If you are looking for a complete setup in just one unit that fits perfectly inside your gig bag, you should consider a multi-effects pedal. These pedals combine the different pedals and the pedalboard you carry with you every time going to a gig or jamming session.
We found some of the best and most popular multi-effect pedals to save you the time and effort of looking for one. Then, we looked at them to see what they have to offer serious musicians while saving space.
Keep reading and learn how these multi-effects pedals can make your life and jamming sessions much less complicated.
Best Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal: Reviews
Sonicake Multi-Effects Pedal For Guitar
When it comes to quality, these pedals from Sonicake will not disappoint with some of the best features. They’re designed to be easy to use and save time and space for the musician on the go.
Product Highlights
The main special effects make it the ideal pedal for classic rock guitarists. The effects you can choose from are distortion, delay, chorus, and reverbs, all digitally created.
The backlit controls are a nice touch to the pedal to make it display nicely while in use. The controls are easy to use to activate the effects you need with quick, easy access to all your features.
This special effects pedal from Sonicake produces a lovely warm sound to add quality to your music. In addition, you can achieve a pleasant tone with the quality reverb, which is improved with the voice delay.
The Good
The small, compact, and lightweight design makes this unit easy to carry in your gig or guitar bag. It is also easy to set up and has up to five special effects to use with your guitar.
The Bad
The switches to select the different effects you need are not of the best quality and may fail at some point. For the musician on the go, this isn’t great. It can fail where you will not be able to get another one quickly.
Pros
- It is easy to use and set it up
- Made with a compact and lightweight construction
- You get many different effects included with this pedal
- It is ideal for rock guitarists
Cons
- The toggle switches are not the best quality
- You do not get a protective bag for it
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Zoom G1X Four Multi-Effect Pedal For Electric Guitar
You can expect only the best from Zoom with their many years of experience in the pedal industry. This is evident in the quality of their products. For example, the newer G1X four model has an excellent processor pedal to make it easier to get what you need.
Product Highlights
With more than 70 built-in effects, this is the electric guitarist’s dream multi-effect pedal for onstage use. The great thing is that you can have up to 5 special effects activated simultaneously to increase your overall performance.
Free downloadable software from Zoom guitar labs will help extend your user experience and increase the effects. In addition, the looper has up to 30 seconds of recording options with high-quality audio and seamless start and end times.
The 68 built-in rhythm patterns can be used simultaneously with the looper to create even more and better effects.
The Good
With great functionality and ease of control use, this multi-effect pedal is worth the money you invest. In addition, the processor pedal added to one side of the device makes it easier to control while playing your guitar.
The Bad
You cannot change the volume for your headphone on the pedal itself, making it challenging to manage volume. Also, it does not have a power supply, so you need to buy one separately or use batteries to operate it.
Pros
- Free software to download for this device
- You have a lot of special effects in this unit
- Great to use for live performance and recordings
- It is easy to operate this pedal
Cons
- There is no volume selection for headphones
- It is a bit heavy on batteries
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ME-80 Multi-Effect Guitar Pedal From Boss
Boss has been supplying musicians with effect pedals worldwide for many years, and their experience can be seen in this pedal. You have top-quality craftsmanship and innovative design in a single package to provide the best available on the market.
Product Highlights
To make this unit mobile, you can operate it with batteries to use wherever you want to. This feature makes it great to keep going even when there is no electricity available or in case of a power failure.
Moreover, this multi-effects guitar pedal can be used by both experienced musicians and those who have just started their music careers. The many significant sound effects available will increase your musician skill and provide a good experience for the player.
With the new footswitch design, this pedal provides far more hands-free control options while making music.
The Good
The durable and easy rotary knobs to select the special effects will increase the value of this effects pedal from Boss. With expressive footswitches and a long list of special effects to choose from, this unit will be loved by everyone who can afford it.
The Bad
This multi-effect pedal from Boss does not include a power supply, and you need to buy one separately. That will add to the total price while you already have a high price tag attached to the device.
Pros
- You have different models to choose from
- It is made with quality craftsmanship and durable
- Great for experienced and entry-level musicians
- Many significant sound effects to choose from
Cons
- This pedal comes with a high price tag
- You do not get a power cord in the package
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Alpha Cruncher Multi-Effect Guitar Pedal From Donner
This brand is preferred by musicians worldwide for its excellent quality and affordable guitar pedals, and the same goes for this multi-effects pedal. It is designed to add fantastic sound effects to your guitar and is ideal for use in front of your amp for excellent results.
Product Highlights
You have three effects to choose from to improve your playing experience: delay, distortion, and chorus. These features provide you with high-gain distortion and a warm and pure sound from the chorus effect for your music.
The controls of this pedal are easily accessible and clearly visible to provide quick access to all the functions. In addition, you can easily activate the toggle switches with your foot to have a hands-free operation while playing your guitar.
It is well designed, lightweight, and compact, so you can carry it wherever you go.
The Good
Operating this multi-effects pedal is a smooth ride, and the guitarist will find the ease of use the perfect solution for special effects. In addition, it will be much easier to fine-tune the pedal to suit your play style with separate controls for every effect.
The Bad
Since this pedal is designed to respond to the guitar’s frequencies, it will not sound great when used with a bass guitar. Unfortunately, that will take away some of the usability of this device, and bass guitar players will need to opt for something else.
