How To Build A Budget Pedalboard

• Contents
• Budget pedalboard: Where do you start?
• Building your first pedalboard step-by-step
• What types of pedals do you need?
• What accessories do you need for a pedalboard?
• Building your pedalboard: putting it all together
• Final thoughts

It’s a rite of passage for a guitarist to build their own pedalboard. They’re an integral component in your personalised sound. But how do you do bring your ideas to life without breaking the bank?

Good news! You can absolutely build a great-sounding pedalboard on a tight budget if you know what you’re doing. In this guide we’ll explore how you can do just that, with a few handy tips and our personal recommendations.

Contents

• Budget Pedalboard: Where to start
• Basic Pedalboard Step-By-Step
• What Types of pedals do you need?
• What accessories do you need?
• Building your pedalboard: Putting it all together
• Final Thoughts

Budget pedalboard: Where do you start?

The key to building a budget pedalboard is focusing on the essentials first. Think of it as laying a solid foundation that you can build upon later, rather than trying to get everything at once.

Start by identifying the core sounds you actually need for your playing style. Are you a bedroom player looking to experiment with delays, reverbs and loopers to create fun ambient soundscapes? A gigging musician who needs a reliable rig with performance-focused basics like overdrive, compression and a tuner? Or maybe you’re somewhere in between. Thinking about what you want to get out of your pedalboard will help you spend your money where it counts.

The beauty of starting with a budget approach is that you’re not committing huge amounts of money upfront. You can buy a foundation of quality pedals that will serve you well for years, then gradually expand your setup as your needs (and budget) grow.

Building your first pedalboard step-by-step

• Choose the most important pedals to cover the essential effects for your style
• Get an appropriate pedalboard – either pre-made or DIY
• Ensure you have all the essentials: A power supply, Patch cables and Instrument cables
• Putting it all together

What types of pedals do you need?

Every guitarist’s pedalboard is different, but there are a few core effects that form the backbone of most setups: overdrive/distortion, delay and reverb, and some form of modulation like a phaser/chorus. These cover the fundamental sounds you’ll want for a wide variety of guitar music. If you have a specific style in mind, other secondary pedals like a boost, a looper or a multi-effects unit might be your next picks.

Outside of effects, having a tuner pedal on your board isn’t strictly necessary, but we’d highly recommend picking one up for your setup. Let’s take a closer look…

Tuner pedals

What’s the point in having all the best effects if you’re out of tune?

While clip-on tuners are fine for getting started, a dedicated tuner pedal is well worth the investment. They’re generally more accurate, incredibly reliable, and won’t clutter up your guitar’s headstock. Plus, a tuner pedal will mute your signal when you engage it, making them much more suitable for live performance.

TC Electronic’s Polytune pedals have become something of an industry standard and offer excellent value. For an even more budget-friendly pick, a mini tuner like Landlord FX’s Lock In Tuner still performs well and conveniently takes up half the space. If you want the very best, you won’t go wrong with BOSS’ TU-3, although it’s on the more expensive side for a budget setup.

Tuner Pedals

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Overdrive & distortion pedals

Everyone from the Beatles to Meshuggah use some form of overdrive or distortion. They really are essential in pretty much every pedalboard, even if you don’t play heavy music. Most overdrives or distortions follow one of five distinct styles: soft clipping Bluesbreaker, soft clipping Tubescreamer, hard clipping distortion RAT-style, hard clipping Klon Centaur and amp-in-a-box. Find more in-depth details on each in our ultimate overdrive pedal guide.

It’s common to have more than one OD/Distortion pedal on your board, and for you it might be worthwhile substituting out another effect to let you have that variety in a basic setup. For example, a low-to-medium gain crunch tone lets you play softer rock songs with some added saturation, while a high-gain distortion gives you the tone you need for heavier tracks. When plugged into a clean amp, you essentially have a versatile 3-tone rig meaning you can get a range of drive tones out of almost any amplifier.

Tone City makes some excellent budget overdrive pedals that genuinely compete with much more expensive options. They offer pedals covering all the main overdrive flavours, so you can find something that fits your sound without spending a fortune.

Overdrive and Distortion Pedals

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Delay and reverb pedals

Time-based effects like delay and reverb are your go-to’s for adding depth and space to your sound. Delay can create everything from subtle slapback echoes to psychedelic rhythmic patterns, while reverb adds natural ambience that makes your guitar sound less dry and more resonant.

Digital delays tend to be cleaner and more precise, while analogue delays offer a distinct warmer tone with each repeat degrading over time which many players love. For reverb, you’ll find options ranging from simple spring reverb simulations to lush hall reverbs and everything in between.

You’ll probably want both eventually, and the good news is there are plenty of quality options under £100. TC Electronic and Mooer both make reliable, affordable delay and reverb pedals that sound great and won’t let you down.

