Updated May. 8, 2023 | by Paolo De Gregorio

Best New Pedals 2023 | April Edition

April 2023 was a rather exciting month for pedal releases, if anything due to the unusual timing of the NAMM show, which still triggers a noteworthy amount of product announcements.

Speaking of NAMM, we had our usual, huge shared pedal booth at this year’s show, and our YouTuber friend Devon Blue Whitaker was in a separate booth shooting videos of as many new stompboxes we could fetch him – check out the playlist by clicking the image below.

videoscreenshot 2023 1

However, not all the new pedals released in April were announced at NAMM, therefore we compiled these three comprehensive lists of all the new pedals that saw the light last month, organized by type of effect:

BEST NON-GAIN RELEASES IN APRIL 2023

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t-rex Binson Echorec
$2,100 | a gorgeous and pricey take on the Binson Echorec that's very close to the original, but with the controls on the top and a footswitch, and with a modern addition that allows it to deliver longer delays up to 1.2 seconds. It also lets you control the volume of each head through a potentiometer in the back of the case.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
681912724
Universal Audio UAFX Del-Verb
$349 | stereo dual delay+reverb with separate footswitches and 3 modes per effect. The delay has a separate knob for modulation and modes for Analog, Tape, and Digital. The reverb modes are Spring, Plate, and Hall. All algorithms are borrowed from Universal Audio's library of pro audio plugins. A free app allows tweaking settings and managing presets.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
2356362620
death By Audio Disturbance
$250 | another extreme device, with a modulation focus, by the NYC company known for making uncompromisingly noisy stompboxes. It has three modes (Filter, Flanger, and "Fazer") five LFO options, and an extra switch for momentary effects, including LFO freeze. The modulation can be edited via the "Tensity", CEnter Point and Width knobs. It also features a CV In for modular folks.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
4064258923
old blood BL-82 Chorus
$179 | A peculiar take on the chorus effect, with a Clock (diagonal) fader that varies the effect’s slight delay that’s at the heart of the modulated sound, producing a variety of different effects, ranging from shimmering chorus to wild modulated delay, affecting at once the effect’s depth and speed, but also the quality of the delay, that tends to degrade at longer settings.
Perf. Circuit | Reverb | Amazon
2858178077
Universal Audio UAFX Galaxy '74
$349 | A stereo pedal that encapsulates the essence of the ’70s Roland Tape Echo, adding extra features like presets, dual stereo effects, tap tempo, a momentary footswitch, and doubled delay times that allow subdivisions not possible in the original. The complimentary app allows tweaking footswitch settings, managing presets, adjusting real-time effects, and customizing oscillation sounds.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
1522576320
Walrus Audio Fundamental Delay
$129 | a simple, no-frills delay with three useful modes and 3 subdivision options (quarter note, dotted eight and eight note). The modes are Digital (pristine repeats), Analog (replicating the BBD chips filtered and slightly distorted character), and Reverse (great for shoegaze and ambient and textures). The three faders control time, feedback, and mix.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
3725646495
Lichtlaerm Untiefe
~$225 | A 3-mode hand-made modulated reverb: PHASE (Large Room + Mu-Tron-style phaser), SHIVER, (alarge plate with tremolo) and SIREN (based on the Soft Focus patch). Rate+Depth knobs control the modulation, Decay+Dampen the reverb, Mix+Level the dry/wet blend & output. The 2nd footswitch applies a momentary effect to feedback, rate or decay. It also has FX loop & ins for Exp+Ramp.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
303914053
Cusack Resound V2
$279 | V2 of this digital, stereo reverb loaded with eight different reverb modes, the ability to save up to eight presets, and a momentary "Extend" switch that maxes out the decay or triggers a freeze effects for complex, mode-dependent ambient effects. It's also capable of rich chorus, 12-string simulation, and near infinite decay!
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2465310281
Pedal Brainz Left Brain
$369 | it plugs into your pedals' Exp In to expand their modulation capability with 50 LFO partners beyond the usual sine/square/ triangle waves. The shapes can come from existing presets or by recording new patterns with the big side knob. That knob, called Scale, in regular mode controls the modulation's depth, and works with the Range switch for additional scaling.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3136449345
walrus audio fundamental reverb
$129 | a quality compact reverb with faders instead of knobs and three modes: the ambient Hall, the classic and bouncy Spring, and the smooth and dense Plate. The three controls set Decay, Time and Mix. holding down the bypass stomp switch when applying power to the pedal will activate Trail mode.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
656485547
Matthews Effects The Traveler Reverb
$129 | a 3-mode digital reverb with full Midi compatibility (over 3.5mm TRS), 6 Presets (via Midi), and a momentary Hold footswitch that pushes the feedback settings to the max. There are just three knobs: Mix, Feedback (reverb length), and the mode-variable “M” one. The three modes are Mod (reverb with modulation), Shimmer (classic mix of reverb with octave-up) and Vintage (spring reverb).
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
3333740726
defects FX Dirty Filter
$250 | A filter + fuzz with separate footswitches, but the filter gets the lion's share of the controls, with knobs for Frequency, Filter Type (bypass, low-pass and hi-pass), Resonance, and Filter Output, plus a toggle switch giving you two resonance levels: Normal and High, for a more intensely synthy effect. The fuzz has an output knob and an Intensity toggle switch that changes its character and dynamics.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

