8 Wonders in the Guitar Pedal World

Living in Singapore means relying on Swee Lee to ship most of the guitar gear in, I understand. If not for Soft or Carousell, most guitarists would spend a really long time building up their pedalboard. When I just started out, I remember that scary feeling of buying the wrong pedal and don't even know I am wrong. In the world of multi-fx pedalboards, things seem so easy. Just a board and everything's included. Then the feeling of wanting more came. It's human nature to want more, so I did the switch to analog pedals.

Cut to the chase, today, I am here to help recommend 8 pedals for starters. Don't worry, I have taken into account price, availability, quality and most importantly, popularity. The list will be in the order of importance, not the pedal order. Pedal order will have to be decided by yourself with trial and error. So here goes...

1. Overdrive: Ibanez TS9 / Fulltone OCD

Sorry if I had to force you to make a choice so early in the list, but I've got my reasons. I label the overdrive pedal as the absolute first pedal you have to get if you are switching to analog pedals. Here's why. Most amps come with distortion on it's own, as well as delays and reverbs on the higher end ones. The only thing most amps lack is the overdrive; a softer warmer type of distortion. Assuming you have just sold your multi-fx board, you are heavily relying on your amp, the overdrive will definitely help as the first pedal you need.

The Ibanez TS9 on itself is a pretty softcore overdrive. It works best with tube amps and it drives the tube amp into a powerful crunchy distortion. That is why the TS9 is labelled as one of the legendary pedals in the guitar world. Match it with a tube amp and you will never go wrong. If you turn on the Ibanez TS9 on the clean channel, it gives you a jumpy kind of sound, very unique. For me, I use a home practice amp so it cannot bring the full potential out of the TS9. I use my TS9 to boost my distortion pedal, and sometimes use it as a clean boost for my clean signal. Ibanez TS9 is the only overdrive that can be an effective clean boost because of it's softcore nature. You just turn off the drive and max out the volume. It is a pretty cheap pedal to get in Singapore; mine costed $90 used. It is tough however, to get your hands on it if no one happens to be selling them. That is why I suggested another very popular overdrive...

Fulltone OCD is actually an overdrive, not a distortion, but can be one all by itself. That unique personality of OCD brings it onto this list. Another popular pedal, OCD can be tough to get in Singapore, but when you get it, it is equally as good as having the TS9. Of course, it would be best to get both but the real estate on your board will be pleading for space. I personally do not have the OCD so I can't say much about it. A friend of mine has it though, and he is having lots of fun with it. I heard him play before, and I asked him what distortion he is using. He replied that only his OCD is turned on. My goodness, my trained ear can't even tell the difference. Amazing.

Ibanez TS9, sadly, is a quite rare pedal in Singapore. It doesn't retail anywhere, but other modded versions of it does. The price range is around $100 for a used one. Anything beyond $120 for a TS9 is not worth it.

Fulltone OCD, on the other hand, retails at $205 @ Ebenex: http://store.ebenex.com/product-p/full012.htm
I rather you buy a used one to be honest. $205 is too much for a beginner to handle.

2. Delay: MXR Carbon Copy

Sometimes, you just can't rely on your amp's delay. They suck big time, most of the time. I myself tried a DD-3 for a year, but gave on it because it doesn't have tap tempo. A good digital delay must have tap tempo. Well, I switched over to analog delays for the warmer and naturally degrading tone. The MXR Carbon Copy is one hell of a delay. Seriously, it's easy to use and delivers a powerful sound. That is the reason why this pedal found itself on many boards, especially beginner boards.

Carbon Copy retails at Davis Guitar. Not too sure about the price but here's the link: http://davisguitar.com/shop/mxr-m169-carbon-copy-analog-delay/
The price for a used one ranges around the $100 range. Not worth it if the price goes beyond $130 unless it's in superb condition.

