The tables below provide you with 3 ways to see guitar pedals you probably know and the GT modules they Compare To. 

 

Guitar Pedals to GT Rack Effect Modules

Click Compares To - Effects to see a list of the pedals that GT modules "compare to"

 

GT Rack Effect Modules to Guitar Pedals

Click Compares To - Modules to see a list of GT modules and the pedals they "compare to"

 

GT Rack Effect Modules to Guitar Pedals by Effect Type

Click Compares To - Type to see a list of all GT modules listed by effect type, along with the pedals they "compare to"

 

What do we mean by "Compares To"?

There isn't an exact definition.  Many, many guitar pedals are based on the same circuit, or a version of the same circuit with minor differences.  The minor differences may be of several types:  different component values, different component technology (eg metal film vs carbon comp resistors), addition or removal of some components, slight changes to the circuit topology, or even sections of the circuit dropped or added in.  In these cases, since the circuit is still so similar, all those pedals with those minor differences would still produce sounds that are similar, to greater or lesser extent.  For example, most clones and derivatives of the famous Big Muff Pi circuit are still going to have a Big Muff Pi fuzz sound, probably with scooped mids.  But they can sound very different as a result of those circuit tweaks - brighter, smoother, more aggressive, louder, boosted mids, whatever.  The GT Pi module "compares to" those Big Muff Pi originals, clones, and derivatives because our Pi circuit can be configured to produce a module with the same circuit topology as those Big Muff pedals.  It is not the same circuit, though.  Our circuit design has more optional parts and component options than any other Big Muff Pi circuit we've seen.  In addition, non-audio parts of our circuit such as power filtering and switching are also different.  

It is also the case that some pedals that have little or nothing in common in their circuit may still sound very similar.  We thought about including these when we list "compares to" pedals.  But that would be confusing.  Most of the time, a pedal has some distinct sound attributable to its base circuit design.  Pedals that share the same circuit are more likely to share those distinctive sound characteristics that set them apart from other groups of pedals.  So we don't include "sounds similar" effects in our definition of "compares to".  "Compares to" means they sound similar because they share similar circuits.

In most cases we A/B test our modules to the "compares to" pedals.  Excluding options and modifications, we expect our module to sound nearly identical to the "compares to" pedal.  We expect our module to sound as much like the "compares to" pedal as two of the "compares to" pedals would sound like each other.  You'll find comments about those comparisons in our modules' product descriptions.

"Compares to" does not mean "copy", or "clone".  Our circuit designs and component selections are different from all others we know of.  We design and manufacture all of our own circuit boards from our own schematics.  In many cases, we do offer configurations and options that when built result in a nearly identical audio circuit and sound, as intended and expected.  In fact, in many cases we can select configurations and options that we cannot distinguish by ear from original pedals.  But we offer options that do make our "compares to" module sound different from the original pedals, within bounds of the basic circuit.

"Compares to" is not meant to imply anything about how any of the listed guitar pedals were designed.  With a few noted exceptions, it is a fact that the listed pedals have a circuit we know to be close or similar to some base circuit shared with our module.  But we have no idea if another builder independently invented that circuit, based it on a design given to them by aliens passing through our solar system, or copied it directly from some other pedal, all of which are legal and one of which is a widespread practice in the effects pedal industry.  We are simply characterizing the resultant circuit and noting that our module designs also result in something "comparable".

A final note on "compares to"...  It is not a coincidence that our modules "compare to" some of the best-known, top pedals ever produced from some of the best builders to ever fire up a soldering iron.  We want our modules to deliver sound, quality, and value comparable to the very best available, in a unique format, with options to tailor them to your specific needs.  Conversely, we absolutely DO mean that the listed "compares to" pedals are a selection of the best pedals ever built.  If you choose not to buy rack mounted modules from us, in our opinion those pedals are among the best effects in pedal format that you could select. 

Many of our modules have numerous base configurations and/or options that compare to some pedals.  You can see more details about that in the product descriptions for the module.  Similarly, pedals often come in numerous, changing versions.  We may not have the exact name or model of the pedal correct, or it may have changed with different versions.  Again, more details may be available in our module product descriptions.  While there may be some inaccuracies, the charts are meant to get you close.

NOTE:  Kit Rae put together an amazing website about the Big Muff Pi pedal.  Most of what is known about the Big Muff Pi is documented somewhere in his site.  You can find the site with a simple Google search for "Kit Rae Big Muff" or similar.  To my knowledge he doesn't make or sell pedals, but he has documented many, many versions of the Big Muff Pi circuit.  While many versions have had nicknames for many years, Kit Rae has given specific versions of the circuits specific names, helping to eliminate some confusion.  Some of his naming has rightfully grown popular and is often used to identify specific versions of Big Muff Pi pedals.  GT offers a large number of Big Muff Pi circuits and clones, along with many options as our "Pi" module.  In the Compares To tables, if you see a "pedal" name like KR 66#5, we are referring to the specific Big Muff Pi version called (in this example) 66#5 at Kit Rae's site.