As you’ve probably noticed by now, here at Guitar Lobby we’re huge fans of mini guitar pedals. Despite our obsession with these compact stompboxes, it’s important that we also discuss some of the potential downsides to using them. Who is this best suited for: Perhaps you’re looking for a small pedal which can make your guitar sound a little strange and off-center. The Mini Chorus by Ibanez layers your tone which modulation and offers many different variations of the popular warble-inducing effect. Whether you’re making ambient soundscapes, a huge shoegaze wall of noise, or just looking for something to make your next solo shine - our guide to the best mini guitar pedals will help you find the best FX that don’t take up too much room. There’s enough choice here that you could even build an entirely mini pedalboard! The great thing about mini guitar pedals is that they allow you to fit more effects into your signal chain, which means you don’t need to limit your options. If you love the sound of two min delay pedals, you can Pedalboards also make it easier for the guitarist to access all of their effects easily without having them scattered around on different surfaces or having cables running everywhere that limit movement on stage.

First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best pedalboard on the market right now. These awesome circus-themed stompboxes come in at a truly micro-size, allowing them to be squeezed onto even the tightest of pedalboards. A key aspect of the Plexi Drive Mini is its two preset switches, situated on either side of the central ‘Tone’ control. These switches allow you to instantly cut some of the bass or mid frequencies, which in turn highlights the remaining frequency bands much like an EQ pedal would. How do I supply power to my pedals and pedalboard? The IEC inlet on the side is used to feed power to the inside of the board from any power outlet. The toggle switch controls On/Off function. The lamp lights up when the toggle is on, supplying power to the pigtail connection that runs under the pedalboard that is typically used to connect your power supply that uses an C13 IEC plug.

It may seem logical that smaller-sized guitar pedals are likely to be inferior to larger devices, but this often isn’t the case. In many cases, mini guitar pedals perform just as impressively as their full-sized guitar pedal counterparts. Mini pedals are exactly what they say on the tin. They’re guitar pedals that have been made more compact so that you can either use more of them on a ‘board, or you can run a much smaller rig. You’ll often find that two versions of a pedal are available – a ‘full-sized’ one, and a compact one. In a lot of instances they’re exactly the same thing, just in different sized casings, and the smaller one can be cheaper. If you want your sound to be more unique, then you might want to consider getting a pedalboard with different effects and pedals like distortion, delay, reverb, etc. That’s where dual purpose pedals come in. These are the types of pedals that combine closely-related effects. For example, a reverb and delay, vibrato and chorus or delay and pitch shifting. Both multi FX and dual purpose pedals are excellent choices if you’re looking to save space on your pedalboard, but will potentially cost more than your standard single effect guitar pedal. Learn how to make synth sounds without a synth and get to grips with one of the coolest experimental music techniques in our guide to No-Input Mixing

Mini guitar pedals are most likely to feature true bypass switching, which is a design method used by manufacturers to ensure that signal strength is maintained as it passes through the chain of effects. A DIY pedalboard is a board with the function of having different pedals connected to it. The board lets you switch between “effects” or sounds on your guitar/bass/keyboard, for example Overdrive -> Distortion -> Flanger -> Chorus. Find out how to sound like Deftones in our complete Deftones Guitar Gear Guide, including the amplifiers, guitar pedals, and tunings that Deftones use

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First and foremost, we are musicians, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best pedalboards on the market right now. With mini pedals, some features might be stripped away – one of these is often stereo connectivity. There are some great pedals out there that have multiple inputs and outputs that allow you to use a stereo rig. The size limitations associated with mini pedals does mean that in most cases, they will have mono operation.

Who is this best suited for: The Mini Ego is a great choice for guitarists looking to gain more control over their dynamics. This pedal isn’t complex like some other compressors, so it’s suitable for beginners and those who don’t have much experience with compression.My Review: When it comes to wah pedals, Dunlop’s Cry Baby range is considered to be the gold standard, and for good reason. I’ve relied on their sturdy designs and captivating wah-wah tones on many occasions, so when I learned about the half-sized CBM95 Mini Wah, I was curious to see if it delivered the same qualities as its full-sized equivalents. Mini guitar pedals that use a buffer aim to achieve the same goal of ensuring signal strength throughout the chain. However, unlike true bypass pedals, they boost the strength of the signal before it leaves the pedal, which compensates for any loss that occurs it moves through the chain. My Review: Ibanez receives many accolades for their range of electric guitars and basses, but I don’t think they get the credit they deserve for their reliable stompboxes. Their mini-series includes this chorus pedal, which despite its small dimensions produces lush, warbly modulation. The purpose of making your pedalboard is to place pedals on it so you can easily turn them on/off with your foot. It’s good for people who are just learning how to play the guitar or bass because they need to learn about effects (like distortion or echo). My Review: The Mini Ego uses the same circuitry as its larger predecessor, and therefore doesn’t compromise on performance. The only difference between this mini guitar pedal and its full-sized sibling is that it features a limited number of controls, but I found this to be a refreshing update.

My Review: Wampler’s Mini Faux Spring pedal brings the irresistible sound of spring reverb to your pedalboard. It may be compact, but this pedal can produce long reverb times which replicate the effect of long springs used in tube amplifiers. Arguably the most reputable pedalboard brand is Pedaltrain, who manufacture a number of boards. The Pedaltrain Nano is their entry level board, built specifically for mini pedals and players that prefer a portable rig. The Pedaltrain Classic 2 is the industry standard, a medium-sized board that can host a number of pedals, whereas the Pedaltrain Novo 32 is a larger pedalboard for the true tone connoisseurs.Who is this best suited for: The Mini Foot Fuzz V2 is a wonderful pedal for guitarists hoping to create ‘60s style lead tones. If you own a wah pedal or are likely to acquire one in the future, this pedal is the perfect companion. If your pedal selection is currently modest, you may decide that it’s not worth investing in a PSU to supply power to all of your pedals. On the other hand, if you’re amassing a substantial collection of pedals, I’d highly recommend using a power supply unit with them. My Review: I’ve had the pleasure of using the Philosopher’s Tone compressor in the past, and I found it to be a very capable device for controlling my guitar’s dynamics. This Micro edition is much smaller than the original, but it still offers all of the main qualities. My Review: I’ve used many overdrive pedals over the years, and I can confidently say that very few meet the standard set by the Tube Screamer Mini. This pedal may be tiny in terms of its dimensions, but it makes a huge difference to your guitar’s tone. Who is this best suited for: If overdrive is an important part of your guitar sound, the ODR-Mini is worth considering. This pedal is a great tool for guitarists who want to push their amplifier into overdrive or add some grit to their tone.