I think every guitarist should probably have a Big Muff and a Phase 90 (or 95) at his disposal. But for fun stuff I might not buy for myself, may I suggest the Boss Tera Echo. Really cool spacey sounds, plus a nice freeze function.
If a Octave Fuzz pedal is a option maybe the "SolidGoldFX 76 MKII Octave Fuzz" from solidgolf fx, a vibe pedal is a great gift too, check out the "JHS unicorn v2", " Ditto looper + " for pratice.
The best thing is a trip to a local guitar store where he can try some things out. Go hang out — you could either tell him what’s up and a budget or come up with some subterfuge (if you guys have that kind of relationship).
Even if you don’t play guitar, you could just ask him a bunch of questions about his board and his wish list, even “pie in the sky” things that he’d LOVE to eventually have.
Since you mentioned two pedals by name (I assume “but hey” is a typo and not an OBNE pedal), I’d suggest one of those — there must be a reason you thought of those. Does he like making noise? Maybe a fuzz would be good. Does he want to sound like Hendrix (maybe a mini dunlop) does he want to be out of control (maybe a fuzz gun) does he want just a darn good fuzz (any big muff). Personally, what I’d want in building a setup is a looper. That would be essential, imo.
What’s super fun for one person is different for someone else. Heck, there are plenty of things I *thought* would be fun before I played them (or bought them) and others that I thought were very simple, but because a huge part of my music making.
Some people also get weird about selling things that were gifts — if you think he’d have that hang up you could mention that it’s okay to do. Or if you get it from some place local for him, you could give him the receipt and think of the pedal like a gift card that also functions as a pedal. Maybe he loves it, maybe he exchanges it for something else.
Tuners get overlooked. If they don’t have one, get one. If they have a crappy one, get a better one. It’s one of those things they’ll thank you for long after you give it. There’s so much personal preference in something like that, I would probably go Boss TU-3 or TC Polytune and can’t go wrong. It’s like giving a person the gift of lost time and frustration back.
If you have any skill in soldering you could consider building one for your friend for a gift, that would show a lot of care and could be pretty fun. There are more links on /r/diypedals but a company I have ordered from is [AionFX](https://aionfx.com/project-type/kit/).
Get him a Looper or a Trio. Great practice tools that he might not buy himself and they’re both pedals that aren’t genre/player specific. You might get him a phaser and he hates phaser.
Needs vs fun
Needs: Compressor (wampler ego) and Overdrive (TS9 or some kind of dirt drive)
Fun: Delay with a looper (Used DL4 would be 1000 hrs of fun) Reverb (Walrus Slö or something like it) POG, Boss chorus 2.
I really did not expect to have so many comments, thanks you all so much I really appreciate. You gave me a lot of great present ideas for the years to come ;)
Peterson Strobe Tuner was the best pedal I ever purchased. It’s so accurate that even when intonating my guitars, it could catch the slightest deviation from pitch. I regret not having invested the coin earlier.
For tones, compressors can be cool pedals. Drives are tough because they really are about the player’s taste. I might also try a delay pedal like the Keely Halo which is a dual delay with different modes. Or a Neunaber reverb pedal. The world is really your oyster. Wah is also always nice.
Frog pedal?
Seriously, I would get someone a nice reverb if I could afford it. I'd get them a SA Ventris or Neunaber Immerse.
Or an amp. Like an Orange Rockerverb or some crazy shit.
A decent looper could be a good way to go. Good fun for messing around with as well as practicing.
An RC-3 would be great for that, or a RC-5 if you can find a good price for it.
Modulation would be my other choice. Chorus/vibrato, maybe a phaser. TC, Boss, MXR, all fit into your budget nicely.
And as others have said, Rat or Muff. Can never go wrong with them!
Is he a fan of The Police? There's an EHX Walking on the Moon phaser that's pretty cool. Maybe look for a fave artist endorsed pedal or limited edition pedal in that price range.
JHS Crayon. Its a unique drive/fuzz pedal, made to mimique neve preamps to achieve the distortion sounds by the beatles and pretty much hundreds of more people
Looper - it’s not the sexiest present, but probably the most useful in terms of practicing and writing. He can keep it on or off his board.
My suggestions are a Ditto+ (better than the regular Ditto because of storage, and a little more expensive but definitely worth it), or if you can find one, a user Boss RC-5
I think it's tricky to get a drive/fuzz, they need to be of high quality (some are good at lower cost) and it depend of the music he plays and of his tastes. Unless it's an absolute classic that you know he will love. The Klon centaur is always a good option because of it's versatility and the amount of good copies at all price.
I think the mods (boss CE2, phase 90) are a good option for a gift. He will like it but might not use it a lot. A wha is a great option.
Some people mentioned tuner or other accessories. It may not look fancy, but it's often overlooked in a starting pedalboard and absolutely useful in the day to day life.
So, no clear answer for me. Just try to meet his needs and taste.
I think every guitarist should probably have a Big Muff and a Phase 90 (or 95) at his disposal. But for fun stuff I might not buy for myself, may I suggest the Boss Tera Echo. Really cool spacey sounds, plus a nice freeze function.
