I review pedals for a living and Sweetwater’s awesome Memorial Day pedal sale has got my attention – here are the 5 pedals you should be looking at

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Sweetwater’s super pedal sale is the place to shop for effects lovers with a huge selection of pedals from EarthQuaker Devices, Walrus Audio, Catalinbread, and loads more

Three pedals on a yellow and red gradient background
(Image credit: Universal Audio/Catalinbread/Ross Pedals)

There are no words more musical to my ears than ‘pedal sale’ appearing in my inbox. I don’t need much excuse to add something fresh to my pedalboard on a normal day, never mind when there’s a whole bunch of Memorial Day guitar sales tempting me with discounted stompboxes. It doesn’t help my pedal addiction, but Sweetwater’s Memorial Day offering of up to 40% off guitar pedals is the one sale that’s really got my attention today.

With offerings from pedal stalwarts like JHS, Line 6, and EarthQuaker Devices as well as more esoteric devices like those from Catalinbread, Red Witch, and Red Panda it’s an all-encompassing sale that’s sure to tempt any pedal lover. Having owned and reviewed more pedals than I know what to with, and recently selling my unused second pedalboard plus pedals, it’s about time to start adding some more to my collection, so here are the 5 pedals I’d go for in the Sweetwater Memorial Day sale.

JHS Double Barrel V4: Was $345, now $276

JHS Double Barrel V4: Was $345, now $276
A combo of two of JHS’ most popular overdrive pedals, the JHS Double Barrel V4 gives you both the Morning Glory V4 and Moonshine V2 in one handy enclosure. The Morning Glory delivers transparent overdrive that’s renowned for tube-esque saturation, while the Moonshine handles Tubescreamer-style overdrive duties, giving you two popular flavors of drive in a single pedal. It’s got a cheeky $69 discount in the sale, excellent value for two pedals in one.

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Red Witch Fuzz God IV: Was $239, now $191.20

Red Witch Fuzz God IV: Was $239, now $191.20
A less usual choice for the fuzz pedal lovers out there, the Red Witch Fuzz God IV encompasses two different modes that can do everything from subtle breakup to crazed self-oscillating glitch-outs. It’s got a nice $47.80 discount in the Sweetwater Memorial Day pedal sale, and although it can be a little intimidating at first, if you spend some time tweaking you can make some incredible sounds with it.

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Ross Compressor: Was $189, now $151.20

Ross Compressor: Was $189, now $151.20
Probably the most famous of the recently re-released Ross Pedals lineup, the Ross Compressor has achieved near-legendary status in the world of stompbox-sized compressors. Similar to the MXR Dyna Comp, the Ross Compressor can act as a clean boost, a smooth leveller, or add some proper squash and sustain to your tone. It’s got a nice $37.80 discount in the Sweetwater sale, making it a great choice for the first pedal on your ‘board.

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Catalinbread Topanga: Was $209.99, now $167.99

Catalinbread Topanga: Was $209.99, now $167.99
Spring reverb is a hard one to get right, but the Catalinbread Topanga is one of my favorites. Arguably one of the finest spring reverb emulations full stop, it captures that splashy sound of an early 60s Fender spring reverb tank brilliantly, even with the dwell setting cranked. It can do subtle sounds and substantial ones equally well, and with a $42 discount in the Sweetwater Memorial Day pedal sale taking the price down to just $167.99, it’s my top pick if you’re after a spring reverb for your ‘board.

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Universal Audio UAFX Lion: Was $399, now $349

Universal Audio UAFX Lion: Was $399, now $349
The stock of the UAFX amp modeling pedals has never been higher thanks to The Edge admitting he’s been using them during U2’s Las Vegas Sphere residency. There are plenty of ‘Marshall-in-a-box’ type emulations out there, but little doubt the Universal Audio UAFX Lion is one of the best. The $50 reduction in the Sweetwater Memorial Day sale takes the price down to $349, far less than an actual ‘68 Super Lead and well, if it’s good enough for The Edge…

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Matt McCracken
Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping guitarists find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and writing and recording in bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the country in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When he's not holed up in his home studio recording new songs or tweaking pedal settings, you’ll find him making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.