Skip to main content
Become a MusicRadar VIP - it's free
- Join our community
SampleRadar
Access over 90,000 royalty-free samples
The MusicRadar app
Full access and custom feeds
MusicRadar Newsletters
The latest music and gear news inboxed
Earn Member Badges
Climb the MusicRadar charts
Coming soon: VIP-only Giveaways
Win pro-grade music gear and more
Join the conversation
Connect with other musicians and fans
BECOME A MUSICRADAR VIP
For the quickest way to join, enter your email below. We’ll send a confirmation email and sign you up to MusicRadar newsletters with the latest music news, gear reviews, tutorials and exclusive offers.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
Get VIP Access Quick

Become a MusicRadar VIP for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Welcome to Become a MusicRadar VIP !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Start reading to unlock your first badge
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Hot music news

Hot music news

The latest news from the hottest artists.

Explore
Make better music

Make better music

Explore tutorials, tips and guides for creating music.

Explore

Your membership perks

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Explore now

Get the MusicRadar Newsletter

Get the latest music news, gear reviews, deals and tutorials delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up here

Sign Out
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
More
  • Rodrigo's Cure
  • California Dreamin'
  • "Apotheosis of mediocrity" - Rundgren vs Swift
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars
  2. Guitar Pedals

Six of the best: mini effects pedals

News
By Guitarist
Published 25 December 2013

Good things in small packages

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Mooer ElecLady

Mooer ElecLady

The Chinese pedal builder has an exhaustive range of compact Micro pedals, featuring oddities such as EQs and acoustic guitar simulators among the usual suspects.

The EHX Electric Mistress is clearly the ElecLady’s muse, but this is a much tidier flange than its 70s predecessor. If it’s still a little on the large size for your tastes, marvel at the company’s forthcoming Zippo-lighter-esque Spark range...

We said: “70s-style flanging at about one-sixth of the usual size.”

Read our full Mooer ElecLady review

For more information visit the official Mooer website

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Bigfoot Engineering Octo Puss

Bigfoot Engineering Octo Puss

This UK-made octave effect is passive, meaning it has no LED and requires thoughtful placement in your signal chain.

However, its original germanium diodes do a convincing job of creating the classic octave effect, adding a faux sitar character to clean tones and an extra dimension of vintage goodness to fuzz and distortion.

We said: “It really comes alive in conjunction with an overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedal, or a driven amp.”

Read our full Bigfoot Engineering Octo Puss review

For more information visit the official Bigfoot Engineering website

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini

Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini

Since 1966 - when Jimi blew our minds with one - guitarists have resented the Fuzz Face’s mic- stand-base dimensions.

Now Dunlop has enclosed the Fuzz Face’s legendary circuitry in a ’board-friendly housing in three flavours - Silicon, Germanium, and Jimi - while promising meticulously faithful tones.

We said: “The versatility of the original Fuzz Face design with a few modern twists to the recipe.”

Read our full Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini review

For more information visit the official Dunlop website

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Hotone Liftup Boost

Hotone Liftup Boost

Hotone’s 10-pedal range takes tiny to the limit: each effect is around a third of the size of a standard enclosure, which would make them difficult to see (let alone stomp on) on stage if it weren’t for the thoughtful inclusion of glow-in-the-dark controls.

The pedal’s format, with multiple dials and buttons on the front and a rotary on the pedal’s top, is space-saving design at its most ingenious.

For more information visit Gear4Music

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Lovepedal Babyface Tremolo

Lovepedal Babyface Tremolo

Tremolo is a great effect, but you may only need it once or twice in your set. Enter the Babyface Tremolo, with set-and-leave controls inside the chassis, providing three tremolo variations (sine, sawtooth and square wave). A great example of why the format is here to stay.

We said: “It gives you three different tremolo variations in not a lot of real estate.”

