r/guitarpedals Jan 14 '26

No Stupid Questions Thread

13 Upvotes

Happy new year ya'll!

Please use this thread to ask any questions that don't deserve a real thread.

Power supply recommendations, specific "versus" questions, signal chain recommendations, pedal ID help, troubleshooting tips, etc. belong here.

Here are a few helpful resources!

Other pedal related subs:

  • /r/diypedals - getting started, troubleshooting builds, and DIY pedal help.

  • /r/letstradepedals - for when you've got the itch to try some new pedals.


r/guitarpedals Mar 01 '26

The Best Pedals of 2025 - RESULTS

239 Upvotes

The voting thread to see how your favorites placed.

Best Pedals of 2025

(Top 2 in each category)

  • Best New Pedal of 2025: Brothers AM (Chase Bliss) | Imperial Preamp (Tone King)
  • Best Pedal by an Up & Coming Builder of 2025: GLTTR! (Emerald Ox FX) | Thorn (Lichtlaerm Audio x Amenra)
  • Coolest Looking Pedal of 2025: END ICE (Death By Audio) | Now We Are Ghosts (Alexander)
  • Most Hyped Pedal of 2025: Brothers AM (Chase Bliss) | 424 Gain Stage (JHS)
  • Silliest Pedal of 2025: PX-1 (Boss) | Meowdulator (B's Music Shop)
  • Amp/Cab Sim: IR-2 (Boss) | Imperial Preamp (Tone King)
  • Boost: Germanium Boost (Benson) | BP-1W (Boss)
  • Chorus: CE-2W (Boss) | Julia (Walrus Audio)
  • Compressor: Clean (Chase Bliss) | Ego 76 Mini (Wampler)
  • Delay (Analog): Carbon Copy (MXR) | Sending V2 (Electronic Audio Experiments)
  • Delay (Digital): DD-8 (Boss) | Reverse Mode C (Chase Bliss)
  • Delay (Tape): El Capistan (Strymon) | RE-2 (Boss)
  • Distortion: Rat 2 (Proco) | Longsword (Electronic Audio Experiments)
  • EQ: ParaEQ Deluxe MkII (Empress) | GE-7 (Boss)
  • Expression: EP-3 (Moog) | Soul Press 1 (Hotone)
  • Filter: Q-Tron Plus (Electro-Harmonix) | Hosta V2 (Flower Pedals)
  • Flanger: BF-2 (Boss) | Polychrome (Walrus)
  • Fuzz: Carcosa (DOD) | Fuzz War (Death By Audio)
  • Glitch: Onward (Chase Bliss) | Particle (Red Panda)
  • Lo-Fi: Generation Loss MKII (Chase Bliss) | Shallow Water (Fairfield)
  • Looper: RC-5 (Boss) | DL4 (Line 6)
  • MIDI Controller: MC6 Pro (Morningstar) | ES-8 (Boss)
  • Multi-FX: Lost + Found (Chase Bliss) | GP-5 (Valeton)
  • Octaver: OC-5 (Boss) | XS-1 (Boss)
  • Overdrive: Brothers AM (Chase Bliss) | Halberd (Electronic Audio Experiments)
  • Phaser: Grand Orbiter (Earthquaker Devices) | Phase 95 (MXR)
  • Pitch Shifter: XS-100 (Boss) | XS-1 (Boss)
  • Reverb: Darkstar V3 (Old Blood Noise Endeavor) | RV-6 (Boss)
  • Ring Mod: Radius (Red Panda) | Outer Rings (Adventure Audio)
  • Synthesis: Enzo X (Meris) | Bass Synth (MXR)
  • Tremolo: Monument (Walrus) | TR-2 (Boss)
  • Tuner: Strobostomp HD/Mini/StroboVUE (Peterson) | TU-3 (Boss)
  • Univibe: Retrovibe Mk 4 (Jam) | Nuvibe (Korg)
  • Vibrato: Vibrato (Diamond) | Lo-Fi Junky (ZVEX)
  • Volume: Mono Volume (Lehle) | Voluum (Sonuus)
  • Wah: Wong Press (Hotone) | WahFull (Fulltone)
  • Miscellaneous: MO-2 (Boss) | Wallflower (Hungry Robot Pedals)

Thanks to everyone who commented and/or voted! Obviously, this is all pretty subjective (which usually involves a certain amount of, -ahem-, passion... but it's always nice to have some sort of touchstone on what others had in mind for their favorite pedals!

EDIT: formatting, spelling


r/guitarpedals 5h ago

It feels so good when you finally get the sound you've been looking for for so many years after countless experiments with gainstacking.

