Finding the best organ pedal to add to your guitar effects pedal collection isn’t easy. The organ effect is a tough sound to replicate, so you kind of have to get an actual organ stompbox if you want to add this sound to your guitar rig.
There are a few different companies that make really good organ effects that make your guitar sound exactly like an organ. It’s pretty crazy. Each of pedals have slightly different features and slightly different tones.
In this organ effects pedal review, we’ll look at the most popular organ pedals and explain a few of their features, effects, pros, and cons, so you can figure out which one is right for your pedal board.
Let’s jump in and check out the most top-rated organ pedals on the market right now!
Compare the Top Guitar Organ Pedals in 2020 Below
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Guitar Organ Pedals in 2020 Below
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best organ guitar effects pedals that will make your electric guitar sound exactly like an organ.
- EarthQuaker Devices Organizer V2
- Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine
- Aural Dream Organ Synthesis
- Electro-Harmonix C9 Organ Machine
- T-Rex Engineering QUINT-MACHINE
- Boss PS-6 Harmonist
- Electro-Harmonix Epitome
- Electro-Harmonix POG2
EarthQuaker Devices Organizer V2
Specs, features, and benefits
The EarthQuaker Organizer V2 pedal is an outstanding piece of gear. It is mostly used with guitars, but it can also take any kind of instrument and even vocals, and make them sound other-worldly.
We are talking about a pedal that emulates organ sound paired with a ‘Guitorgan” sound when played with a guitar. The Organizer V2 has six control knobs, Up (Octave Up level), Down (Octave down level), Choir (Doubles the octaves and delays the original signal resulting in an organ-like sound), Lag (Delay time of the wet signal), Tone (acts like a Tone-cut), and Direct (Volume level of the dry signal). It has a true-bypass switching and all-analog dry signal path.
Earthquaker makes these pedals by hand!
Pros and Highlights
- Fantastic sound – If you are a player with an experimental nature, you will love this pedal! It sounds other-worldly.
- Tracks very well – The pedal works like a Swiss watch! Also, it is compatible with every kind of instrument. Just plug & play. It will immediately make your instrument sound jaw-droppingly amazing.
- Handmade – Yeah, they make them by hand! One at a time.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are a player with an experimental nature, you should definitely check out the Earthquaker Organizer V2 pedal. It is a handmade pedal, it is sturdily built, and it is versatile and unique. It is compatible with every instrument out there, and it sounds fantastic. Great pedal!
Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine
Specs, features, and benefits
The Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine is an awesome sounding organ-emulator guitar pedal. It has four control knobs, and a rotary mode switches with nine different modes.
The four control knobs on the pedal are Dry (dry signal volume level), Organ (Organ volume level), Mod (The speed of the modulation effect – every mode has different modulation effect), and Click (controls the level of the simulated organ click).
With the rotary switch on the pedal you can choose one of nine presets:
- Fat & Full – Adds an octave down, and Chorus
- Jazz – emulates a smooth jazz organ tone with Chorus
- Gospel – Adds an octave up of organ sound from what you are playing with Chorus
- Classic Rock – Adds a distorted organ sound with a Chorus as a modulation effect
- Bottom End – Adds an octave down draw bar with Chorus as a modulation effect
- Octaves – Adds an octave higher to your playing + Chorus + higher harmonics with the Click knob
- Cathedral – Cathedral organ sound with Tremolo effect – Control the speed with the Mod control knob, and the Depth with the Click control knob
- Continental – Classic combo organ sound with Vibrato as a modulation effect. You can control the Depth of the Vibrato with the Click control knob
- Bell Organ – Emulates the organ sound of an electric piano with Tremolo as a modulation effect. With the Click control knob, you can set the amount of bell/chime in the sound.
The pedal has two outputs, one for the Dry signal, and the other for the Wet/Organ sound.
Pros and Highlights
- Plug & play! – Very easy-to-use pedal. You don’t even need to read the instructions to set the sound you want!
- Sounds fantastic – The B9 Organ Machine by Electro-Harmonics is pure gold of a pedal! Sounds amazing with every preset!
- Versatile – You have nine different organ sound presets, and with the control knobs you can tweak them even more! Very versatile!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are on the experimental side of music, and you want an organ sound with your guitar or any other instrument, the Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine is a great choice. It is a very versatile pedal, it tracks very well, it sounds great, and it is very easy to use. Good job, Electro-Harmonix!
Aural Dream Organ Synthesis
Specs, features, and benefits
The Organ Synthesis pedal by Aural Dream is an affordable organ pedal with a very interesting sound. It has a true-bypass switching, and it runs on a 9V power adaptor – sold separately. The Organ Synthesis has five control knobs: ACC, Speed, Am, Balance, and Type.
