The Best Pedals for Shoegaze

Few genres lean on effects pedals quite like shoegaze—fitting, then, that its name comes from the very act of staring down at them. Emerging from the hazy underground of late-’80s Britain before finding its creative pollination and pivotal influence stateside, shoegaze took traditional guitar tones and submerged them in waves of delay, reverb, fuzz and modulation.

Pictured: Walrus Audio Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb Effects Pedal

The result wasn’t just a new sound—it was a new way of thinking about the guitar, one where texture, movement and atmosphere mattered as much as melody.
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine famously used a Fender Jazzmaster and a lengthy pedal chain to create the woozy, bending tones on the 1991 classic shoegaze album Loveless. Neil Halstead of Slowdive took a different route, stacking reverbs and chorus to build glacial, cinematic soundscapes. Bands like Lush, Ride and Pale Saints brought their own twists, combining chiming cleans with swirling flange and towering fuzz. Today, artists like Nothing, DIIV and Whirr continue the tradition, using both familiar and more unconventional tools to navigate shoegaze into uncharted territory.

In this guide, we’re breaking down the best reverb, delay, modulation and distortion pedals to help you build your own world of sound. Whether you’re chasing the blown-out bloom of My Bloody Valentine’s “Only Shallow” or the glassy haze of Slowdive’s “When the Sun Hits,” these pedals will get you there—and maybe someplace new. And, if you haven’t already, check out our guide on the best amps for shoegaze.

Pictured: Fender Shields Blender Fuzz Effects Pedal

Table of Contents

Best Fuzz Pedals for Shoegaze
   Electro-Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff Pi
   Fender Shields Blender
   Keeley Fuzz Bender
Best Reverb Pedals for Shoegaze
   Eventide Blackhole
   Walrus Audio Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb
   Catalinbread Soft Focus
Best Delay Pedals for Shoegaze
   EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II
   MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
   Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo
Best Modulation Pedals for Shoegaze
   EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird V4 Tremolo
   BOSS CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft
   Death By Audio Space Bender Chorus Modulator
Best Overdrive Pedals for Shoegaze
   MXR Fat Sugar
   Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
   BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive
Best Distortion Pedals for Shoegaze
   ProCo RAT2
   BOSS HM-2W Waza Craft Heavy Metal
   MXR M104 Distortion+
Build Your Shoegaze Sound

Best Fuzz Pedals for Shoegaze

Shoegaze fuzz isn’t just distortion—it’s density. A great fuzz pedal will fill the space between notes with harmonic saturation, raw energy and controlled chaos. From the buzzy gate of a Big Muff to the ripping sizzle of modern boutique fuzzes, this category is all about making your signal bloom, break and blur. For a deeper dive, read up on the world of fuzz pedals for shoegaze.

Pedal	Type of Fuzz	Best For	Special Features
EHX Op Amp Big Muff Pi	Op-amp fuzz	Classic shoegaze sustain	Mid-forward voicing, Big Muff lineage
Fender Shields Blender	Dual-blend fuzz	Glide guitar textures, experimental tone	Sag circuit, Kevin Shields design
Keeley Fuzz Bender	Hybrid (Si/Ge)	Flexible fuzz with tone control	Active EQ, wide gain range

Electro-Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff Pi

Why We Love It: This version of the Big Muff delivers huge fuzz tones that stay focused enough for shoegaze layering.

Things to Consider

• Based on the “v4” op-amp circuit used by Billy Corgan
• More midrange presence than typical Big Muffs
• Works great with modulation and delay in front

 

Shop Now: Electro-Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff Pi Fuzz Effects Pedal

With a voice that’s more mid-forward and cutting than most vintage Muffs, the Op-Amp Big Muff Pi gives you classic shoegaze fuzz with extra clarity. It doesn’t swamp your signal when stacked with reverbs and modulation, making it a smart choice for dense pedalboards. Whether you’re going for My Bloody Valentine swirl or Smashing Pumpkins punch, this stomp gets you there fast. For the story behind the fuzz, as well as a look at all the present-day offerings, check out our guide to the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff.

Fender Shields Blender

Why We Love It: Designed with Kevin Shields himself, this pedal is the closest you’ll get to Loveless in a box.

