ICONIC ANALOG PEDALS for $50!

So, it’s just you, your guitar and your amp, and you want to be able to instantly change your sound with the tap of a toe? Or you’ve already got some toe-ready tone options but there’s something still missing? THE CATCH: buying a new pedal is risky. We’re not talking financial risk but the chance that you won’t even like it. Oh, but if you didn’t know, buying a brand-new effects pedal is a lot like buying a brand-new car: it loses value as soon as you drive it off the lot. 

 BUT, unlike a brand-new car you won’t have to take out a loan to bring home some fresh inspiration. There are plenty of great Tone Gems out there that won’t break the bank, and the best Tone Snobbery is BUDGET Tone Snobbery! That being said, you get what you pay for, and the odds are when you go super cheap the pedal gets replaced super quick. But that’s okay! That’s probably why you only want to spend $50 or less, because you’re still Finding Your Sound and that means Experimenting.

Tips for the Experimenting Snob:

Don’t buy brand-new pedals. BUT if you insist, make sure you shop around. If it’s being sold brand-new on one website it’s probably available everywhere and someone might be running a sale. Sometimes a simple browser search will reveal a smaller gear retailer selling just what you want for just the right price.  PRO TIP #1: Check the return policy. You could have anywhere from 10-30 days to test out the pedal and send it back if its not a keeper. This is a given if you’re actually about to drop some serious coin. PRO TIP #2: if you’re buying it brand-new you should expect free shipping. I guarantee whatever pedal you’re about to buy brand-new is being offered somewhere online with free shipping, so shop around and get the best deal.

Oh yea, BUY USED!

Some say only Snobs buy new pedals, so it is with great irony I recommend you don’t.  They may not have that “new pedal” smell anymore (or a return policy) but if you do need to resell it later it will generally maintain its “used” value as long as it still works and is in good shape.  Keep an eye on seller reviews and item descriptions and you can easily score a “Good Condition” pedal for HALF the cost of buying it brand new. That’s right! $100 pedals become $50 pedals when you buy used.

There are huge brands that offer a variety of brand-new effects in this price range (Behringer, TC Electronic, etc.) BUT, they are usually digital circuits 😝😝 that will eventually get bumped off your board (in my snobby opinion). Not that there’s anything wrong with that since we are only Sonic Scientists Tenaciously Experimenting with Tonal Textures anyway, but these $50 ANALOG Hidden Gems are the kind that define genres. So…

Here’s the ONLY list of $50 pedals you need for 2024:

1. Ibanez TS Mini Tube Screamer – Covering almost every genre from Country to Blues to Metal, you know the tones of the Ibanez TS9 from artists like Stevie-Ray Vaugh, Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Eric Johnson, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Alex Lifeson (Rush), The Edge (U2) and Brad Paisley.

2. MXR Blue Box Octave Fuzz – Even the Millennials out there have probably heard of Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page shared the soul of this Octave Fuzz with his iconic lead for “Fool in the Rain” released in 1979. I can hear the solo in my head now just thinkin’ about it!

3. EHX Little Big Muff Pi – The tones of the Big Muff Pi from Electro-Harmonix span the decades gracing the performances of guitar icons including David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Carlos Santana, Peter Buck (R.E.M.), James Hetfield (Metallica), John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and Jack White (The White Stripes).

4. Vox V845 Classic Wah – This reissue is yet another pedalboard “staple” among the most influential artists of the 60s through the 90s including Jimmy Hendrix (obviously), Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Slash (Guns N’ Roses), Brian May (Queen), Michael Schenker (Scorpions), Joe Satriani, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society).

5. MXR Phase 90 – This legendary Phaser known for its rich, warm phasing effect is one of the most commonly used MOD pedals defining the sounds of players like David Gilmour (Again), Eddie Van Halen, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), Pete Townsend (The Who), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Matt Bellamy (Muse) and Steve Vai.

6. MXR Dyna Comp – Considered THE Classic Compressor, the Dyna Comp has been used for decades by all of the “Usual Suspects” like David Gilmour, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townsend, EVH, and John Frusciante to name a few.

7. EHX NEO Mistress Flange – This modern descendant of the vintage MOD effect offers the same iconic Flange used by legends like Robert Smith (The Cure), Alex Lifeson (Rush), David Gilmour (Again, Again), Andy Summers (The Police), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Mathew Bellamy (Muse) and Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins).

8. EHX Stereo Pulsar Variable Shape Tremolo - While not directly identified on the pedal boards of the “Usual Suspects”, the Stereo Pulsar provides the same iconic Analog quality that these guitarists all indulged in as well as players like Neil Diamond who was renowned for his use of variable tremolo.

9. Boss DS-1/SD-1 – Yes you knew they would be on this list. There’s really nothing hidden about these gems since they are still two of the most popular and widely used guitar pedals in history! They have literally been used by most of the guitarists listed so far (except David Gilmour, oddly), but most notably by Kurt Cobain (DS-1) for the majority of his work on the Nevermind album which some would credit with the defining of the Grunge-Rock genre of the 90s.

Close Calls: 

Couldn’t find these for $50 more like $60-$70.

ProCo RAT 2 – Known for its versatile yet powerful distortion, this was another one of Kurt Cobain’s simple yet effective tools of expression that he inherited from players like Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Joe Walsh (Eagles), Jeff Beck, James Hetfield (Metallica) and Mick Mars (Motley Crue).

Boss CE-5 Chorus – The descendant of the CE-1 and CE-2 famously used by Andy Summers (The Police), Robert Smith (The Cure), Steve Lukather (Toto), Johnny Marr (The Smiths), and of course all the other Usual Suspects 😉

Noticing a pattern yet? All the best players pretty much use the same Analog tool box. “Yea, cuz that’s all they had back before the internet!” say the Millennials (I’m a Millennial😊). It’s pretty clear though that 3 major brands (Boss, MXR, and Electro-Harmonix) have been influencing Analog pedal tones for decades. You can redesign a car without having to reinvent the wheel, and that’s what a ton of great boutique($) Analog effect designers are doing today and it’s awesome! BUT, the point of this list is to demonstrate that the Analog Wheel can keep turning even on a budget. So, hopefully you’ve been inspired to invest (frugally) in your own inspiration and ability to express yourself musically, and at the very least stay true - Stay Analog.