Open the catalogue of any budget pedal brand and I’ll bet you there’s a Tube Screamer in it. More than likely a Klone too. I like a good Tube Screamer (I've got enough of 'em). They both have their place. If you’re after something with a bit more personality than another mid-hump green box, you need some options, right?

So here are five overdrives for £50 or under, from five different brands, each doing something a bit different. Well, four doing something different and one doing something cheaper. We’ll get to that.

Sweet Baby and Pure Sky – The Transparent Pair

The Joyo Sweet Baby gets a lot of love in the comments, and I get it. Its family tree leads back to the ProCo Rat, which is a bit like finding out your mild-mannered, cardigan-wearing uncle once fronted a thrash band. It sounds nothing like that. It’s much lower gain and far more transparent, and it just feels more boutique than it has any right to for the money. There’s a mid push in there, but it’s a very different animal from a Screamer.

The Caline Pure Sky lives in similar territory. I think it’s one of Caline’s bestsellers, and it’s built on the Timmy, so you get transparent, touch-responsive drive. The two-band EQ then makes it properly versatile. At around £25–30 new, it’s one of the cheapest on the list, and I can’t think of a good reason not to try one.

Two overdrives that do things very differently, The Sweet Baby follows the mid-range thickness of a good Tube Screamer, but in a much less obvious way. The Pure Sky is kind of does the transparent Klon thing, but again, in a not 

Affordaboard Supersonic – Oasis in a Box

This is the odd one out. The Trilogy/Affordaboard FX Supersonic is chasing one very specific moment in British music: Oasis ruling the 90s charts. That sound wasn’t one amp, it was three: a Marshall, a WEM and a Vox. Blend them and you get an overdrive that is very amp-like with a fuzzy edge sitting underneath it all. You get a very 3 dimensional drive tone. 

The full-colour Trilogy version is £89, and there’s a monochrome Affordaboard one for £50.  Either one is a good deal tbf, they are hand-made in the UK and you could easily pay either price for something mass produced. It also supports a smaller UK builder, so it's wins all around.

Preamp Overdrive – For When You Want More Amp

The DOD 250 circuit is one of those simple, versatile designs that half the pedal world has borrowed at some point. Demon FX have crammed several flavours of it into the Preamp Overdrive, switchable with two three-way switches, and even tucked in a Yngwie-style voice. Of the five, this is the one for shoving your amp as hard as it’ll go. It's like your amp, but more. Nigel Tuffnel would dig this one.

Cinders – The Cheeky Exception

The TC Electronic Cinders is a straight-up Boss Blues Driver copy, it doesn't try to hide this fact at all. Well when I say it is a straight clone, I mean sort of. It has top-mounted jacks and true bypass where the Boss is buffered. It also costs about a third of the price, which isn't hard news to swallow. It’s gold too, which gets my approval. It’s also the most-watched pedal on this list, so clearly I’m not the only one who couldn’t resist.

Over to You

Five overdrives, not a Screamer in sight, nary a klon to be seen. I would pick a favourite here, but I own them all and use them quite regularly, so I think they all get the BPC seal of approval.

Which one’s getting your vote? Tell me in the comments. And if you’ve got a trick for dialling any of them in, share it. I’ve picked up plenty from you lot already.

Here are some affiliate links if you'd like one of your own as well:

Cinders

https://thmn.to/thoprod/400120?offid=1&affid=2735

Sweet Baby

https://thmn.to/thoprod/529958?offid=1&affid=2735

Supersonic

https://affordaboard.co.uk/browse-stock/ols/products/affordaboard-supersonic

Chorus has an image problem, and we can blame the 80s. Every guitar tone from that decade sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Used properly, though, it’s lovely. I've played chorus pedals for ages now and, when used properly, you can break out of the cliché 80's tone - you can even get some univibe adjacent tones if you push em hard.

So I’ve rounded up five chorus pedals that prove it, and all of them are under £50. The prices feel like they never left the 80s either. I’d buy that for a dollar.

A quick apology to the Plethora X1. I’m a big fan, but you’re over budget, so today isn’t about you. 

Shaevle Jam Choir – Two Knobs, Nothing to Mess Up

This is the one for anyone who’s never touched a chorus pedal. Two knobs and that’s your lot, so there isn’t much you can get wrong. You won’t get lush stereo, but it nails classic chorus for very little money. If you’re dipping a toe in, start here.

Sonicake Warped Dimension – Four Pedals in a Trench Coat

It’s chorus, phaser, flanger and tremolo in one box, so it’s easily the best bang for your buck on the list. No stereo outputs, but it still sounds rather lush, and there’s plenty of control to dial it in your way. If you want some movement in your tone without a board full of four stomp boxes, this is your pedal. Save space, save cash - it is a no-brainer!

Demon FX Mini Chorus – The Controversial One

Yes, Dmon FX again. It’s “heavily inspired” by the Analogman chorus, which makes it the most contentious pick here. (I’ve already had that debate with myself at length here) Ethics parked for a moment, you get loads of versatility for the money. That little depth toggle takes you from subtle shimmer to a full-on warble in one flick, and the three knobs give you plenty more to play with.

