Whether you’re adding that last missing guitar pedal to your collection or building a complete pedalboard from scratch, 2024 is a great year to expand your tonal horizons.
Whatever genre of music you like, there’s bound to be a pedal that will put a smile on your face when you strum that big open E chord.
From phasers to fuzzes, overdrives to octaves, 2024 presents a golden opportunity to check out new releases, review the pedals of the past, acquire new gear and/or trade-in and trade-up what could be improved.
The purpose of this guide is to be a comprehensive resource that you can use when shopping, so that you can be confident you have found a pedal that suits your needs.
Thankfully, you no longer have to necessarily demo a pedal in-store. YouTube has become a great place to audition pedals. In fact, many YouTubers run the gamut of settings on pedals so you can hear the variety of tones you can achieve.
In addition, many stores have generous return policies. This enables you to return a pedal if you’re not fully satisfied.
I have broken this guide down into several sections: First, pedals are sorted by pedal type, then analyzed for cost, controls, recommended pairings, famous tones, and more.
This guide will help narrow down the vast array of choices, leaving you with a solid selection you can be confident will bring you years of happiness to come.
Let’s get started!
OVERDRIVE
Overdrive was one of the earliest guitar effects. It was originally created by turning up tube guitar amplifiers past the point of sounding “clean”. The resulting tone was a creamy, rich tone that has since become a mainstay in many music genres.
When choosing an overdrive pedal, there a few things to assess. First, is it within budget? Also, will it pair well with my amp and guitar? It’s critical to find a pedal that works well with your amp and guitar style.
For instance, I would instantly choose a tube screamer if I was playing through a Fender-type amplifier.
Why?
Because the midrange frequencies of the amp and pedal complement each other – and midrange is critical to a guitar player’s sound (it helps you be heard over the bass, drums, and keyboards.
Conversely, if I was using a mid-heavy amplifier such as a Marshall-style or Vox-style amp, I would gravitate towards a transparent-sounding overdrive, since the amp is already taking care of the midrange I need.
Below is a list of the overdrive pedals that I believe are an ideal choice for 2024 guitar pedal boards and beyond.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Classic mid-boosted pedal! Tube screamers are great for being heard over a loud band, and the natural boost plays well with other mid-scooped pedals like the Big Muff fuzz. | Check Price on Amazon | |
 | Great transparent (neutral-sounding) overdrive, incredibly versatile. Use it to boost your amp or another pedal, or turn up the gain for more of the pedal’s own unique clear-sounding character. | Check Price on Amazon | |
 | A mainstay on many pedalboards, the blues driver has a classic crunchy character while still sounding smooth and refined. It features a more well-rounded even sound than the Tube Screamer. | Check Price on Amazon | |
 | Tour Series Archer IKON Overdrive and Boost Guitar Effects Pedal | Another mid-boosted pedal, this Klon-inspired pedal delivers a clearer, rich voice that is like a cross between the Tube Screamer and the Duke of Tone. | Check Price on Amazon |
DISTORTION
Distortion guitar pedals operate similarly to overdrives, but the effect is typically increased. This gives the guitar tone a classic sound heard on many rock, metal, and pop songs.
In addition to having a similar sound, they usually have similar controls, too (Volume, Tone, and Gain).
Like picking out an overdrive guitar pedal, choosing a distortion pedal should be done with your amplifier and guitar in mind. A good way to audition different pedals and amplifiers is through YouTube videos, where many players provide videos of their tones so that you can hear what might work best for you.
Having said that, there are a couple safe bets that work well with a variety of amps, which I’ve highlighted here below:
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The Pugilist provides two different gain engines, which you can dial in independently. Works great for lead/solo sounds. | Check Price | |
 | The Rat is unique in that it excels with a wide variety of amps, and the gain amount runs the gamut from lightly overdriven to completely distorted. It is also unique in the way it uses a filter to cut the high end frequencies. An all around great pedal, and works amazing with boosters and overdrives. | Check Price |
FUZZ
Fuzz is like a distortion that hasn’t shaved in a few days. It has a very gnarly sound, and I’m not sure that words do it justice. To get an idea of the types of sound fuzz can produce, take a listen to this here:
Fuzzes can be tricky to work with. This is in part due to the mids-scooped nature of the sound, meaning other instruments can often drown out your guitar part. Fuzzes are also tough because some of them have unusual power requirements – while not too big of a deal, it’s something to be aware of.
Fuzz was also one of the earliest pedal types. There are many emulations of classic circuits, as well as totally new designs. Below are a few recommendations that will get you a seat on board the train to fuzz-town.
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