Here we are again, entering the final month of the year. It's time to kick off the 2016 round-ups and retrospectives. We'll have a few different posts coming your way over next few weeks, but we're starting with a topic at the very heart of the Reverb community: guitar pedal sales.
Pedals and effects represent a fascinating sub-section of the broader gear market. Pedalheads are constantly buying and selling pedals to fuel their habit. Like sneakers and video games, every year brings a fresh crop of products that players yearn to get their hands on.
These factors combine to make the pedal market especially dynamic and fluid. In an attempt to shine some light on what was hot this year, we've wrangled together three lists of top-sellers represented in the three columns below.
The first column shows the best selling new pedals that were released in 2016.
The second column showcases the overall top selling pedals, regardless of when they were introduced.
And the third column shows the pedals and effects that generated the most gross sales by dollar amount. This, naturally, favors more expensive products, like the top-ranking Fractal Audio Axe FX.
These factors combine to make the pedal market especially dynamic and fluid. In an attempt to shine some light on what was hot this year, we've wrangled together three lists of top-sellers represented in the three sections below.
The first section shows the best selling new pedals that were released in 2016.
The second section showcases the overall top selling pedals, regardless of when they were introduced.
And the third section shows the pedals and effects that generated the most gross sales by dollar amount. This, naturally, favors more expensive products, like the top-ranking Fractal Audio Axe FX.
Let us know what rankings or absences surprised you in the comments.
New for 2016
#1 EQD Avalanche Run
Overall Best Sellers
#1 TC Electronic Ditto Looper
Highest Grossing by $
#1 Fractal Audio Axe FX II
It's worth noting that these figures and rankings only reflect sales on Reverb. While we think this is an accurate sample of the broader market, our particular user base may differ from the larger industry. Also keep in mind that since buyers on Reverb often resell pedals after trying them out, some of the sales that generate the rankings above may be for the same physical item being bought and sold multiple times.
Take Aways
The Earthquaker Devices Avalanche Run is the only pedal to rank on all three lists. This is due to a three-month window during which this pedal was sold solely on Reverb, inflating our totals relative to other outlets.
TC Electronic pedals continue to sell strongly across the board. They have also clearly taken the mantle from brands like Boss as the default choice for beginners and musicians looking for affordable options that can do it all.
The Boss DD-20 Giga Delay — which ranked at number 10 on last year's list — no longer places. This pedal was discontinued this year by Boss in favor of the DD-500, although used sales and prices remain relatively strong.
The stalwart Line 6 DL4 Delay fell out of the top 10 overall sellers list this year. This could be the result of increased competition from new delays, like the Source Audio Nemesis or Chase Bliss Tonal Recall.
Some classic pedals that you would expect to see on the overall list do not rank due to the existence of multiple variations of a single model on the market. The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff is a good example of this phenomenon. Currently, EHX produces fifteen different Muff variations, not to mention the many vintage pedals that sell on Reverb. Cumulatively, this would put the Big Muff high on the list, but this proliferation within the Muff genus keeps any single pedal from ranking too highly.
Top Pedal Brands of 2016
Breakdown of brands by total number of orders
Best Sellers by # of Orders
| Rank | Brand |
|---|---|
| #1 | Boss |
| #2 | Electro-Harmonix |
| #3 | TC Electronic |
| #4 | MXR |
| #5 | EarthQuaker Devices |
| #6 | DigiTech |
| #7 | JHS |
| #8 | Ibanez |
| #9 | Line 6 |
| #10 | Keeley |
| #11 | Fulltone |
| #12 | Strymon |
| #13 | Dunlop |
| #14 | Xotic |
| #15 | Walrus Audio |
| #16 | Wampler |
| #17 | Mooer |
| #18 | Catalinbread |
| #19 | Voodoo Lab |
| #20 | Pedaltrain |
Highest Grossing by $
| Rank | Brand |
|---|---|
| #1 | Boss |
| #2 | Electro-Harmonix |
| #3 | TC Electronic |
| #4 | Strymon |
| #5 | EarthQuaker Devices |
| #6 | JHS |
| #7 | Line 6 |
| #8 | MXR |
| #9 | Digitech |
| #10 | Fractal Audio |
| #11 | Keeley |
| #12 | Walrus Audio |
| #13 | Fulltone |
| #14 | Eventide |
| #15 | Ibanez |
| #16 | Wampler |
| #17 | Analogman |
| #18 | Catalinbread |
| #19 | Xotic |
| #20 | Voodoo Lab |
Takeaways:
While TC Electronic's top pedals scored exceptionally well individually, Boss continues to reign supreme as the overall best-selling pedal brand. This is due to the massive range of pedals they produce, as well as a nearly 40 year legacy of used product still on the market.
EarthQuaker Devices ranks as the top boutique pedal maker on the site, with sales fueled by the popular Avalance Run.
Though Analogman does not rank on the overall sales volume list, it's position on the total dollars spent column this year was cemented by the popularity of the relatively expensive King of Tone Overdrive.