We are often asked, what are the best guitar pedals? Well there are really so many to choose from. So we figured we’d put together a list of the top 10 best guitar pedals, generally speaking that is. The ordered list will consist of types of guitar pedals and we’ll add some recommendations for each of the top pedals in that category.
1) Wah Pedal
Ah the famous Wah pedal. There is really nothing quite like it! Who would’ve thought that a pedal that lets you go from bassy to trebly on the fly via an expression pedal would be so innovative. It literally can make your guitar sound like it’s talking! Such a cool pedal and always a crowd pleaser, making this number 1 on our list. Check out our list of the best wah pedals on the market.
2) Overdrive
The overdrive pedal makes its way into second place as it allows you to really shape and color your tone. It can be used in a variety of ways, and can literally give you hundreds of tonal variations. An OD will really help push your amp, giving you more touch sensitivity and gain. Maybe you just want to kick it on for solos, or keep it as an always-on pedal set to dirty. Check out our list of the best overdrive pedals on the market.
3) Univibe
Why is the famous univibe so high on this list, you ask? Well because of Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour, thats why. This pedal can really take you on a trip through mind-altering states without any substance! Get a lush heartbeat chorus or switch to the eerie vibrato mode. Here’s our list of the best vibe pedals.
4) Fuzz/Distortion
Want your tone to go balls to the wall? Get screaming solos, and sustain that goes on forever. These high gain pedals changed the electric guitar world forever, allowing guitarists to get the craziest of sounds! Do your best dive bomb, and let the entire audience feel it! Check out our best fuzz pedals list.
5) Delay/Echo
With a nice delay or echo, you can achieve some other-wise impossible sounds. Get huge soundscapes like The Edge, or set it to a nice slapback to thicken your guitar tone. Lots of fun experimenting to be had with a delay/echo pedal. Check out our picks of the best delay pedal.
6) Octave Pedals
Add another octave on top of your current tone. This works great for solos. In the past, you could only go one octave up, but today there are many pedals allowing you to go up, down, both, more than one octave, etc. Some great octave pedals includes the POG, FoxRox Octron, and the Chicago Iron Octavian. Check out our picks of the best octave pedals.
7) Boost Pedals
Sometimes you need a boost in your tone, without it getting too dirty. Boost pedals are a great way to make your cleans more chimey, and adds a bit more sustain on tap. Great for a little extra umph to your tone. Check out the Xotic EP Booster.
8 ) Chorus
Sometimes you want that lush, watery type of tone that feels more ambient. It can really add more depth up your single notes as well, and makes a fun stack with distortion. There are many different chorus pedals on the market to choose from. Here’s are list for the best chorus pedals on the market.
9) Reverb
If your amp doesn’t have any onboard reverb, then trying a reverb pedal is a must! Get a surf tone from the 60s’, or the out-of-phase sound of the psychedelic era. Reverb really adds space and dimension to your tone. Take a look at our choices for the best reverb pedal.
10) Tuner Pedals
Why did tuning pedals make the list you ask? Well if your guitar is not well in tune, than you will sound bad no matter how good your tone is. A tuning pedal allows you to tune during a performance. Usually it mutes your guitar so no one really knows that you are tuning at all. Check out the best pedal tuners.
Well there you have it, our top 10 of the best types of guitar pedals. Here’s some other great pedals to check out that almost made the list!