The most affordable way to transform your sound: Get a Cyber Monday effects pedal deal before it's too late
The clock is tick-tick-ticking and the deals are almost over: check out these deals on some of the coolest pedals around while you still can…
What are we calling it now? Black Friday Week? Cyber Week? Whatever is it, it feels like it's been longer than ever this year, an exhausting parade of offers and temptations. Well, if you've managed to resist so far, but have a little bit of money to spend on something that might just transform your sound, there are some deals still to be had this Cyber Monday.
JHS Pedals and Walrus Audio, for example, are offering 20% off their entire pedal ranges, bringing them down to $74.25 for the JHS 3 Series, and $79 for the Walrus Fundamental Series. Universal Audio's UAFX range is discounted by $50 or $80. Guitar Center, Musicians Friend and Sweetwater have deals galore.
But they can't last much longer. We've rounded up some of the best deals on the greatest pedals below. Just think of all that sweet, sweet tone.
MXR M66S Classic Overdrive: Was $69 now $49
MXR’s most affordable overdrive may not offer all the bells and whistles of its pricier brethren, but it’s no slouch in the tone department. Spanning a touch of grit to hairier overdrives, it’s an easy way to give you clean tone some punch or stack with other drives. Plus, if you believe certain internet rumors, it can be turned into a far pricier Zakk Wylde Overdrive with the flick of a switch on the circuit board. Two pedals for the price of one? You can’t say fairer than that, especially with $20 off at Guitar Center.
Walrus Audio Fundamental Series: $99 now from $79
Walrus Audio’s answer to the JHS 3 Series, the Fundamental Series pedals are almost just as affordable, equally easy to use, and also cover a vast tonal range. Here, there are three voices per pedal, and (get this) sliders to control the parameters. Nifty, eh? A selection of fuzz, overdrive, distortion, reverb and all sorts of other pedals are now available from $79 thanks to Guitar Center’s discount.
MXR Eric Gales Raw Dawg Overdrive: $119 now $79
Eric Gales is one of the most tasteful blues players of our age, and the MXR Raw Dawg is at the heart of his celebrated tone. The signature overdrive mini pedal is small enough to fit on the most crowded of ‘boards (you can never have too many drives, right?) but it has a Tube Screamer-inspired tonal capacity that totally outweighs its humble size. Look no further than Gales’ own demo of the pedal to hear what it’s capable of. Musician’s Friend’s $79 offer should tempt you.
EarthQuaker Devices Plumes: Was $99, now $79.20
One of our favorite Tube Screamer clones, the Plumes is an absolute bargain at this price. As you’d expect from a good TS clone, it’s perfect for pairing with a mid-scooped amp and stacks nicely with other drives, too. Its versatile tones will fit into any guitar rig – and with nearly $20 off, there’s no excuse not to find out why this is a modern overdrive classic.
JHS 3 Series pedals: Was $99 now $74.25 each
Even at $99, the JHS 3 Series pedals are a bargain. The comprehensive lineup covers quite literally all tonal bases – overdrive, distortion, chorus, fuzz, delay, screamer, reverb and tremolo included – and each unit is so easy to use it practically operates itself: just three control knobs and mode-switching toggles. Plus, they’re built by JHS, so you know you’re investing in a top quality pedal. They are now a generous 25% off at Guitar Center.
Pro Co Lil’ Rat: was $89.99 now $80.99 with code
The Pro Co Rat is the distortion pedal beloved by everyone from Dave Grohl to David Gilmour, and its latest incarnation downsizes the format to suit any pedalboard. The Lil’ Rat captures all those classic fuzzstortion tones in a teeny enclosure that still rocks the trademark Filter control for properly sculpting the filth – that’s why we awarded it 4.5/5 in our review. But it’s cheaper for Cyber Monday, too: you can knock that $89.99 price tag down to $80.99 at Musician’s Friend using the code CYBER at checkout.
Wampler Triumph Overdrive: was $99.99 now $84.99
Hailed as “better than the Bad Monkey” by JHS Pedals head honcho and guitar tone influencer Josh Scott, the Triumph takes the best features of DigiTech’s cult classic overdrive and mixes it with the Boss SD-1 for a dual-voice pedal that can handle all overdrive scenarios. A three-band EQ means it can slide into any rig, while its pair of modes offer two distinct flavors: the mid-hump Smooth mode and more open, touch-sensitive Punch. At $84.99 from Musician’s Friend, this is an absolute steal.
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Tom Poak has written for the Hull Daily Mail, Esquire, The Big Issue, Total Guitar, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and more. In a writing career that has spanned decades, he has interviewed Brian May, Brian Cant, and cadged a light off Brian Molko. He has stood on a glacier with Thunder, in a forest by a fjord with Ozzy and Slash, and on the roof of the Houses of Parliament with Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham (until some nice men with guns came and told them to get down). He has drank with Shane MacGowan, mortally offended Lightning Seed Ian Broudie and been asked if he was homeless by Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch.
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- Michael Astley-BrownEditor-in-Chief of GuitarPlayer.com