Peccadille

That swirling, swooshing sound you hear on “Eruption” by Van Halen, the hypnotic pulse on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd, and the liquid warmth in John Mayer’s clean tone all share one thing in common. They all come from a phaser pedal. When Eddie Van Halen stepped on that MXR Phase 90, … Read more

Finding the best compressor pedals can completely change how your guitar sounds and feels under your fingers. A good compressor evens out your dynamics, adds sustain to single notes, and gives your tone a polished, professional quality that sits perfectly in any mix. Whether you play country chicken pickin’, blues lead, funk rhythm, or heavy … Read more

Fuzz pedals are the wild characters of the guitar effects world. They take your clean signal and absolutely mangle it, turning smooth notes into thick, singing, buzzy walls of sound that cut through any mix. Whether you are chasing Jimi Hendrix’s creamy sustain, the Smashing Pumpkins’ massive wall of fuzz, or the filthy doom tones … Read more

Chorus is the effect that made the 80s sound like the 80s. It is the watery shimmer on every clean-tone ballad, the swirling depth behind shoegaze walls of sound, and the secret sauce that makes a single guitar sound like three. Whether you are chasing the Kurt Cobain growl, the John Mayer warmth, or something … Read more

Finding the best distortion pedals can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack of stompboxes. Our team spent three months testing 12 of the most popular guitar distortion pedals on the market, running each one through tube amps, solid-state amps, and modeling setups to see which ones actually deliver. Whether you play metal, … Read more

I have spent the better part of fifteen years building pedalboards, and if there is one thing every rig needs, it is a great overdrive pedal. Whether you play blues on a Stratocaster into a Fender Deluxe or chunk riffs on a Les Paul through a Marshall, the right drive pedal shapes your entire voice … Read more

Finding the best delay pedals in can feel overwhelming when you start browsing. There are hundreds of options out there, ranging from tiny budget mini-pedals to sprawling workstation units that cost more than some guitars. I have spent years stacking delays on pedalboards for live gigs, home recording, and ambient soundscaping, and I have learned … Read more

Finding the best headphone guitar amps changed everything about how I practice. I used to think late-night playing meant choosing between waking the neighbors or skipping practice entirely. That all changed when I plugged into my first pocket-sized headphone amp and heard genuine tube-style tone through a pair of closed-back headphones. Are headphone guitar amps … Read more

Finding the best guitar amps for gigging changed everything about how I approach live shows. After years of hauling heavy tube amps up narrow club stairs and wrestling with unreliable rigs that decided to quit mid-set, I made it my mission to find amps that actually deliver on stage without breaking your back or your … Read more

I spent the last three months testing digital guitar amps side by side, running the same guitars through each one to find out which models actually deliver on their promises. The best digital guitar amps in have closed the gap with tube amps so much that even seasoned players are making the switch. Whether you … Read more