Delay
Analogue delay pedals are often loved for their warm, dark, and somewhat gritty repeats, offering a distinct flavour that can infuse your guitar tone with a sense of vintage character and depth.
Instead of crisp, digital repeats, analogue delay pedals produce echoes that degrade with each repetition, adding a beautifully mellow, atmospheric quality to your sound.
Analogue delays utilise Bucket Brigade Devices (BBDs) to create their unique effect. BBDs work by passing the signal along a chain of capacitors, with each step in the chain corresponding to a repeat of the delay.
This approach inherently colours and degrades the sound with each repeat, creating a warm and somewhat lo-fi echo effect that can add a rich, thick texture to your sound.
This degradation also results in a rolled-off high end, making the repeats less intrusive and allowing them to sit nicely in the mix without interfering with your dry signal. For this reason, analogue delay is often described as “musical” or “organic” and can be more forgiving than digital delay.
GAK’s Analogue Delay Pedal Recommendations
Analogue delay pedals are plentiful and they cover a wide range of price points. Towards the more affordable end of the spectrum, the Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy and Memory Boy, the Ibanez ADMINI, the Boss DM-2W and the MXR M169 Carbon Copy are very popular options.
Premium analogue delay pedals include the EHX Deluxe Memory Man 1100-TT, the DOD Rubberneck and the Boss DM-101. These analogue delays offer advanced features such as tap tempo, subdivisions and, in the case of the DM-101, presets and MIDI control.
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Tape Delay
Tape delay (also known as tape echo) is celebrated for its warm, lush, and somewhat unpredictable repeats that degrade and modulate with each repetition. Original tape delay units originally worked by recording the input signal onto a magnetic tape and then playing it back at a later point, creating the delay effect.
Most modern tape delay pedals use advanced digital signal processing (or DSP) to emulate the warmth, saturation, and fluttering character of the original hardware units.
This replication often results in a wonderfully rich and complex echo effect, with each repeat taking on a life of its own due to subtle modulations and distortions. This gives tape echo its distinctively “organic” character.
GAK’s Tape Delay Pedal Recommendations
The vast majority of tape delay pedals are actually digital emulations. Technology has advanced enough that a digital pedal can emulate a real tape echo unit with stunning accuracy. Plus, a digital pedal is significantly more compact and easier to maintain.
Our favourite tape echo pedals include the Strymon El Capistan, the Boss RE-202, Universal Audio UAFX Galaxy ’74 and the Wampler Faux Tape Echo V2.
If you’re an effects pedal beginner and on a tight budget, the Boss RE-2, the NUX Tape Echo, the Keeley Mag Echo and Fender Hammertone Space Delay are fantastic alternatives.
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Digital Delay
Digital delay pedals are revered for their pristine, clear repetitions and lengthy delay time. Unlike the warm, decaying repeats of analogue delay pedals, digital delay units produce echoes that maintain their quality with each repetition.
Digital delay effects work by sampling the input signal and storing it in a digital buffer, which can then be played back to produce the delay effect. This method of digitally reproducing the signal results in a clean and precise echo effect that retains the exact characteristics of the original sound.
This fidelity allows the repeats to maintain their tonal characteristics, even at very long delay times, making the echoes distinct and highly controllable. This is why digital delays are often characterized as “sharp” or “precise”.
A major advantage of digital delay pedals is their versatility. Many digital delays offer multiple flavours of delay, from emulations of tape and analogue to ethereal shimmer, reverse and lo-fi modes.
GAK’s Digital Delay Pedal Recommendations
If you’re looking for a digital delay pedal that really leans into the crisp, clean character of digital, the Boss SDE-3000D and DD-3T, the Strymon Dig, and Eventide Ultratap wear their “digitalness” on their sleeve.
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Multi-Delay Pedals
When putting together your first pedalboard, how do you choose between an analogue, digital or tape-style delay? What if you want all three types but have limited space in your rig? That’s where multi-delay pedals come in.
These digital pedals offer multiple modes of delay in one stompbox. Whilst some guitarists argue that a digital pedal doesn’t do analogue sounds as well as the real deal, the added versatility makes up for it.
You also have access to features that a lot of analogue pedals don’t have, such as tap tempo, presets (where you can save settings and recall them later), stereo connections and MIDI control.
GAK’s Multi-Delay Pedal Recommendations
The Strymon Timeline, Line 6 DL4 MkII and Universal Audio UAFX Starlight Echo Station are all high-end, pro-quality delay pedals that feature a variety of studio-quality delay tones.
More affordable delay pedals that offer a range of delay types include the Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Delay, Nux Duo, the Mooer ReEcho, the Electro-Harmonix Canyon and the Boss DD-8.
