Preamp Pedals

Replace your guitar amplifier with a pre-amp pedal - this lets you bring incredible tone and clever connectivity with ease. When used in conjunction with cab simulator pedals, you can essentially have the key components of your rig literally at your feet!

Having a huge guitar rig may look impressive, but trying to transport large, heavy amplifier heads to gigs can be tricky. To help players downsize their setups so that they're more ergonomic, many guitar pedal companies such as Victory, Laney & Universal Audio now produce their very own preamp pedals.

Many preamp pedals possess the same flexibility you'd expect to find with traditional amp heads, but the majority of them use solid-state circuitry to ensure better reliability and longevity. With EQ controls and gain circuits, preamp pedals can be used for different genres and styles, although you'll find that many of them are aimed specifically at metal players.

Some preamp stompboxes are less powerful and are essentially overdrive/distortion pedals. There's somewhat of a blurred line between them, so its worth having a read up on them. For more information, read our handy guide on pre-amp pedals.