BEST GAIN/DYNAMIC RELEASES IN APRIL 2023

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DSM and Humboldt Simplifier mkII
$349 | | A stereo amp and cab emulator with a true analog preamp that recreates in fine detail the most popular clean channel preamps, a power amp sim and dual independent Cab sims with spread control. Stereo FX loop, headphone amp with Aux input for monitoring/ practicing, two XLR DI out, and two bypassable ¼-inch jacks round up the features. MkII adds reverb and Speaker type knob.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
383515906
Universal Audio UAFX Max
$349 | a preamp voiced after the UA610 followed by two digital compressors with three identical modes each, mostly inherited from UA's studio plugins: two modes are voiced after the studio rack classics Teletronix LA2A and Urei 1176, while “Dyna” is based on the MXR Dyna Comp pedal. A free app unlocks extra tweaking (EQ, serial/parallel operation, sidechain bass filter, etc.)
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
3612192055
origin Effects DCX BOOST
$319 | a studio-grade preamp/EQ voiced after the UA610. In EQ mode it works dynamically, applying an increasing treble roll-off as the signal gets louder, for seamless transition between clean and overdriven parts. In OD mode, the top-end roll-off is always active. The Voice switch gives you 3 roll-off options: Flat, Dark & Medium. LF and HF knobs allow extra EQ tweaks.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
2399054073
Wampler Cory Wong Compressor
$269 | a dynamic-shaping tool voiced after the MDX Strat boost that can tame (compress), push (boost) or prolong (sustain) your tone. The compressor has Attack, Sustain & Blend knobs, while a Mids/Flat switch delivers clean or a "mid-humped" boost (at ~550Hz). A Tone controls fine-tunes the signal's frequencies. XLR Output and a Ground Lift facilitate direct connection to a PA or a console.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
4033019680
nux ‘6ixty5ive Overdrive
$49 | a super-affordable clone of the (super-expensive) Vemuram Jan Ray, an overdrive voiced after the Black Panel Fender amps of the ’60s. It delivers those glassy and transparent overdrive with natural compression associated with that vintage Fender amp line.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1288124971
Revv Tilt Boost
$169 | based on the boost circuit in Shawn Tubbs’ signature Overdrive of the same name, this pedal offers 20 dBs of sparkly-clean boost to your output, with the signature “TiltEQ” knob that, interacting with the 3-way "Tight" toggle, simultaneously cuts and boosts selected frequencis with uniquely sweet-sounding results.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
1052748782
VS Audio Platinum
$199 | an overdrive using hand-selected discrete JFETs to create a unique blend of Plexi and Marshall-style tones, based on the Marshall 1987 Silver Jubilee amp. The controls are Input Gain, Output Master, EQ (Bass, Mid, Treble), and a Presence switch, which can either attenuate negative feedback or boost high-end frequencies. The Channel footswitch alternates between a cleaner rhythm tone and a thicker lead one
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2710947160
Sunnaudio R2D3 HELION
$485 | a high-end Swiss army device fopr any instrument with a pickup. A 3-way parametric EQ section lets you sculpt your tone, while the Focus knob adjusts sub-harmonic frequencies. The Drive knob (triggered by the 2nd footswitch) injects saturation, with an extra Tone knob placed after it to shape its color. The Rabid knob will take the distortion to the next level, bordering on fuzz tones at high settings.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3297671932
BLAMMO! Shrew V2
$154 | a modern take on the classic opamp-based distortion. V2 adds an optional noise gate that removes hiss and hum in between parts, but also adds a sharper attack. The Clip knob, upgraded from a switch in V1, controls the diodes’ hard clipping, blending Germanium symmetrical clipping (add more of that turning the knob anti-clockwise) and LED asymmetrical clipping (more of it clockwise).
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
735847200
Nocturne Brain Marquesan Drive
$195 | a modern take on the 70’s White Label bud box Rat, updated with quality components. The Steez control boosts or cuts the upper mids and works with the Tone filter to deliver extra versatility on your dirty tones. An internal switch lets you choose between symmetric (more compressed) and asymmetric clipping
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2949888595
GAMMA Bacchus Dynamic Drive
$69 | named after the Roman god of partying, drunkness and drama, this is a heav yet versatile bread and butter, affordable overdrive, thanks to a wide gain range and two selectable voices for Normal and Fat.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