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Delay and Reverb Pedals
Some pedals combine delay and reverb in a single stompbox. Whilst they may not give you the same depth of control or flexibility as a dedicated pedal, they’re an excellent option if you need to conserve room in your rig, have limited outputs on your power supply or simply want to save money.
Usually, the only compromise you have to make with an all-in-one delay and reverb pedal is you have to keep delay/reverb paired on your pedalboard and may not have as many controls to tweak. When it comes to sound quality, they hold up with individual delay/reverb pedals.
GAK’s Delay and Reverb Pedal Recommendations
There are a lot of top-notch options for delay and reverb pedals out there. One of our favourites is the Universal Audio UAFX Del-Verb. This pedal is essentially a straight-up combo of the Golden Reverberator reverb and Starlight Echo Station delay.
Other popular delay and reverb pedals include the EarthQuaker Devices Avalance Run and Dispatch Master, the Keeley Caverns and the Wampler Ethereal.
Affordable delay and reverb pedal options include the Mooer EchoVerb and the Nux Atlantic. The Atlantic is particularly good value for money, offering tape, analogue and digital flavours of delay and spring, plate and hall reverb modes. It also features subdivisions, tap tempo, Shimmer and Freeze.
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Octave Pedals
Octave pedals are known for their ability to add an extra layer of depth and complexity to your tone. These pedals create notes that are an octave (or more) above or below the original signal. They essentially allow guitarists to play harmonies with themselves in real time.
They’re incredibly versatile effects pedals. Want to thicken up or add some sparkle to your sound? Emulate other instruments? Have access to a much wider range of notes? Grab an octave pedal.
Original Octave Pedals
The earliest octave pedals, such as the iconic Roger Mayer Octavia, were monophonic. This means they could only process one note at a time. They were best suited for single-note lead lines and didn’t track well with complex chords.
The Octavia, famously used by Jimi Hendrix, also introduced a touch of fuzz, creating a psychedelic and rich harmonic texture. Octave fuzz would become a staple of the late 60s and early 70s rock sound.
The Digitech Whammy, first introduced in the early 90s, is another classic monophonic octave pedal. Besides shifting the pitch up or down by an octave, it allowed players to shift the pitch by other intervals and even perform extreme divebombs like you would with a whammy bar.
Whilst you can play more than one note with a Digitech Whammy, it creates a very digital, glitchy tone. Check out “My Iron Lung” by Radiohead to hear it used this way.
Models like the Boss OC series offered a more refined monophonic octave effect, with the ability to add an octave above and/or below the played note. However, like all early octave pedals, they worked best with monophonic signals.
Polyphonic Octave Pedals
Fast forward to the modern era, and octave pedals have evolved significantly, with polyphonic tracking becoming a game-changing advancement.
Polyphonic octave pedals can process multiple notes simultaneously, allowing for accurate tracking of complex chords, not just single notes. This technological leap has expanded the creative possibilities for guitarists, enabling them to craft rich, full-bodied soundscapes.
While these modern, polyphonic pedals are versatile and can handle complex inputs, there is still a charm to the monophonic, vintage-styled octave pedals.
Their unique quirks and characteristic tones continue to make them a favourite among certain players such as Jack White, Tom Morello and Jonny Greenwood.
GAK’s Octave Pedal Recommendations
When it comes to polyphonic octave pedals, the Electro-Harmonix POG series is among our best-selling. The flagship pedal in the range is the POG 2. It’s the most feature-packed out of all the POG pedals, boasting up to two octaves of range, presets and superior sound shaping options.
The Nano POG and Micro POG are easier to use, with only three knobs to blend in the different octaves and your dry signal, more compact and more affordable. EHX have also put their more simplified POG circuitry into two multi-effects pedals, the Soul POG and the Epitome.
Boss’ OC-5 gives you the best of both worlds – classic monophonic and modern polyphonic tones – and it’s also keenly priced. Plus, it features a Smart Poly mode that restricts the effect to the lower notes on your guitar. You can also isolate the octave effect to the lowest note of a chord.
Digitech are still a major player in the world of octave pedals. The Whammy range has a few offerings, including the iconic Whammy (now in its 5th generation), the Whammy DT (which lets you shift your tuning without having to re-tune or change guitars) and the compact Whammy Ricochet.
The Catalinbread Octapussy, EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle, the Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen, the MXR Blue Box and KMA Machines Queequeg are excellent options if you’re looking for old-school analogue octave tones.
Guitar Songs That Use An Octave Pedal
- “Blue Orchid” – The White Stripes
- “My Iron Lung” – Radiohead
- “Killing In The Name” – Rage Against The Machine
- “The Weather” – Pond
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EQ Pedals
An equalizer or EQ pedal may not be the most glamorous addition to a pedalboard, but it can be one of the most versatile and effective. If you want to take full control over your guitar tone, you need an EQ pedal.