3. Distortion: Boss DS-1

Nothing beats Boss DS-1 at classic distortion. It is a very affordable pedal and it's an absolute must-have for starters. It is simple to use with just 3 of the most basic knobs a distortion pedal requires. While there are more models branching out from the Boss DS-1 like the Boss OS-2 (both Overdrive and Distortion in one pedal) or the Boss MT-2 (Metal Distortion), everything you see is based on the classic DS-1 pedal. Really recommend this pedal to starters because of it's attractive price.

The Boss DS-1 retails at Swee Lee at an amazing price of $69.99: https://www.sweelee.com.sg/boss-ds-1-distortion-guitar-effects-pedal.html
Used ones in the market goes for around $40 to $50. You will never go wrong with this pedal.

4. Reverb: TC Electronic Hall of Fame

Now this next pedal you need is a reverb pedal. While most Fender amps easily covers the reverb effect, there's nothing better than a reverb pedal under your feet. This pedal adds depth to your dry tone. While a little more expensive than the Boss RV-5, this pedal stands out more than the RV-5. It doesn't have that infamous "metallic" tone Boss pedals carry and it's far more versatile. Plus, its got a TonePrint function that's sure to attract your attention. Although it still cannot defeat Strymon's reverbs, this pedal itself is awesome for starters.

Edit: I have managed to tweak the TonePrint function to match a shimmer effect. For starters, shimmer is an effect that normally you cannot find under $200. It is often seen on boutique pedals, less on such common pedals. So this makes the HoF even more worth!

Hall Of Fame Reverb retails at $199 @ Swee Lee: https://www.sweelee.com.sg/tc-electronic-hall-of-fame-reverb-guitar-effects-pedal.html
Used ones in the market must never go beyond $150. I don't know why too, but similar TC Electronic pedals have their value dropped right after you purchase brand new. So it's better to get it used.

5. Compressor: MXR Dyna Comp

After the 4 primary pedals, we are on to the next 4 which I call secondary pedals. You don't need these as much as the first 4 pedals but it's still essentials. We move on to compressor next. This effect basically evens out your signal, making the soft sounds loud and loud sounds soft. A good compressor is one that doesn't colour your tone too much. For now, the simplest and most easy to use compressor would be the Dyna Comp. Featuring just 2 knobs and an affordable price tag, it's no wonder many starters love to lay their hands on it. Although I find that it colours a little of the tone, it will do just alright for starters. Try to get it to learn how a compressor works first before moving on to more expensive compressors. Serious, I took a year to fully learn the functions of compressors. It's subtle, but it's important.

Dyna Comp retails @ Swee Lee for $99: https://www.sweelee.com.sg/mxr-m102-dyna-comp-compressor-guitar-effects-pedal.html
Used ones ranges for around $70 to $80. Sometimes, if you are lucky, it can go as low as $50, that is if you are lucky.

6. Tuner: TC Electronic Polytune 2/Polytune Mini

There's a lot of controversies stating this should be the most important pedal on any board. Well, I'd like to point out the fact that other than being an efficient kill switch, I would rather tune my guitar via other methods and free up one space on my board. TC Electronic must have heard my thoughts though, because they have now introduced the mini version of their tuner. Although it saves up tremendous space, it sacrifices an output power socket and the ability to upgrade it's firmware, while I can argue that it's just a tuner; what firmware does it need? Still, that extra output power would be better used without the tuner I should say? Nonetheless, for the sake of pleasing that little group of people, this is yet another pedal you need.

There are 3 versions of this pedal. The Polytune 1 is the first version while the Polytune 2 is the second, obviously. Comparing both of them, the P2 has brighter LEDs compared to P1. The tuning accuracy seems to be better on the P2, although nobody in the audience can hear the difference. The third version is the Mini. The Mini is for people who have real estate issues on their pedalboards. The Mini comes in White and Black (Noir). Both is the same thing. Talking about black, there is a fourth version. Not many people know about it, It's called the Polytune Blacklight. Not gonna reveal anymore. Hehe.

Edit: Although I hate to have the Polytune occupy a space on my board, I never seem to let it go. This love-hate relationship. Wow.

