Best Guitar Modulation Pedals for Unique Sound

Voodoo Labs created this pedal with an ear to the history of the tremolo effect, and it shows in this end result. Modeling their pedal after vintage guitar amplifier built-in tremolo sounds, their unit utilizes the same lamp and photocell assembly used in many of those amps from the past. You’ve got the traditional speed and intensity control knobs you would find in most tremolo pedals to give you hands-on access to shaping the attack of the tremolo effect. The slope control knob also allows you to get more specific with the sound, with the option of a more soothing, traditional tremolo tone or cranking it up to a more abrasive stutter.

Voodoo Labs also wisely included a volume knob into their compact configuration as sometimes the subtractive nature of the tremolo effect can lead to it getting buried in the mix; having the ability to boost the signal is a must for guitarists playing in band/live settings. Finally, it’s worth noting that this tremolo pedal is one of the smallest options out there, weighing less than one pound and taking up just a tiny sliver of space. These size and space considerations are a crucial element for those trying to manage the landscape of an already crowded pedalboard.

If you’re looking for a straight-forward and simple approach to getting awesome tremolo sounds, the BOSS TR-2 tremolo pedal is calling you. Featuring just three knobs (rate, depth, and a variable wave controller) it’s easy to plug in and play. The aforementioned wave controller allows you to change the LFO waveform of the effect from triangle to square, giving you different shapes to play with in sculpting your tone. Depth will allow you to alter the strength of the tremolo effect, while rate affects the speed so you can keep things slow for a more subtle haunting sound or crank it all the way up to have a jarringly stark tone.

Because it’s a BOSS pedal, you can rest assured this piece of gear is durable enough so that you don’t have to baby it while in the studio or on the road, and a five year manufacturer’s warranty is just icing on the cake. It also takes up relatively little real estate on a pedalboard, providing yet another reason as to why so many guitarists rely on BOSS for all their tremolo needs.

True to its name, the Shape Shifter tremolo pedal by Seymour Duncan refuses to be contained by a singular definition. While it offers up sounds akin to the classic tremolo sounds found in vintage guitar amplifiers, the parameter controls on this unit allow players to really warp guitar tones and get weird. You’d be hard-pressed to find an old amp that can pull off the warbles, flutters, and shimmers that this unit produces. The tap tempo function helps you easily adjust the rate of the effect to fit the song you’re playing while an LED light visually pulses so you can verify you’re in sync with the tune.

The shape control knob is what really allows this unit to deviate from the standard. Shift it away from its center and the rate at which the volume of the guitar increases/decreases from its original volume is expanded, creating a variety of characteristics you can play with. Deep swells and slow drops give the tremolo effect more of a percussive nature, while a slow swell and sudden drop offers up a backwards effect.

TC Electronic shook up the world of guitar effects more than 25 years ago when it brought its legendary SCF Chorus pedal to the world; this effect quickly became a standard amongst guitarists, and still holds onto that title today. With their Corona Chorus pedal, the company has provided that same great tonal quality and smart build in a smaller and more affordable package. If you’re looking to plug in and immediately get to business, the Corona is ready to rock; the presets are lush and expressive, and will immediately bring a great aesthetic to your tone.

If you’re looking to play around and get a bit more creative, this pedal can also walk that side of the fence. Speed, depth, color, and level controls give you the ability to really dial in specific combinations of sound. As if that wasn’t enough, this pedal also has a foot in the world of modern technology; connect the Corona to your computer via its USB connection, and you’ll be able to download customized presets that TC calls TonePrints. It’s easy, fast, and features sounds/settings that have been created by some of your favorite guitarists.

MXR’s M-134 Stereo Chorus pedal is the go-to effect for many notable guitarists, including Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), and Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society). The unit’s bright yellow design immediately makes it stand out in a visual sense, but the amount of flexibility the pedal offers for guitarists seeking to fine-tune their chorus sound is truly what separates it from the rest of the pack. While it can easily handle a straight and simple chorus sound, it’s capable of mimicking specific tones you may have heard on some of your favorite records. Additionally, the parameters also allow you to sculpt your own signature sound.

A quick glance at the surface of the M-134 reaffirms just how much control is in the hands of the user. Intensity, width, and rate knobs give you the flexibility to go for a subtle chorus effect all the way to a thick and otherworldly tone. Two knobs for bass and treble allow you to really go in and craft the EQ of the effected sound even further. The pedal is equipped with stereo outputs, meaning you can run the pedal through two separate amplifiers if so desired; the mono output also does the pedal justice, too. Finally, this pedal is durable so you’ll never have to worry about doing any damage by stepping down on it in the middle of recording or playing live.

Far from a cheaper or smaller knockoff, Electro-Harmonix’s Neo-Clone chorus pedal is modeled after their classic Small Clone, and they did not fall short. The pedal may be smaller (which makes it ideal for guitarists who have very little real estate on their crowded pedalboards), but it retains everything that made players love the Small Clone in the first place. Utilizing the same circuit as the Small Clone, the Neo-Clone is all-analog.

True bypass allows you to maintain the integrity of your signal tone without having anything get lost through the wires. Depth and rate knobs allow you to control the frequency and speed of the pedal’s modulation, which can result in either subtle wave-like sounds or a full-on Leslie-like effect. It’s a tight and efficient package that is designed to easily integrate into your effects setup, yet still provide a major effect on the sounds coming out of your rig.

