Pedals that exceeded your expectations

[Surfysonic]

The three that come come to mind for me:

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay - I've tried a few delay pedals - Fender Mirror Image Delay, electro-harmonix Canyon, Fender Tre-Verb, and Keely Caverns. I keep coming back to the Carbon Copy (permantly affixed to my travel pedalboard). The Tre-Verb (also on travel pedalboard) and Caverns (on primary home pedalboard) are exceptional and I use them, too. The Canyon now sits on my bass pedalboard and the Mirror Image Delay is stored away - I never could get it to sound the way I needed it to.

Mr. Black's Deluxe Plus Reverb & Tremolo - It's got an addictive (to me) dark reverb tone and excellent tremolo. It's never going to go off my main pedalboard because it's uniquely different from my other reverb/tremolo pedals. I can't recommend this pedal enough.

Surfybear Compact Reverb Unit - Hey, if it can fit on a pedalboard, I'm including it as a pedal. I have two Surfybear Classic Reverb Units (along with a '64 Fender Reverb Unit) and the Surfybear Compact Reverb Unit keeps up with them all, even though it has a smaller Reverb pan. It's dual mixer controls allows you to switch between two reverb settings and its built-in true bypass actually make it more useful than the Surfybear Classic Reverb Units (which I use Drip Switch bypass pedals for bypass functionality).

[Iffymiffy]

Actually come to think of it the pedal that really surpassed my expectations was the Behringer SF300 fuzz, which apparently is a very good clone of the Boss Hyperfuzz. I tacked it on to an order just because it was like $20 brand new and i was already paying for shipping anyway so thought why not, i really had low expectations and was doing it for curiousity.

The build quality is super cheap plastic and there is actually a heavy metal base plate which gives it solid weight, if removed it is lighter than a cheap plastic toy car.

However … the sounds!! I really was blown away, i couldnt believe the range of textures you can get, really quiet too and doesnt add hiss/hum etc.

I seriously think if EQD or Walrus or any other respected maker were to rehouse the components into a nicer and more sturdy board and sell it for $200 people would be raving about it.

[hulakatt]

I seriously think if EQD or Walrus or any other respected maker were to rehouse the components into a nicer and more sturdy board and sell it for $200 TGP would be raving about it.

Fix'd it for ya

[Iffymiffy]

I seriously think if EQD or Walrus or any other respected maker were to rehouse the components into a nicer and more sturdy board and sell it for $200 TGP would be raving about it.

Fix'd it for ya

LOL!!

[MrShake]

Cheap gear is better than it's ever been. Some of the mini clones and Behringer stuff has really impressed me. (Edit to echo the love above for the Behringer Super Fuzz, Vintage Delay, and Vibrato pedals. So much goodness for so few dollars.)

But the Cuvave DigVerb beat 'em all. Deeeeeeep reverbs, able to go 100% wet, the modulations are passable, there are a few weird somewhat unique modes, and with some tweaking, you can get the reverse/swell setting to approximate both a Slow Gear and the MBV reverse reverb effect.

Usually, the cheaper the pedal, the shallower the reverb, but this might be one of the wettest I've played. And at $40, it was a no-brainer shoegaze machine. I think it's also the SharkChili and iSet brands. It's no Strymon. But worth it if you want a cheap reverb and the other cheap reverbs aren't dramatic enough.

[MC5tooge]

EHX Deluxe Big Muff. Resisted fuzzes for years and years but this one was a revelation - especially when I added an expression pedal.

[mackerelmint]

Cheap gear is better than it's ever been.

Hear, hear! We've never had it so good on the cheap, and so it's been for a decade or more. It really makes the cork sniffing seem that much sillier, doesn't it?

I'm an admitted evangelist about the Zoom MS-70 CDR, but I'll tell you what: that thing absolutely exceeded my expectations. The firmware update with more patches and the "unofficial" patch librarian software that lets you load the effects in from other zoom pedals makes it that much more impressive. It can truly be your one pedal, with dirt and compression and delay and modulation and reverb all there in the bag. It was up to $130 last I checked, and it's probably well on its way to another price increase along with everything else these days, but what a pedal!

The fact that it's a staple of a lot of synth rigs underscores what a versatile, useful, and good sounding pedal it is.

The Biyang Fuzz Star is another. A $50 muff with a lower noise floor, has a useful EQ switch, and it's through hole for tinkerers.

I have two of each of these pedals.

[fever606]

I think it's also the SharkChili and iSet brands.

Oh heck I might have to buy one based solely on that name…

[JSett]

Having now spent a decent bit of time with the Boss RE-202 I will add this to the list.

