2 years ago
What is the best guitar pedal to buy for a decent price?
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M$1 Answer
It really depends on what type of pedal you're looking for, what kind of sound you're looking for, if you're putting it into an effects chain, and what you define as "decent price". Personally I haven't found any pedal that I would call great for less than $80
Distortion:
In terms of distortion, the best one I've come across is the ZVex Fuzz Factory. It has a wide range of distortion that can be anywhere from a light touch to a heavy metal distortion to an all out fuzz fest that sounds like an atari. The hand-painted ones go for quite a bit, but you can get a Vexter Series new for about $180, which is pretty much the same thing (it's just not hand painted and has different resisters). Both a pro and con of the Fuzz Factory is how powerful it is. It can take you a long time to figure out the right setting to get your sound, but once you do, it's worth it.
If the ZVex is a bit too pricey, the Ibanez Tube Screamer would be my second best. It goes for more of a tube overdrive sound and isn't as versatile as the ZVex, but you can get a good range out of it at a really good quality. You should be able to find one for around $100.
I wouldn't recommend anything from Boss or Digitech for distortion. In my opinion, they just don't seem to pack the greatest sound and versatility. Boss has some very specific distortion pedals that are for blues/jazz that are decent, if that's more of your style.
If you already have good distortion in your amp, you can start thinking about going into more effects-driven pedals:
Reverb/Delay:
Boss pedals, hands down. Decent price and a sound that I think really can't be beat unless you go into rack-mount land. These pedals seem to hang around the $100 price point.
Wah-Wah:
Dunlop Crybaby is my favorite Wah pedal. Each pedal seems to have its own personality. You can get ones that have a knob that control the wah range, but my experience with these seems to be that ones that let you control the range/sweep sound worse than ones that don't. These tend to hover around the $80-120 price range.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Crybaby/
Pitch Shifting:
Digitech Whammy. Hands down the greatest pitch shifter pedal out there. The IV is a bit more digital sounding than the first version, but good luck finding a I for less than $300 used. the IVs retail for around $200ish, but are worth it.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Whammy4/
All-in-Ones:
If you don't really have an effects chain yet and are looking into experimenting, it might be a good idea to look into buying an all in one pedal that digitally mimics several types of pedals. My current favorite is Guitar Rig. It's absolutely no substitute for a real effects chain, but it's a great way to experiment with sound without spending a boatload of cash on various amps/effects/etc. It's very pricy ($300-$500), but if you're looking for just experimental things and don't really want to take it pro, it's a great buy. Digitech also makes a decent all in one pedal, but I don't think it's as versatile as Guitar Rig.
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/guitar/guitar-rig-kontrol-edition/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RP1000/
I cant give much input on chorus/flanger/phaser pedals because I haven't really messed with them much. Let me know the specifics of what you're looking for if you want more info or advice.
Distortion:
In terms of distortion, the best one I've come across is the ZVex Fuzz Factory. It has a wide range of distortion that can be anywhere from a light touch to a heavy metal distortion to an all out fuzz fest that sounds like an atari. The hand-painted ones go for quite a bit, but you can get a Vexter Series new for about $180, which is pretty much the same thing (it's just not hand painted and has different resisters). Both a pro and con of the Fuzz Factory is how powerful it is. It can take you a long time to figure out the right setting to get your sound, but once you do, it's worth it.
If the ZVex is a bit too pricey, the Ibanez Tube Screamer would be my second best. It goes for more of a tube overdrive sound and isn't as versatile as the ZVex, but you can get a good range out of it at a really good quality. You should be able to find one for around $100.
I wouldn't recommend anything from Boss or Digitech for distortion. In my opinion, they just don't seem to pack the greatest sound and versatility. Boss has some very specific distortion pedals that are for blues/jazz that are decent, if that's more of your style.
If you already have good distortion in your amp, you can start thinking about going into more effects-driven pedals:
Reverb/Delay:
Boss pedals, hands down. Decent price and a sound that I think really can't be beat unless you go into rack-mount land. These pedals seem to hang around the $100 price point.
Wah-Wah:
Dunlop Crybaby is my favorite Wah pedal. Each pedal seems to have its own personality. You can get ones that have a knob that control the wah range, but my experience with these seems to be that ones that let you control the range/sweep sound worse than ones that don't. These tend to hover around the $80-120 price range.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Crybaby/
Pitch Shifting:
Digitech Whammy. Hands down the greatest pitch shifter pedal out there. The IV is a bit more digital sounding than the first version, but good luck finding a I for less than $300 used. the IVs retail for around $200ish, but are worth it.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Whammy4/
All-in-Ones:
If you don't really have an effects chain yet and are looking into experimenting, it might be a good idea to look into buying an all in one pedal that digitally mimics several types of pedals. My current favorite is Guitar Rig. It's absolutely no substitute for a real effects chain, but it's a great way to experiment with sound without spending a boatload of cash on various amps/effects/etc. It's very pricy ($300-$500), but if you're looking for just experimental things and don't really want to take it pro, it's a great buy. Digitech also makes a decent all in one pedal, but I don't think it's as versatile as Guitar Rig.
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/guitar/guitar-rig-kontrol-edition/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RP1000/
I cant give much input on chorus/flanger/phaser pedals because I haven't really messed with them much. Let me know the specifics of what you're looking for if you want more info or advice.
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M$
holy cow - now THIS is a good answer! In my mind every guitarist should have an Ibanez TS9, although I'd spend the extra few bucks and get the TS9-DX, which offers a few more levels of "boost" or distortion. The TS9 has been used by EVERYONE worth talking about from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Steve Vai. I hook that up to a classic Vox wah, and a Boss OC-3 Super Octave (expensive but aweeesome) and I'm good to go for about 90% of my songs. Throw in just about any phaser and I'm ready to rock!