The best of the best of the best

[ExurKun]

Now I know this threads gonna get flamed and tons of "try it yourself" etc, but here it goes anyway haha

Im curious to know if there are any pedals or effects that are straight up loved by TB. Like if theres a certain pedal that blows all others in its league out of the water. Im only curious about less than $300, so not including custom, antique, or whatever

Examples to explain what i mean:
It seems the consensus that the turbo tuner is superior to all other tuners
and that the vt deluxe is the best driver/DI

Is there a best of the best for envelope, octave, compression, fuzz, etc? Lets hear some talk tb

[NKUSigEp]

The Bluebeard fuzz seems to get a lot of love, but FX are so personal you could never pin one down.

[Darkglass]

It's very relative what features, or qualities have most value for you... if you are talking about versatilty? Then yes probably the VT is perhaps the most flexible... but soundwise... I think there are better ones out there.
Ineresting thread though... can't wait to see what people think, and why not find out what represents the most value different people...

Regards

Doug.

[Crabby]

I would say there are a for sure a few pedals that are considered "the one to have" here on TB in just about every category.

The 3Leaf Groove Regulator is the filter to have

The Sans Amp Bass Driver DI was the king of di/mild overdrive/tube emulator pedals until it was replaced by the VT which is not a di....go figure!

MXR seems to have the market cornered for an octave pedal although the Aguilar has given it a stiff bit of competition.

The Fulltone Bassdrive was leader for overdrive for a long time but now I have lost track as there are just so many overdrives out there.

The Demeter Compulator is the most recognized bass compressor although i love my Diamond Comp.

Everyone has their favs but certain pedals have been so overwhelmingly popular that they cannot be dismissed simply because a new flavor of the weeks comes out.

[bassteban]

'Consensus' is the last thing you'll find in *effects*

[Swift713]

I disagree with much of the above. I think you'd have to have a poll to determine what the most popular pedals are. I'd say there often appears to be a flavor of the month but just because there's a lot of buzz about the Groove Regulator or the Polish Love (for example) doesn't mean that they're the best or even the most popular.

[Darkglass]

Originally Posted by Swift713

I disagree with much of the above. I think you'd have to have a poll to determine what the most popular pedals are. I'd say there often appears to be a flavor of the month but just because there's a lot of buzz about the Groove Regulator or the Polish Love (for example) doesn't mean that they're the best or even the most popular.

So true!!!

[Bryan R. Tyler]

You can't have a "best of the best of the best" then put a $300 cap on it. Most would say the Blueberry would be the best overdrive that cops a tube power amp sound, but you won't even find a used one for $300. Same with a harmonizer, etc. And there's not going to be any consensus on "general" effects, like for an envelope filter or an octaver. You may find some consensus on niches of said effects though, like "analog synthy octaver", "compact Meatball filter sound", "Tubescreamer clone that retains bass", etc.

[bongomania]

The reason the Turbo Tuner gets so widely praised is because it does a very objective job in a consistently superior way. A note is either in tune or it isn't, and it is "read" in a short or long amount of time. Almost all other effects are super subjective--there's no way one overdrive, filter, etc. can be objectively better than another, unless you get into comparing against pedals that are honestly terrible.

[cheapbasslovin]

Originally Posted by bongomania

there's no way one overdrive, filter, etc. can be objectively better than another, unless you get into comparing against pedals that are honestly terrible.

Even then you'll find someone who says, "I don't like it for traditional (insert effect noise)ing, but I absolutely love it for those cheesy (insert other noise) sounds." Then you're still looking at a recommended pedal.

[bongomania]

True dat. Also, there are pedals like the DOD FX25 which are hated by 90% of users, but utterly beloved and irreplaceable for the other 10%.

[Silent Fly]

Originally Posted by bongomania

The reason the Turbo Tuner gets so widely praised is because it does a very objective job in a consistently superior way. A note is either in tune or it isn't, and it is "read" in a short or long amount of time.