Things to Consider

• Includes two fuzz circuits that can be blended or stacked
• Reactive sag and foot-controlled ramp add dynamic pitch-shifted chaos
• Demands experimentation—there’s no “set and forget” here

Shop Now: Fender Shields Blender Fuzz Effects Pedal

The Shields Blender is a sonic playground modeled after Kevin Shields’ famously arcane setups—specifically his 1970s Fender Blender. With blendable fuzz paths, a sag circuit that lets notes melt in real time, and a built-in footswitch to ramp into feedback-like overtones, this pedal lets you explore the same molten sustain that defined My Bloody Valentine’s glide guitar sound.

Keeley Fuzz Bender

Why We Love It: This three-transistor fuzz pushes vintage grit into modern, synthy saturation territory.

Things to Consider

• Active EQ makes it unusually tweakable for a fuzz
• Silicon and germanium transistors offer old-meets-new tone
• Can get squashed and spitty—or huge and round

Shop Now: Keeley Fuzz Bender Effects Pedal

The Keeley Fuzz Bender gives you fuzz that you can actually shape—without losing character. Its active bass and treble controls let you tune it for the perfect spot in your shoegaze chain, whether you’re stacking delays or letting it ride solo. It can sit politely under modulation or dominate the mix with a roaring, harmonic buzz.

Best Reverb Pedals for Shoegaze

Without its oceans and terrains of reverb, shoegaze wouldn’t have distinguished itself from your archetypical indie rock as much as it has. Reverb transforms chords into atmosphere and lead lines into ear-perking soundscapes. Spring, plate and shimmer all have their place—what matters is how you blend it. Too much is usually just enough. For more context and even more options, take a look at our article on the best reverb pedals for shoegaze.

Pedal	Reverb Type	Stereo	Best For	Special Features
Eventide Blackhole	Ambient/modulated	Yes	Infinite trails, cosmic textures	Gravity, freeze, size and feedback controls
Walrus Audio Slöer	Modulated ambient	Yes	Swelling stereo ambience	Five modes, three width options, sustain switch and two “stretch” faders
Catalinbread Soft Focus	Reverb/chorus/shimmer	No	Souvlaki-style trails	Inspired by Yamaha FX500 patch

Eventide Blackhole

Why We Love It: This reverb doesn’t emulate space—it becomes it.

Things to Consider

• Designed for massive, modulated ambience and infinite tails
• Can push into self-oscillation and near-synth territory
• Not subtle—this is reverb for when you want the room to disappear

Shop Now: Eventide Blackhole Reverb Effects Pedal

The Eventide Blackhole was born from studio-grade algorithms and built to let your guitar dissolve into galactic wash. Whether you're feeding it shoegaze fuzz or post-rock delay, the Blackhole responds with stretchy, swirling reverb tails that feel almost melodic on their own. It’s also got a reverse reverb-like Gravity feature—ideal for when your guitar needs to sound like it’s floating in the upper stratosphere—or slowly falling upwards through it.

Walrus Audio Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb

Why We Love It: Slöer builds a cinematic space around your playing, with subtle modulation and stereo shimmer that makes everything feel suspended in time.

Things to Consider

• Stereo in/out makes it a great end-of-chain finisher
• Modulation modes add movement without crowding the sound
• Trails and sustain features stretch notes into forever

Shop Now: Walrus Audio Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb Effects Pedal

With multiple reverb voices—from dark and dreamy to lush and chorus-laced—the Walrus Slöer is a shoegazer’s dreamscape engine. It thrives in both mono and stereo rigs, where each delay trail and modulation swirl feel three-dimensional. Stack it with fuzz or phaser, and you’ll feel like you’re playing inside your own slow-motion music video.

Catalinbread Soft Focus

Why We Love It: This reverb is a loving recreation of the multi-effect patch used by Slowdive on Souvlaki, and it absolutely nails the vibe.

Things to Consider

• Blends reverb, chorus and shimmer into one signal
• Built for lush, high-sheen soundscapes
• Doesn’t offer traditional spring or plate settings

Shop Now: Catalinbread Soft Focus Shoegaze Plate Reverb Effects Pedal

The Soft Focus recreates the Yamaha FX500 patch that became a secret weapon for ’90s shoegaze bands. It combines modulated reverb with shimmer and chorus to produce that smeared, angelic guitar tone heard on tracks like “Alison” and “Machine Gun.” If you’re building a board for shoegaze authenticity, this pedal is a direct line to one of the genre’s most definitive textures.

