Best Sound Effects Pedal (2022 Reviews Updated)

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We’ve read hundreds of reviews, talked to a load of loads of real “pedal guys”, and listened to hours of jamming through all the pedals you can possible imagine. It was really good fun, of course, but was all in the name of science. If you are looking for a pedal amp that sounds great, gives you a good level of amplification, and all in a package that will provide many years or reliable service, the JOYO JF-14 American Sound Effects is the one to go for.
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Comparison Chart

Model	Size	Weight	Power
JOYO JF-14 American Sound Effects	2 x 5 x 4 inches	15 ounces	9 V Battery
Mobiz NUX AS-4	4.6 x 2.4 x 1.2 inches	8.5 ounces	9 V Battery
Behringer Tube Amp Modeler Tm300	6.8 x 3.9 x 2.3 inches	14.1 ounces	9 V Battery / External Power
MXR M133	5.9 x 4.6 x 2.7 inches	1 pound	9 V Battery

Pedal Amps

What is a pedal amp? Well, quite simply it is a pedal for your guitar that also amplifies the signal fed to it.

In general, these amps are used to adjust your guitar sound in some way. By pressing the switch on top of the pedal with your foot, you can switch between voices whilst playing. The dials and switches on top of these amps are there to allow you to adjust the effects that are put on the sound as it passes through the pedal, allowing you to design the perfect tone.

As with any amplifier, though, effects will always be less important than the quality of the standard amplification. When you are not using effects, or when using subtle ones, it is important that the pedal amplifies your signal without coloring it too much. All the amps we are reviewing today perform well in that respect.

Reviews

What kind of pedal amp you need, and the features you want it to have, depend on how you’re going to use it. A pedal for playing lead guitar in a rock band is quite a different beast from one for distorted blues guitar.

Some of the things to look for in any pedal amp stay the same, though:

• Effects. Everybody plays in a different style, and everyone needs different effects. All the amps we are reviewing today offer a great range of different tones, but if you are after a very specific sound, nothing beats going down to your local guitar store an hearing these pedals for yourself.
• Build quality. You are going to be stamping on the pedal, so it needs to be solid. Especially on stage, pedals can take quite a bashing, and you need to be sure that your pedal amp can put up with this.
• Inputs and outputs. It might sound obvious, but make sure the pedal amp you are looking at has the correct type of inputs, and enough of them, to accommodate all the other equipment you want to plug in.

Ultimately, there is no substitute for hearing these pedal amps yourself. Everybody has different preferences when it comes to how they want their amp to sound. But you could do worse than checking out these ones:

JOYO JF-14 American Sound Effects

Wow, this is a great pedal amp. Joyo have been building this type of pedal for quite some years now, and all that experience really shows through in this device.

It’s primary purpose is to simulate the classic Fender 57 Deluxe amplifier, and it excels in this task. All that iconic Fender sound is there, from the crunching bass right up to the bright, clear highs. Getting a pedal such as this can be a great way of achieving the sound of a premium amp without the pricetag.

The quality of the sound is such that the amp is great for almost any style of music. Whether you are playing Jazz, Blues, or classic Rock, this pedal amp will deliver precisely the sound you need, and is especially good when it comes to solos.

[wpsm_offerbox button_link="#" button_text="Check Price" title="JOYO JF-14 American Sound Effects" description="It’s primary purpose is to simulate the classic Fender 57 Deluxe amplifier, and it excels in this task." thumb="https://ampshq.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/JOYO-JF-14-American-Sound-Effects-1024x1024.jpg" ]

Of course, this pedal amp also comes with several more advantages:

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• The unlimited tones than can be achieved with this pedal are a great advantage. The amp offers three levels at which to effect the tone that is fed to it – high, mid, and low. This means that you can really mess around with the tone you get from the amp.
• In addition, there are three more ways that you can adjust the tone on this pedal amp, as it includes three more dials for voice, level, and drive. With so many options to play around with, this pedal amp is perfect if you play in several different styles in several different bands.
• The true bypass design of this pedal amp is a feature normally only found on much more expensive items, and keeps the tone absolutely untouched when the pedal is not activated.
• The amp also looks great. We know that some people claim not to care about such things, but it is hard not to admire the retro styling of this pedal amp, and the classic  American fonts and lines.

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• Very few. If you are looking for a pedal amp which offers a vast range of sound options, this is the one to go for.

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Mobiz NUX AS-4

A really solid pedal amp that will find a permanent home on any serious player’s pedal board.