Read our full Lovepedal Babyface Tremolo review

For more information visit the official Lovepedal website

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
TC Electronic PolyTune Mini

TC Electronic PolyTune Mini

The Danish audiophiles at TC Electronic have been using their miniaturising ray on quite a few pedals of late, and the HOF reverb, Ditto Looper and Spark Booster are all one-button wonders worth checking out.

But it’s still the PolyTune Mini that gets our vote, thanks to its single-strum polyphonic or regular tuning with Capo and Drop D modes in a Twix-sized wrapper.

We said: "The cutest, best-value tuner for the price."

Read our full TC Electronic PolyTune Mini review

For more information visit the official TC Electronic site

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones
Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS
If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

Read more
A worn, dirty pedalboard with a variety of different guitar pedals
Pedalboards Best pedalboards 2026: top choice 'boards for guitarists
 
 
MusicRadar monthly guitar gear roundup, ft. Lzzy Hale's signature Epiphone Explorer Custom, plus new gear from Hotone, Gibson, JHS Pedals, Death By Audio and more
Guitars “His effects are bonkers in the best way possible”: The MusicRadar guitar gear roundup Aug 2026 edit
 
 
Blackstar Beam Mini
Guitar Amps Best desktop amps 2026: Lightweight and portable practice solutions for guitarists of all abilities
 
 
Jam Pedals Tiny Amp Destroyer
Artists Stu Mackenzie and Jam Pedals team up to bring you the secret behind his KGWL guitar tone
 
 
Blackstar Beam Mini
Guitar Amps “What sets it apart is access to a humongous range of amp captures”: Blackstar Beam Mini review
 
 
Hotone Ampero II Stage
Guitar Pedals “Even if you have a decent amp, there's enough variety and depth of effects in the Stage to justify integrating it into an existing rig”: Hotone Ampero II Stage review
 
 
Latest in Guitar Pedals
MusicRadar monthly guitar gear round-up September 26, ft. Matteo Mancuso's signature Revstar and more
Guitars The MusicRadar gear roundup Sep 2026 edit, featuring fresh drops from Taylor, Yamaha, ESP and more
 
 
Hotone Ampero II Stage
Guitar Pedals “Even if you have a decent amp, there's enough variety and depth of effects in the Stage to justify integrating it into an existing rig”: Hotone Ampero II Stage review
 
 
Polyend Loop looper pedal
Guitar Pedals Polyend Loop is part looper pedal, part drum machine and comes stocked with over 100 effects
 
 
Boss EX-4 Effects Expander
Guitars “Expands the range of your pedalboard – without changing what already works”: Boss unveils the EX-4 Effects Expander, a compact multi-fx powerhouse that's designed to maximise your pedalboard's potential
 
 
An Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 multi-effects pedal on a white pegboard
Guitar Pedals "Some of the best quality effect algorithms I’ve ever laid ears on": Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 review
 
 
Electro-Harmonix Adrian Belew Echoflanger
Guitars “Equal parts smooth operator and agent of chaos”: EHX and Adrian Belew resurrect the Echoflanger
 
 
Latest in News
Oli Howe
Artists Instagram reharm sensation Oli Howe on the formula behind his chaotic reworks of classic hits
 
 
An SSL 2+ MKII audio interface on a desk
Recording I sifted through Sweetwater's massive up to 50% off studio gear sale to bring you the best equipment discounts
 
 
Lola Young performs onstage at the 2025 Coachella Valley music and arts festival on April 11, 2025
Singers & Songwriters “Breathing feels like a chore”: Lola Young bemoans the effect of vaping on her health on TikTok
 
 
tapes
Samples SampleRadar: 485 free tape-treated samples
 
 
(L-R) Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, David Byrne and Jerry Harrison
Bands “They put horns on their record”: Talking Heads reveal they were accused of ‘selling out’ on debut single
 
 
John Lennon and Paul McCartney face the press
Singers & Songwriters “He could be a complete idiot, over some things”: Paul McCartney thinks that Lennon “expected more” from him in the early 70s
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...