Best Delay Pedals for Shoegaze

Delay is the lifeblood of shoegaze ambience. Whether it’s a dark analog echo pulsing beneath your chords or a crystalline digital trail stretching toward infinity, delay creates movement and space. Stack two or more, and you’ll start hearing the genre’s signature cascading textures. For more, take a trip down the rabbit hole of the best delay pedals for shoegaze.

Pedal	Delay Type	Max Delay Time	Best For	Notable Features
EQD Time Shadows II	Experimental/glitch	Unspecified; dependent on mode	Deconstructed ambient textures	Death By Audio collab, three selectable modes and six presets
MXR Carbon Copy	Analog	600ms	Warm, blended echoes	Mod switch for chorus-style trails
Strymon EC-1	Tape-style digital	1,000ms	Warbly, organic trails with vintage feel	Tap tempo, stereo; tape age, mechanics controls

EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II

Why We Love It: This glitchy, otherworldly multi-delay can dissolve your signal into pure abstraction—or just let it shimmer weirdly in the background.

Things to Consider

• Collaboration with Death By Audio means experimental DNA is baked in
• Includes three distinct modes with different voicing and behavior
• Not for traditionalists—it’s weird in all the right ways

Shop Now: EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator Effects Pedal

More than your conventional delay, Time Shadows II fractures, filters and mutates your signal in ways that feel almost compositional. Designed in collaboration with Death By Audio, Time Shadows II is a multi-mode ambient disruptor that thrives on unpredictability. Whether you’re building soundscapes between songs or layering unpredictable textures over clean passages, it’s a shoegaze-friendly wild card that invites happy accidents and unexpected beauty.

MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay

Why We Love It: It’s a warm, analog echo that smears just right under fuzz and reverb.

Things to Consider

• Up to 600ms of delay time
• Darker repeats help create shoegaze-style blur
• Mod switch adds subtle chorus to trails

Shop Now: MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay Guitar Effects Pedal

The Carbon Copy has long been a go-to for players looking to add depth without distraction. Its analog repeats roll off high-end frequencies, creating pillowy echoes that blend effortlessly into reverb and fuzz—ideal for that thick shoegaze wash. Flip on the mod switch, and you get a gentle warble that’s subtle but emotionally rich, making your notes feel like they’re decaying underwater.

Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo

Why We Love It: This tape echo sounds old in all the right ways—warbly, rhythmic and hauntingly organic.

Things to Consider

• Based on the single-head mode from the El Capistan
• dTape algorithm brings saturation, wow and flutter
• Stereo ins/outs and tap tempo packed into a tight format

Shop Now: Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo Effects Pedal

The EC-1 dTape Echo delivers everything shoegaze players love about vintage tape units—slapback, smear and self-oscillation—without the hassle and often prohibitive cost of reels and maintenance. Whether you're chasing Kevin Shields’ gliding textures or Slowdive’s cloudy lead lines, the EC-1 gives you that slightly volatile, analog-feeling delay in a modern, stereo-friendly box. It’s equally at home behind fuzz, modulation or reverb for your pedalboard-building pleasure.

Best Modulation Pedals for Shoegaze

Modulation adds motion to stillness. Chorus, flanger, tremolo and phaser pedals swirl, shimmer and wobble your sound, turning static notes into living textures. Use them subtly for depth or stack them for a full-blown sonic blur.

Pedal	Type	Stereo	Best For	Notable Features
EQD Hummingbird V4	Square-wave tremolo	No	Rhythmic stutter and vintage wobble	Tap tempo, VOX Repeat Percussion-inspired
BOSS CE-2W	Chorus	Yes	Classic stereo swirl	CE-1 and CE-2 modes
Death By Audio Space Bender	Chorus/flanger hybrid	Yes	Glitchy, evolving modulation	Internal gain, unpredictable feedback

EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird V4 Tremolo

Why We Love It: A modern, tempo-tappable trem that draws direct inspiration from the VOX Repeat Percussion—a circuit that helped birth shoegaze through Spacemen 3’s hypnotic pulses.