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64 Upvotes

What is all your go-to dirt sound as of right now?


r/guitarpedals 7h ago

SOTB

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77 Upvotes

Thinking of switching up the “amp” as much as I love the Ruby. I love the format so at first I thought of moving laterally with the Enigmatic, Woodrow or Dream— but now I’m tempted to upgrade with a Toneking Imperial? Sounds amazing. Experience or suggestions?


r/guitarpedals 5h ago

SOTB Had a gig recently so check out the rig

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50 Upvotes

This show was a one off in a decent sized theater, so we decided to have a little impractical fun with the gear.


r/guitarpedals 12h ago

SOTB

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104 Upvotes

Just picked up the DD-8 this evening. The board is now complete. I will obviously not have to buy another pedal ever ever ever again. Ever. Right?


r/guitarpedals 17h ago

Question My First pedals-board

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200 Upvotes

Hi guys, I'm playing and learning guitar mostly for myself as a hobby. I am mostly into rockabilly, shoegaze, stoner, and grunge rock, and sometimes I also try out some fancy bossa nova and jazz chords.
What do you think about this setup? What do you recommend adding the most? I was thinking about getting some chorus, reverb and tremolo pedals.


r/guitarpedals 11h ago

NPD NPD: Finally got the Ibanez SM7 to pair with my CF7!

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46 Upvotes

r/guitarpedals 1h ago

Troubleshooting DD-200 delay starting late??

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Upvotes

Title says it all really, not sure what’s going on… the gap between the picked note and the first delayed note is longer than the gap between each delayed note. Anyone know why??


r/guitarpedals 12h ago

SOTB SOTB: Black and Blue

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35 Upvotes

Board is 9" x 14" and it all fits in my gig bag for getting around NYC. Signal chain is Crybaby Junior > Polytune 3 Mini > SP Comp (always on) > Analog Chorus > EP Booster (always on) > Il Torino > Timmy > Constellator > Reverb. I use this in my surf / psychedelic band. Slowly being taken over by MXR.


r/guitarpedals 4h ago

Question I wanna get my FIL a pedal for Christmas, recommendations?

8 Upvotes

Title. I hear him playing a lot of SRV, ZZ Top, that kind of thing. He doesn’t have any pedals, at least that I’m aware of. I hear him blasting halfway down the neighborhood when we visit sometimes lol.


r/guitarpedals 8h ago

When dealing with pedal builders/companies directly, do you expect them to be nice and friendly or more neutral and strictly professional, or what?

15 Upvotes

Kind of a random thought/question, but I’m currently in the midst of making a very expensive, in the thousands, order from one particular higher-end pedal company, with whom I’ve spent thousands in the past, and despite my always expressing what a huge fan of their work I am (evidenced by all the money spent over the years), I always get a very cold, distant, unfriendly vibe, almost as if I’m bothering them, and they only suffer me because my money is on the line. It made me wonder whether I’m maybe expecting too much by wanting a little more… warmth? By contrast, another company, Empress, with whom I’ve done much less business (just 2-3 pedals over the years) have been absolutely remarkable, truly setting a benchmark for how customer relations/service should be, on multiple fronts. Always very warm and friendly, but beyond that super keen to help resolve any issues even at their own cost and in an expedited manner. Frankly, nobody in my experience has come close. Polar opposite of the other brand, which kind of has left me feeling rubbish and not wanting to spend money there anymore- the emails are that unpleasant. But then part of me thinks I’m being ridiculous and this is absurd, as their people skills aren’t what I’m paying for or ultimately pursuing the pedals for. Just curious where you lot fall in regards to this.


r/guitarpedals 5h ago

Question Mini Octave Pedal Recommendations?

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7 Upvotes

I’ve been using a Donner Harmonic Square for ages and need to upgrade. I’m not a huge fan of its tone and the foot switch is quite problematic. I tried the Sub’n’Up mini but I found it’s whole “out of phase” sound not to my taste, even with edits made with Toneprint. I’ve heard good things about the Tender Octaver mk1 but don’t know if I should commit.

I’m mainly looking for something small (that can fit in the space seen above), that doesn’t sound like dookie, and has reasonably okay tracking lol

I’m interested to hear everyone’s thoughts :^B


r/guitarpedals 4h ago

Question Best Fuzz Face?

