Don’t Overpay! Here Are The Best Cheap Guitar Pedals
Guitar pedals are a strange thing. They are extremely overpriced. The technology is basic. It has not evolved a whole lot since the 1970’s. But there is an aesthetic to these beautiful little colored stomp boxes. It is a way to express your individual tastes and creative sensibilities. That is why the boutique guitar pedal market has ballooned over the last ten years. Guitar players will shell out for handcrafted specialty pedals with limited production runs. This is cool. I get it. Now, there are numerous cheap guitar pedals that provide quality tones without breaking the bank. You do not need to overpay anymore to get good sounds.
Are Cheap Guitar Pedals Worth It?
This is difficult question to answer. My opinion is they are good enough. They will get the job done for every level of player. Yes, there are some subtle aspects of the tone that define the high end pedals. This will not be noticeable for the average person. It is best to start with the cheap options and grow into the niche pedals down the road.
My Thoughts On The Guitar Amp Simulator Bias FX 2
I got in the habit of using digital guitar amp simulator software. I got comfortable using Bias FX 2 on my computer. I figured stomp boxes were outdated. Why purchase little boxes for specific sounds when a software program can manipulate guitar sounds almost endlessly? I was wrong. The tones are good, but not quite the same. Whether you are trying to play the Comfortably Numb solo or some virtuoso progressive rock riff you need analog effect pedals to get the best possible tone.
Azor Chorus Pedal Review
You do not want to be breaking out the Nirvana “Come As You Are” riff and not have a chorus effect nearby. The Azor chorus pedal reproduces the classic warm jazz chorus tone with a natural wave curve. The true bypass provides transparent tone. There are controls for level, depth, and rate. This is considered a “mini” pedal style. It is a small. Honestly, I prefer the standard pedal size. A little more ground for my foot to stomp down on. But I can’t complain for the price.
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Donner Analog Delay Pedal Review
Guitar delay pedals are a requirement for pretty much any type of music. A kiss of delay with distortion makes lead parts so much bigger. There are a few things to consider when purchasing your first delay pedal. Do you want an analog delay or a digital delay? I decided to go old school with the classic analog delay effect. It reproduces the warm and natural classic vintage analog delay sound. The time of the delay can be adjusted from 20ms to 620ms. In addition, there are knobs to control the delay level and feedback. This pedal is small at 4.7 x 3 x 2.5 inches.
Behringer Ultra Tremolo UT300 Review
The tremolo effect is one of most underrated of guitar sounds. It is used brilliantly in songs like Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. Simply put, it gives off a sound as if the volume knob is rapidly being turned up and down. It is not the type of effect for every song. Though, on slower pieces it can really bring out some cool sounds. The Behringer tremolo pedal is modeled after vintage 50’s and 60’s amps. The pedal provides rate and depth knobs to dial in the intensity and a waveform control to modulate the tremolo character. It runs on a standard 9V battery or through a power supply. It does not get any cheaper than $30 for a tremolo pedal. My only complaint is the cheap plastic construction that defines the Behringer pedals. To be fair, this is more of an aesthetic grievance.
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Are Expensive Guitar Pedals Worth It?
I hate to admit this. But yes, in some very specific instances expensive guitar pedals are worth the cost. Mostly, if you are after a particular tone. Then it may be worth it to track down the pedal used by your favorite guitarist. One that comes to mind is the MXR EVH Phase 90 Eddie Van Halen Phase Pedal. I would consider this if I was trying to regularly pull off Van Halen songs. Do I need the signature pedal? No. But I would stick with the name brand MXR M101 Phase 90 Phaser Pedal.
The Bezos Board
My inspiration for getting into cheap guitar pedals was when I first learned about the “Bezos Board”. This is a guitar pedal board made up of strictly Amazon Basics guitar pedals. I went down the rabbit hole and discovered that there are many credible cheap guitar pedal brands on the market.