TC 3rd Dimension – The Odd One Out

Easily the weirdest pick, and I mean that kindly. It’s aiming at the Dimension C sound, a pedal and rack unit that not everyone knows. But if you’ve listened to any music from before 1990, you’ve heard it. It’s wide and glassy, and doesn’t sound quite like a normal chorus.  I'm sure I read somewhere that it was a favourite of the diminutive pop-diva Price, but don't quote me on that one.

The real win is the buttons. We’ve all dialled in the perfect tone, nudged a knob, and never found it again. Buttons make tones repeatable, which is a godsend for those of us who like to tinker.

Behringer Ultra Chorus – The Crowd Favourite

This is the most-watched chorus demo on the channel by a country mile. Some people assume a bright yellow box at around £25 won’t survive its first stomp. Those people are wrong. It’s aiming at the Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, and it sounds phenomenal.

It’s also the only pick here with stereo outputs. Well, sort of: one output is clean and the other is totally wet, a bit like the old jazz choruses did it. Treat yourself, go and run it in stereo. You get a super lush, super wide sounding chorus tone that shouldn't be this good for that little.

So, Which One’s Yours?

If I had to point you in the right direction:

Total beginner? Jam Choir.

Want lots of effects in one box? Warped Dimension.

Fancy a spot of controversy and a depth toggle? Mini Chorus.

Chasing something properly different? 3rd Dimension.

Want stereo on a budget? Ultra Chorus.

All the clips in the video come from the full pedal demos on the channel. I’ve got over 700 videos up now, and most of them are no-talking demos, so if you want to hear these properly, they’re waiting for you.

Which chorus tone was your favourite? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear what you think.

If you'd like any of these, consider using my affiliate links:

Behringer UC200

https://thmn.to/thoprod/111469?offid=1&affid=2735

TC 3rd Dimension

https://thmn.to/thoprod/435992?offid=1&affid=2735

Sonicake Warped Dimension (use code budgetpedalchap for 10% off)

https://www.sonicake.com/products/warped-dimension?sca_ref=1425095.S0avGvl0i2

DemonFX: Affordable Alternative or Straight-Up Copy?

Some companies clone a circuit. DemonFX sometimes seem to clone the name, the artwork and nearly the whole visual identity too.

So where's the line between an affordable take on a classic circuit and simply copying someone else's product?

DemonFX aren't squeaky clean here. But listen to the pedals and the argument gets more complicated.

I've been covering them since 2022 (the Prince of Tone in July, the Jan Ray in October), and we're now past 30 DemonFX pedals on the channel. So this isn't a take based on something that arrived in the post yesterday.

Why people buy them

The appeal is simple. You want a particular sound, and the original is expensive, scarce or stuck behind a waiting list. DemonFX get you into that territory now, for much less.

Most of these players aren't collecting boutique pedals. They want to plug in and get a usable sound without paying silly used-market prices. And honestly, can you blame them?

Where it gets awkward

Tube Screamer, Rat and Muff circuits have been reinterpreted for decades. They're common language. Trouble starts when a company copies a boutique pedal that's still on sale, with similar artwork or the same name.

The Jan Ray is the easy case to discuss. The original is an expensive low-gain overdrive known for a transparent, slightly pushed clean sound, a bit Timmy-like, and the DemonFX version gets you that idea for far less. But they've used the same name. I'm no lawyer, so take what I'm saying with a pinch of salt, but borrowing a circuit and a name is borrowing more than an electronic design. That's a pretty clear cut case, right?

The Prince of Tone is the more complicated one. Getting an Analogman King of Tone new has meant a waiting list that I hear can run to six years, and used prices can end up above new. The designer sees nothing from a used sale either. So is the DemonFX really worse? Possibly, because a used King of Tone is an authentic product changing hands, while a new DemonFX is a fresh sale built on someone else's design and identity. Simple fact is, if you want an Analogman one today, you can't get it... so are DemonFX terrible for plugging that gap?

The catch: some of them sound good

If they all sounded bad, this would be easy. Unfortunately, some sound pretty good. The AT-DS is one of the strongest performers in my DemonFX back catalogue, and that tells me people want to know if it delivers, not just whether there's drama. Then the defence changes: you're buying a sound, not a logo.

Fair enough. But most makers give a Rat, Screamer or Muff their own name, look and tweaks. DemonFX more often say "the thing you already know, but cheaper", whether that's a Keeley four-knob compressor, a Keeley Caverns (the Ravine) or an EarthQuaker Ghost Echo (the Ghast Echo). That isn't only about rare pedals.

The Behringer parallel only goes so far, too. Their case is that rare or discontinued gear becomes available to people who could never afford it. DemonFX use a similar argument for pedals that are still being sold.

So, where's the line?

It's personal, and it won't sit in the same place for everyone. For some players, the sound is all that matters. For others, the designer's ability to earn a living from their work matters just as much.

Are DemonFX good? Some, absolutely. Good value? Often. Squeaky clean? No. Is buying one wrong? That's up to you.

I'd love to hear where you land in the comments, but please be kind to each other. Does the name and artwork change things for you? And if the original is effectively unobtainable, is the copy easier to justify?