- Multi-FX pedals are a simple but powerful solution for guitarists who want it all.
- We’ve rounded up the 7 best multi-FX pedals on the market!
Guitar Multi-FX Pedals have made tremendous advances in their technology, features, and ease of use in the last 15 years. This is true especially true when it comes to the quality of their amp and cabinet simulations.
These all-in-one solutions offer great value to guitarists and bassists alike, and there are plenty of options on the market. All of this leads you to wonder…
What Are The Best Guitar Multi-FX Pedals?
Luckily for you, we have rounded up what we think are the 7 best guitar multi-FX pedals. These have been chosen for their features, price, and overall quality.
The HeadRush Pedalboard is our pick for the best multi-effects pedal. It features fantastic sound, great amp models and effects, and is easy to use. Our best value choice is the popular Eventide H9 Max. If you need the best and are willing to pay the price, the Line 6 Helix is our premium option.
And when it comes to versatility, it is hard to beat the Neural DSP Quad Cortex. Here are our candidates for 7 best guitar multi-FX pedals:
- HeadRush Pedalboard (Our Pick)
- Eventide H9 Max (Best Value)
- Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor (Premium Option)
- Neural DSP Quad Cortex
- BOSS GT-1000 Guitar Multi-effects Pedal
- TC Electronic Plethora X5
- BOSS MS-3 Multi Effects Switcher
1. HeadRush Pedalboard
First call session guitarist Pete Thorn reviews the HeadRush Pedalboard in a video that is quite popular. Why is this important? Well, other than the fact that Pete is one of the world’s top guitarists today, he states how he got carried away while trying the Pedalboard and wrote a three and half minute song.
He also says that he barely had to look at the manual. And in the video, he goes where few guitarists can, demonstrating all the power behind the HeadRush Pedalboard. It is hard to make a better case for this multi-effects unit. This is our pick for guitar best multi-FX pedal.
Features
- Custom designed quad-core DSP system
- Dozens of cabinet, mic, effects, and amp models
- 7″ touchscreen interface
- Hands-free edit mode
- Onboard looper with 20 minutes of looping
Review
The HeadRush features a quad-core DSP system. Every model you choose has the exact tonal detail, touch response, and clarity of the original gear it’s based on.
This multi-effects pedal comes with a great collection of gear models that range from legendary tube amps to famous microphones and even expression-controlled pitch effects. It also has the ability to support third-party cabinet impulse responses, all of this with a very user-friendly user interface on its touchscreen.
The HeadRush excels at ease of use as you can navigate this unit hassle-free, selecting models, tweaking their tone, changing your signal path, and saving settings at will. You can select an effect by simply tapping on it, and change its settings with the knobs on the right. Additionally, this multi-FX unit offers hands-free editing for tweaking your tone on the fly.
On the back of the pedalboard, you’ll find a great variety of I/O options to ensure the HeadRush works flawlessly with the rest of your gear. This will work wonders if you are recording direct, performing live, controlling a larger system, or even replacing your entire rig.
Besides all the amp models, effects, and endless features, the HeadRush also features Firmware 2.0 to streamline the looping process. You can set predetermined looper lengths and enable One-Shot mode so each track plays back a single time.
With Firmware 2.0 you have endless looping time, customizable footswitch, and more than 40 built-in effects, vocal harmony, real-time quantization, automatic tempo detection, and more. Simply said, this multi-FX pedal is of incredible value and is one of the best tools for guitarists ever made.
2. Eventide H9 Max
The Eventide H9 Max is commonly seen in many guitar players’ effects pedal setups, and with good reason. This multi-effects pedal builds on the H9 Core but with enhanced features, at a fantastic price point, making it our budget choice for our roundup of the best multi-effects pedals.
Features
- Includes all
Eventide ‘s stompbox effects - Simple one-knob user interface
- Pre-loaded with 52 classic algorithms
- Stereo I/O and MIDI I/O
- Expression pedal and auxiliary switch inputs
Review
This multi-effects unit ships with 99 factory presets that cover quite a bit of ground. And if more is needed, you can download over 500 more via the free H9 Control app on your iPhone or iPad. Featuring a simple, one-knob user interface, the H9 Max adds
The H9 Max features a built-in tuner, as well as the sonic benefits of a true bypass circuit and ships with a power supply included. It is small enough to have among your stompboxes in a pedalboard and also durable.
Add stellar sound, ease of use, and an affordable price and you have one of the best multi-effects pedals in the market today. With all these features, it is easy to see why guitarists would have even more than one H9 Max in their setup.
3. Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-Effects Floor Processor 1699
The Line 6 Helix Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor is a comprehensive tool for guitar players. It features Line 6’s new HX modeling engine and includes everything from effects, models of vintage amps, cabs, mics, and a great-sounding recording interface.
Line 6 is one of the most respected multi-effects makers, with iconic units like the Line 6 Pod, the Line 6 POD HD500x, and many others. The Helix is its top-of-line multi-effects unit and a superior offering in the market, making it our premium choice for this best multi-effects pedal list.
Equipped with Line 6's HX modeling engine, Helix will let you hear breathtaking models of modern and vintage amps, cabs, mics, and effects — all designed to sound and feel just like the originals.
- World-class polyphonic pitch-shifting
- Totally unique
- Integrated looper
Features
- Over 300 amp, cabs, mic, and effects models
- Dual DSP powered HX modeling engine
- World-class polyphonic pitch shifting effects
- 12 touch-sensitive footswitches for editing
- Integrated looper
Review
The Helix features a new dual DSP HX modeling engine that is at the core of its operation. The DSP HX engine reproduces every detail that goes into a guitar amplifier, all the way to an amp’s power supply ripple and tube sound.
This ensures you get an ultra-realistic playing feel and experience. The level of detail captured is quite high and includes aspects like an amplifier’s classic boom and punch. Additionally, you can load your own custom impulse responses to personalize your sound.
Despite all the seemingly infinite features of the Helix, it is still an easy-to-use unit, designed with the guitar player’s intuitive approach. A large 6.2″ LCD display allows for deep editing and its touch-sensitive footswitches let you quickly change settings on the fly.
If you already have a carefully curated set of pedals and effects, the Helix can function as your robust rig controller. This unit features impressive I/O routing so you can easily create a hardware/software hybrid setup that integrates your other pedals, your channel switching tube amp, your rack equipment, and even other instruments.
This is done through Helix’s four stereo effect loops. At the press of a footswitch, you can choose to send multiple wet and dry signals to different sources, placing loops in various locations in your signal chain.
Few other multi-effects units are as powerful as the Helix, and even fewer offer this level of sound quality, build quality, and ease of use for the musician.
The Helix can be used as a standard amp modeler, a streamlined controller for your rig, a guitar interface, or your entire rig. To say that it is a fantastic multi-effects pedal is a massive understatement.
4. Neural DSP Quad Cortex
The Neural DSP Quad Cortex offers unparalleled versatility, quality, and flexibility for real-world gigging and recording.
This multi-effects pedal is powered by Quad-Core SHRAC DSP and Neural’s outstanding sound modeling technology for those that want a truly flexible and versatile tool that can do it all.
The Quad Cortex floor processor from Neural DSP fuses high-precision studio guitar and bass tones with real-world gigging flexibility. This slim, self-contained floor processor is powered by Quad-Core SHARC DSP and Neural’s proven sound-modeling technology to bring today’s players the ultimate in grab-and-go session accessibility.
Features
- Bright 7 inch multi-touch color display
- Over 50 amps, 70 effects, and 1000 cabs
- Neural DSP software integration
- Durable anodized aluminum chassis
- Versatile I/O with patch configurable routing
Review
This multi-touch guitar and bass modeler with capture technology features everything any musician could ever expect from a multi-effects pedal. This slim, self-contained floor processor comes loaded with more than 50 amps, 1000 cabs, and 70 stompboxes as building blocks for crafting your favorite rigs. You can also download presets from the cloud, with no computer required.
This slick design features 11 rotary footswitches that twist and stomp so you can make detailed edits with your feet!
The Quad Cores offers you configurable inputs and outputs that can be saved independently for each of its 256 user presets. Add MIDI tweaking and navigation with foot control and you have one of the best multi-effects pedals in the market today.
And if you already have your favorite amps sitting at home, you can digitize them to bring on the road using Neural’s DPS Neural Capture feature. Unlike other amp modeling capture mechanisms, Neural Capture uses machine learning to replicate the exact interaction between amp, cab, pedal, and player.
Speaking of amp models, the Neural DSP Quad Cortex comes preloaded with some of the most sought-after amp modes, including Fender ’65 Twin Reverb, Roland JC-120, Vox AC30 Top Boost, Bogner Shiva, Marshall JCM800, and more. Overall, the Neural DSP Quad Cortex is an incredibly versatile tool with many impressive features.
5. BOSS GT-1000 Guitar Multi-effects Pedal 1029
The GT-1000 is one of the most powerful effects units on the market today offering everything from amp models to looping, MIDI connectivity, external control, and every imaginable effect under the sun.