BOSS tends to be deceptively simple with the way they design their instantly-recognizable pedals. Take the CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, for instance; it doesn’t really appear to offer too much by way of bells and whistles with its four knobs. But the depth and amount of control you can pull out of this chorus pedal speaks for itself. Each of the aforementioned knobs controls the effect level, rate, depth, and filter, respectively; the filter knob is unique in that it effects the EQ of treble and bass in the effect with just one knob.

Having a setup like that might sound counterintuitive, but its sweeping filter-like effect gets the job done without providing too much of a headache (and taking up precious additional space on the unit itself). You have the option to split your output into a stereo signal, but this thing is going to sound good either way you send it out to the world since there’s no need to fear mono. And because this is a BOSS pedal we’re talking about, you don’t have to worry about doing any damage to this thing as it’s built like a tank.

When it comes to the BOSS line of stompbox guitar pedals, it truly isn’t hard to coax great sounds out of the effects; simply press down on the pedal, tweak the knobs, and you’ve got a great tone. The PH-3 phase shifter pedal is a perfect example of this fool-proof process; the Rate, Depth, and Res knobs are simple to use, giving users the ability to dial in from the minimum to maximum amount when controlling the shape and scope of the phase shifting. The more recent additions to the BOSS phase shifting family are the PH-3’s “Rise” and “Fall” effects, which produce entirely upward or downward moving sounds via 4-, 8-, 10-, and 12-stage phasers.

The PH-3 also allows players to tap the tempo onto the pedal in order to sync up the phasing effects. Players also have the option to hook up an expression pedal to have real-time control of the Rate, Filter, and Tempo of the pedal while playing; this is a great feature if you’re playing a part that requires a sudden or gradual shift of sound. Since it’s a BOSS pedal, this model is as durable as you can ask for, and just in case that wasn’t enough, the PH-3 also comes with a five-year warranty.

If you’re looking for a strong advocate for the MXR Phase 90 pedal, look no further than one Eddie Van Halen. The veritable guitar god used this phase shifter pedal all over the first Van Halen record. It’s not hard to understand why this little orange device would find such favor in the great guitarist’s rig. Taking a cue from the more expansive MXR-M107 Phase 100 pedal, the Phase 90 consolidates big time, offering a pedal that features but one knob which is used to dial in the speed at which you want phasing to affect your signal.

If you’re looking to really customize your signal, this pedal may not be the best bet as it pretty much does most of the work for you. However, if you’re looking for a strong and instantly recognizable tone (particularly if you are trying to nail some of the classic Van Halen sounds with one phase shifter pedal), then this is what you need in your life. It’s very responsive, doesn’t muck with the tone of your guitar at all, and it’s an ideal choice you’re looking for a powerful addition that won’t take up much real estate on an otherwise crowded pedal rig.

If you’ve long admired the classic swirly sound of Electro Harmonix’s Small Stone phase shifter pedal but want to acquire it in a smaller and more durable package, the Nano Small Stone is just what you need. This tiny unit conjures up the three-dimensional sounds of the past, in a compact, die-cast package that takes up a very small footprint on any guitarist’s pedal board.

Because of its relatively small size, the Nano Small Stone is pretty straightforward as far as controls go. One singular knob controls the rate of the phasing sweep. The lone switch gives you the option to cut into the frequency spectrum of your sound, giving you a hi-pass, resonant effect. If you prefer a fuller sound, simply turn the color switch to the “down” or “off” position. This pedal provides an extreme amount of character to your sound, without taking up too much of your attention or pedalboard real estate. This makes it an ideal addition to the “crayons” that you use to color your musical tone.

BOSS has captured the beloved sound of their BF-2 flange pedal and updated it with some cool enhancements in their compact BF-3. The first thing you’re likely to notice about this unit is its bright purple color which actually is a good indication of the type of flair and expression this pick is capable of producing. There are quite a few modes of flanging to choose from: start off with standard mode, crank things up a notch with ultra mode, chop up your signal for a Leslie-like effect using the gate/pan mode, and summon quick spurts of flange using the momentary mode which only activates when you hold your foot down on the pedal.

Because the rate at which the flange operates needs to fit with the tempo of the song, BOSS has included a useful tap tempo feature into the BF-3. Simply hold down on the pedal for two seconds and it will enter a tap tempo mode that allows you to use your foot to set the rhythm of the effect. And you’ll be able to tap with little to no caution thanks to the durable, tank-like nature of the BOSS stompbox products. If you’re looking to really get weird with your tone, this is a flange pedal that can absolutely provide you with the right tools to do so.

When the world at large first heard Van Halen songs like “Unchained,” you could hear a pin drop…well, you would be able to, if your eardrums weren’t rattling from an unprecedented guitar sound courtesy of Eddie Van Halen. MXR’s EVH117 captures the flange sounds that Van Halen conjured up with the original MXR Flanger, giving players the ability to instantly dial in that “Unchained” sound. Simply hit the EVH Switch, and you’re ready to go.

If you’re more interested in creating your own tone, this pedal still gives you what you need to make it happen. Manual, width, speed, and regeneration knobs give you free range to choose your sound, whether you’re looking for a sort-of warped tremolo, strange and twisted tones, or the typical jet stream effect synonymous with flange. This thing is built to sound just like the original vintage pedal it’s modeled after, and it has a cool stylized look too; the striped graphics on the face of this pedal instantly bring to mind the era from which all things Van Halen came. You’ll be sweeping and whooshing like the legend himself in no time.