The sheer versatility of an EQ pedal is what makes it such a crucial tool. You can use it as a “fix-it” tool, dialling out problematic frequencies that cause feedback or adjusting your tone to suit different rooms.
EQ pedals can also serve as a clean boost, either driving your amp harder for a natural overdriven tone or lifting your level for solos.
How does an EQ Pedal work?
At its core, an EQ pedal allows you to boost or cut specific frequencies within your signal. Most guitar-centric EQ pedals operate within the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, the general range of human hearing.
Graphic EQ vs. Parametric EQ
In simple terms, a graphic EQ is like a paint roller, covering a large area quickly and easily, while a parametric EQ is more like a paintbrush, allowing for detailed work and precision.
A graphic equalizer pedal is the one you might picture when you think of an EQ pedal: it has several linear sliders, each assigned to a fixed frequency band. These bands are spread across the frequency spectrum from low (bass) to high (treble).
To adjust a frequency, you simply move the slider assigned to that frequency up to boost it, or down to cut it. A graphic EQ provides a visual representation of your frequency adjustments, forming a “graph” of your EQ curve. It’s relatively easy to use, and great for making broad tonal changes.
A parametric equalizer pedal, on the other hand, is a bit more complex and flexible. Instead of multiple sliders assigned to fixed frequencies, a parametric EQ typically has fewer bands, but each one is adjustable.
This means you can select the specific frequency you wish to boost or cut. Moreover, you can also control the “Q” (the range of frequencies around the selected frequency) that are affected. This allows for much more precise tonal shaping, letting you hone in on specific frequencies.
Transforming Your Dirt Pedals with an EQ Pedal
Perhaps one of the most exciting uses of an EQ pedal is its ability to dramatically reshape the tone of your dirt pedals (overdrive, distortion, and fuzz).
By placing an EQ pedal after your dirt pedals, you can fine-tune the output, adding or subtracting bass, mids, or treble to suit your taste. This can make a dark-sounding overdrive pedal sound brighter or a harsh distortion sound smoother, giving you an entirely new palette of tones from your existing gear.
Alternatively, placing an EQ before your dirt pedals allows you to control the frequencies being fed into them. This can significantly change the character of the dirt pedal.
For instance, boosting the bass frequencies before they hit a fuzz pedal can result in a massive, doom-laden tone, while boosting the mids before an overdrive can lead to a punchy, aggressive sound that cuts through the mix.
GAK’s EQ Pedal Recommendations
The Boss GE-7 is an excellent EQ pedal that, whilst keenly priced, can be found on the pedalboards of guitarists such as David Gilmour, John Mayer, Josh Homme, Billie Joe Armstrong, Noel Gallagher, Adam Jones, Robert Smith and many, many more. That should be enough endorsement to check it out.
The MXR M108S Ten Band EQ, Boss EQ-200 and Source Audio SA270 EQ2 offer a wider range of frequency bands than the GE-7, giving you more options for sculpting your tone. The EQ-200 and SA270 also feature presets so you can recall your favourite settings instantly.
Our top picks for parametric EQ pedals are the ParaEQ MKII and ParaEQ MKII Deluxe. These pedals are on par with high-end studio processors when it comes to tone shaping.
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Wah Pedals
One of the most iconic and expressive tools in the arsenal of any guitar player is undoubtedly the wah-wah pedal, also known as a wah pedal. Originating in the 1960s, wah has been a staple of rock and funk music, and its unique vocal-like characteristics have made it popular in nearly every genre of music.
Whether you’re looking to recreate the psychedelic sounds of the ’60s, lay down some funky grooves, add some expressivity to your solos or emulate Kirk Hammett, a wah pedal can be a versatile and valuable addition to your pedalboard.
How does a wah pedal work?
A wah pedal essentially operates as a movable filter that changes the tone of your guitar’s signal, producing an effect that goes “wah” – hence the name. The foot pedal component controls the sweep of the filter.
When the pedal is rocked forward, the peak of the filter moves towards the higher frequencies, creating a bright and sharp sound. Conversely, when the pedal is rocked back, the peak of the filter moves towards the lower frequencies, producing a dark, throaty sound.
How do you use a wah pedal?
The wah pedal shines when used for emphasis and expression. It’s not typically a pedal you’d leave on all the time, but rather one that you activate for certain passages to give them more flavour or intensity.
By manipulating the pedal, you can bring out specific parts of the frequency range, drawing attention to particular notes or phrases.
Some guitarists, such as Frank Zappa, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Michael Schenker of UFO, Mark Speer of Khruangbin and Joey Walker of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have used a wah as a fixed filter to shape their tone, finding a sweet spot and leaving the pedal in that position.
GAK’s Wah Pedal Recommendations
You don’t have to break the bank to own a top-notch wah-wah pedal. Each wah pedal has its own character, especially between brands, so it’s worth noting what model your favourite players use and trying a variety out yourself.