Features
- 32-bit AD/DA
- 32-bit/96 kHz internal processing
- Roland’s Tube Logic technology
- Wide variety of amplifier and effect models
- 2 XLR stereo outputs
Review
This effects unit boasts 32-bit AD/DA and 32-bit/96 kHz internal processing, Roland’s Tube Logic technology, Augmented Impulse Response Dynamics (AIRD) technology, and
With all of this tech wizardry, the GT-1000 is a great choice for live shows as well as the studio, thanks in part to its USB connectivity.
You can hook this unit to your computer and open up a world of direct recording and deep tonal editing. You can use it as a high-quality audio interface to lay down guitar or bass tracks with ease.
The GT-1000 offers you a lot of control over the entire rig. It is a streamlined replacement for a pedalboard and features dual effects loops that allow you to continue to get the most from your favorite effects pedals as well.
It features control and expression outputs that can manipulate amp channels, tempo, and more. Additionally, its MIDI switching integrates into a more involved gig. You can even choose to send your signal straight to the house mix for an all-in-one rig replacement, bypassing the amp completely.
This unit will be just as useful for bassists thanks to its trio or AIRD preamps, with Natual Bass, X Drive Bass, and SVT Bass, which give you the ability to shape the sound of your preferred genres.
This unit also featured 16 bass-specific effects, including the MDP compressor to help you keep things nice and even. It also features bass overdrive and other types of distortion, a bass touch wah, bass flanger, and more.
The BOSS GT-1000 is a true powerhouse that goes beyond a wide range of effects, for guitarists and bassists.
6. TC Electronic Plethora X5
The Plethora X5 is a slick multi-effects unit that includes some of the most beloved TC Electronic stompbox effects. This effects pedal features stellar sound in a very convenient and compact form, making it a solid choice for a multi-effect pedal.
Want access to TC Electronic’s entire TonePrint library? The PLETHORA X5 gives it to you, plus a whole lot more, in a stereo multi-effects pedal that’s jam-packed with player-friendly features.
- Streamlined, easy-to-use layout
- Stores a lot of effects
Features
- Customizable effects signal chain
- MASH technology turn footswitches into expression controllers
- Built-in tuner
- Global speaker cab sim to plug directly into PA systems
- FX loop insert
Review
The TC Electronic Pletora X5 features flexible TonePrint with intuitive controls for a simple operation that delivers quality and streamlines your pedalboard. With this effects unit, you can create and customize up to 127 custom boards with any combination of TonePrint pedals.
You can then populate each board with up to 5 pedals including all TonePrint FX for a wide tonal palette at your disposal.
The Plethora X58 allows you to store up to 75 TonePrints per FX for fast and easy recall. The effects include some of TC Electronic’s best-known stompboxes like Hall Of Fame 2 Reverb, Flashback 2 Delay, Sub n Up Octaver, Brainwaves Pitch Shifter, Corona Chorus, Hypergravity Compressor, Mimiq Doubler, Vortex Flanger, Pipeline Tap Tremolo, Quintessence Harmony, Sentry Noise Gate, and Shaker Vibrato.
This is one of the few multi-effects units in the market that combine power and quality in a compact form factor, making it ideal for your pedalboard.
7. BOSS MS-3 Multi Effects Switcher 411
In the world of multi-effects pedals, few have the reputation of
The MS-3 is a compact multi-effects pedal that can also help you control other pedals in your setup. It comes in a smaller form factor than is customary for
Here's a smart way to manage your guitar and pedal rig — the BOSS MS-3 Multi Effects Switcher. At its core, it's a powerful multi-effects unit with 112 built-in effects plus a tuner, noise suppressor, and global EQ.
- Easy-to-use
- Multi-effects and loop switcher
- 112 built-in effects
Features
- Multi-effects and loop switcher
- 112 built-in effects
- Built-in tuner
- USB connectivity for patch creation and more
- 3 external loops for your pedals
Review
From the ME-80 to the GT-1000,
The MS-3 also can also serve as a controller for some of your favorite external effects. This unit features three switchable loops for your other effects pedals, and the ability to switch between your custom patches on the fly.
This will allow you to use your existing effects pedals in new creative ways, and take your setup to the next level. You can also use the MS-3 to change amp channels and interface with MIDI gear.
This multi-effect unit can also act as a solution for switching channels on your amplifier, along with controlling some of your stompboxes. The MS-3 features USB connectivity for patch creation and backup via the free MS-3 editor and librarian software that is compatible with Mac and PC.
This easy-to-use multi-effects processor is an elegant solution for organizing your pedalboard and adding some effects that you may not already have.