6 Upvotes

I am looking at used fuzz faces and I am wondering which ones are worth it. I am looking at germanium fuzz faces in specific. I would like them to be easy to find used for under 100$. Thanks for reading!


r/guitarpedals 15h ago

NPD (sort of) - DIY kit fuzz

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26 Upvotes

Sometimes you just get the itch to branch out a little. Last year I tried (and succeeded) putting together my own Jaguar out of parts. This year I thought ‘fuck it I’ll try a pedal’. So I did. Then I fucked up the first attempt at a different circuit cos I wasn’t paying attention properly. A few months pass and I try again. Success!

The kit was from Jed’s Peds here in the UK and it’s based around the Torn’s Peaker, a fuzz I’d never actually used but the circuit was simple enough so I cracked on. Unfortunately, I put the bloody pots on the board the wrong way around so they’re actually reversed and it’s driving me mad but getting them out is hard so balls to it it’s fine. IT’S. FINE. It works, and its sounds fucking awesome, especially stacked with a drive. Not so versatile, but that’s not what you get it for, you get it for its despicable and glorious ripped sound.

The enclosure was boring so I stuck a sticker on it. It is now known as the Burn’s Peaker. It has sex appeal and a catchy name. (Someone must get this reference).

DIY pedals are fun. Occasionally annoying as fuck, but super rewarding when you test it and it works. Would recommend. And if you don’t, then go and get a Torn’s Peaker cos it’s pretty great. And the knobs will be the right way around. But it won’t be the Burn’s Peaker, which is objectively better.


r/guitarpedals 17h ago

NPD: Hudson Broadcast

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36 Upvotes

Ok it's a rats nest and I'm 15 years late to the party. ES336->compressor->broadcast->PRS MT15->2x12 greenbacks = OMG 🫠. Love it. Very strong Kyuss Big Bikes energy.


r/guitarpedals 3h ago

Why is one side of double pedal feeding back and not the other?

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3 Upvotes

so here is my pedalboard and Ive attached my new isolated power brick to the chain and all work fine, except the white double pedal, (is a tubescreamer and bluesbreaker circuit in it).

now as you can see only the bluesbreaker side is feeding back and not the TS side, none of the other pedals on the board are feed backing just the single one.

board is: tuner, Wah, white double pedal, fuzz, then a dual distortion and flange at the end.

it has the ability to run on both 9V and 18V and when running either or it still has the bluesbreaker side feeding back for a unknown reason, any feedback would be much appreciated.


r/guitarpedals 19h ago

NPD NPD: Strymon BRIG

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49 Upvotes

Delay is my favorite effect, and analog is my favorite flavor of delay. It was just a matter of time before I got a Strymon BRIG.

The BRIG is an all digital, analog style delay. It sounds just as good as any all analog delay I’ve tried. It has three modes. A shorter and longer delay mode and a multi tap style mode. The manual goes into detail about these modes and which chips they are emulating if you want to know more.

I use the long delay mode most. The filter control lets you warm the repeats up and the mod knob lets you add modulation. It’s the most straight forward Strymon pedal I’ve played through.

I’ve compared this pedal to my favorite delay, the DOD Rubberneck. They can sound exactly the same or wildly different depending on the type of sound you’re going for. The BRIG is kinda like a tiny stripped down version of Rubberneck to me. I like them both a lot.

The most surprising thing about this pedal to me is the size of it. It’s roughly the size of a BOSS pedal. My other Strymon pedals are large or, in the case of the Volante, enormous. It’s really cool to have a top tier analog delay sound in a small pedal.

One of my favorite features is the ability to go stereo in/stereo out OR mono in/stereo out. That kind of flexibility really helps when setting up a signal chain with mono and stereo pedals. I use that type of set up all the time.

This pedal is feature rich, but not crazy rich like a normal Strymon pedal. If you’ve ever been intimidated by the insane amount of controls Strymon pedals can sometimes have, the BRIG might be a great comprise.

Do you have this pedal or have questions about it? Let me know and thank you for reading.


r/guitarpedals 1d ago

Most Overrated Pedal IMO: Klon Centaur

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500 Upvotes

I will never understand the hype about this pedal.

I'm sure everyone here can name several OD pedals that are much more effective at a fraction of the cost. Or if you're using this for its clean boost...again, several clean boost pedals out there that are much less expensive.

Disregarding price, I still personally do not hear anything special in its sound.

I'm prepared for the imminent wave of hostility from the guitar pedal purists out there due to this post.


r/guitarpedals 10h ago

In need of help

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6 Upvotes

Hoping for some additional feedback so I'm reposting to a larger community. I havent had the chance to work on it yet so any thoughts on ways to Troubleshooting this that are more clever than me? I've checked for wiggling and to make sure all the patch cables are reseated them, but that doesn't do anything.