Delay Pedals

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Reverb Pedals

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Modulation pedals

Modulation covers a huge range of effects – chorus, vibrato, flanger, phaser, ring modulation, and more. These effects actively alter your guitar signal to create movement and texture in your sound.

If you’re just starting out with modulation, chorus is probably your best bet. It’s versatile, musical, and gives you a good taste of what modulation can do. A chorus pedal can be especially useful for home practice and solo jamming, letting you create a much fuller sound and adding depth to your single signal. The Electro Harmonix Clone Theory is a classic choice that adds beautiful depth and movement to your playing. If you’re looking to keep cost down here, brands like TC Electronic, Mooer and Ibanez offer some highly capable mini modulator and chorus pedals at very budget-friendly prices.

Chorus Pedals

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Multi-FX and combination pedals

If you want to experiment with lots of different sounds quickly, multi-effects units can be a good option. They pack numerous effects into one box, often at a lower cost than buying individual pedals. Most also include effects loops, so you can still mix and match with other pedals.

Combination pedals that pair closely related effects (like reverb and delay, or chorus and vibrato) are another space-saving option. They typically cost more than single-effect pedals but less than buying two separate units.

If you want versatility in an affordable, space-saving unit, there are some great Multi-FX and combination pedals to pick up. Although if you know that you’ll regularly use a specific pedal type, it can be better to invest in a single-purpose pedal instead so that you don’t compromise on your most important effects.

Multi-FX Pedals

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What accessories do you need for a pedalboard?

The Pedalboard Itself

You’ve got two main options here: buy a ready-made pedalboard or build your own.

Ready-made pedalboards from companies like Pedaltrain and Rockboard start around £40-£50 and will fit about six standard-sized pedals. They’re raised off the ground, compatible with power supply mounting systems, and allow you to run patch cables underneath for a tidy setup. They’re also built to last and can handle the rigours of gigging.

The DIY route is your biggest money-saver. You can use anything from a plastic chopping board with velcro strips, to wooden slats nailed together in a Pedaltrain-style design. You won’t get all the convenient features of commercial boards, but you’ll save money that can go towards better pedals.

If you end up using your pedalboard regularly or want to take it gigging, purchasing a purpose-built pedalboard will be more than worth the investment. If you’re just wanting to try out some new effects and learn how to shape your sound at home, a DIY job can be a great budget-friendly choice.

Pedalboards

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Cables

You’ll need patch cables to connect your pedals to each other, plus instrument cables to connect your guitar to the board and the board to your amp.

For patch cables, brands like Tourtech, EBS, and Ernie Ball make reliable, affordable options. You can also go the DIY route with cable kits from Boss or D’Addario, which let you cut cables to exactly the length you need.

For longer instrument cables, stick with trusted names like Tourtech and Fender. For home use, 10ft/3m cables are usually plenty, while gigging musicians might want up to 20ft/6m for stage movement.

Patch Cables

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What power supply do you need?

A reliable power supply is crucial for a quiet, reliable pedalboard. While it’s tempting to skimp here, there are plenty of quality options from companies like Voodoo Lab, Tone City, T-Rex, or MXR that will be excellent choices without a major investment.

For a budget build, you don’t need a massive power supply – something that can handle five pedals across 9V, 12V, and 18V should be plenty to start with. It’s smart to buy a power supply with more outputs than you currently need, as it gives you room to expand without having to upgrade later.

You could use a daisy chain setup (one output powering multiple pedals) to save money, but this can introduce noise and other issues, especially as you add more pedals. A dedicated power supply is definitely worth the investment for the cleaner sound alone.

Pedal Power Supplies

Pedal Power Supplies

Building your pedalboard: putting it all together

Once you’ve got your pedals, board, cables, and power supply, it’s time to put everything together. A common signal chain goes: guitar → tuner → overdrive/distortion → modulation → delay → reverb → amp, but this is by no means set in stone (unlike what you might hear across the internet…).

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Some players prefer modulation before overdrive, others like delay before reverb. There’s no “wrong” way if it sounds good to you.

Take your time with the layout. Think about which pedals you’ll use most often and make sure they’re easy to reach. Consider the cable runs too – shorter patch cables generally introduce less noise and look tidier.

Final thoughts

Building a budget pedalboard is all about making smart choices and focusing on what you actually need. Start with the essentials, buy quality where it counts, and don’t be afraid to mix budget-friendly options with the occasional splurge on something special.

Remember, even professional touring musicians often use affordable pedals alongside premium units. A £30 pedal that sounds great and does what you need is infinitely better than a £300 pedal that doesn’t fit your music.

And have fun with it! Your pedalboard should inspire you to play and create, not stress you out about cost or the most minute specifications. Start small, build gradually, and enjoy the journey of discovering your sound.

If you enjoyed this read, check out more of our learn articles!

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