These select mini guitar effects will let you save on cash and precious pedalboard space without sacrificing your tone.
Mini guitar pedals are popular because of their portability and set up convenience. We have listed down the small guitar pedals that will let you consistently carry your tone anywhere, without breaking your bank and your back. Note that being small will have its drawbacks, these pedals may compromise some tone shaping controls in order to be smaller and lightweight. However this loss of control can also be a good thing, as it can simplify setup and shorten tweaking time.
Our selected mini effects pedals cover all essential effect types including distortion, booster, modulation, wah and delay.
Electro-Harmonix Nano LPB-1
If you are looking for an affordable booster pedal that does not color your tone and does not take too much space on your rig, you should give the Electro-Harmonix Nano LPB-1 pedal a try. This humble pedal is a reissue of the LPB-1 (Linear Power Booster) circuit, a sought after circuit design that is still being used as base, if not outright cloned, by many “boutique” pedals. This is a straightforward booster pedal, with just a single boost knob and an engage switch that adds volume and sustain to your signal. Finally, the Nano LPB-1 is housed in a compact die cast box, able to handle regular transport and stomping. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
Here is a video demo of the LPB-1:
MXR M152 Micro Flanger
The MXR M152 Micro Flanger is a compact version of the MXR M117 Flanger, it carries all the essential flanging effects of its big brother. Being small and having limited controls, this flanger may not provide unique and wacky flanger tones, but it is ideal for those that just want to add classic flange effects to enhance their tone. This pedal comes with a Speed knob to control the rate of cycling, and a Regeneration knob to manage the overall intensity. This compact pedal also features true bypass circuitry which many users attest to. Although you can have other small flangers for less, you don’t want to miss out on the Micro Flanger’s transparent and classic flange tone. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
MXR M148 Micro Chorus
The MXR M148 Micro Chorus is a simple but effective chorus pedal that lets you play more and tweak less. It is built like a tank and features the same transparency and true bypass switching as the MXR Micro Flanger. It follows the same successful strategy of the popular MXR Phase 90 pedal, straightforward design that allows the user to control only one essential parameter, which in this case is the Rate knob. The Rate knob gives you some chorus variety but it does stay within the constraints of classic analog chorus sounds. If you are looking for in depth tweaking, this may not be for you, but if you need classic analog chorus effects then you might not need anything else. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
Electro-Harmonix Pocket Metal Muff
Big sounding high gain distortion in a small pedal might seem impossible, but EHX set out to provide just that with the Pocket Metal Muff. It maintains the essential features of the bigger Metal Muff pedal and squeezes them into a compact die cast aluminum pedal. Some may find the volume and distortion knob limiting, but it does provide the main distortion tone of the Metal Muff without any EQ coloration. If you require mid frequency scoops, the pedal comes with a Scoop switch that lets you scoop off the hi-mid or lo-mid frequencies. If high gain metal is a bit too much, and you are looking for something milder, you can try its sibling, the Nano Muff Overdrive. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
Lovepedal Pickle Vibe
The Lovepedal Pickle Vibe took portability to the extreme with its astonishingly small rectangular shape and lightweight housing. It is a straightforward pedal with a knob that controls speed on the front side. Rather than trying to mimic the venerable Uni-Vibe, this pedal produces its own brand of swirling tones which many users approve of. Further tone shaping is provided by an intensity trim pot on the inside the pedal. This trim pot is very sensitive and may take a few times to dial your preferred tone but once you get it, you can easily forget about it. Other features of this incredibly compact pedal include true bypass and a noiseless switch. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
Modtone Mini-Mod Delay
Here is another ridiculously small pedal that literally fits in your palm, saving both your money and pedalboard space – the ModTone Mini-Mod delay pedal. First thing you’ll notice is its unique pie slice shape that features a compact all metal body. You’ll also find that it’s got a modest amount of knobs compared to the others on this list, albeit smaller. You can control the delay output level, time and repeat. Inside this pedal’s tiny body is a combination of analog circuitry and digital chips that produce warm delay sounds. This is an impressive delay pedal that will be tough to beat in terms of value – it comes with true-bypass and a manufacturer warranty of 5 years. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
Morley MWV Mini Wah Volume
To complete your mini guitar effects rig, we included this versatile mini wah that also works as a volume pedal. The MWV Mini Wah Volume from Morley gives you both Wah and Volume control functionality in a very pedalboard friendly size. It may not be the most flexible but its electro-optical wah works as good as it is intended to do, producing traditional wah tones with reasonable range. It also saves pedalboard space and saves you from buying a separate volume pedal with its ability to work as a volume pedal. Users are happy with its smooth audio taper and its cold-rolled steel housing is ready to take any beating. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com
If you have found other cool mini guitar pedals, let us know through the comments section below.
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