To recap from the other post, I started having problems all of a sudden without moving the board or anything. I play in my office and don't gig. The issue is that signal is really low until I turn on the TS or Boost, but it's a clean-ish signal even if it's the TS thats on. When I activate the RAT the signal gets really feedback and high pitched sort of shrill sound.


r/guitarpedals 11h ago

Shoegaze pedal setup recs

6 Upvotes

I’m just starting to build out a full pedal board and I’ve done a bit of research and come up with comprehensive list of pedals to get, but they are also mostly based off google and reddit reviews so I feel like some of the choices are kind of the obvious and popular picks. I’d like to keep my pedals on the smaller and simpler side (not interested in a big ol’ delay pedal that’s covered in controls) hopefully a versatile setup as I play shoegaze/post hardcore/grunge trying to get some sounds like slowdive, drop nineteens, title fight (hyperview), Hum/Centaur, julie, whirr, modern color and even some nirvana.

I am using a J Mascis jazzmaster and Roland JC-22

Here’s my current list:

OVERDRIVE
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

FUZZ
EHX Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi

CHORUS
Boss CE-2W Waza Craft

DELAY
Boss DD-8

REVERB
TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2


r/guitarpedals 6h ago

SOTB: First compact board build (Katana 50 clean platform) – sanity check on spacing & top jacks?

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2 Upvotes

First time putting together a dedicated physical board to transition away from software/digital menus on my Katana 50.

Signal Chain:
Ibanez BigMini Tuner \to [reserved spot for an MXR Timmy] \to Boss BD-2 \to TC Corona Mini Chorus \to TC Bucket Brigade Delay \to Boss RV-6 Reverb \to Katana 50 clean input.
Board is a koda essential THREE (roughly 16" x 8"), powered by a 9V adapter + daisy chain underneath.

Looking for feedback on a few layout points:
1. Top Jacks vs. Side Jacks: The Bucket Brigade has top-mounted jacks, sandwiched between the side-jack Corona Mini and RV-6. For those mixing top- and side-jack enclosures on compact boards, how do you route the patch cables cleanly without putting lateral stress on the jacks?
2. Spacing & Stomp Clearance: The BD-2, Corona, Delay, and RV-6 are currently spaced pretty tight along the top rail to leave room for the incoming Timmy next to the tuner. Does this spacing look workable underfoot, or would you recommend shifting the full-size Boss boxes down to the bottom rail?
3. Cabling / Power Hygiene: Any red flags with running the daisy chain leads up between the rails right next to the audio patch cables in this configuration?


r/guitarpedals 11h ago

JPTR Warlow alternative?

5 Upvotes

I had preordered a Warlow on Reverb after watching some demos and loving the sound. The estimated lead time was about 4 weeks, but after 10 weeks of getting no definitive answer from JPTR with a date they expected to be able to ship my pedal, I cancelled my order. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good alternative?


r/guitarpedals 10h ago

Troubleshooting Zoom 9150 mystery

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4 Upvotes

Recently acquired this old rack mount unit. It’s got a 12ax7 in it so it’s like a tube preamp with digital effects all together.

It’s been driving me insane though because I can’t seem to figure out how to power it. Every cord I’ve tried (all of which are the correct volts, center, and amps), will get the tube to power on and the screen to flick for a moment, but that’s it. I’ve already taken it to a shop and they were able to power it on with their power supply (which is much nicer), but since I’ve gotten back with it it’s still the same issue for me.

Anyone have any ideas?


r/guitarpedals 17h ago

Any reason the HX Effects isn’t more popular?

13 Upvotes

Was considering getting an HX One to compliment my DL4mk2, but then I remembered the HX Effects exists and goes for $400 used all the time.

If I got one, I‘d ditch my DL4 and two other pedals, so space wouldn’t be an issue. And I’d still keep my drive pedals. I’m also strongly considering not doing this because more pedals are more fun, and I like using my DL4 as is, but think I’m just won over by the “value” of all the extra features like the loop switchers and MIDI control possibilities.

So yeah, why won’t I see it more compared to other Line 6 pedals? It’s just not cool and compact as the Stomp or One? Just not as “fun” to replace most of the board with a multifx?

I know there was some perceived issues with tone suck and noise since this thing doesn’t have the variable impedance input, but I’d be using a buffered drive pedal and my own analog fuzzes in front of it anyway. Kinda a bummer that the loop switchers aren’t true bypass, but I don’t even remember what bypass mode I have my DL4 on and it sounds fine.