Things to Consider

• Choppy, stuttery trem—think rhythmic texture, not smooth sway
• Tap tempo and subdivisions make it performance-friendly
• Doesn’t do subtle, but excels at pulse and pulse-within-pulse

Shop Now: EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird V4 Tremolo Effects Pedal

The Earthquaker Hummingbird V4 is a nod to one of shoegaze’s most underrated origin points—the square-wave tremolo on the VOX Repeat Percussion used by Spacemen 3 to push minimalism into transcendence. This version builds on that idea with expanded controls, tap tempo and rhythmic subdivision, making it easy to dial in everything from subtle pulse to full-on panic attack. It’s especially potent before reverb or delay, where it adds mechanical stutter to otherwise fluid textures.

BOSS CE-2W Chorus Waza Craft

Why We Love It: Vintage stereo swirl, Waza Craft build—this chorus is all velvet edges and melted tones.

Things to Consider

• Waza Craft version offers CE-1 and CE-2 modes
• True stereo out for huge, immersive modulation
• Warm and organic, without being too detuned

Shop Now: BOSS CE-2W Waza Craft Chorus Effects Pedal

The CE-2W takes the iconic BOSS CE-2 circuit and expands it with Waza Craft precision and extra voicings pulled from the original CE-1. For shoegaze players, this means whirls and warbles that can surround your signal without overwhelming it—think Slowdive’s cleaner moments or Cocteau Twins-like shimmer. Its stereo output is especially effective when paired with stereo reverb or delay, turning mono parts into wide, blossoming textures.

Death By Audio Space Bender Chorus Modulator

Why We Love It: It’s chorus and flanger filtered through the Death By Audio lens—unpredictable, chaotic and totally hypnotic.

Things to Consider

• Not your dad’s chorus—it gets noisy and weird in the best way
• Can drift from lush chorus into alien oscillation
• Internal gain lets it push past modulation into lo-fi texture

Shop Now: Death By Audio Space Bender Extreme Chorus/Flanger Effects Pedal

Death By Audio Space Bender takes the traditional modulation palette and splinters it into something beautifully unhinged. Subtle it’s not—but in shoegaze, that’s often a strength. It can venture into modulation and delay territory, if you twist it the right way. Put it before your ambient verbs and delays to twist your tone into something underwater and uncanny, or after fuzz for full psych-noise freakouts.

Best Overdrive Pedals for Shoegaze

Shoegaze might be known for its walls of fuzz and oceans of reverb, but overdrive pedals play a critical supporting role. Whether used to boost fuzz, shape tone or give modulation-rich chains a touch of warmth and grit, overdrives are often what tie a sprawling signal chain together. In the context of shoegaze, they act like glue—adding definition to dreamier textures or just waking things up with a little harmonic heat.

Pedal	Gain Profile	Best Use	Tonal Character
MXR Fat Sugar	Low-medium	Pre-fuzz boost, drive with reverb	Compressed and smooth
Ibanez TS9	Medium	Mid boost for fuzz or tone sculpting	Tight, focused, slightly nasal
BOSS SD-1	Low-medium	Gentle overdrive, lead shaping	Slight scoop, vintage smoothness

MXR Fat Sugar

Why We Love It: Transparent grit with a chewy, compressed edge makes reverbs and delays sit just right.

Things to Consider

• Lower-gain voice makes it great for boosting fuzz
• Warm and amp-like with a slightly rounded top end
• A sleeper hit for clean-ish shoegaze tones with grit

Shop Now: MXR M94SE Fat Sugar Drive Effects Pedal

MXR Fat Sugar takes some inspiration from the iconic Klon Centaur, evident in both its controls and character. Its rounded, amp-like response makes it an excellent choice for stacking with reverb and delay, adding just enough breakup to give your modulation some teeth. Use it as a tone shaper or a solo lift, especially if your fuzz pedal needs a little push. Plus, who doesn’t like a pop of pink on their pedalboard?

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

Why We Love It: Mid-bumped magic lets your fuzz and modulation sit up in the mix without getting buried.

Things to Consider

• Boosts mids in a mix- and wallet-friendly way
• Can tighten up bottom-heavy fuzz pedals
• Best used for shaping, not high-gain applications

Shop Now: Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer Overdrive Effects Pedal

With a long-standing rep in blues, classic rock and metal, the TS9 Tube Screamer plays surprisingly well in shoegaze, especially when you’re using fuzz with big, messy low end. That signature midrange bump helps your guitar stand out even when drenched in delay and reverb. It also tightens up looser fuzz pedals, making this a smart tone-sculpting tool in dense mixes.

BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive

Why We Love It: Smooth and slightly scooped, this overdrive gives you soft edges that bloom beneath ambient effects.