Very true. Moreover, I would struggle to call a tuner an effect. As I see it, it is more a tool. A very sophisticated tool but still a tool.

Originally Posted by bongomania

Almost all other effects are super subjective--there's no way one overdrive, filter, etc. can be objectively better than another, unless you get into comparing against pedals that are honestly terrible.

+1

There is probably a low threshold below which some units are just bad. Above that threshold, it is very much a matter of opinion.

Originally Posted by ExurKun

(...)
Examples to explain what i mean:
It seems the consensus that (...) the vt deluxe is the best driver/DI

I, for instance, disagree on this. The Tech21 VT Bass and its big brother are good sounding pedals, with some unique features but as a pure DI I think there are better options. As a DI/Driver (i.e. a DI with EQ and sound processing) there are equally interesting units.

[bongomania]

That also raises more illustration of how a unit can be "very popular" without necessarily being "the best" (in some magical sense).

There are plenty of perfectly good reasons why the VT Deluxe could seem to be "the best": it has a popular tone, it has some very useful features, and most importantly it's the hot new trendy thing. But some people want a different flavor or amount of distortion; some people want more or different EQ controls; some people want a different "amp-like" voicing; some people want lower noise; some people have a different DI that they prefer; some people are willing to pay more money for something more "gourmet"; etc. etc.

[sanfordandsonny]

Much love for the FX25
I went into a local shop 20+ years ago ready to drop $250 I had scraaaaaapppped together to buy a mu-tron III
And the salesman Mitch said try this (fx25) it's $25 I a/b'd em md months later read an article on Bill that cemented my opinion. That being said I've owned many fx25s and they can sound pretty different.
Sorry I'm a blabbermouth

Inexpensive delay for bass that doesn't get muddy or freakout when given LOTS of input
Guyatone MD3 (or 2)
But the El Capistan is coming
(just when I saved enough for a pitchfactor temptations)

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by Swift713

I disagree with much of the above. I think you'd have to have a poll to determine what the most popular pedals are. I'd say there often appears to be a flavor of the month but just because there's a lot of buzz about the Groove Regulator or the Polish Love (for example) doesn't mean that they're the best or even the most popular.

+1.

There's always something getting advance hype, or something getting torn down for some "dealbreaking" factor.

This is a very fickle forum.

[Mingus Addict]

I agree with many of the above that it's not really possible to make the list you are hoping for. That being said, the first (and only) pedal I thought of when I read the OP was the Blueberry. That is of course, over the price cap you set.

You might be able to make a list of "Archetype Pedals" for certain styles. For example, you won't be able to get everyone to agree that a Mutron is the best filter, but I wouldn't be surprised if many agree it is the archetypical funk filter.

[gnasher1993]

If you're looking for a definitive answer, give up hope now .

You can please some of the people all of the time. You can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

People have (very) different requirements and different tastes. People play all kinds of music and use effects in various different ways. There's no doubt that there's certain trends on Talkbass, but I don't think I've never seen any pedals that are regarded as "the best of the best".

[fivestringgecko]

+1 to Gnasher, pedals are SOOOOO subjective to taste, requirement, budget, design, etc etc. And everyone will have an opinion about it, too.

So far, I've been on the search for "The Perfect Chorus" (mine: John Fromel Seraph), "The Perfect Envelope Filter" (3Leaf Groove Regulator for me) and currently "The Perfect Overdrive" (still in progress). Much searching through threads/reviews, listening to clips and trying actual pedals (17 filters in my case!!! ) and I can echo everyone here who's said that what may be my "Perfect _______" may not be yours.

Check out this thread as an example: Pedals You Won't Live Without. Some similar opinions on pedals, many varying ones.

5sg.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

+1.

There's always something getting advance hype, or something getting torn down for some "dealbreaking" factor.

This is a very fickle forum.

Sort of. There's a lot of honeymooning, but I don't think things fall out of favor all that quickly.

[Eric!]

With honors