I expected good things from Roland - who wouldn't with their reputation - but I wasn't expecting such a nuanced and flexible piece of kit. There's seemingly infinite amounts of sounds in this thing. The reverb choices really set it apart and make ALL the difference - particularly the plate option.

As well as the near-as-damnit emulation of the old units you now have the option to go even further into space and get wild. I have a couple of presets on there now that, with the plate reverb and the virtual 4th head, give you a really really delightful shimmer delay/verb that washes over the sound and blooms beautifully as you dig in or pick more intricate parts.

It's a shame the reverb type selection is kinda buried in a secret menu as some people with likely never properly play around with them.

10/10 Boss. You fucking nailed it.

[GreenKnee]

Having now spent a decent bit of time with the Boss RE-202 I will add this to the list.

I expected good things from Roland - who wouldn't with their reputation - but I wasn't expecting such a nuanced and flexible piece of kit. There's seemingly infinite amounts of sounds in this thing. The reverb choices really set it apart and make ALL the difference - particularly the plate option.

As well as the near-as-damnit emulation of the old units you now have the option to go even further into space and get wild. I have a couple of presets on there now that, with the plate reverb and the virtual 4th head, give you a really really delightful shimmer delay/verb that washes over the sound and blooms beautifully as you dig in or pick more intricate parts.

It's a shame the reverb type selection is kinda buried in a secret menu as some people with likely never properly play around with them.

10/10 Boss. You fucking nailed it.

I really don't need to buy another delay, but your praise of this thing along with the That Pedal Show run through of it has my wallet worried!

[GreenKnee]

Death by Audio Germanium Filter

First NPD for a while. I got this after hearing Andy's demo of it on YouTube ( https://youtu.be/E07bRju1BJw )

I'm recording an album next week with my band, and after hearing the demo of this pedal I thought it would be the ideal tool for changing the tone for double tracking parts. After having a quick play this evening I'm confident the pedal will be able to pull it off perfectly.

What has surprised me is the gorgeous low gain sound when everything is at 0. It fattens everything up and there's some really touch-sensitive crunch thanks to the germanium transistors. With the volume pedal down a touch it's able to go from a rich clean (think fuzz face with volume rolled back) to a fat overdrive sound. Turn the bottom knob to dirty and it turns into a LOUD fuzz machine. So much so that it has replaced my Hawaiian Pizza on the board as the Germanium Filter can pull off the same sound I was using the fuzz for, but has all the added versatility to go along with it.

The heavy-high knob has some really interesting sounds within it, some that sound kind of weird on their own, but when double-tracked with a fat rhythm tone it really brings the guitar to life in the mix.

I was fortunate enough to find it for a good price used as I think the retail price is a little steep. If you have the chance to try one out I would recommend it, a great little pedal. The DBA demo does not do it justice at all. Try Andy's or PedalZone's demos, they really show what it is capable of.

[stevejamsecono]

My TC Flashback2 for sure. I was on a delay journey for awhile there and tried a bunch of stuff (TC Nova, Dunlop Echoplex, Boss DD-500) looking for the perfect versatile thing, but at the end of the day the TC that I bought on an absolute lark ended up serving my exact needs and with some pretty incredible sounds to boot. I've barely even touched the deep details in Toneprint, but I'm sure if I did I'd get even more out of it. I'd love to see them do a 3 in the Dittox2 size with a dedicated tap switch so I could use Mash on the other as well, but that's a cherry on top at this point.

Highly recommended.

[Jonesie]

My Vox Delaylab is incredible, I think I paid $90 for my original one which I sold in a fit of depression, but then I bought another last year for $120. Still a stupid deal at that price. A bunch of different delay sounds, lots of tweakability (but not overwhelming), and the best part is it's built like a brick shithouse and sounds awesome. It's everything that a DL4 wishes it could be.

[fuzzjunkie]

I am going to add the Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe.

I got it 25 years ago and it’s been on every pedal board since. I got it for the tremolo, which is excellent and has selectable waveforms, but also use it for chorus, phaser, vibrato, and Univibe sounds. It’s known for being an updated Univibe clone, but it does so much more. One of the settings sounds like a Vox Repeater, but I don’t use that often. Mostly I use it set to tremolo or a Fender Vibratone rotating speaker effect.

The Univibe is supposedly more hi-fi sounding than what most Hendrix purists seem to want but I like it. I think an expression pedal for slowing down or speeding up the spin rate is essential. I don’t have any other Mayer pedals, but I have played his Octavia, which is a solid choice as well.

[peterherman]

Bought an EHX Oceans 11 for the reverse reverb and figured it would likely do a passable spring as well.
I did not count on how amazing the shimmer is on this thing. The reverse is good, too, but I’ve honestly spent more time on shimmer.