So. Many. Options. And opinions. It’s a fun journey to embark on, though, building an acoustic pedalboard.
To start, I like a great preamp. I’ve used the Fire Eye, a Sunnaudio, the Orange Tube, and the Grace Alix. Currently using a Grace Felix to make solo gig setup as quick and easy as possible. The Grace products are truly second-to-none, IMO. Pricey? Yes. Worth the money? Absolutely.
If a preamp without much EQ control is used - Red Eye or Sunnaudio - I like to have a meticulous EQ pedal. The best one I’ve found is the Empress ParaEQ. It’s been discontinued so you’ll have to find one, used. Another good one is the Wampler EQuator.
I’ve tried more compressor pedals than I care to admit, but I also like having a good, transparent compressor on my board. Some of my favorites have been the Diamond, BECOS, Strymon Compadre, Cali 76 Deluxe, and my current Empress MKii. The BECOS and the Cali 76 were excellent, too.
Delay, reverb, and chorus: I’ve tried quite a few - probably not as many as compressors - but I’m currently using a Source Audio Collider, which saves space on my board as it is a reverb/delay pedal. AND it has tap tempo, which I believe is a must. I tried a GFI Specular Tempus, and although the sounds were amazing, it was just too much for me. I don’t utilize MIDI, so I wanted something more simplistic. The Collider is an awesome alternative, IMO. I like the MXR Chorus pedal, or the TC Corona Chorus. On acoustic guitar, I prefer a digital chorus. All of these effects are used sparingly.
A couple pedals that come and go on my board: Strymon Flint and JHS Morning Glory. The tremolo on the Flint is SO good, and I really like the ever-so-slight drive that can be obtained with the Morning Glory.
I also have a loop pedal - Boomerang Rang iii - but I’m considering trying the new(ish) Boss RC-500. It looks like a great pedal, but I like the Boomerang so much, I just haven’t pulled the trigger.
Pedals; buy them and try them! Have fun!
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