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Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
James Grimshaw

Analog vs digital pedals: what's the difference? And is one really better than the other?

A pedalboard shot onstage.

Pedals Week 2026: The guitar pedal is an ever-evolving format, but also an ever-present one. The first guitar pedals were introduced only in the early 1960s, but in the intervening years they’ve been a source of change in sounds, tastes and techniques in guitar music.

As technology has advanced, so has the debate between the two core types of guitar pedal: analog and digital. Each one elicits different opinions, preconceived notions, and even prejudices: analog and digital. Analog warmth; digital artifacts. Analog mojo; digital harshness. Alternately, noisy analog; pristine digital. Vintage analog; sleek digital.

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