Whether you’re a Rock, Jazz, Blues, Country, or Pop guitarist, chances are you have used some kind of guitar pedal to achieve the perfect sound for the genre you’re playing.
The easiest and cheapest way to do this is through the use of guitar pedals, which take the signal from your guitar and change the sound of it, adding distortion, reverb, delay, etc… depending on which pedal you have.
If you’re unsure of which pedals are suitable for your style of music, this list will inform you of the best guitar pedals for a range of different genres with a limited budget.
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5. Joyo R-14 Atmospheres Reverb Effects Pedal, $90
Effect: Reverb
Genres: Indie, Jazz, Country, Pop
This pedal is called Atmosphere for a reason:
Delivering not one, but nine unique reverb effects for you to try out including “forest”, “church”, “shimmer” and “pulse”. Meaning that one of these settings will be perfect for whichever genre you play.
What’s more, this pedal also comes with a “trail” setting, so that once you switch off the effects pedal, the effect will slowly fade out, leaving a trail of ambiance behind it, rather than an abrupt end to the reverb.
This is a great piece of equipment at an affordable price. Plus it offers the equivalent of three or four other reverb pedals in one.
4. Marshall VT-1 Vibratrem, $75
Effect: Vibrato and tremolo
Genres: Rock’n’Roll, Reggae, Funk, Blues
With the Marshall VT-1 pedal you’ll be able to add a bit of color to just about any genre, due to its versatility.
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Constructed with the signature Marshall hard metal casing, this product is very durable and will withstand many years of stomping angrily when you mess up on that BB King solo.
The sound quality of this effects pedal is refreshing and clear, taking out any muddiness that vibrato and tremolo can produce, leaving you with a professional sound for a very small price.
Paired with a Fender or Marshall amplifier, the possibilities with this pedal are endless, from a rich Eric Clapton Blues tone to the subtle tremolo of The Rolling Stones.
3. Boss OC-5 Super Octave Pedal, $195
Effect: Octave
Genre: Jazz and Blues
Marketed as “the world’s first polyphonic octave pedal”, the Boss OC-5 is praised for being one of the most useful and easy-to-use octave pedals on the market.
This effects pedal offers the user a whole range of customization options, including adjustable octave effects, drive setting, and even a setting for producing octaves on the bass, meaning that you can get your drop C to sound lower than a snake’s belly.
Other than adding depth and clarity to your Jazz or blues guitar licks, this pedal would also be useful for anyone who enjoys recording guitar using a looper, as the pedal can be configured to only add octaves to the lower strings so that you can easily reproduce the sound of bass using your guitar.
2. TC Electronic Corona Chorus Pedal, $119
Effect: Chorus
Genre: Pop, Indie, 80’s Rock, Country
Despite its unfortunate naming, the Corona Chorus Pedal is a subtle but effective chorus pedal:
This pedal offers the player a simple design and easy-to-use Speed, Depth, FX Level, and Tone controls.
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Yet, this isn’t the reason this pedal has made it to the list:
You see, this pedal has a very unique feature to it that makes replicating your favorite guitarist’s tone simple. Via either a USB connection or an app for your phone, you can download and upload premade effects settings via a technology known as “Toneprint”.
Toneprint offers a catalog full of settings from a plethora of established and famous guitarists – talk about convenience.
1. Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, $120
Effect: Distortion
Genres: Metal, Hard Rock, Punk, Grunge
The Boss MT-2 Metal Zone pedal tops our list of affordable distortion pedals and is suitable for heavy rock and metal guitar playing.
For its price, it really delivers a studio-quality sound, with three-band EQ and semi-parametric Mid control allowing the user to customize the distortion to suit their needs, without compromising on the volume or clarity of each individual note played.
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This makes the MT-2 great for both soloing and chords:
Although this particular effects pedal has its haters, it remains one of the best in this price range and has a long lifespan, with many users still going strong after 20+ years of use.
Bonus Pick: Boss RC-3 Loop Pedal, $172
Effect: Loop
Genre: Any
Whilst not strictly an effect, an honorable mention had to go to the RC-3 Loop Pedal by pedal Gods Boss.
A go-to for many musicians, this pedal is (kind of) affordable, easy to use, and durable:
Using one button to record, delete, and isolate different recordings. It offers everything you’ll need for a looping session.
In Conclusion: Now that you have plenty of knowledge about the perfect pedal for any occasion, the only thing left to do is to fill your boots and plugin, and enjoy!