5 Guitar Pedals You Should Buy Yourself For Xmas and Beyond

With such a vast range of guitar pedals available, how to narrow down your search to the ultimate few? Toby Pitman is here to lend a hand and his experience with his top 5.  

I've been through a few guitar pedals in my time. Sometimes you come across some that are just so good that you can't do without them. There are of course hundreds of pedals to choose from on the market and it's big business! So if all you're going to get this Xmas is socks then maybe you should treat yourself! Here's some contenders for that gap in your pedalboard that I'd recommend!

Strymon BigSky

If you're looking for a seriously good reverb pedal, the the Strymon BigSky should be at the top of your list. It features 12 stunning Reverb algorithms from Rooms to Pitch Shifted verbs. There are three handy preset switches (you can Freeze a Reverb by holding it down) and up to 300 memory slots.

BigSky

It has Stereo in out, 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A, MIDI and expression pedal control. It does come at a hefty price but it's worth every penny!! 

Price: $479

Website: http://www.strymon.net/bigsky/

Dirty Boy Geranium Boy

I picked one of these up second hand for a great price. To put it bluntly, it's probably the best drive pedal I own and makes any amp sound killer! The 12 position 'frequency' pot gives you a pleasing boost in EQ that lets you sit your guitar in any mix without a problem. 

Geranium Boy

Sometimes it's kind of hard to switch it off! If you can find one then buy one. You won't regret it!

Price: $375

Website: http://www.dirtyboypedals.com/#!germanium-boy/c3xw

Red Panda Particle

This is one of those pedals that is just a bit nuts. It's a granular delay/pitch shifter that can produce anything from lush chorus, flanging, stutters to out and out mayhem! I mostly use it for odd sounds and you just have to mess with it. Finding the same sound twice can be fairly hard! :)

Red Panda Particle

There's an input for an expression pedal that can be used to control delay/pitch or the current modes extra parameter. A truly creative pedal and a ton of fun! 

Price: $275

Website: http://redpandalab.com/products/particle/

EHX Ring Thing

The Electro Harmonix Ring Thing is a pretty diverse pedal. Sure it does some crazy Ring Mod effects but it does a whole lot more too. Tremolo, Vibrato, Detuning, Whammy effects and polyphonic pitch shifting (+/- 1 oct). There's expression control and also an extra input to feed in your own carrier signal.

EHX Ring Thing

It also comes with 9 preset slots that can be scrolled through using the preset switch. An extremely versatile pedal and lots of fun!

Price: $235 approx.

Website: http://redpandalab.com/products/particle/

Origin Effects SlideRIG

I was curious when I first saw this pedal as it made quite a bold claim. 'Recreates the slide sound of Lowell George!'. Well, I had to try one out! The pedal is basically two Urei 1176 limiters in series. Sustain? Oh yeah! It's got lots of that! It can however serve as the only compressor pedal you'll need as each stage can be run independently. 

Use one side for a spanky rhythm sound, the other for boosting solos or both together for insane sustain!

Origin Effects SlideRIG

It won't make you 'play' like Mr George but it will get you close to the singing sustain of those old Little Feat records. Not cheap again but a killer pedal that packs a lot of punch!

Price: $379

Website: http://www.origineffects.com/SlideRIG.php

For the past 20 years Toby has worked as a professional guitarist, programmer and producer. Clients include Sir Paul McCartney, George Michael, Shirley Bassey, Yusuf Islam, Giles Martin as well as the London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies. He has also worked extensively in TV, Advertising and Film. As well as composing himself he has also ... Read More

Discussion

Want to join the discussion?

Create an account or login to get started!