THE TOP 25 PEDALS EVER

Everybody loves a best-of list. They cause arguments, and they give you an opportunity to chime in with scathing comments about how ignorant the creator of the poll must be. I’m a glutton for punishment, so buckle in and prepare for my hot takes and before you rip me to shreds in the comments, here is my basis and reasoning for my decisions.

1. The Pedal’s **Influence** on following pedals
   
   
2. The Pedal’s **Originality** pertaining to its circuit design
   
   
3. The Pedal’s **Impact** on the growth of the pedal industry

And here are some rules I used:

1. No rack units or big tape echo stuff. Pedal-sized devices, preferably with a foot switch.
   
   
2. Has to have been around for more than 20 years to prove its long-term impact and worthiness of the claim. Sorry, JHS Pedals.
   
   
3. Has to have been the originator of its circuit topology or concept. The OG. The Genesis of the thing it encapsulates.
   
   
4. Has to have impacted the industry by way of causing copies, clones, and different takes. This demonstrates its impact on the overall economy (in a broad sense, not just financial) of the guitar effects industry.

I have left out many pedals that I love, and that could rightly have a place here if I wrote this on a different day when my sympathies leaned in that direction.

Here goes — gather your Pitchforks.

Wait.

That pedal didn’t make the list.

Oh well.

THE 25 MOST IMPORTANT GUITAR PEDALS OF ALL TIME:

1. Maestro Fuzztone FZ-1 Fuzz (1962)

This is the OG. Without it, nothing else happens. It is the first domino to fall in the now massive category of guitar effects. It was copied, tweaked, transformed, and led us here. It was Hendrix’s first pedal. It was the greatest accident in guitar history. Extremely original. It impacted the category in the most paramount way. Prove me wrong.

2. Ibanez TS-808 Tubescreamer Overdrive (1979)

Possibly the most copied (by quantities produced and sold) small signal audio circuit in human history — probably only beaten by the transistor radio or something highly commercial. It’s on more classic records than any device in guitar history (except for a Shure SM57) and is used by more players across every genre than anything else.

3. Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Fuzz (1970)

It is the most copied fuzz circuit in history, the most original fuzz take post the original FZ-1 and has even been cited by musicologists as a primary influence in the genre of Grunge that swept across the world in the early 90s. Its transistor feedback loop clipping adopted from Radio technology was a monumental moment for distortion circuits. From Santana to Billy Corgan — it is the sound of heavy, thick, and aggressive guitar that stays smooth.

4. Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive (1994)

This pedal is a phenomenon. It commands legendary prices. It is a movement. Designed by MIT brains and a man who could be considered the most particular pedal lord ever to live, it is hard to dispute its reach, impact, and insane effect on the economy of pedals. The circuit is unique, and the clones are probably the most widespread clones in the modern pedal market. Considering that it’s much younger than most pedals on this list, it proves its explosive impact.

5. VOX Clyde McCoy Wah (1966)

Wah-Wah is a sound that everyone knows whether they understand the pedal or not — just ask anyone if they have heard the wa-chica-wah sound in an old 70s cop show. It has been a bestseller year after year since its creation in 1966, and an effect that constantly pushes forward through the decades in new ways. From Hendrix to Funk to Rage Against The Machine. It thrives. The wah effect owes it all to the OG VOX design and everything after it — even the Crybaby — is essentially just a clone. VOX reigns supreme as the Wah king.

6. Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler (1999)

The pedal that transformed pedals beyond the analog domain and opened the door to the now digital age. Every sound you need, tons of flexibility, tap tempo, stereo, and a looper. This is the ground zero of modern effects. Nothing was even close to its reality when it dropped in 1999. All hail the big mighty green delay.

7. MXR Distortion + Distortion (1974)

The little yellow box that gave way to what is now the most classic form of clipping for your guitar signal. Op-amp hard clipping took the world of effects by storm and this box was why. If you want the sound of Classic Rock, look no further than the gateway device, and if you want to know the origins of how so many distortion pedals began, this is it.

8. Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man Delay (1980)

This marks the perfect evolution from tape delay to all-electronic design. Modulation on the repeats. Huge lush echo in a small box. It was impossible at the time, but not for EHX. There is not a single delay modeler in the modern age that doesn’t have an “Analog with Modulation” setting. This is why.

9. Marshall Bluesbreaker Overdrive (1991)

Marshall was trying to create a pedal that achieved the sound of their legendary combo amp, but something else happened. Discontinued and forgotten by most — until it found a new life in the 2000s and quickly became one of the most influential overdrive circuits the pedal industry would ever see. Now a category of its own, the Bluesbreaker is transparent overdrive.

10. Boss CE-2 Chorus (1979)

THE Analog Chorus circuit. Copied and modified endlessly by everyone. Probably on par with the Tubescreamer in terms of mass production numbers in the 80s. This OG compact chorus effect is the reason Chorus is blue. Most now-classic chorus pedals are simply evolutions of this circuit. From the icy sound of the 80s to the cold textures of modern alternative rock — it still stands strong.

11. ProCo RAT Distortion (1978)

This one box does it all. Boost, overdrive, distortion and fuzz and the Filter control is magic. It changed what a distortion box could be and it changed the sound and abilities of the guitar. From Gilmour, to Scofield, to Radiohead, to Blur — it has been copied, tweaked and worshipped by every type of player.

12. MXR Phase 90 Phaser (1974)

Not the first phaser, but the most impactful and important phaser ever made. Debuting on the back cover of a Rolling Stone magazine and forever burning the sound of orange into our minds when we hear the swirling sound of this classic effect. From Van Halen to Waylon Jennings, this box played a major role in shaping the golden era of guitar effects in the 1970s. Orange-You-Glad they made it?

13. Arbiter Fuzz Face Fuzz (1966)

The first pedal with a personality, a smiling face that caused the guitar to sustain and sing. A combination of a great circuit and genius marketing design caused it to be forever associated with Jimi Hendrix (it was his choice fuzz) and his reign as the master of electric guitar. A DIY rite of passage and where most pedal builders get their start. A simple circuit that is shockingly complex. A significant reason why pedals became commonplace for the average guitarist.

14. Tech 21 SansAmp Amp Simulator (1989)

Surprised? Don’t be. Decades before the amp-less movement of simulators and IRs we all live in now, Tech 21 created the first true amp simulator and it has sold consistently and been used by legend after legend ever since. Be warned — plug it in all these years later and I bet you might prefer it to many of the new DSP technologies with 5x the price tag. This pedal’s impact is shockingly under-discussed, and its originality was as bold as it gets for its time. The first in a now massive category of devices. Decades ahead of the trend.

15. Digitech Whammy Octave (1991)

When Digitech partnered with the Canadian DSP company, they never imagined that this effect would become the primary gadget of so many influential guitarists. It’s not perfect. It’s almost primitive by today’s standards, but the glitchiness and textures of how it tracks your guitar signal is exactly why we love it. Very few octave effects have actually improved on the basis of its design and functionality. It is a sound all its own — it is its own category of octave.

16. Boss MT-2 Metal Zone Distortion (1991)

The most memed pedal ever. Despite the haters, the Metal Zone has sold more units than anyone wants to imagine or admit. It is a powerhouse product for Boss. An extremely original circuit with an EQ that will do just about anything you want. The Metal Zone is easy to make fun of, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to deny its influence and the amount of copies on the market. And its impact on what a guitar pedal can do.

17. Univox Uni-Vibe Modulation (1968)

The first ever modulation pedal. Not really a chorus, not necessarily a phaser, but something unique. We now call it Univibe as a category, but this circuit built around a light bulb and some light sensors is unmistakably cool. Imagine Hendrix’s Star-Spangled Banner on the Woodstock stage without it. It wouldn’t be the same. It’s the first guitar pedal that wasn’t for dirt. (Yea — I know about the DeArmond Tremolo)

18. Boss DD Series Digital Delay (1983)

This series of delay pedals starting with the DD-2 — the first ever compact digital delay — is the original foundation for what a digital delay pedal can be. The DD-3 is a classic. The DD-4 doesn’t exist because of superstition. And the DD-5 was the first ever Tap Tempo Delay pedal. On and on through the years we’ve seen these pedals evolve with technology ensuring that if you need it, it can be found here.

19. Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger (1976)

When you think flanger, you should think Electric Mistress. One of the greatest circuits ever made. And one of the greatest influences on everything after it of its effect type. Countless hit songs feature its lush textures and new variations have appeared over the decades, but the original still stands strong. A sound invented in London but perfected in NYC.

20. Sola Sound Tonebender Fuzz (1965)

Beginning as a modified Maestro Fuzz-Tone, but evolving into something equally impactful. The Tone Bender was the sound of the original British Invasion. The Wedge Box at the feet of Clapton, Beck, and Page. Aggressive, full of sustain, and one of the most copied fuzz circuits among boutique builders. I know many of you see it higher on the list. Prove me wrong.

21. Paul C. Timmy Overdrive (2004)

From an amp designer in his garage in Tennessee came a circuit that would ultimately be copied by almost every guitar pedal builder post-2000s. Held as one of the ultimate transparent overdrives and setting off a chain of events where people would charge ten times the price for variations of the circuit with different branding. A true classic and a true original take on how to create overdriven guitar tones that feel like an amplifier. This circuit has generated more sales through its copies than many pedals 10x as popular. It is a hidden influence in plain sight.

