You don't need a big board to sound great. Build in stages, and only add a pedal when you can say what problem it solves.
Stage 1: essentials
- Tuner. The most important pedal you'll own.
- One drive. A versatile overdrive covers a lot of ground, from light crunch to rock rhythm.
- One delay or reverb. Adds space and makes solos sing. If your amp has reverb built in, go for a delay.
Three pedals, a daisy-chain adapter and a few patch cables are enough. Learn these deeply before buying more.
Stage 2: mid
- Compressor or boost. A compressor for funk, country and clean sustain; a boost for solos and pushing your drive.
- Modulation. A chorus or phaser is the usual first pick.
- Proper power. An isolated power supply, so the board stays quiet as it grows.
- A real board. A flat board with velcro and decent cables.
Stage 3: advanced
- Multiple drives. Stack a low-gain and a higher-gain pedal, or pair an overdrive with a fuzz.
- Stereo. Stereo delay and reverb into two amps or a stereo rig.
- Switcher or MIDI. A loop switcher lets one button change several pedals at once, and keeps true bypass pedals out of the chain when off. MIDI lets digital pedals recall presets.
Multi-effects
A multi-effects unit gives you tuner, drives, modulation, delay, reverb, often amp models and an effects loop, all in one box with one power supply. For a tight budget, or to learn what you like before buying single pedals, it's hard to beat. Many players start there and later keep it as a backup.
Buying used
Pedals hold their value well and rarely wear out, so the used market is a great place to buy. Check that the footswitch clicks firmly, the jacks hold the plug without crackling, the knobs turn smoothly without scratchy noise, and that it works on your own power supply. Try before you pay when you can. If you change your mind later, you can usually resell without losing much.