There’s no beating the Boss: Reverb reveals its best-selling guitar pedals of 2023

It’s that time of the year again, in which we like to say we’re ”taking stock and reflecting”, but are really just rushing around and doing a lot of shopping. As such, Reverb’s best-selling pedals of 2023 list truly captures the duality of the season.

Anyhow, having just dished out the information on the best-selling guitars of 2023, the specialist music-making retail platform has now turned its attention to pedals. 

This year, the data – reflecting the amount of units sold, not the total value – has been split into three categories: pedals that were newly released in 2023, overall best-sellers and the top used pedals (albeit only those listed in ‘new’ condition). 

The overall best-seller list is dominated this year by an old and dependable presence in the world of effects: Boss.

The iconic DS-1 Distortion takes the top spot and the BD-2 Blues Driver takes number two. Boss also enters the top 20 a further three times, with the TU-3 Tuner, SD-1 Super Overdrive and GE-7 Equalizer.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was always the case – given Boss’ long-running dominance in the pedal market and its strategy of mass production and accessible pricing – but, look back a year, and the DS-1 was only number six on the 2022 Reverb pedals chart. 

What’s more, the GE-7 didn’t feature at all, so the firm has not only hit the higher echelons of the chart, it’s placed another pedal in the top 20. 

What’s going on? We’d speculate that it’s down to two things. Firstly, there’s the goodwill/publicity generated by its recent 50th Anniversary celebrations and, secondly and more importantly, it’s likely a symptom of a market tightening its purse strings in the face of inflation.

Overall best-selling pedals of 2023

1. Boss DS-1
2. Boss BD-2
3. Keeley Compressor Plus
4. Line 6 HX Stomp
5. Boss TU-3
6. Strymon Cloudburst
7. MXR M169 Carbon Copy
8. ProCo Rat 2
9. DigiTech Drop
10. Hologram Electronics Microcosm
11. Strymon Iridium
12. Boss SD-1
13. Greer Lightspeed Organic Overdrive
14. Strymon Big Sky Reverb
15. Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
16. Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby
17. TC Electronic Ditto Looper
18. JHS Morning Glory V4
19. UAFX Dream ’65 Reverb Amplifier
20. Boss GE-7

Elsewhere, Strymon has had another good year, with its Cloudburst Ambient Reverb topping both the new-for-2023 and new-condition used list. 

It also bags itself two spots in the overall list with the Cloudburst and the BigSky, securing its reputation as the go-to brand for high-end reverb pedals.

Unsurprisingly, another name that deftly treads the line between boutique and big brand, Electro-Harmonix, has also placed well – at number two on the new for 2023 chart – thanks in no small part to its collaboration with the influential Josh Scott of JHS on the Lizard Queen. 

It also bagged spots number three and 10 on the new chart, with its Slap Back Echo reissue and surprise Andy Summers signature pedal, the Walking on the Moon Flanger.

Check out the full overall list above, and to pore over all the 2023 pedal charts in detail, head to Reverb.