BEST FUZZ RELEASES IN APRIL 2023

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Electro-Harmonics Lizard Queen
$99 | a rather peculiar collaborative EHX/JHS effort on an octage fuzz, born from a video shot by the JHS show showcasing a prototype of a pedal designed by Josh Scott and his staff “pretending” to be Electro-Harmonics, and now actually re-engineered and released by the NYC builder.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
3059036948
electro-harmonix Satisfaction Plus
$99 | an evolution of the EHX pedal tribute to the fuzz tone featured in the Rolling Stones’ evergreen ’60s single. It expands on that circuit going beyond that specific sound with a new FAT mode that delivers bigger and warmer tones than the NORM Mode, replicating the original. The Bias knob sets the fuzz's character, Tone is a tilt-shift EQ, while Attack and Volume set gain and output
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
2006476464
Walrus Audio Fundamental Fuzz
$99 | A streamlined and affordable fuzz with faders instead of knobs with three classic fuzz voices: Gate has a lowered bias voltage, delivering the “starved” sound, sputtery and velcroy. Classic mode is voiced after the Muff circuit, with scooped mids and crunchy clipping. Mid+ does opposite of the previous mode, boosting mids to provide a thick, rich sound.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
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Reverb Amazon
1800711726
surfy industries SurfyFuzz
$240 | a tweakable ’60s/’70s-style fuzz, including a toggle delivering USA and Japan voicings. The Intensity knob blends two gain stages: at zero, the fuzz tone is less heavy, with some clean signal left in it for dynamics and clarity. At higher ones, all the gain stages contribute to the fuzz tone. The Harmonics knob compensates for quieter pickups, while Mass controls the low end.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1718429103
Heather Brown Electronicals Spirit in the Sky
$264 | a Ram’s Head-style Muff in parallel with a JFET boost with a pre/post optical tremolo (via the Flow switch). The gain section can produce anything from sustained overdrive to full-on fuzz, with the Blend knob for the dry tone. Gain (for the boost), Tone, and Sustain knobs (for the fuzz) facilitate tone exploration. The tremolo has its own footswitch and knobs for Rate, Shape and Depth.
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
3207793956
DS Custom Blender Octave Fuzz
$207 | an octave fuzz based on the cult Fender Blender Fuzz, one of the first fuzz pedals (if not the first) to feature a clean/wet blend knob. The set of controls reflects closely the one found on the original, with knobs for Volume, Sustain, Tone and Blend, and two footswitches for On/Off and “Tone Boost,” which disables the Tone control and applies a mid boost to the signal.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3980630507
ETF Audio EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FUZZ
$150 | a two-knob, three-transistor fuzz created with stoner and doom guitarists in mind. The two controls are for level and filter, with the latter allowing for a variety of tones from chugging ones rich in lew-end to ripping ones that let the treble shine. Experimenting with your guitar volume will add an extra layer of tonal versatility.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

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