The NUX is remarkably compact, but manages to pack an awful lot of options into a small body. The best thing about this pedal amp is that it simply sounds great – whilst it might not have the unlimited tone options of some of the competition, the clean tone in particular is outstanding.

And when the pedal is not activated, the bypass signal is also great. This pedal utilizes a true bypass design, so when not being used your signal travels straight through the amp without being touched. This means that using this pedal as part of a complicated set up retains your carefully designed sound.

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In addition, this amp has several big advantages:

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• The amp simulation on this amp pedal is great. In addition to a great clean tone, it’s overdriven sound can be made very aggressive without loosing frequency response.
• The build quality of this amp is something else. From the moment you receive this amp, you will be impressed with how solid it feels, and we are confident that it will put up with years of abuse without complaining.
• This ruggedness extends to the circuitry inside. The amplification here is solid-state, and whilst some purists may complain that only tube amps give the warm, bright sound that everyone is after, nothing beats the hardiness of solid state amplifiers. You don’t have to worry about breaking, and then replacing, tubes, meaning you can chuck this pedal amp in the back of your car and not worry that it is going to break.
• The LED indicator, which lets you know when your battery is running low, is a really handy feature. There is nothing worse than your pedal fading away on stage, and the indicator allows you to quickly check that everything is in order.

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• Very few. The compact body of this pedal amp means that the tone controls are quite close together, and can be difficult to adjust if you have large fingers. Besides this, though, this is a great pedal amp.

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Behringer Tube Amp Modeler Tm300

This pedal amp represents amazing value. For quite a low price, the clean sound it produces works really well with any amplifier you decide to plug it into.

And if you are after a more unusual sound, this pedal amp can also deliver that. The pedal comes packed with a vast range of different amp models, all of which can be easily accessed at the turn of a dial.

In addition, any of these amp models can be further adjusted through the EQ and voicing controls that are built into this pedal. In practice, this means that this pedal amp offers an almost unlimited range of tones, and that no matter what style of music you play you will always be able to find the perfect amp model.

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In addition, this amp comes with some great features:

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• The focus with this amp has been on achieving a “tube sound” with solid state circuitry, and this has been achieved to a remarkable degree. Whilst some purists will claim that they can still hear the difference, to our ears this amp sounds just as good as tube pedal amps that cost twice as much!
• The first class electronic on-off switch used in this pedal means that when it is in bypass mode, the signal is allowed to pass without any change whatsoever. This is a must for any top quality pedal amp, and is often the first thing that experienced players notice when using one.
• The high quality components and rugged design of this pedal amp ensure that it is really hard wearing. Even if you are using it on stage, we are confident that it will last for years without complaining.
• This pedal amp can be powered by a 9 v battery, or plugged into a proprietary Behringer power supply. This external supply is a great back up system, and ensures that your pedal will not fade away mid gig.

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• Very few. If you are looking for an amp with gorgeous tones, and one that will make your amplifier shine, this is it.

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MXR M133

A slightly different pedal amp to the other ones we are reviewing today. Instead of offering a load of different amp models and effects, this pedal amp simply boosts the signal fed to it, and the amount of gain can be controlled with a single dial on the top of the pedal.

Whilst this may sound like it limits the uses of this pedal amp, in practice there are geat advantages to the simplicity embodied by it. If you are a lead guitarist, having a pedal that will simply boost the volume of your tone, whilst leaving the sound well alone, is really handy.

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In addition, this amp has these great features:

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• It looks great. Whilst we know that the majority of guitarists claim to care only about sound quality, and not such unimportant things as the way a pedal amp looks, in reality it is possible to have both a good-looking and high-quality amp – just look at this one!
• The sound. We are not sure how MXR have managed to achieve such a clean amplification in such a small device, but we like what we hear.
• The no-nonsense approach here pays great dividends. Too often, amp manufacturers feel obliged to pack their latest amps with a vast bank of options, dials, and knobs. Here, the stripped-back control means you can easily adjust the amp to the desired level of gain.
• The amp is also nicely compact, meaning that it will easily fit on your existing pedal board.

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• None, for the price. If you are playing lead guitar, in particular, this amp is an absolute must, allowing you to slightly boost your signal for playing those epic solos.

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Conclusion

So which to choose?

Well, your choice of pedal amp is yours alone, of course. Nothing can beat hearing these amps in the flesh, and finding one that perfectly matches the sound you want to achieve. All of the amps we reviewed today offer incredible sound that we are confident will please even the most discerning player.

In our opinion, though, if you are looking for a pedal amp that sounds great, gives you a good level of amplification, and all in a package that will provide many years or reliable service, the JOYO JF-14 American Sound Effects is the one to go for.