Essential Guitar Pedals:
The Ultimate Guide

Featuring tone, volume, bass, and that critical gain control knob, the Euphoria pedal features input and output jacks that plug into your guitar on one end, and into an amp at the other.

It’s high-end digital circuitry amplifies the power of the guitar while maintaining the integrity of your sound, resulting in high highs, and low lows, with nothing lost or added in the process. 

This is just a great example of an overdrive pedal done right, as the sound that passes through it will please the ears of even the most discerning audiophile.

​Check out the Wampler Euphoria V2 on Amazon.

If you’re a little more budget focused after splurging on that new guitar but still want great sound passing through your pedal, the MojoMojo is a great entry level option that carries a ton of power.

But a word of warning: You might not want to push it to its absolute limits unless you want to wander into distortion territory, as you’ll start to see some unwanted noise in your output. 

This can be a deal-breaker for some, but if you just want to dabble with the effect, this pedal can handle it in short bursts.

It also features an extremely handy bass-response toggle, which ensures that those notes are never lost in the mix when using the pedal.

It can result in a heavier sound, but it adds some nice presence to your music that can be quite welcome depending on the genre you’re playing.

Check out the TC Electronic MojoMojo on Amazon.

This sturdy stomp box might not look out place on a construction site, but that’s because its build quality will reliably get you years of consistent use.

The DS-1 is an extremely versatile distortion pedal that can give you all the crunch and dirt you’re looking for at an affordable price, but does tend to give preference to higher pitched tones on output.

It’s onboard controls probably shouldn’t get cranked up the maximum unless you enjoy sharp, piercing high notes, but the range these controls have is still quite impressive.

If you’re looking for the skull-crushing rhythms found in genres like death metal you’ll want to look elsewhere, but if not, the Boss will serve you just fine, like it has everyone else for forty years.

​Check out the Boss DS-1 on Amazon.

The MXR is a fantastic option for more experienced players looking for a pedal that they can micro-manage to fine-tune their performance. 

This pedal is fully featured (and more expensive) than the DS-1 we looked at earlier because it offers bass, mid, and treble controls.

While it’s endlessly adjustable, cranking the distortion knob all the way to the max cuts out the complexity and results in the simple and aggressive sound you’re probably looking for at almost every EQ setting.

Whether you want to explore the high or low end of the frequency spectrum, you’ll be getting true to life performance that doesn’t compromise on sound quality, for a price that’s extremely hard to beat.

​Check out the MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion Pedal on Amazon.

Fuzz effects aren't too complex electronically, and Donner sticks to this mantra of "simplicity" by providing an entry-level option that does everything you could reasonably expect from a fuzz pedal. 

At lower settings you can get that subtle dirty-ness that will remind your listeners of the country classics, but it still delivers that heavy distortion you crave on the high end, without introducing unwanted signal noise.

Some players can find that the sound produced at lower sustain settings isn’t quite as clean as they would expect, but if you’re someone who likes to get down and dirty with their effects, then that shouldn’t bother you too much -- except in rare instances where you might want to tone it down. 

​Check out the Donner Stylish Fuzz Pedal on Amazon.

If you’re into fuzz effects because you want to play like Jimi, then look no further than the Octavix. Nothing will get you closer to the rock god himself than the fuzz this pedal can provide.

On top of the volume and fuzz (boost on this model) control that you’re looking for, the Octavix offers some versatility by including an Octave knob, which allows you to simulate the deeper sounds of a bass guitar, or even go up an octave if you wish!

It’s not mandatory, and the effect can be completely turned off by dialing the knob all the way to zero, which results in a traditional, albeit expensive fuzz option.

Still, if you have the cash and want something a little higher end that adds value by including features without compromising on its stunning sound quality, then Electro-Harmonix is where you want to turn.

​Check out the Electro-Harmonix Octavix Fuzz Pedal on Amazon.

There’s something to be said for simplicity, and that’s exactly what you get when you buy the V845.

There are no frills, added controls, or annoying features. Featuring a simple “on-off” switch at the press of a button, the Vox delivers a lot of performance that will capture the sound of 60s and 70s blues and classic rock each time you use it.

It’s extremely simple to set-up thanks to the option of using both an AC adapter or a battery for power. Its an ideal pedal for occasional use, or if you're carrying it around with you on the go.

Don’t get me wrong, purists will still love the quality that comes out of this little thing, but since it lacks some of the adjustable features of its competitors, dedicated users might find it slightly lacking when trying to optimize their sound. 

​Check out the Vox V845 Wah Wah Pedal on Amazon.

This is a premium pedal from Dunlop with excellent control and performance. 

It not only achieves that depth of sound you’re looking for, but this pedal also features on-board controls to adjust boost and frequency center. This gives you maximum control.

If you’re not sure about what settings you need to get your desired effect, it has built-in pre-sets to let you play along to some of the greats with no effort required on your part.