Things to Consider

• Doesn’t hit as hard in the mids as a TS-style pedal
• Useful as a lead boost or pre-fuzz color
• Affordable and surprisingly expressive

Shop Now: BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive Effects Pedal

The BOSS SD-1 brings a more subtle, low-gain voice to your shoegaze setup, softening transients and giving fuzzier tones a rounder silhouette. It excels when placed before fuzz or modulation, smoothing out pick attack and making everything feel a little more lo-fi in the best way. For players who want drive with a little haze, the SD-1 is a classic.

Best Distortion Pedals for Shoegaze

Distortion pedals are the unsung heroes of many shoegaze tones, bridging the space between overdrive smoothness and fuzz chaos. While fuzz often gets all the credit for walls of sound, distortion often forms the backbone—providing a more focused, controllable gain structure that stacks beautifully with reverb and modulation. These aren’t metal-only distortions; in the shoegaze world, they’re apparatuses for crafting tone that can roar or resonate, shimmer or suffocate.

Pedal	Style	Shoegaze Role	Signature Quality
ProCo RAT2	Distortion/fuzz	Classic shoegaze lead and rhythm tones	Mid-forward, gritty and loud
BOSS HM-2W	Heavy distortion	Fuzz-like roar for massive walls	Chainsaw edge, speculated Loveless use
MXR Distortion+	Vintage distortion	Gritty breakup and bite	Germanium edge, lo-fi charm

ProCo RAT2

Why We Love It: Nothing bites through reverb and delay like a RAT—aggressive, mid-heavy and ready to sing or scream.

Things to Consider

• Legendary for a reason, and not for subtlety
• Tone filter can go from bright bite to dark wool
• Sits somewhere between distortion and fuzz

Shop Now: ProCo RAT2 Distortion Effects Pedal

The RAT2 is a shoegaze classic, and for good reason—it wills its way through layers of reverb without getting swallowed. It’s aggressive without being harsh, with a gain structure that can snarl on rhythm or smooth out for leads. Pair it with chorus or reverb, and it becomes a weaponized blur, capable of cutting or blending as needed. Taking the bait on RAT and scurrying for more? Chew on our guide to the ProCo RAT.

BOSS HM-2W Waza Craft Heavy Metal

Why We Love It: All the gnarly, chainsaw-edge tone of the original—with just enough refinement to make it shine in shoegaze settings.

Things to Consider

• Rumored to have appeared on Loveless, likely via Bilinda Butcher’s fuzz-like tones
• Waza Craft adds a second mode with more headroom and clarity
• Best paired with generous reverb and delay to round out the grind

Shop Now: BOSS Waza Craft HM-2W Heavy Metal Distortion Effects Pedal

Though it’s synonymous with Swedish death metal, in the right hands, the BOSS HM-2W becomes something else entirely: a brick of texture. When pushed into ambient effects chains, its crushing tone transforms into a sheet of sound, especially on chords. The Waza Craft version gives you the original brutality, plus a modern voicing that brings out detail—ideal for players chasing the mythos of Loveless and beyond.

MXR M104 Distortion+

Why We Love It: Simple and explosive, this Germanium-laced distortion is one knob twist from clean to collapse.

Things to Consider

• Breaks up quickly and reacts to playing dynamics
• Has a bright, biting edge that fuzz can’t replicate
• Great when paired with darker modulation

Shop Now: MXR M104 Distortion+ Effects Pedal

The M104 Distortion+ offers a unique kind of rawness that’s incredibly usable with dreamy textures. It has that Velvet Underground-style clipping that can either ride under your reverb or slice right through it. With the gain dimed, it gets fizzy and frantic—perfect for players who want their distortion to sound a little unstable.

Build Your Shoegaze Sound

Pictured: MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay Effects Pedal

Keep in mind that shoegaze guitar tone isn’t just about the gear—it’s about the chain reaction between your pedals, your amp and your imagination. Whether you're sculpting a cathedral of fuzz, layering delays until your signal melts away or coaxing broken beauty from modulation and distortion, the right pedal doesn’t just shape your sound—it shapes your sonic identity.

So, build slowly, stack creatively and remember: In shoegaze, rules are optional, but vibe is everything. And should you want a personalized recommendation or a second opinion, our helpful Gear Advisers and in-store associates at your local Guitar Center are here for you every step of the way.