Pros
- Easy to use and operate while playing
- Clear and easy adjustable toggle switches for quick access
- It is made from durable aluminum alloy to last longer
- True bypass provides zero coloring of the tone
Cons
- It has only a maximum of three effects available
- Not ideal to be used for bass guitar
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Vox StompLab 2G Modeling Multi-Effects Pedal For Guitar
Musicians looking for a wide range of sound processing options in one small package should look no further. You can find high-quality and detailed sound effects in Vox products in this pedal to provide great sound.
Product Highlights
This effects pedal is suitable for both six-string and bass guitars to provide enhanced effects. It features user-friendly settings to make it easier for the musician, so you easily select what you need.
The interface is easy to use and provides clear selection options to give you quick and easy access to all effects. This feature makes it great for beginner players who still need to find their way around these devices.
You can easily edit up to 20 of your own programmed effects to give you even more sound options to choose from.
The Good
A built-in guitar tuner will make it easy for entry-level players to quickly get their instruments in tune. In addition, the easy expression pedal will add warm and pleasant effects to your music to improve your experience with the guitar.
The Bad
You may find that the battery holder will quickly overheat and might cause the batteries to explode when it is too hot. There is a warning included that this may happen and might be hazardous. Avoid this by using the power supply only.
Pros
- Can use it for both guitar and bass
- You have more than 100 preset effects to choose from
- Great for a wide range of music styles and genres
- Easy to use expression pedal added
Cons
- Battery will quickly overheat on this unit.
- No looper is included with this unit.
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Buyer’s Guide
Having the information you need to buy a multi-effects pedal for guitar will help. So we’ll provide that in this buyer’s guide section to give you the knowledge to make shopping easier.
Knowing what you are looking for will save time not dealing with an over-eager salesperson or an online retailer.
Multi-Effects Pedal Versus Single Pedal
Some may say that a multi-effect pedal does not provide the best effect as a single-effect pedal. However, it is true that a dedicated single-effect pedal focuses on one function and may provide you with a sound effect.
But that is it: That single effect is all you will get out of the pedal, nothing more and nothing else. This is also the main difference between a single-effect pedal and a multi-effect pedal.
With a multi-effect pedal, you will use just one device to give you the different effects you would get from a variety of pedals. This will, in essence, save space, money, and the time you need to set them up on a pedalboard.
What You Need From a Multi-Effects Guitar Pedal
It would be best to have a multi-effects pedal to be easy to use and have clear selection options for all effects. Unfortunately, not all multi-effects pedals will give you all effects available for electric guitars. Some will only give you three or more effects.
Moreover, some devices will provide all the effects you will ever need for your guitar on just one single unit. Therefore, beginners should go for a model that has only a few most-used effects so it will not overwhelm you with all the effects.
Benefits of Multi-Effects Pedals
With a multi-effects unit, you will have just one device to take to gigs and jamming sessions. You also do not need to bring an extra power supply to provide power for all the different pedals you need for a good experience.
Another great thing is that you do not need a pedalboard that takes a lot of space in your gig bag. Instead, you can choose a multi-effect pedal with only a few effects such as distortion, delay, and chorus.
Most Effects Included With Multi-Effects Pedals
The effects you will mostly get on these effects pedals are distortion, delay, and chorus, while some also have looping. In addition, some devices have reverb and flanging together with the effects already mentioned.
It would be best to decide what types of effects you need from your multi-effects pedal for your guitar before you buy it.
Cost of Multi-Effects Pedals
Multi-effects guitar pedals are more expensive than standard single-effects pedals because of their versatile design. In addition, they come with many features added to make it possible to have more than one effect from a single unit.
However, it will be cheaper to have one single unit that is more expensive but can produce many different effects. You do not need to pay the price of 3 or 5 different pedals to get the same results.
FAQ
What Is a Multi-Effects Pedal?
A multi-effects pedal for guitar is a device that will give one or more of the special effects typically achieved from single-effects pedals. For example, this one unit will provide reverb, distortion, delay, chorus, and many more effects you usually get from every single-effect pedal.
It is also the same size or slightly larger than the standard size effects pedals available for your electric guitar.
Do I Need a Multi-Effects Pedal?
The simple answer is no; you do not need any pedal to be able to play your instrument. But to have all those particular sounds, you need to add an effects pedal, and a multi-effects pedal gives you more than one effect.
How Many Effects Can You Have On One Multi-Effects Pedal?
It depends on what you want from the pedal. You may find a pedal with one or two effects or one with all the effects available for guitars. A safe way is to find one with only three effects needed to create the type of music you want to play.
Are Multi-Effects Pedals Difficult to Use?
Multi-effects pedals are much easier to use with your guitar to deliver the special effects you need. You do not need to set it up in a unique way to get the best results; simply plug it in and play your guitar.
Which Are Best For Live Performance?
Many top-quality multi-effects pedals are great for live performance and home recording, just as single-effects pedals. It all depends on your preferences. Do you need the analog effects from single-effects pedals or the digital version from multi-effects pedals? This is something to determine before making a decision.
The great thing about multi-effects pedals versus single-effects pedals is that you do not need much space to create memorable songs and effects.
Conclusion
The best on this list of great multi-effects pedals for guitar is the one from Boss with a looper included. The Alpha Cruncher from Donner is a worthy contender for second place with an affordable price tag for those on a tight budget.