Two of the most popular wah pedals are the Vox V847 and the Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby Original. If you want a classic wah-wah tone, either of these pedals will deliver the goods.
You also have premium wah pedals such as the Vox V846HW, which is handwired for maximum sonic fidelity and features true bypass, and the Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby Multi-Wah, which offers six selectable wah ranges and a variable boost.
Pedals such as the Electro-Harmonix Cock Fight and the Dunlop Q Zone specialise in “cocked” wah tones.
Instead of using a treadle like a traditional wah, envelope filters and auto wahs such as the MXR M120 Auto Q, the EHX Nano Q-Tron, the Carl Martin Ottawa and the Mooer Envelope react to how hard you pick the strings.
Guitar Songs That Use Wah
- “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” – Them Crooked Vultures
- “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” – Jimi Hendrix
- “Battery” – Metallica
- “Theme From Shaft” – Isaac Hayes
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Volume Pedals
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner, a volume pedal can offer you an unprecedented level of dynamic and expressive control.
Volume pedals allow you to modify your guitar’s volume level on the fly, providing a hands-free approach to volume control. This can create an expansive range of sound dynamics, from gentle whispers to roaring crescendos, without touching the volume knob on the guitar or the amplifier.
Passive vs. Active Volume Pedals
Passive volume pedals don’t require a power source. They work similarly to the volume knob on a guitar, using a potentiometer to control the volume.
While they’re easier to set up and use, passive volume pedals can reduce your guitar’s treble frequencies (known as “tone suck”), especially if you’re using very long cables. It’s advised to use a pedal with a buffer, such as a Boss pedal, with a passive volume pedal so your high-end is preserved.
Ideally, your pedalboard will have a buffer at the beginning and right at the end of your signal chain. A lot of tuner pedals (usually first in the chain) and reverb pedals (usually last in the chain) feature a buffer for this reason.
Active volume pedals are equipped with a built-in buffer which helps in maintaining the tone and signal level of the guitar. A trade-off is that they require a power supply in order to work.
Ways to use a Volume Pedal
Volume Swells
By adjusting the pedal, you can introduce your notes or chords gradually, creating a beautiful, violin-like sound. This technique, often called a “volume swell,” adds a unique texture to the music and is widely used in genres like ambient and post-rock.
Gain Adjustments
When a volume pedal is placed before a gain pedal in the signal chain, it acts much like your guitar’s volume knob. As you reduce the volume using the pedal, the signal going into the gain pedal decreases, which cleans up the distortion or overdrive.
This setup gives you a wide spectrum of tones, from a clean sound at lower volumes to a crunchier sound when the volume pedal is at its maximum. This way, you can control the amount of grit or distortion with your foot, giving you dynamic control over the gain level in real time.
When you put the volume pedal after the gain pedals, it acts more like a master volume control. No matter where you set the volume pedal, the amount of distortion or overdrive remains consistent, as the gain pedal always receives the same signal strength from your guitar.
The volume pedal in this position only changes the overall volume that comes out of the speaker. This setup can be particularly useful when you want to maintain the same level of distortion or overdrive but need to adjust your overall volume level.
GAK’s Volume Pedal Recommendations
All volume pedals tend to do the same job, altering your volume level, the same way. Where they tend to differ is their impedance, whether they’re tailored for passive or active pickups, size and additional features.
If you want a simple, straightforward volume pedal then we recommend the Ernie Ball 6180 VP Jr 250K (or the Ernie Ball 6181 VP Junior 25K if your guitar or bass has passive pickups). It has a rugged construction, a smooth sweep, a dedicated tuner output and two selectable volume swell rates.
Boss also offer a range of excellent volume pedals, including the stereo-ready FV-30L and the FV-500L/FV-500H, which can double as an expression pedal.
If space on your pedalboard is limited, the passive DOD Mini Volume Pedal and the active Mooer Leveline are two compact options.
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Wrapping Up
You’ve reached the end of GAK’s Guitar Effects Pedal Buying Guide! We trust that our exploration into guitar effects has given you a solid foundation to start your own journey.
Remember, the world of effects pedals is vast and diverse. It’s a playground for guitarists to explore, filled with endless possibilities for personal expression and creativity.
Setting up a pedalboard is an art in itself. You will find that the order of pedals, their interaction, and the way they are powered can all significantly influence your overall sound. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for your playing style and sonic goals.
Remember, there’s no definitive right or wrong in the realm of guitar effects. It’s all about creating a sound that speaks to you and shares your musical vision with the world. So, take the plunge, step on that first pedal, and start exploring the wonderful world of effects pedals today.
Happy playing, and remember: at GAK, we’re always here to help find your sound. Don’t hesitate to contact us or head down to our Brighton store if you have any questions or need advice on guitar gear!
“Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson