The Pedalboard Challenge Part 2: Get a full-on pedalboard with effects for €200!

13 Feb 2021 by Jef | 5,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 4 Minutes

Can you build or buy a full-on pedalboard with effects for €200?  ·  Source: Gearnews

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In Part 1 of this two-part post, we looked at options for an affordable pedalboard, either DIY or a cheap pre-made solution by Harley Benton. Sticking to our €200 all-in budget, it’s time to splurge on some pedals! Here we present some combinations of pedals that are cheap yet still manage to deliver some great guitar tones. 

The Pedalboard Challenge: Get a full-on pedalboard with effects for €200!

Depending on whether you opted to build your own pedalboard or buy a pre-made pedalboard setup, you’ll have €100-180 to spend on some new effects pedals. We asked some of the Gearnews crew to put together some combinations of affordable pedals, each with a slightly different focus. Depending on the FX available on your amp, you might be able to divert funds to other kinds of pedals, though.

Want to try pedals before you buy? Thomann (our affiliate partner) has a module that lets you try out pedals in real-time over the internet, using your own recordings or even live playing. Check out the Stompenberg FX here.

Jef’s Pedals: around €160

• Drive: Boss SD-1*: €56
• Flanger: Mooer E Lady*: €62 or Phaser: Mooer Ninety Orange:* €57
• Delay: TC Electronic Echo Brain*: €45

I like an overdrive and possibly some modulation, plus a delay. My favourite all round overdrive pedal is the classic SD-1. The build quality of Boss pedals is great and the SD-1 isn’t fussy with its power requirements. It gives a subtle volume boost with milder settings, through to kicking the front end of an amp hard to make it overdrive. Or use it as a faux treble booster. My two favourite budget modulation pedals are both made by Mooer. The e-lady flanger sounds great. The Ninety Orange gets some 70s-style phasing on your pedalboard for a low cost. I don’t use a lot of reverb at all, or use the reverb built into my guitar amp. But I like to have an analogue delay handy. The Echo Brain has all you need and it’s super cheap too.

Bob’s Pedals: around €170

• Delay: TC Electronic The Prophet €45
• Reverb: TC Electronic Sky Surfer €33
• Chorus: Electro-Harmonix Neo Clone €74
• Tuner: Harley Benton CPT-20 €18

I have almost always been someone who gets the bulk of the tone off the amp itself. So no drive pedals needed. Also, all my effects will be stuff I use via an FX loop. All I ever find myself using are Delay, Reverb and Chorus. Plus, I like having a floor mounted tuner pedal as it also acts as a nice mute pedal.

Asad’s Pedals: around €180

• Wah: Harley Benton Custom Line WP-60 Wah €59
• Overdrive: Harley Benton Vintage Overdrive €30
• Phaser: Harley Benton Vintage Phase €30
• Delay: Harley Benton Digital Delay €30
• Reverb: tc electronic Sky Surfer €33

My idea was to put together a combination that should provide useful tones for most players. Not everyone needs a wah, of course, but if you’re in a band that needs a wah sound, I’m not aware of any substitutes. If you’ve already got gain on your amp, the Vintage Overdrive can provide a bit of an extra kick. It’s likely based on a TubeScreamer of some sort which is a classic enough sound, and should do the job for most situations. And I can’t do the intro to “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love” without a phaser, so that had to be on there. I think everyone should have a delay, especially if you’re playing covers. If the amp doesn’t already have reverb, sometimes a bit of reverb is nice for sparse parts, or just a bit of depth.

Angus’ Pedals: around €100

• Drive: Harley Benton British TrueTone €30
• Chorus: TC Electronic Afterglow €30
• Reverb: TC Electronic Sky Surfer €33

If you bought a pedalboard and power supply for around €100, then you have only €100 to spend on pedals to stick to our €200 limit. So I wanted to see how much you can get for €100. For a budget overdrive, I found the Harley Benton British TrueTone hard to beat on value, with a 3-band EQ and some nice tones for only €30 (not loving the colour, though). The Afterglow is a no-nonsense chorus, and the Sky Surfer does everything you can expect for €33.

What are your recommendations for budget effects pedals? Let us know in the comments below!

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