There are lots of awesome pedals out there that dominate the spotlight. Pedal rundowns almost always include at least one green overdrive, a massive fuzz, or a light-blue digital reverb. However, we believe that there is an equal amount of criminally underrated pedals that deserve their fair share of the limelight. Let’s check them out.
J. Rockett Audio Designs The Dude
There are definitely brands that have become famous for replicating the D-style drive. But we argue that The Dude, from J. Rockett Audio Designs, does it best. This overdrive produces an ODS-style boost and overdrive that’s absolutely blooming with harmonic content. The simple, 4-knob control configuration makes it easy to dial up a tone for any scenario. It can go from clean and transparent to high gain in a matter of seconds! You don’t need to spend six figures on a real-deal D-style amp when you have The Dude.
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EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V3
A pedal that can produce subtle ambience and shimmering, otherworldly echoes with the twist of a knob is a pedal that deserves some recognition. And that’s not all you get with the Dispatch Master V3. The mad minds at EarthQuaker added a Flexi-Switch for extra creative options. Both the reverb and delay effects can be used together or separately. Plus, soft-touch switching makes for comfortable barefoot operation and eliminates any annoying switch pops in your signal. Whether you’re after lush delays or gargantuan reverbs, the Dispatch Master V3 is more than up to the challenge.
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Revv G2
Part preamp, part overdrive, Revv’s G2 is the pedalboard equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. Three voice modes deliver impressive flexibility, while the 3-band EQ helps you shape your tone to perfection. Blue mode offers touch-responsive overdrive that dominates the Nashville scene. Red mode delivers fat, amp-style gain. Off functions as a full-range boost. We love the G2 because it’s designed to run however you want it to. You can run it in front of your amp or in the effects loop as a preamp, or you can stack it with other drives. The possibilities are endless. The G2 is available in Green and Gold finishes to fit your personal style.
ISP Technologies Decimator II
Generations of players have suffered from extreme noise in their signals. With a Decimator II on your pedalboard, your rig can avoid the noise that might bring your show to a halt. And, as a bonus, linearized Time Vector Processing offers incredibly smooth sustained-note decay that’s virtually free of release rippling. ISP Technologies offers its noise-reduction technology in two other guitar-friendly formats. The Decimator II G String noise suppressor handles clean and high-gain signals with no need for a threshold adjustment. And, for serious noise extermination, the Hum Extractor + Decimator Noise Reduction System utilizes a 2-channel design and a wide range of noise-killing controls.
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TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2
The Hall of Fame 2 is arguably the most popular pedal on this list, which may leave you wondering why we think it’s underrated. The answer is simple; this version of the Hall of Fame is more versatile than ever before — and the world needs to know. It has updated reverb algorithms, three TonePrint slots, and a Mash footswitch to fit any guitarist’s needs, any genre, and any situation. Frankly, the TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 is one of the best reverbs out there. TC Electronic offers two other versions of the Hall of Fame 2. The Hall of Fame 2 Mini is ideal for compact pedalboards, while the Hall of Fame 2 x4 offers 10 reverb types, extra TonePrint slots, and four independent footswitches.
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Take a Chance
Here at Sweetwater, we carry more than 60 guitar-pedal brands. Each brand offers unique and musical designs that don’t get enough credit. So, take a chance and try an underrated pedal! You never know when you’ll find a new favorite. You can demo all of the pedals in this article right here at the Sweetwater showroom, or call Sweetwater at (800) 222-4700 and give them a shot in your own rig.
