Mini Guitar Pedals
Buyers Guide
Got room for one more? Mini pedals are bags of fun in a tiny package. Discover all the effects you know and love, only smaller!
Let's learn more about mini pedals and find the perfect one to add to your collection...
What is a mini guitar pedal?
If only your guitar pedals weren't so big, you might be able to squeeze one more onto your already busy pedalboard... Oh wait, you can do exactly that with a mini guitar pedal! These cheeky little stompboxes harness popular effects – and some more unique sounds – in an even smaller footprint than the standard pedal size.
You'll find an extensive array of reverbs, delays, modulation, overdrive, compression and more to choose from; basically all the guitar pedals you're familiar with, plus a few like-for-like effects emulating their larger siblings. For example, there's a mini version of the famous Ibanez Tubescreamer overdrive, TC Electronic make a mini Ditto looper and Jim Dunlop also created the mini Cry Baby. There's loads to choose from.
Why use a mini guitar pedal?
Simplicity, size and cost. Mini pedals are, in general, far more affordable than their larger counterparts. This is usually because the effects are streamlined, meaning you get the same core sound but without lots of controls found on bigger pedals. There's only so much you can fit into a smaller case!
Sometimes you don't need loads of switches for certain effects - fuzz being the perfect example and a popular choice in the mini pedal world. If you want a great tone without the hassle, a smaller pedal is absolutely ideal. Those of you with busy pedalboards but a PSU slot to spare will find these nimble gadgets exactly what you need.
Lots of utility effects are housed in a mini pedal format, simply because they don't need a bigger pedal chassis to do the job. That's certainly the case with buffers, footswitches, input mixers, signal splitters, tuners and ABY pedals, of which you can add to your setup without breaking the bank or forcing a pedal out your setup.
Who makes mini guitar pedals?
There are so many mini pedal manufacturers, right through from entry level standards to the boutique realm of effects. You've got massive names in the industry making smaller versions of their famous effects like Ibanez, Electro Harmonix and TC Electronic. There are also some more niche, creative builders such as Mythos, Mr Black, Zvex and Xotic. And then there's the high-end side of things with Rainger FX, Wampler, JHS Pedals and Fortin.
A handful of brands specialise in making mini guitar pedals. Tone City, Landlord FX and Mooer offer an incredible array of sounds on a budget, making it more accessible than ever to put together a complete pedalboard.
Tone City pedals are one of the best ways to get into not just mini pedals, but guitar pedals in general. They're inexpensive, they're easy to use and they emulate a whole load of famous effects from chorus through to tremolo and beyond. A great choice if you're looking to branch out into something you've never tried before.
Without a doubt, their expertise lies in the form of drive and distortion. They make over 10 different types! A few examples include the Golden Plexi, which of course is modelled after the famous sixties British tone. The Bad Horsie is a genuinely affordable Klon clone, while Kaffir Lime pedal emulate a mid-boost Tubescreamer. If you're after something a little hotter, the Black Tea is a distortion pedal possessing the power of a cranked AC30.
TC Electronic are a mainstay in the business and make stompboxes you simply can't live without. They're just about affordable enough to grab a couple to try out on a whim, yet perform to a high quality beyond bedroom jamming.
The Polytune 3 Mini may be a lowly tuner, but it's the go-to for so many players because of the simplicity, accuracy and size. Most guitarists would agree you don't need a bulky tuner - so you may as well save a bit of space right here! And what better solution than the Polytune, housing an inbuilt buffer to negate the effects of long cable runs and three tuning modes.
A big hitter for TC Electronic is the Ditto looper, a mini looper pedal with a long five minutes of sound-on-sound recording potential. The Ditto looper is another one of those pedals granting you some valuable pedalboard real estate. It has a super stripped back layout, with just the one level control, while delivering high quality 24-bit uncompromised audio.
Jim Dunlop are an iconic brand founded in 1965 who garnered success alongside the first big rock heroes of the 20th century. They specialise in a couple of particular guitar pedal effects: wah and fuzz. Jim Dunlop make mini versions of both their famous Cry Baby wah and Fuzz Face, first used extensively by Jimi Hendrix. These studio quality effects are some of the more high-end options on our list.
The original Cry Baby is a chunky foot-length pedal that requires a good amount of space on a pedalboard. If you don't have that to spare, the mini version will do you just fine! The CBM95 is based on the same circuitry as the original, while the expanded Cry Baby Q gives you the ability to alter the response of the wah and emphasise high or low frequencies.
Jim Dunlop's circular Fuzzface isn't the most ideal shape to fit on a pedalboard, but the smaller size goes a little way to help. This quirky stompbox is available in both silicon and germanium styles; the former a modern interpetation with increased attack and the latter sounding warmer and smoother. Also featured in the line-up are Hendrix and Joe Bonamassa models, tweaked towards the legendary guitarists' signature sounds.
Mooer create an incredible array of exotic effects and awesome preamps, all the while packing in more controlable pedal parameters than competitors. You get the choice of effects closer to home like delay, reverb, phaser and octave, but also have the pick of bit crusher, pitch shifter, drum machine and synth sounds. The latest 7 series range features up to five controls on that small mini pedal case with the ability to save and recall presets.
Preamps are a major part of the Mooer line-up. Use these to add an extra 'channel' to your existing amp, or run a pedalboard amp setup with the addition of an external power amp. That makes Mooer preamps great for downsizing your rig and running your guitar tone direct into a FRFR speaker, larger PA system or into a recording audio interface. All Mooer preamps are designed to emulate famous amps – we're sure you can work out what they are!
Kansas City's JHS Pedals started out as a boutique guitar pedal manufacturer, but have become so popular that you'll find them pretty much anywhere nowadays, including at Andertons! Their mini pedal selection is refined to those effects that don't need much explanation - plug in an away you go. In among the ranks are the Mini Foot fuzz, Whitey Tighty compressor, Tidewater tremolo and Prestige buffer and booster. You're looking at four top class effects offering premium tone based on some of their larger pedals, but with reduced control layouts.
JHS Pedals also make utility pedals - the ones you don't need to to give too much of an afterthought once you've got to grips with them. Here you'll see the super handy Little Black Amp Box attenuator to reduce the volume of your loud valve amp, the Active A/B/Y switcher for multi-amp setups and the Little Black Buffer to prop up your weak guitar signal.
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