11 Best Guitar Pedal Brands in 2024 (+ Their Top Models!)

Keith Barr and Terry Sherwood founded MXR in 1972. Nowadays, though, Jim Dunlop owns the company after acquiring it in 1987. The original owners went on to found Alesis, ART (Applied Research & Technology), and Whirlwind.

But why is MXR relevant? Well, the Phase 90 phaser pedal is an integral part of Van Halen’s early sound for example. The Dyna Comp was Andy Summers’s secret weapon with The Police for that loud, pumping, clean sound.

Beyond what they’ve done sonically for the world, MXR is a mid-priced, legendary, mainstream brand that still manufactures pedals one by one in the USA at a price you can afford.

Furthermore, the talented and experienced personnel have seen more pedal trends come and go than most other brands, making each addition to the line a well-thought-out move.

MXR is a reliable, well-built, affordable brand that has a myriad of options to offer.

A great example of that combination of qualities is the Carbon Copy, a pedal you can find on the pedalboard of your idols playing in stadiums and also in your friend’s room.

Indeed, I own one that never leaves my board; the MXR Carbon Copy is my number-one analog delay choice on the market today.

Top Models You Should Try

• Phase 90
• Dyna Comp
• Carbon Copy
• Distortion +
• BlueBox

Electro Harmonix was founded in 1968 by Mike Matthews. Let me tell you that the man behind the operation is every bit as wild and interesting as the products themselves. Furthermore, reading the brand’s history is like reading an adventure novel. There are ups, downs, conflicts, wealth, and success, and it’s all because of the tireless spirit of a bold innovator.

I can tell you that I’ve had in my arsenal many EHX pedals, but the one that sticks with me the most is the Big Muff π, the Russian version. But I grew up loving the nuances of the Memory Man, the pedal that allowed The Edge to have a signature sound. Also, the Small Clone was Cobain’s main chorus.

The list could go on forever, but what’s important to know about EHX is that the brand is still putting out new effect pedals into the world. This is proof that they’re actively researching more ways to alter the guitar sound.

Therefore, if you’re after crazy effects, you have to try out the 9 Series, the tube-driven fuzzes, the POG, the synthesizers, and the envelope filters (Q-Tron). On the other hand, if you’re after the beauty of analog tone, then the Memory Man (delay), Electric Mistress (Flanger), Small Clone and Small Stone (chorus and phaser), and, of course, the Big Muff.

In a nutshell, Electro Harmonix offers over 150 pedals that go from looping to synthesis and adjust to every budget.

Top Models You Should Try

• Deluxe Memory Man
• Big Muff π
• 9 Series pedals
• Small Stone
• POG

Everything around and about Strymon pedals feels fancy, expensive, and grandiloquent. Yes, Strymon is an ambitious company trying its hardest to push the sonic boundaries of the world daily. It was founded by bold innovators Pete Celi, Gregg Stock, and Dave Fruehling in 2009.

Although Strymon started in 2009, the trio had a different venture before Damage Control Pedals. These polemic-looking units set the foundations for a brand that walks the fine line between high-tech and retro in style.

I have to tell you that I own the Strymon FLINT, and that pedal is never leaving my board. Moreover, the El Capistan as well as the Timeline, BlueSky, and BigSky pedals are must-haves for a generation of players. Indeed, the shimmer setting, the number of presets, the hi-fi quality, and the endless options make them perfect for playing ambient music.

But that’s not all, because these pedals offer so many options they’re very commonly found on the boards of professional musicians in every style around the world.

Finally, pedals like the DECO have been made into plugins to use on your favorite DAW.

Strymon pedals aren’t cheap but they’re one of the best-sounding, best-built pedals on the market right now.

Top Models You Should Try

• FLINT
• El Capistan
• Timeline
• BigSky
• DECO

TC Electronic is a brand founded by Kim and John Rishoj in 1976 in Denmark. Although it all started with a chorus pedal, the TC Electronic product line has expanded enormously in the past half a century.

Moreover, this Danish brand is a representative of cutting-edge technology applied to music making. Yes, the company offers revolutionary approaches across the catalog. 

For example, I’m a guitarist but also a singer and their TC Helicon stuff sounds great. I own one of their pedals and can’t live without the “Tone” button that applies studio-grade compression and EQ to the natural signal.

But beyond the cutting-edge technology, impeccable craftsmanship, and studio-grade sounds, TC Electronic managed to create a huge virtual community that feeds the “TonePrint” idea.

This Japanese giant has been in the pedal industry for 50 years (founded in 1973) and it has made its mark. Indeed, I speak for myself, but I know most of us who have been playing for a couple of decades either own, have owned, or at least played through a Boss pedal before.

What’s the secret behind Boss’ success? Well, to begin with, they’re completely bulletproof. This means you can take them to war, and they will come back with some scratches and blemishes but still sound great.

Secondly, they’re available virtually on every corner of the planet. Therefore, if you take them on tour, and they happen to break down while on the road, you can easily replace them anywhere.

Thirdly, they sound great. Yes, the sound of iconic pedals, such as the DS-2 Turbo Distortion is part of your musical DNA. You heard Kurt Cobain, John Frusciante, and Prince play through one of those. Moreover, the DD-3 Digital Delay is the benchmark for all other digital delay pedals out there.

Finally, they are affordable. Yes, you can build an entire pedalboard without missing any important effect solely with their colorful compact pedal line. And you won’t break the bank doing it.

If you’re a gigging guitarist who likes keeping it simple, a ‘90s kid, or play any music style involving wild stage performances, Boss is a must-try.

Top Models You Should Try

• DS-2 Turbo Distortion
• DD-3 Digital Delay
• OC-5 Octave
• PH-3 Phase Shifter
• CH-1 Super Chorus

Established in 1984, DigiTech is a company created by the same people who founded DOD. This last is another legendary pedal maker from the ‘70s, founded in 1973 by David Orestes DiFrancesco and John Johnson.

But while DOD was competing against Boss, MXR, and others in the analog compact pedal market, the company was also working secretly on DigiTech. I know it sounds like a big robot from a Japanese series, but it was one of the leading companies when the whole DSP revolution started.

What is DSP? I’m glad you asked. DSP stands for Digital Signal Processor and it’s safe to say that it represents the endless possibilities of the digital manipulation of a soundwave.

Thus, DigiTech’s history started with grandiloquence because the company built on the leverage of the decade DOD had been making groundbreaking effects. 

But that’s not all, because DigiTech products involve Lexicon delays and effects. In case you didn’t know, Lexicon is responsible for some of the highest-end studio gear you can find on top-notch recording facilities around the globe.

But who should buy DigiTech? Well, if you want Boss durability with cutting-edge technology (DigiTech invented the Whammy pedal!), then DigiTech is your new favorite pedal company.

Another crowd favorite is their pitch shift pedal, which gives you instant access to drop-tuned sounds.

Top Models You Should Try

• Whammy
• Trio+
• DOD Phasor 201
• DOD Rubberneck
• DOD Gonkulator

Eventide was founded in 1971 by Stephen Katz, Richard Factor, and Orville Greene. Although Eventide, in the mind of guitarists like me, represents the peak of audio-applied technology, it didn’t start that way.

On the contrary, Eventide started making all kinds of gizmos for a variety of industries. This includes manufacturing and selling RAM memory to Hewlett Packard, creating aviation maps, and, of course, groundbreaking effects for studios and musicians.

If you ever held in your hands an Eventide H9 pedal, you know what I’m talking about. It is one of the most complex, compact, high-tech investments you can make as a guitarist. It’s packed with everything you’ll ever need effects-wise and can also be controlled via your phone.

Eventide is a brand that delivers complex, high-end effects that are on the Hi-Fi side of the spectrum. Therefore, if you’re after some pristine delay, huge reverberation, and expensive-sounding tones, you should check their pedal lineup.

One such offering is their Space Reverb pedal. As the name suggests, it’ll take you on a journey through spacey, psychedelic sounds.

On the other hand, if you want some weird-sounding, grit-generating, crazy effects, you should try something else.

Top Models You Should Try

• H9
• TimeFactor
• Space Reverb
• Rose
• ModFactor

Earthquaker Devices was founded in 2004 by Jamie Stillman, a musician, producer, promoter, and obsessive sound engineer.

For the first seven years, Earthquaker Devices was one of those widely known secrets among professional players, touring guitarists, and guitar techs. Their first pedal, the Hoof, a fuzz machine, was so successful it’s still in the making today.

I remember watching my idol’s pedalboards and seeing this brand more frequently throughout the last decade. Yes, creations like the ones in the first batch of effects, the Grand Orbiter, Hummingbird, Disaster Transport, and Ghost Echo were all made in a tiny basement but ended up being heard by millions of people in stadiums across the globe.

Today, Earthquaker Devices manufactures more than 40 pedals and employs over 40 people. The brand is known for its reliability but also sound quality and powerful innovative spirit. You can expect well-made pedals that sound great and have handy options to overcome any situation.

Oh, and if you like crazy effects and great-sounding weirdness, there’s plenty to see in the EQD lineup.

Here’s a fun short movie about the brand.

I remember very clearly when a friend of mine gave me his SansAmp to try out for the first time. I thought to myself “This is a complete game-changer pedal”. And I wasn’t mistaken one bit.

Yes, Tech21 is not so well-known as a brand but it’s the creator of very famous pedals, like the SansAmp.

But let’s rewind a little, B. Andrew Barta launched the SansAmp and the company in 1989 from midtown Manhattan. By the early to mid ‘90s, everybody knew what a SansAmp was and most bass players on the planet were dreaming of its huge tones live and in the studio.

I personally own a Tech21 Double Drive. I’ve had it for at least 15 years, and it has never left my board. Why do I love that pedal to death? Well, it’s got a built-in buffer, so it makes everything sound better even while it’s off. Beyond that, the tone is so close to the breakup and distortion of a loud amp that it’s been my go-to since I heard it for the first time.

Finally, when I tried their FlyRig products, I had the same thought I had with the SansAmp: “This is a game-changer”. Yes, never before had I seen such a compact, easy-to-use, great-sounding solution to just put inside your gig bag and play show after show.

If you’re after great-sounding, reliable (indestructible!) pedals that can give you usable, realistic distorted and overdriven sounds; this company is for you. For weird sound alterations, you should look elsewhere.

Top Models You Should Try

• Double Drive
• SansAmp
• Bass Driver
• FlyRig
• SansAmp GT2

Death By Audio was founded by Oliver Ackerman (A Place to Bury Strangers) in 2002 in Brooklyn, New York.

But Death By Audio was way more than just a pedal brand, it was a warehouse that acted as a pedal factory, a record label, an underground music venue, and a rehearsal room. The space was open from 2007 to 2014 when Vice Media rented the building, and the venue was forced to stop working.

But why is this important? Well, because it pictures the brand’s identity perfectly. Indeed, the noise, shoegaze, and alternative scene it was born in embraced face-melting distortion, weird noises, altered sounds, and experimentation.

Moreover, A Place to Bury Strangers once received the title of “the loudest band in New York”. Hence, you can imagine these pedals are made to endure the harshest weather and the wildest stage performances.

For example, if you want the wildest, meanest fuzz on Earth, you have to try their Fuzz War, and if you want one of the most complex and weird-sounding fuzz-delay pedals out there, you have to try their Echo Dream 2.

Still handmade in the USA, these are the perfect weird noise generators for the wild innovator. If you are in search of more traditional, Hi-Fi, and retro sounds, you should look elsewhere, though.

Top Models You Should Try

• Space Bender
• Fuzz War
• Reverberation Machine
• Echo Dream 2
• Echo Master

JAM Pedals is a Greek pedal company founded by Jannis Anastasakis Marinos in 2005. To this day, even after the meteoric growth the company enjoyed, each JAM pedal is made and painted by hand in Greece.

Let me tell you that JAM Pedals not only makes some of the most beautiful pedals out there but also some of the best-sounding. For example, the Retrovibe is one of the finest Uni-Vibe pedals I’ve ever played through. Also, for a Tube Screamer fanatic like me, the Tubedreamer was quite close to the holy grail.

JAM pedals grew immensely as the go-to option for European players in the search for their next tone-bending experience. Nowadays, JAM is proud to have client names such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Scoffield, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Lukather, Andy Timmons, Daniel Lanois, Dweezil Zappa, and Brad Whitford.

Moreover, they offer a lineup of pedals with over 20 different stomp boxes to choose from.

If you’re looking for super-crazy effects, this might not be the best place to start. On the other hand, if you want a combination of traditional effects with modern twists and appealing looks, then trying JAM pedals is a must.

Top Models You Should Try

• Tubedreamer
• Retrovibe
• Ripply Fall
• Delay Llama
• Wahcko