Best Guitar Pedals

The Fuzz Factory ZVEX pedal does not sound like any other. From a (relatively) usual fuzz sound, to a tearing velcro sound, to a mess of self-oscillating pitches enveloping whatever note you play in, you can place it anywhere. The Fuzz Factory is always put to work when it’s time to get strange.

The Source Audio Nemesis is second only to the Archer in level of importance on my board. This pedal is like 10 delay pedals in one and solves the problem of taking 4 different road delays. You can select from a range of delay types including analog, digital, tape, reverse and many more. It’s also simple to use, fairly lightweight and it sounds fantastic. I have a Wingman on the level on this button, and another on the delay stage.

The Goodrich Volume Pedal runs counter to my criteria of wanting small sized pedals but, to me, it is worth it. The subtlety and expressiveness provided by this pedal has made it a favorite among pedal steel musicians, where the pedal volume is almost a part of the instrument. It’s also become an important part of my sound, it’s flexibility that helps me to really get smooth, slow crescendos. It is especially useful when used in synth-like pads and for pedal-steel-like slide play alongside the Nemesis delay.

A lot of effect pedals nowadays often try to replicate the sounds of earlier devices or techniques. A pedal like the Nemesis is trying to pack a tape delay, a bucket-brigade analog delay, a digital delay, and much more into one small , portable box, and do a great job at it.

At the moment one of the most important pedals on my board is J. Rockett Audio Systems Pedal overdrive, Archer. This pedal ticks every button. It’s very compact, maybe even slightly smaller than a Tubescreamer, it’s built like a tank, it’s very robust, and it sounds fantastic. It’s a kind of 2-in-1 lever, serving as a clean boost if you turn the gain all the way down and overdrive if you turn the gain upwards.

I prefer to keep the pedal engaged all the time and change the gain level with my foot through the Option Knob system called a Wingman. The Wingman is essentially a large knob that replaces the traditional knob which allows you to change settings with your foot. The Wingman can work on most pedals I’ve tried using it on. For a variety of my results it is an integral part of my setup.

One of the things I often look for in a pedal is its ability to replicate effectively whatever sound it attempts to recreate as well as perform wild and crazy things when pushed to the extremes. The Strymon Blue Sky Reverberator is just one such pedal.

For some years now I have been using this pedal and I don’t see it falling off my board anytime long. It can quite convincingly recreate classic spring reverb sounds found in ’60s Fender amps while still giving you the option to get an endless bed of reverb, change timbres, and even change pitches with a twist of a knob. Perhaps not the most important pedal on my board but one of my favorites.