Updated Oct. 5, 2023 | by Paolo De Gregorio

Best New Pedal Releases: September 2023

September didn’t give us a lot of new pedals, but a fair amount of really interesting ones. Here’s your monthly recap of the latest best stompbox releases!

Check out the full list of releases in the interactive galleries below, and when you are ready to buy, please don’t forget to use the affiliate links, that’s what is allowing us to publish this blog! Older monthly articles like this one can be found here.

You can browse through the releases in the interactive galleries below.

Please use the links with the blue icon when ready to buy

Best Non Gain Pedal Releases | September 2023

1206983849
Strymon Ultraviolet
$259 | it recreates all the nuances of the vintage optical vibe circuis, with the added bonus of a stereo output. It sports the classic vibe controls, with the addition of a subtler blend mode and a 3-way BIAS toggle: Low Bias offers a rhythmic pulsation, making it particularly effective for tremolo effect;. in Mid setting it prduces the classic vibe effect; High setting features a smoother shape with a broader frequency sweep.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
1426239366
Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr.
~$299 | an '80s-inspired 3-in-1 compact effect combining 2 delay and 6 reverb modes, and 3 modulation types (Dimension, Flanger and Ensemble). The first two effect have a dedicated footswitch but either can be swapped to trigger the modulation. The delay modes are tape and digital, while reverb offers a variety of options from classic to modern, including Shimmer and Gated.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
4243846564
Pigtronix Cosmosis
$219 | a 3-mode "morphing" take on the ambient stereo reverb, that lets you gradually transition between presets. Theatre mode offers an adjustable room ambiance; Temple immerses you in a huge reverberant space; Cosmos delivers a wide array of celestial reverb effects. The morphing effect can be applied to any combination of knobs and its length can be controlled via the Morph Rate knob.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
4004135965
All-Pedal Microdose
$325 | a deep, hand-made phaser offering 3 stages modes (2, 4 and 8) applied to almost any immaginable LFO shape (16 waveforms), with modulation timing assigned via tap tempo assignable to 6 multipliers. Five knobs let you tweak the effect's character, including Res(onance) and Warp, which changes the LFO curve's shape. An Exp input lets you control externally the effect’s rate.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
break
source audio Vertigo Mission of Burma
$249 |
457109543
mythos The Fates
$229 | a high-quality analog, mono chorus pedal inspired by the classics of the '80s with bread-and-butter controls and the typical Chorus/Vibrato toggle. A JFET buffered bypass keeps the noise level down but also helps the signal stand out with an output bump and a pleasing color. The Vibrato mode has been tuned to sound more subtle to avoid excessive wobbling at high depth settings.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
4254679321
nux mod core deluxe mkII
$99 | a compact stereo pedal with 8 modulation modes inspired by classic chorus, phaser, flanger and Uni-Vibe designs by BOSS, MXR, Dunlop and TC Electronics. No tremolo though. The dual in/outs can be used as regular stereo or in parallel mode, where the 2nd in/out can be used as an FX loop. The on/off switch features a smart Tap Tempo function to set the rate.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
547730581
Glowfly Pixel Dust
~$200 | An 8-bit (triple) Looper and (tap tempo) Stutter. The looper can record 3 samples up to 2" each, play them individually (tap or hold) and change speed/pitch of any active loop (via the center knob). Tap the side button for reverse. In Stutter Mode the red button does tap tempo. Holding any of the other 3 buttons records + instantly plays a short loop, while the center knob changes subdivisions.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1341625139
NUX Verb Core Deluxe
$99 | an affordable, stereo multi-reverb with 8 modes (Room, Hall, Plate, Damp, Shim, Spring, Tremolo-Verb, and Mod-Verb) and a momentary freeze effect. The algorithms feature a nice selection of traditional (Spring, Room, Plate, Hall) and more creative and textural options (Trem-verb, Mod-verb, Shimmer and Damp) that should work well for guitarists with a wide sonic palette.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2545774821
boss NS-1X
$199 | an advanced and transparent multi-mode noise reduction pedal that can deliver gentle noise suppression, instant automatic gating, or switch mute mode. It includes a send/return FX loop for enhanced performance when used with distortions, overdrives, and other noise-producing pedals.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Best Gain/Fuzz Pedal Releases | September 2023