TC Polytune 2 retails at $129 @ Swee Lee: https://www.sweelee.com.sg/tc-electronic-polytune-2-tuner-guitar-pedal.html
This is one pedal I would recommend you buying it brand new from Swee Lee, because the used ones in the market are so freaking rare.

7a. Volume Pedal: Ernie Ball VP JR

If you don't like using the tuner as your kill switch, get the proper kill switch pedal instead. The volume pedal is a highly important pedal on the secondary level because of it's ability to imitate swells and roll offs. Mostly used in ambient music, this pedal can be a killer if used correctly. Other than that, this pedal doesn't require a power input because it's on passive, so it is saving one extra power outlet for your other pedals. If you are not a church guitarists, you won't find this pedal useful as much. So may I introduce you an alternative in the next section. Everyone needs a long pedal so...

If you are interest in the VP Jr, it retails at the official Ernie Ball retailer, Sinamex, for $120: https://sinamexstoresg.com/collections/guitar-strings-and-accessories/products/ernie-ball-vp-jr-250k
Used ones in the market should not go beyond $100.

7b. Wah Pedal: Jim Dunlop Classic Wah GCB95F

To the other rockers, maybe this pedal will be more interesting than the volume pedal. This pedal's effect needs no introduction because saying the word "wah" already explained it all. This is an interesting pedal as everyone needs at least one foot pedal on their board. While I do not recommend getting both the volume pedal and the wah because of space issues, go right ahead if you have a big board. Otherwise, this pedal will keep you rocking for days because it's a very unique pedal.

Cry Baby Classic retails at Davis Guitar: http://davisguitar.com/shop/crybaby-classic-gcb95f/
Davis Guitar doesn't really like to show their prices online so I only know about the prices of used ones. They range around $90 on places like Carousell.

8. Chorus: TC Electronic Corona Chorus

This last position of the Guitar Pedal Wonders belong to the other whacky modulation pedals. Honestly, you can put Flanger or Phasor in this position, but I rather go with Chorus because it's more widely used. I know Nirvana uses Chorus heavily and look how they turned out? Amazing. I use a Chorus myself so I know its worth. Being the third TC Electronic pedal in this list, you would now know how solid TC Electronic is at building pedals. If you don't like modulation pedals, other pedals like the Ditto Looper could make the cut for the interesting 8th position. Otherwise, get the Corona Chorus, it's worth it.

Corona Chorus retails @ Swee Lee for $169: https://www.sweelee.com.sg/tc-electronic-corona-chorus-guitar-effects-pedal.html
Used ones in the market goes for around $140. Don't get too happy though, many will be selling it at a higher price because it's not that popular a pedal.

Bonus Runner-Up: Line 6 M5

Honestly, I wouldn't need to place M5 in the runner up if not for it's unusually high current intake. As a digital multi-fx standalone pedal, this M5 is a huge tanker. With over 100 effects inside it, it can be your "Swiss Army Knife", replacing any effect that breaks down in the middle of a gig. This is not a must-have pedal, but I find it extremely useful to test out an effect before searching for it's analog pedal counterpart. Cheap and easy to use, presenting to you the Line 6 M5.

Line 6 M5 retails at $189 @ SoundAlchemy: http://soundalchemy.com.sg/shop/effect-pedals/line-6-m5/
Used ones go for around $130 to $150, depending on its condition.

~~~~~ End ~~~~~

And that's all folks, the 8 Guitar Pedal Wonders. You don't need to follow this list strictly as I am only trying to help beginner electric guitarists get past this big boulder. Honestly, I think this list is going to be one of the most helpful list because I am writing this at a Singaporean's viewpoint, pricing and availability wise. Once you figured out what you want, I urge you to pass on some of these pedals and move on into the boutique pedals world. Because frankly speaking, there's no end to chasing tone.

Stay tuned for the next pedals list: The 8 Intermediate Pedals for every electric guitarist!