2023 Guitar Pedals of the Year - The Best of the Best
So we featured 120 pedals across the 5 Genre categories this year - as you’ve witnessed over the last 5 days, and those have been whittled and distilled down to these 27 Magnificent and Exceedingly Flavoursome candidates.
Picking out the very best of those is obviously a slightly subjective exercise while based on a series of exacting criteria - including innovation, versatility, practicality, variability, playability, quality of manufacture, quality of output and sheer enjoyment.
Here follows the essential shortlist of Finalists for Pedal of the Year, ordered by category - while in the visual they are ordered alphabetically by brand.
The FINALISTS for PEDAL OF THE YEAR
Overdrives & Distortions
- Electric Love x Wampler Aquatone 3-Band EQ + 2-Mode Blues Driver
- Hello Sailor Effects Compact Anchor Drive
- Messiah Guitars Eddie Haddad Signature BoostDrive
- Poly Effects Signature Josh Smith Flat V Overdrive
Fuzzes
- Collision Devices TARS Analog Filter Fuzz
- Kernom Moho Magmatic Augmented Analog Fuzz Workstation - GOLD
- Palmer Custom FX Solarist V2 Swiss-Army-Knife Dual Ge/Si Fuzz Face + Rangemaster
- Rainger FX Dr Freakenestein Chop Fuzzz
- Tark Audio Squidink Analog Octave Crusher / PLL
Modulation / Multi-FX
- Chase Bliss x Goodhertz Lossy Data Compression Lo-Fi Modulator
- Hologram Electronics Chroma Console - BRONZE
- Jackson Audio New Wave Chorus, Vibrato, Rotary & Harmonic Modulator
- JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk Harmonic Tremolo MK2
- PastFX 80/A NOS BBD Analog Flanger
- Rainger FX Flanger X Rocket Swoosh Flanger
Delays
- Boss DM-101 Analog Stereo Out BBD Delay Machine - SILVER
- Chase Bliss Reverse Mode C Multidirectional 3-Voice Stereo Delay
- Fjord Fuzz Loke Dual Delay Line Manipulator / Modulator
- Flower Pedals Dahlia Analog Stereo Dual Delay
- TC Electronic 2290P Dynamic Digital Delay & FX Processor
Reverbs
- ALABS Audio Cetus Reverb
- Boss RV-200 Reverb
- Meris Mercury X Modular Reverberator
- Poly Effects Verbs
- Strymon Cloudburst Ambient Reverb
Utilities
- Boss IR=2 Amp & Cabinet simulator
- Keyztone Exchanger Pro Pickup Modeller & Enhancer
In some ways I've selected 3 slightly different timelines here - the DM-101 is one of my long-term favourites from the year, the Moho is a recently arrived already favourite, and the Chroma Console is a future favourite - landing at some time during the new year - while I've yet to decide where it will sit in the chain.
Here then follow some further choice details on each of the winners - in reverse order of course :
THE THREE WINNERS
BRONZE WINNER : Hologram Electronics Chroma Console Multi-FX
Controls - Tilt (EQ) / Sensitivity, Amount / Effect Volume, Rate / Drift, Amount / Effect Volume, Mix / Output Level, Amount / Effect Volume, MODE BUTTONS } A : Character 1-5, B : Movement 1-5, C : Diffusion 1-5, D : Texture 1-5, A+B = Secondary Functions, C+D = Gesture Control, A+D = FX Setup, B+C = Copy/Save, Tap Tempo / Capture Footswitch, Bypass / Presets Footswitch.
Rear Ports - Input L, Input R, Output L, Output R, EXP, MIDI In, MIDI Out, USB-C, 9V DC [-] 500mA.
A really smart innovation for me - and an entirely different approach to Multi-FX, with some really clever features onboard, including gesture control and extremely flexible effect / -block routing. It will most likely take over the Eventide H90 slot for a while, or I could see it going in on the Microcosm slot. A decision fortunately I have not had to make yet. I know I'm getting one of these - but I would like a little more time with the H90 and Microcosm first before I swap them out. Still looking to get one of these Chroma Consoles fairly early in the new year. It doesn't match the H90 in its breadth and depth of individual effects, but it more than makes up for it with its flexible routing and added smart features - I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in on this one - and will report back then with some further insights.
SILVER WINNER : Boss DM-101 Analog Stereo Out BBD Delay Machine
Controls - Presets : Manual (Panel Controls) / 1 - 4, Memory Button / Hold to Write / Save Presets, Tap Division Selection : Tap Division Button : Half Note / Quarter Note / Eighth Note - Triplet / Dotted, Modulation Rate, Modulation Depth, Variation / 1-10 : Different Per Mode (see below infographic), 12 Modes : MONO } Classic / Vintage / Modern / Multi-Head / Non-Linear (Reverse) / Ambience, STEREO } Reflect / Doubling + Delay / Wide / Dual Modulation / Pan / Pattern, Delay Time : ≈10ms to 1200ms (varies per Mode), Intensity / Feedback, Delay Volume, On/Off Footswitch, Memory Select Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch (not active for every mode).
This delay totally below me away when it landed - besides my being just a tiny bit annoyed that it was MISO only in its routing. While the Algorithms onboard - particularly the skittery Stereo Pattern ones - are just genius. This is the most amazing sounding analog delay. Some other analog delays have more fine tuning of tonality (LPF & HPF EQ), and of course the recent Flower Pedals Dahlia and Walrus Audio Meraki have solved the Full Stereo In/Out challenge. But overall in terms of feature set, quality and variety of output, and overall prowess - then I still see the DM-101 as by far and away my favourite Delay pedal of the year - and indeed probably my favourite delay pedal of all time overall! Although I still of course love the Empress EchoSystem for its all-rounder potency.
PEDAL OF THE YEAR - GOLD WINNER : Kernom Moho Magmatic Augmented Analog Fuzz Workstation
Controls - Electricity (±Octave / Harmonics / Ring Mod Adjust), Mood (Character/Nature/Flavour/Texture), Volume, Post Tone, Pre Tone, Fuzz (Gain / Saturation), Preset Footswitch (Hold for 2 seconds to save favourite), On / Off Footswitch, Midi In / Out, and Expression ports on rear.
You should know by now that Fuzzes are some of my all-time favourite varieties of pedals - and to get so many flavours of killer vintage fuzz tones and odd off-kilter fuzzes too - but all beautifully intricately and richly textured - just makes this my favourite fuzz machine of all time. Sasha Ivantic rightly noted that the guitar volume cleanup is not as good as on a vintage fuzz face, and doesn't apply for every mode - while it certainly does on some of the Proto and Vintage Modes - not quite to the same degree, but still pretty impressively - and it really matter where those other dials are set also. Considering everything onboard the Kernom Moho and how truly grand it sounds across all those flavours - I feel it's a little churlish to mark it down for the fact that it doesn't quite match a Germanium Fuzz Face for clean-up. It certainly works well enough - and there are at least a million things you can do with the Moho what you can't with a Fuzz Face or any other equivalent fuzz. This sets a very high watermark for the the Multi-Fuzz format. I was totally blown away by it, and I expect most proper fuzz fans to be blown away with it too. So good is this device - that I've finally been encouraged to seek out a MIDI controller - so that I can make the most of the many flavours onboard. I'm looking for a dual footswitch compact enclosure (vertical) pedal - with screen - and one that can handle 128 presets. I'm not sure one of those exists yet - if someone could please get on with engineering that!
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this annual roundup - it certainly takes a lot of effort for me to produce - and I was already wiped out back at the end of November - just adrenaline propelling me forward now, I will surely fall into a coma at the end of this week when all the work is done for another year...
