In December, Guitarist Magazine put out the 101 Best Stomp Boxes of ‘all time’ issue featuring what they believe is complete list of the 101 greatest stomp boxes. I thought this would be a great list to show EffectsBay.com readers… especially if you’re looking for something new or different.. but not sure what that could be. Having a list like this can sometimes lead to new discoveries. This list contains current pedals as well as hard-to-get vintage models as well.
Additionally, I’m curious how you guys think this list looks? Do you have a better recommendation for the top 10 stomp boxes of all time? If so, please comment below. Anything missing? Anything that you would say should not be in the list?
1. Dunlop Crybaby Classic
2. Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer
3. MXR Phase 90
4. Boss CE-1
5. Maestro FZ-1 Fuzztone
6. DigiTech Whammy
7. Boss DS-1
8. Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face
9. Boss DM-2
10. Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
11. Boss DD-3
12. Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress
13. Line 6 DL-4
14. Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
15. Octavia/o/er
16. MXR M-117 Flanger
17. Klon Centaur
18. Sola Sound Tone Bender
19. Maestro Echoplex
20. Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
21. Univox Uni-Vibe
22. Boss CE-5
23. MXR Dyna Comp
24. Marshall Guv’nor
25. Dallas Rangemaster Treble Boost
26. Pro Co RAT2
27. Ross Compressor
28. Sweet Sound Mojo Vibe
29. Dunlop HT1 Heil Talk Box
30. MXR Micro Amp
31. Boss BD-2
32. Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere
33. Musitronics Mu-Tron III
34. Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe+
35. Morley Classic Wah
36. Fulltone Full-Drive II Mosfet
37. Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator
38. Akai Headrush E2
39. SIB Echo Drive
40. Watkins Copycat
41. Fulltone OCD
42. Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
43. Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
44. Zvex Fuzz Factory
45. Tech21 Sansamp
46. Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe 2
47. Electro-Harmonix POG
48. Boss PN-2 Tremolo Pan
49. Eventide ModFactor
50. Carl Martin Two Faze
51. MXR M-134 Stereo Chorus
52. Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive
53. Blackstar HT-Dual
54. Carl Martin Hot Drive ‘N’ Boost
55. Providence SOV-2
56. Jim Dunlop Rotovibe
57. TC Electronic Stereo Chorus + Pitch Modulator & Flanger
58. FoxRox Captain Coconut 2
59. Digitech Hardwire RV-7 Reverb
60. Seymour Duncan SFX-01 Pickup Booster
61. Marshall Shredmaster
62. Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz
63. Crowther Audio Hot Cake
64. Vox V847 Wah
65. Seymour Duncan SFX-10 Deja Vu Tap Delay
66. Jim Dunlop Uni-Vibe
67. Boss DN-2 Dyna Drive
68. Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe
69. Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer
70. Wampler Ecstasy Overdrive
71. T-Rex Alberta
72. T-Rex Replica
73. Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail
74. Ethos Overdrive
75. Providence Sonic Drive SDR-05
76. Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
77. Visual Sound Route 66
78. MXR Carbon Copy
79. Line 6 Echo Park
80. Electro-Harmonix Riddle Q Balls
81. Boss DD-7
82. Effector 13/Devi Ever Truly Beautiful Disaster
83. Lovetone Brown Source
84. Durham Electronics Sex Drive
85. Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy
86. Blackstone Mosfet Overdrive
87. Line 6 MM4
88. Red Witch Deluxe Moon Phaser
89. Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder
90. Mooger Fooger MF102 Ring Modulator
91. Greg Fryer Treble Booster Touring
92. Way Huge Aqua Puss Analog Delay
93. Kingsley Jester
94. Analogman Sun Face
95. Frantone Peachfuzz
96. Boss RE-20 Space Echo
97. Tanabe Dumkudo
98. Wampler Nirvana Chorus
99. Vox Ice 9
100. Fender Fuzz-Wah
101. Greer Amplification Fish Press Compressor
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14 years ago
Two surprises..
