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If you're looking for a list of boutique guitar pedal brands in the UK, you've come to the right place! Although Boost Guitar Pedals is a retailer of some of these UK pedal builders, this is a completely un-biased list.
I've made a concerted effort to list as many UK pedal builders as I can to make this a truly useful resource for everyone. Have I missed any? Probably! Let me know...
From super-high end build quality to forward-looking circuit topologies and eye-popping artwork, we’ve never had it so good. The British boutique pedal scene is currently enjoying a golden age, with seemingly endless releases of exciting and sought after pedals from established as well as new guitar pedal companies.
The UK has been at the forefront of guitar effects pedal design since the 1960s, when pioneers including Roger Mayer created some of the first guitar pedals. Many of the earliest pedals were fuzz pedals, a primitive form of distortion. It was not long until fuzz was all over the airwaves, changing the course of musical history forever.
Mayer made his name as Jimi Hendrix's effects wizard, modding existing pedals and creating new designs such as the Octavia which went on to define Jimi's legendary sound.
Of course, the UK's influence didn't finish at the end of the 1960s, and other builders have built rock-solid reputations, perhaps none more so than Pete Cornish, who took on Mayer's mantle as pedal guru to the stars in the 1970s.
Fast-forward several decades and many boutique pedal builders today are still captivated by heritage circuits from the early days of the effects pedal, sourcing rare NOS components to replicate the originals as closely as possible. Others, meanwhile, prefer to focus on modern designs and new sounds.
Below you'll find a map of guitar pedal brands in the UK. The plan is to make it as comprehensive as possible, so I'll update it as often as I can.
Whether you're into vintage-correct Tone Benders or multi-clipping modern distortion, it's fair to say that the burgeoning guitar effects pedal scene in the UK has you covered!
Here's a small selection of UK-made guitar pedals worth checking out...
FREDRIC EFFECTS Verzerrer
The Fredric Effects Verzerrer may be made in London, but it's based on the only cold war-era East German distortion pedal, originally produced in the 1960s and '70s. It veers from distortion into spitty fuzz and full on velcro mode and sounds remarkably unique.
"It’s just pure nastiness. This pedal nails the splutter-fuzz effect as well as any we’ve tried" - Guitarist Magazine December 2019
STOMPNORTH Clipshear Getter Drive
Made in Scotland, Stompnorth's flagship Clipshear Getter Drive combines valve and MOSFET circuits with optional silicon and germanium clipping diodes to achieve a multitude of low to mid-gain tones. Stompnorth founder Duncan MacKinnon designed the Clipshear Getter Drive to be an integral part of your rig, an "always on" pedal that enhances your core tone. It provides up to 17dB of clean boost that can easily push the input of your valve amp.
RAYGUN FX Dual Soda Drive+
From Southend-on-Sea, the Raygun FX Dual Soda Drive+ is a super-flexible drive pedal which ranges from boost to dense distortion. It combines two Soda Drive+ circuits in a single pedal, with the option to run each channel independently or stack them for more tonal variation. Both channels have a 3-way toggle switch, allowing you to select from Dirty, Boost (less gain, more volume) or Fuzz (a germanium diode) modes.
BLEAK DISTRICT ELECTRIC Antistatic
Bleak District Electric is based in Derbyshire. Phil has cleverly designed the Antistatic as a combined CMOS fuzz and micro-looper. It's a phenomenal little package that's great for experimental synth layers or expansive soundscapes: pair it with a good delay and/or reverb and you're good to go!
TATE FX Raise The Dead
Located just up the road from Boost Guitar Pedals HQ, the Tate FX Raise The Dead is a single-knob design based on a 1960s Colorsound fuzz. Founder Stuart is a stickler for attention to detail, and he has gone all out with the components for this pedal. After feedback from early versions, he has also included a small input transformer to simulate the inductance and resistance from a guitar pickup to allow it to work perfectly anywhere in a signal chain - particularly after buffered pedals.
4114 Custom Effects
Audio Kitchen
BG Harding
Bigfoot Engineering
Bluewhale Pedals
Boo Instruments
British Pedal Company
Butterfly Effect Pedals
Buzz Electronics
Castledine Electronics
Cog Effects
Colorsound
Cooltone Pedals
Cornell Amps
D*A*M
Demiurge
Design Retro Works
Dickinson Amplification
Effectrode
Emmergy FX
Expresso FX
Flattley Guitar Pedals
Forest Effects
Ghost Effects
Gojira FX
Green Carrot Pedal Company
Hamstead Soundworks
Heaby Pedals
Holy Island Audio
Homegrown Devices
Horrothia FX
Hubcap John
Hudson Electronics
JFET Life
JSA Effects
Krachwerke
Life Is Unfair Audio
Lottie Canto
Made By Mike
Magnetic Effects
MWFX
MR-FX
NE Electronix
Nine of Swords Effects
North Effects
NRG Effectts
Origin Effects
Owen Electronics
Pete Cornish
Pickletech
Pigdog Pedals
Pigeon FX
Rainger FX
Reactor Pedals
Redbeard Effects
Reeves Electro
Ritual Devices
Roger Mayer
Rothwell Audio
Sine-Effect
Sleeping Dog FX
Snake Oil Fine Instruments
Sola Sound
SoundLad Liverpool
Stompkins Pedals
Stone Deaf FX
Thorpy FX
Time Travel Audio
Vein Tap
Wee Lush FX
Williams Audio
Wraa Labs
If you're a guitar pedal builder, or you know a guitar pedal brand in the UK that isn't on the list already, get in touch and I'll add them on!
Throughout the history of guitar pedals, there are certain pedals that have stood the test of time and become iconic pieces that most guitar players will own, or have owned, at some stage. One of those iconic pedals is the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff.
How you build your live pedalboard can change your entire experience onstage in the heat of battle - but consider a well built pedalboard as an extension of your instrument and part of your performance, and you'll be onto a winner!
The Boss DS-1 Distortion has been on the market for almost 50 years and has become a staple on pedalboards around the world. Find out what makes it tick - and why it is so popular.