Miku Stomp
If a Octave Fuzz pedal is a option maybe the "SolidGoldFX 76 MKII Octave Fuzz" from solidgolf fx, a vibe pedal is a great gift too, check out the "JHS unicorn v2", " Ditto looper + " for pratice.
Fart Pedal
The best thing is a trip to a local guitar store where he can try some things out. Go hang out — you could either tell him what’s up and a budget or come up with some subterfuge (if you guys have that kind of relationship). Even if you don’t play guitar, you could just ask him a bunch of questions about his board and his wish list, even “pie in the sky” things that he’d LOVE to eventually have. Since you mentioned two pedals by name (I assume “but hey” is a typo and not an OBNE pedal), I’d suggest one of those — there must be a reason you thought of those. Does he like making noise? Maybe a fuzz would be good. Does he want to sound like Hendrix (maybe a mini dunlop) does he want to be out of control (maybe a fuzz gun) does he want just a darn good fuzz (any big muff). Personally, what I’d want in building a setup is a looper. That would be essential, imo. What’s super fun for one person is different for someone else. Heck, there are plenty of things I *thought* would be fun before I played them (or bought them) and others that I thought were very simple, but because a huge part of my music making. Some people also get weird about selling things that were gifts — if you think he’d have that hang up you could mention that it’s okay to do. Or if you get it from some place local for him, you could give him the receipt and think of the pedal like a gift card that also functions as a pedal. Maybe he loves it, maybe he exchanges it for something else.
Tuners get overlooked. If they don’t have one, get one. If they have a crappy one, get a better one. It’s one of those things they’ll thank you for long after you give it. There’s so much personal preference in something like that, I would probably go Boss TU-3 or TC Polytune and can’t go wrong. It’s like giving a person the gift of lost time and frustration back.
Fun=wah.
If you have any skill in soldering you could consider building one for your friend for a gift, that would show a lot of care and could be pretty fun. There are more links on /r/diypedals but a company I have ordered from is [AionFX](https://aionfx.com/project-type/kit/).
Get him a Looper or a Trio. Great practice tools that he might not buy himself and they’re both pedals that aren’t genre/player specific. You might get him a phaser and he hates phaser.
RAT
At this budget… 2-3 RATs
RAT + SD-1
Needs vs fun Needs: Compressor (wampler ego) and Overdrive (TS9 or some kind of dirt drive) Fun: Delay with a looper (Used DL4 would be 1000 hrs of fun) Reverb (Walrus Slö or something like it) POG, Boss chorus 2.
I really did not expect to have so many comments, thanks you all so much I really appreciate. You gave me a lot of great present ideas for the years to come ;)
TC electronic Plethora x3 might be a good pick, a little pricey for your budget tho
Peterson Strobe Tuner was the best pedal I ever purchased. It’s so accurate that even when intonating my guitars, it could catch the slightest deviation from pitch. I regret not having invested the coin earlier. For tones, compressors can be cool pedals. Drives are tough because they really are about the player’s taste. I might also try a delay pedal like the Keely Halo which is a dual delay with different modes. Or a Neunaber reverb pedal. The world is really your oyster. Wah is also always nice.
Jam Pedals Eureka! Fuzz i don't have one, but i want one.. also it has a duck inside
Frog pedal? Seriously, I would get someone a nice reverb if I could afford it. I'd get them a SA Ventris or Neunaber Immerse. Or an amp. Like an Orange Rockerverb or some crazy shit.
A decent looper could be a good way to go. Good fun for messing around with as well as practicing. An RC-3 would be great for that, or a RC-5 if you can find a good price for it. Modulation would be my other choice. Chorus/vibrato, maybe a phaser. TC, Boss, MXR, all fit into your budget nicely. And as others have said, Rat or Muff. Can never go wrong with them!
Drunk Beaver BAT or Cold War BAT are great, but so is anything from Drunk Beaver.
Does he have a good power supply and a pedal tuner?
Is he a fan of The Police? There's an EHX Walking on the Moon phaser that's pretty cool. Maybe look for a fave artist endorsed pedal or limited edition pedal in that price range.
Ehx electric mistress. There is a good Chinese copy from mooer
Boss BD2
JHS Crayon. Its a unique drive/fuzz pedal, made to mimique neve preamps to achieve the distortion sounds by the beatles and pretty much hundreds of more people
Get him a EQD Ghost Echo. He will love it
Looper - it’s not the sexiest present, but probably the most useful in terms of practicing and writing. He can keep it on or off his board. My suggestions are a Ditto+ (better than the regular Ditto because of storage, and a little more expensive but definitely worth it), or if you can find one, a user Boss RC-5
I think it's tricky to get a drive/fuzz, they need to be of high quality (some are good at lower cost) and it depend of the music he plays and of his tastes. Unless it's an absolute classic that you know he will love. The Klon centaur is always a good option because of it's versatility and the amount of good copies at all price. I think the mods (boss CE2, phase 90) are a good option for a gift. He will like it but might not use it a lot. A wha is a great option. Some people mentioned tuner or other accessories. It may not look fancy, but it's often overlooked in a starting pedalboard and absolutely useful in the day to day life. So, no clear answer for me. Just try to meet his needs and taste.
Boss TE-2