22. Boss DS-1 Distortion (1978)

Everyone has had one. Everyone has seen one. And tens of thousands of players have relied on it. The box that is synonymous with the idea of distortion. Cloned, modified, and carried through the decades by countless brands. This classic just keeps on existing, and for good reason. It’s as iconic as a pedal gets.

23. Univox Superfuzz Octave Fuzz (1968)

Octave fuzz isn’t for everybody, but this is definitely one of the most influential circuits of the genre. Beginning under the company name Honey, then Shin-Ei, and finding its way to the more familiar Univox version. This circuit exists in many forms and has even inspired what is now one of the best-selling pedals of all time, in the cheap plastic Behringer Super Fuzz. Although the actual designer’s name is still unknown, the impact is obvious.

24. Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 Boost (1968)

Before this unit, no one really considered that you could boost the guitar’s full range without cutting the bass frequencies, and that it would overdrive the front end of your amplifier more naturally. This little gadget launched Electro-Harmonix and is responsible for a butterfly effect that changed not only guitar but the sound of popular music. It’s been replicated over and over but the wave of ideas that came because of its invention will never be matched.

25. Fulltone Fulldrive Overdrive (1993)

Although it is a variation of the classic Tubescreamer circuit, it is clever. A second footswitch that switches out the gain potentiometer for more distortion and various modifications that change the overall character of the sound. And more than that, the birth of a new idea — an idea that boutique was better, and that mass-produced pedals should be challenged. This overdrive single-handedly started a revolution, an era, and the waves of that revolution are why many of your favorite brands exist today.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

These pedals deserve recognition, but didn’t quite crack the top 25. Each one has made its mark on the industry. No particular order.

• Hermida Zendrive Overdrive — Can the sound of a Dumble be in a pedal?
  
  
• Fulltone OCD Overdrive — One of the most copied overdrives ever to exist.
  
  
• DOD 250 Overdrive Preamp — Although it’s a modified Distortion +, the impact and influence is undeniable.
  
  
• Boss HM-2 Distortion — It created a genre in Sweden.
  
  
• Boss BD-2 Blues Driver — Original design and still in the top ten best-selling overdrives on earth.
  
  
• Boss DM-2 Delay — Compact Analog Delay Perfection.
  
  
• Marshall Guv’nor Distortion — Has spawned more Marshall-in-a-box clones than any other circuit.
  
  
• Analog Man King Of Tone Overdrive — The original boutique take on the Bluesbreaker, a waiting list, two independent circuits in one enclosure — a first on many levels.
  
  
• Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster — Not a pedal, but all it lacks is the footswitch. The circuit idea was a first when it appeared in 1964, and it still holds its place as one of the best ways to overdrive your guitar.
  
  
• Mosrite Fuzzrite Fuzz — A California classic, and an iconic interpretation of what a fuzz tone could be.
  
  
• Bixonic Expandora Distortion — One of the most original distortion circuits ever created. Odd, but perfectly Japanese.
  
  
• Musitronics Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter — The sound of funk and jam bands. The original auto-wah.
  
  
• MXR Carbon Copy Delay — Can the Classic Analog Bucket Brigade be brought into the modern era and not just be a copy of the DM-2? Yes.
  
  
• Boss CE-1 Chorus Vibrato — The first analog Bucket Brigade effect ever in pedal format.
  
  
• Electro-Harmonix POG Octave — Polyphonic Octave in real time — an impossible idea made possible.
  
  
• Boss TR-2 Tremolo — The definitive Tremolo Pedal.
  
  
• Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master Reverb Delay — A simple idea to combine two massive ambient effects and the first of many that followed.
  
  
• Foxx Tone Machine Fuzz — Another Octave Fuzz that’s been copied over and over for good reason.
  
  
• MXR Dyna Comp Compressor — The most famous compressor ever made.
  
  
• Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer Compressor — The most secretly influential compressor ever made.
  
  
• Tube Works Tube Driver Overdrive — Can a tube go in an overdrive pedal? Yes.
  
  
• Tycobrahe Octavia Fuzz — A take on the original Roger Mayer Octavia Fuzz. The first one you could purchase.
  
  
• Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive Overdrive — A parallel clean blend on a dirt pedal. What an idea.
  
  
• Z.Vex Fuzz Factory Fuzz — A boutique icon and the idea that an already crazy effect could be pushed into even crazier territory.
  
  
• Strymon Timeline Delay — The first supercomputer for your pedalboard.
  
  
• Boss RV-2 Reverb — Compact digital delay. Yes please.
  
  
• Line 6 M5 Multi Effect Processor — Paved the way for the multi-effect — do it all pedal norm we live in now.

That’s it.

Please let me know what I missed, and kindly share how much smarter you are than I am. I look forward to it!