The pedal has five different types of “organ” sounds: Organ Core, Reggae Organ, Rock Band, Blues Organ, and Bright Rock Organ Bright. Tweak the Wave Shape, Tone, and Oscillation of these presets further with the ACC, Speed, Am, and Balance control knobs, and you can achieve a great number of different sounds from this pedal.
Pros and Highlights
- Cheap! – The Organ Synthesis the cheapest Organ pedal on the market!
- Rare – It is very rare to hear this pedal live, and this is a great thing for all of you who want to have unique guitar sound.
- Interesting sound – This pedal doesn’t sound like an organ exactly, but for musicians on the experimental side of music, this pedal can be a bar of pure gold!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It doesn’t do the job that it should – It is an interesting pedal, and I would love to have it myself, but it simply doesn’t emulate pure organ sound… So, if you are looking for a pure organ sound on your guitar, stay away from it
Bottom line
It is a very cheap pedal when it comes to organ sound-simulating pedals. If you want to experiment with weird sounds and rare equipment, you should probably check out this pedal. However, if you are looking strictly for an organ sound, stay away from the Organ Synthesis by Aural Dream.
Electro-Harmonix C9 Organ Machine
Specs, features, and benefits
The C9 Organ Machine by Electro-Harmonix is very similar to the B9 Organ Machine by the same company. It has the same control knobs, Dry Volume, Organ Volume, Modulation level, Click level, and a nine-way rotary switch for mode selecting. With the rotary switch, you can choose of these presets: Tone Wheel, Prog, Compact, Shimmer, Lord Purple, Mello Flutes, Blimp, Press Tone, and Telstar. Just like the B9, the C9 is a very versatile pedal, and it has separate Wet and Dry output ports.
Tip: if you are an organ-lover, you can even pair the B9 and the C9 and have even more organ sounds available!
Pros and Highlights
- Sounds great – The Electro-Harmonix C9 sounds awesome! It reproduces organ sounds very well!
- Tracks very-well! – You won’t have any tracking problems with this one.
- Versatile – Nine different presets – nine completely different organ sounds!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
The Electro-Harmonix C9 Organ Machine is a great organ pedal. It tracks very well, it sounds great, and it is versatile too. Great organ pedal.
T-Rex Engineering QUINT-MACHINE
Specs, features, and benefits
The T-Rex Engineering Quint-Machine is a really versatile pedal. It has four control knobs, +1 Fifth, +1 Octave, -1 Octave, and Mix.
Yes, you are right, the Quint Machine is not strictly an organ pedal – it is an octave and fifth pedal. However, if you set the Fifth control knob to zero, and you tweak the Octave up and the Octave down control knobs, you will hear the organ that is hidden in this unit! The Quint-Machine tracks very well and works great not only for guitars – it is a great pedal in a bass rig, for example.
Pros and Highlights
- Easy-to-use – Just tweak around those knobs. There are four of them. How hard can this be?
- Tracks very well – The Quint-Machine is very good at tracking. Just try it and hear for yourself. It is glitch-free.
- Great build-quality – It is sturdy and compact. It will last for years! – if you don’t crush it on purpose, of course.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It is not an organ pedal! – It is not. But it can produce an organ sound. So, if you want a good octave pedal, that can also produce an organ sound – go for it!
Bottom line
The T-Rex Engineering Quint-Machine is one of the best Octaver pedals out there, and it can also make organ sounds. Great for guitarists, and bass players too. It tracks very well! Many players are buying this pedal due to the fact that it can produce a fifth. It can also simulate an organ sound!
Boss PS-6 Harmonist
Specs, features, and benefits
The Boss PS-6 Harmonist pedal with three modes, Pitch-Shifter, Detune, and S-Bend. It has four control knobs: Balance (Rise Time), Shift (Harmony), Fall time (Key), and a rotary Mode switch.
Basically, the PS-6 has four different effects that you can play with: a Harmonizer, a Pitch Shifter, a Chorus, and Super-Bend. While all of these are great for experimentation, and the pedal is very versatile one, we are mostly interested here in the organ sound it can produce. With a little tweaking of the control knobs (you need just an octave up and octave down added) and a delay pedal, you can get pretty good Organ-like sound. The Boss PS-6 is a very versatile, and sturdy pedal.
Pros and Highlights
- Sturdy! – It is a Boss pedal! It will outlive you – if you don’t shoot it with a machine-gun, of course.
- Versatile – You’ll get four different effects, for the price of one pedal.
- Affordable – Having in mind all the sound you can get from it – it is pretty cheap!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It is not an Organ pedal! – Yes, it can make the sound. Still, not as accurate as some other pedals on this list, and you will need a delay pedal, and maybe even a Volume pedal to get an organ sound.