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Universal Audio OX Stomp
$399 | boasts 22 speaker/cab combos and a Speaker Drive knob simulating the cab's input breaking up. Cab recording techniques are emulated via two virtual Mic controls (dynamic, condenser or ribbon) plus a Room Mic knob. 6 onboard presets and lots more via the free app, which also gives access to EQ and various effects. Two footswitches and dual in/outs are fully configurable.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
2596835684
keeley noble screamer
$199 | A TS+Nobels ODR-1 blend that allows you to use the gain structure of each with the Tone character of either, through the combination of two toggle switches, for a total of four tones: two "pure" and two "hybrid." The pedal also features true-bypass or buffered, and truly silent switching.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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2971302469
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
$299 | This deluxe version of one of the most popular compact Plexi pedals adds an external voice toggle to select between Super Lead and Super Bass modes, a Presence knob, a Routable Boost circuit with a separate volume knob and footswitch, a low-end cutting Tightness knob, and a 10db Line Out to plug in directly into your recording devices or PA.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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416697238
Friedman IR-X Dual Tube Preamp
$499 | a two-channel guitar preamp with boost that employs two high-voltage 12AX7 tubes to faithfully capture the harmonic richness and touch responsiveness associated with full-sized Friedman amplifiers. Ch. 1 offers a spectrum from pristine British-voiced chime with a Bright switch, while Ch2 is high gain with a Tight switch. Each channel has a 3-way EQ and it's Midi compatible.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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19158546
Spaceman Charon Fuzz
$199 | a fuzz with a wide tonal range thanks to its hybrid circuit that includes Silicon and Germanium diodes. The careful balancing of these components allows this device to produce a remarkable variety of tones with just three knobs, from subtle crunch to fuzztidious gnarliness all the way up to wall of fuzz territory.
Perf. Circuit | Reverb | Amazon
4228925130
KingTone Duellist V2
$349+ | A higher gain Blues Breaker variant, the Duellist is a tone-tweaker’s delight. The “Heavy Hand” side is a highly refined Blues Breaker while the “String Singer” is a modern Tube Screamer. Each channel features “Fat/Stock/Glass” voicing switches for a variety of tonal options. Using TRS cables, the order of the drives can be switched or other pedals can even be placed in between each channel.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2793717527
29 Pedal JFET Boost
$269 | a 3-mode "mostly clean" boost. In “N” mode it emulates a treble booster; “F” mode enhances the frequency spectrum for a more rounded sound; “X” mode maintains a nearly flat response. The “L” knob provides level control, but it operates as a post-boost, pre-output drive gain fader.
Perf. Circuit | Reverb | Amazon
3801574569
summer school Gladys V2
$164 | V2 of this low/mid-gain overdrive with increased headroom and a higher gain range, coupled with a 2-band active EQ and silent switching. It has two modes: hard-clipping boost/drive, akin to the classic breaker circuit, delivering low headroom and a gentle level of drive; mode 2 delivers increased volume and headroom, resulting in a sharper and more direct and modern sound.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
122315678
dawner prince DIKTATOR MKII
$289 | a redesigned new version of this 2 channel Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion that can put your guitar through an evolution of drive stages from warmth and presence to tight and all the way to rather heavy distortion when the Detonator channel is on. Soft/Hard and Dark/Bright switches add extra tonal options.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3930809237
Bardic Audio Devices Rival
$200 | an amp-in-a-box inspired by the Mark V (Mesa Boogie) amps, that models each tube stage through the use of JFET op-amps. The amp's signature 5-band +/-15dB graphic EQ opens up a vast array of tonal possibilities beyond the standard bass/mid/treble EQ commonly found in amplifiers, and the presence control allows for easy adjustment of the pedal’s brightness.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2281618957
Wren and Cuff Eye See '70
$324 | a big box version of the company’s well-received Eye See ’78 Muff variant, inspired by the 1978 Op-Amp Muff, whose crunchy yet wooly tone was made popular by Smashing Pumpkins in the early ’90s. The ’78 is an authentic replica of the V4 circuit with the added bonus of the V5 tone bypass switch, which delivers a mid-bump, volume boost by removing the passive tone stack from the circuit.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1210759544
Tallon Electric Dual Drive
$340 | two overdrives in one pedal, with separate footswitches and controls, one inspired by the Blues Breaker and the other by the Centaur Klon. The BB side adds an extra toggle for soft or hard clipping, while the Klon side features a Low control that’s missing on the original units. A toggle switch lets you reverse their order, widening the tonal possibilities.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2074449034
Hungry Robot The Stampede
$100 | a glitchy, square-wave fuzz based on a 4069 CMOS chip. It transforms your signal into a square wave, with the large knob controlling the volume and the small one setting the sensitivity. It can produce a variety of glitchy results at lower sensitivity settings, from sputtering to sub-octave hints, or get into self-ocsillation and extra unwanted noise when turned up.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2574390044
LPD Lucent V2
$189 | a Breaker style OD operating at 9-18v featuring the classic tone/gain/level controls as well as a clipping diode toggle that switches between the classic Blues Breaker voicing and a custom voicing with more headroom, gain, and smoother EQ. V2 adds a Boost circuit with footswitch and Pre/Post volume controls.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
222656108
TWA Krytical Mass Fuzz
$299 | an octave fuzz pedal based on the Maestro Bass Brassmaster, delivers the signature synth-like tone with a hint of octave down. Organic and warm-sounding, it's also very tweakable, thanks to two knobs for Edge and Bias (setting the low frequency and the voltage level to starve the transistor) and four toggles including one high pass filter, 2 low pass filters and a 3-way mids knob.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
4016173650
Tone For Punk Trebled Youth
$165 | a tweakable dirt box giving from mildly dirty tones to the uncompromising punk-rock fuzz. The Slash knobs delivers a Treblebooster push clockwise, and a full spectrum boost anticlockwise. A Clip switch which offers two clipping modes: asymmetrical germanium for a more classic-sounding round distortion, and symmetrical silicon for a crisper, sharper and louder tone.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1806809930
Idiotbox Heavy Weapon
$179 | a dual distortion/overdrive pedal described by the builder as “probably the HEAVIEST effect of all time.” It consists of two existing Idiotbox circuits in one: the bop row of controls is the company’s Blower Box Distortion, while the bottom row controls the circuit of the Dungeon Master.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
4087460104
vaderin Super Ram
$169 | a heavily modified take on the Ram’s Head Fuzz, borrowing some of the Super Fuzz characteristic, while adding also an octave up blend and an adjustable gate. The idea at the core of this pedal’s circuit is to have a Muff-style fuzz that holds its own as far as presence in a dense mix, with the added texture offered by the (adjustable) octave-up.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
176157881
bolt & Forge Appaloosa
$249 | a low-to mid-gain overdrive that’s very dynamic and transparent thanks to its neutral EQ profile, using gain staging like a tube amp and facilitating tones ranging from edge-of-breakup tone to borderline distorted, with the added versatility offered by a 3-way EQ section.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

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See you next month!

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