1. Boss DS-1 rated so highly. It really is not all that great IMHO. This over-hyped pedal sounds really thin with no punch. The DS-1 was actually used by many artists including Joe Satriani, Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai to name a few, BUT most of the big artists and many amateurs don’t use the stock one. Most are modded (by Keeley or others) up the wazoo.
2. Boss DD-2 not mentioned: “The DD-2 was the first digital pedal that Boss made and the worlds first stompbox Digital Delay. It was based around the chip made for the Roland SDE-3000 rack mounted digital delay. By luck, the chip just fits across the width of the compact pedal and for months the design time worked to squeeze the rest of the components on to the printed circuit board.”
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14 years ago
I enjoyed reading this issue when it was published. A few years ago, the drummer in the band I was playing in at the time asked me if I had to keep one pedal, what would it be. I instantly said my Crybaby Wah; so in many ways, I was pleased to see it at No1.
Anyone else read through that list and gone: “Yep, own that… and that… wish I still owned that… oooohhh look at that!?!”
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14 years ago
There will always be differing opinions when it comes to “Best of” lists. One persons trash is anothers treasure. For instance I happen to love my stock DS-1 and I have had nothing but trouble with every Ibanez pedal I’ve ever owned, including the DE7. Overall I’d say this is a pretty good list. At the very least it sparks some good pedal discussion. 🙂
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14 years ago
@Jim DooDaddy: You know I completely missed the lack of Digitech. I’m no bigot… Digitech makes GREAT pedals despite the fact that they’re “digital”. I am totally in love with my Turbo Flange. Out of all the Flangers I’ve used, it’s still my favorite. I can’t afford the “vintage” flangers so I haven’t really used any but out of the Ibanez, Boss, etc crowd, the Turbo Flange is my favorite. And the RP25x/35x are great on the go effects units!
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12 years ago
The list is too subjective for one to judge. Indeed most of the pedals at the top are popular, but there is a lot of stuff missing… My list would include: (in no particular order)
Strymon Timeline
Strymon El Capistan
Strymon Blue Sky
RMC Wheels of Fire
Analogman King of Tone
Retro-Sonic Analogue Delay
Top Tone DG-2
Mojo Hand FX Rook
Mojo Hand FX Colossus
Eventide Timefactor
Eventide Eclipse
Diamond Memory Lane (1 or 2, or even JR)
Diamond Tremolo
Diamond Compressor
Keeley Phaser
Suhr Riot
Suhr Koko Boost
Xotic EP Booster
Xotic BB Preamp
and a lot moreAdmittedly, it would be too much to expect them to include everyone’s top 101 pedals, but at the very least they should have included the EP Booster, the Timeline and the Timefactor since they are incredibly popular. However, the MM4, FZ-2 and Ice 9 shouldn’t be in the list and the DS-1 should be somewhere around the bottom of the list. Carbon Copy should be somewhere within the Top 20, plainly because of its popularity.
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9 years ago
NOTE: I am aware this list is four years old. These are just two suggestions for a revision.
I think because of the versatility, the ease of use, the control, the dynamicism, the range of options, the 300 banks of storage, the gorgeous and lush sounding reverbs (with 12 modeled presets to go off of before you can dive in and make them your own), it’s ability to maintain your tone, and the headroom you have to explore, the Strymon Big Sky is without a doubt the best reverb unit of all-time SO far. It took a lot of creativity to even envision the features of this glorious pedal, let alone the power a single player has when they finally get to it.
Even though the Strymon Blue Sky unit is a wonderful pedal, it’s a bit of a redundancy when compared to the Big Sky. It saves money, and a little space, but the power and control you have over the Big Sky is undeniable, next-to-limitless, and worth the extra $200 (yes, I meant that) and a few inches on your board.
Honestly, I think the Strymon Big Sky is the best pedal of all-time.
I also would revise to include the Electro Harmonix Soul Food. Even if that pedal were to crack the bottom end of the list, it still deserves to be in the 101 top pedals. That thing can sing as a light bite, a transparent boost, a hard hittin’ overdrive, and will maintain your tone (or it won’t, if that’s what you’re in to.) I would vote it at least somewhere in the middle, because this list to me is way off especially when the OCD and the POG are rocking the ’40s…
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