3 must-have types of pedals under $100 for the beginner guitarist

2. Delay

Joyo D-SEED Dual Channel Digital Delay – $80 to $95

So that does it for our drive pedal picks, now let’s move on to our second type of pedals, Delays. Delay is a time-based effect which records whatever you are playing and plays it back to you once or several times, after a certain period of time. The main parameters of a delay pedal are Time/Delay and Repeats/Feedback. Time refers to the time it takes for the pedal to play back what you just performed, and Feedback is the number of times your playing is repeated back to you. You can think of it as if multiple guitarists taking turns to mimic the notes you play after you perform them. The number of guitarists would then be the Feedback, with Time being the time between your playing and the first guitarist’s duplication.

With these controls, it’s easy to see how versatile of an effect delay is, and the Joyo D-SEED Dual Channel Digital Delay only opens up more sonic possibilities with its 4 unique modes and straightforward layout. Mode 1 captures the crystalline repeats synonymous with digital delays, while Mode 2 captures the warmer, darker, delayed notes that older analogue bucket-brigade device delays are famous for. Modes 3 and 4 feature sounds that are comparatively more experimental, with Modulation giving the delayed notes a clean shimmer effect and Reverse mode – well, doing just that to the repeats. The dual-channel design even permits you to set and save your parameter changes independently, making for easy access to your inventive settings. As if this wasn’t enough, the D-SEED boasts a tap-tempo function on one of the footswitches, a highly popular and useful feature of delay pedals that allow you to freely set the delay time by tapping the footswitch in rhythm to your desired new tempo. It may be hard to come by here, but Amazon, Reverb, and eBay are just some of the alternative online options to snag this gem at a decent price.