Its durable construction might have you struggling to press down on it at first, but give it some grease and time and you’ll be surprised at how smooth the action becomes.

The bottom line is that the Dunlop is probably one of the best wah pedals money can buy, and that’s not an exaggeration considering it has been played across the world by some of the best musicians to ever pick up the instrument.

​Check out the Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby on Amazon.

The name might put you off, but give it a chance and you’ll be glad you did because Deadbeat Sound has managed to put together one of the best chorus pedals on the market.

It gives you the ability to control the depth, speed, and level of the chorus effect, and while at mid levels it might not sound as saturated as you might have hoped for, crank up the dials just a little bit more and you’ll be blown away by its performance.

The notes it carries are a clean, accurate representation of what you’re playing in real-time, and introduces no discernible signal interference even when it’s not in use. This means that you can keep it plugged in and only adjust the dials when you need them on a song by song basis, without compromising the quality of the audio you’re putting out.

If you play with the settings a bit you can create some surreal, almost distorted sounds that can really play with your audience and give them a fantastic listening experience they won’t quickly forget.

​Check out the Deadbeat Sound Wet Dreams on Amazon.

The widely loved CH-1 is one of the most popular chorus pedals for a reason.

 It has a great build quality that looks and feels great in the hand, but more importantly also produces one of the best sounds from a chorus pedal to date thanks to the great texture of the output, which serves to give your music a nice weight.

The knobs have great travel to them which gives you a lot of room to make subtle, but noticeable adjustments that work just as well at the low and high frequency levels, and at full blast the performance it puts out will rock the room even if you’re playing solo, and will leave you more than happy with the results.

​Check out the Boss CH-1 Super Chorus on Amazon.

The second Donner option on our list once again hits it out of the park with a high-performance pedal that can work as a standalone tool on stage with you, or even in conjunction with something like an overdrive pedal.

This is possible thanks to the lack of boosts to the delay signals being produced.

The actual output audio is unaltered, which means that it will play nicely with other effects without interfering with those individual signal processors.

While some players might find the delay hard to set to their preferences, this isn’t a design flaw, but is instead actually due to the three individual knobs for the echo, feedback, and time that must be individually adjusted to get something that sounds good.

It’s a tricky system to master, but nothing that’s good comes easy, right?

Stick with it and you’ll have an affordable, reliable tool that can create an endless variety of delay effects. 

​Check out the Donner Yellow Fall on Amazon.

Another great option for ballers on a budget, the Delay-lay-lay by Deadbeat Sound features similar control options to the Donner, but arguably surpasses it (though slightly) in audio quality.

The sound produced by this pedal is very thick, and can even offer some subtle reverb effects in the way that it decays the note slightly over time.

Again, you won’t be getting a two in one steal, but it’s some nice added value if you’re looking to maximize what you’re getting in return for your dollars.

One downside with this model is the build quality. It’s not bad by any means, but it doesn’t have the sturdy feel of the Donner which might make you think twice before throwing it in your bag and taking it on stage.

In a controlled environment like your home studio or bedroom though, it’s an excellent tool to the enrich your playing.

​Check out the Deadbeat Sound Delay-lay-lay on Amazon.

If you’re a tinkerer who loves to play with the settings of your gear, then the Hall of Fame is your match made in heaven thanks to the customization it offers through its controls.

It not only sports knobs for the decay, tone, and level of your audio, but also has ten pre-sets to simulate the sounds of playing in different spaces, as well as a toggle to set the length of time before the delay occurs after playing.

It’s a lot to consider, and comes with a hefty price tag, but considering you can also output in both stereo or mono, you have a ton of flexibility in a small form factor when you go with this option.

Even if you don’t want to deal with the headache of setting it up though, even the simplest delayed effects results in natural sound at all frequency ranges, making it ideal for people who love to dabble in different genres of music, or even for those who want to use more than one pedal effect.

It can even be altered on the fly by adapting to the pressure you put on the footswitch, which amplifies or subdues the effect, and that’s a great feature for players who want to downsize their set-ups. 

​Check out the TC Electronic HoF 2 on Amazon.

It compromises on performance by offering less adjustability, less features, and less sound output options, but it still provides what you want a reverb pedal to accomplish at its core.

This is a basic, entry level pedal that is ideally targeted for players just dabbling in the effect, but can still produce some more complex interactions by toying with the settings.

The note decays it produces is still crisp and clear, but starts to fall off after extended use by producing the occasional strange noises.

That can be due to some manufacturing defects that occasionally plague the model, and is something you should be aware of before buying

Faults aside, the Donner will still be of great use to you if you’re just getting immersed in the world of pedals, or want something that can take your home playing for the next level.

If you’re recording in studio or need a handy little pedal to take to your next live venues though, you might want to spring for a more fully-featured model, as this one can sometimes feel limited in what it offers. 

​Check out the Donner Digital Reverb Pedal on Amazon.