Bottom line
If you are strictly looking for a pedal that can produce an organ sound, stay away from the PS-6. Yes, it can do it, but not as convincing as some of the other pedals on this list. However, if you are looking for a pedal, that you can experiment with pitch-shifting, detune, and harmonizing, you should definitely check out the PS-6.
Electro-Harmonix Epitome
Specs, features, and benefits
The Epitome pedal by Electro-Harmonix is a true champion of versatility. It has three sections, a Micro POG section (Polyphonic Octave Generator), an Electric Mistress section (Stereo Flanger effect, and Chorus effect), and Holy Grail Plus section (Reverb/Delay).
The Micro POG section has three controls: Sub Octave control knob, Octave Up control knob, and Dry control knob. The Electric Mistress section has three control knobs, Flanger, Chorus, and Rate. The Holy Grail Plus has Blend and Amount control knobs, a Shimmer mode button, and a rotary switch for Reverb type (Spring, Hall, Room, Flerb (Delay)). The Electro-Harmonix sounds great and tracks flawlessly. It is a true beast of a pedal.
Now, the Organ sound. For setting the pedal to sound like a Leslie Organ, you need to use two sections of the pedal, the Micro Pog, and the Electric Mistress. Set the Sub Octave and the Octave Up control knobs at one o’clock, and the Dry control knob at three o’clock, and then set the Chorus at 12 o’clock, the Flanger at one o’clock, and the Rate control knob at two o’clock.
For setting a Cathedral Organ sound, you need to use the Micro Pog section and the Holy Grail section. Set the Octave Up at two o’clock, and the Sub Octave knob at four o’clock and the Dry control knob at five o’clock, and then set the Blend control knob at eleven o’clock, the Amount control at four o’clock, and switch to Hall mode. You’ll have a huge Cathedral Organ sound.
With the Epitome, you can also tune in Drone sounds, twelve-string guitar sound, and even eighteen-string guitar sound. Tweak around those control knobs, and you will have an impressive sonic experience.
Pros and Highlights
- Tracks flawlessly! – Of course! Electro-Harmonix knows how to make the tracking glitch-free!
- Convincing – The Organ sound you will get out of your guitar and the Epitome, can be easily mistaken for real Organ sounds!
- Versatile – With this pedal, you can achieve many different sonic images. It is a heavy-weight champion of versatility!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Pricey – If you have the money, buy it – don’t hesitate. It is worth every penny.
Bottom line
The Electro-Harmonix Epitome is a great pedal. It is versatile, great-sounding, and flexible unit that makes a revolution in the guitar sound. The Organ sounds you will get out of it are very convincing. It tracks great. With the Epitome, you can get a lot of different sounds. From Organ sounds to Psychedelic Delays and Drones, to Swirls and eighteen-string guitars. Great pedal. It is a bit pricier than other pedals on this list, but it is definitely worth every penny! If you have the budget, you should probably check out this champ.
Electro-Harmonix POG2
Specs, features, and benefits
The Electro-Harmonix POG2 (Polyphonic Octave Generator) pedal is a true blessing of the modern world of pedal science. The POG2 has two footswitches, Preset, and Bypass.
You can store up to eight different presets and have them on the fly. You can scroll through them with the big rotary knob in the upper right corner of the pedal. The pedal’s control faders are separated into two clusters, Voice Mix, and Effects cluster. The Voice Mix cluster has five level faders, Dry output, -2 Octaves, -1 Octave, +1Octave, and +2 Octaves. In the middle of the two fader clusters, we have the Dry FX push-button for activating the effects, and the Q push-button that works together with the LP Filer fader, providing you several different tone-shapes.
In the effects cluster, there are three level faders, Attack, LP filter, and Detune (Chorus). The best way to get organ sounds with this pedal is to use it with a Reverb and a Volume pedal.
Pros and Highlights
- Tracks great! – The POG2 is great at tracking your signal! Great job once again, Electro-Harmonix!
- Great for Bass too! – Many bass players love this pedal;
- Great organ sounds – The POH2 produces convincing organ sounds.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you want to have an organ sound available, plus an Octaver pedal, the POG2 by Electro-Harmonix will do the job for you. It is a versatile pedal that tracks very well. It is also favored by bassists who like to add some Octaves. Great pedal.
What We Recommend and Why
We recommend the Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine, because it is specially designed to make your guitar sound like an organ, it tracks great, it is versatile, and sounds amazing. If you like it, you can also add the C9 Organ Machine in your “organ” rig. These pedals are great for playing live and for recording in the studio. Great job, Electro-Harmonix!