Phaser, flanger, and chorus effects are staples in just about every form of music. They infuse musical compositions with motion and texture, and pedals that create these effects offer musicians an easy way to add new dimension or completely transform the vibe of a song. Think Anthony Jackson’s soupy bass groove on “For the Love of Money,” Eddie Van Halen’s jet-like riff on “Unchained,” or Kurt Cobain’s dreamlike rhythm on “Come As You Are.”

All three effects fall under the modulation category. What that means is that they all modulate—or cyclically change—some aspect of your instrument signal. What distinguishes one from another is which part of your signal they change and how they change it.

Effects pedals may be designed with a particular instrument in mind, but we’ve always felt that a quality effect in the hands of a discerning tone crafter will sound great on any instrument, whether guitar, bass, didgeridoo, or even vocals. Bass players had to learn this lesson many years ago when pedals specifically designed for their instrument’s frequency range were a scarcity. Today, bass players have just as wide a range of amazing stompboxes available to them as guitar players do, and many of them sound incredible with guitar. We put a list together of bass pedals that every guitar player should seriously consider adding to their arsenal. 

Last year, Green Day’s groundbreaking album Dookie turned 25. We celebrated that milestone with a pedal that captures the record’s super rad guitar tones—the dirty and punchy yet articulate sound that would become Billie Joe Armstrong’s signature. He got that sound by running his signal through two heavily modified amplifiers—one scooped with a ton of gain and the other with a well-defined midrange. When it came time to mix the record, the band blended the two signals together in different ratios to match the vibe of each track.

The MXR team carefully dissected that sound and created the Dookie Drive Pedal, a stompbox worthy of the name. That pedal was limited in number, but popular demand inspired us to release a couple more with special finishes. The Dookie Drive Pedal V3—bearing the upchucking unicorn from Green Day’s latest release, “Father of All…”—is available now, so get yours while you can.

In the meantime, check out our video interview with Billie Joe below, as well as our printed conversation with master designer Bob Cedro and gear guru Bryan Kehoe to talk about how the Dookie Drive Pedal works and how they nailed the Dookie tone.

In many ways, the acoustic guitar is the ultimate in creative convenience—you can pick it up wherever you are, maybe your couch or your patio, or take it with you somewhere like the beach, and just start strumming—no need to set up any equipment. You don’t have to leave it there, though—under the surface of that elegant simplicity lie a number of important choices that can make your acoustic performance that much more sublime.

We put a list of recommendations together for players who want to give their acoustic guitar and their playing experience some extra love.

Check it out below.

The power supply is the backbone of any pedalboard, and if you want the best possible playing experience, you need a power supply that fits your specific needs as a player. The good news is that MXR has you covered, no matter what your setup is, from the classic and super affordable DC Brick Power Supply to the more advanced and incredibly versatile Iso-Brick Power Supply to the punch-packing space-saver that is the Mini Iso-Brick Power Supply. Each is built like a tank with plenty of power on tap. Which MXR power supply is right for you? Let’s take a closer look at each.