TC Electronic pedals are a bit difficult to single out because they're all quite good. As a company, TC Electronic is one of the more underrated pedal manufacturers, though their market presence has increased in recent years. Most of the pedals are built with a digital processor and true bypass connection, though the sound quality is almost always better than what you would expect from a typical digital pedal. They do a great job of providing value by not sounding cheap or too quiet.
- TonePrint via USB
- True bypass
- Mid to lower price range
- Digital signal processor
This is a list of the best TC Electronic pedals that I've put together based on personal experience and actual use. I've owned and/or rented all of the pedals in this list, to make sure I can give you a sincere and first-hand account. Keep in mind, I've made no distinction between effect categories. I've instead targeted the pedals that I've owned or at least used in some capacity. There are five total in the following table.
Best TC Electronic Pedals (top 5 picks)
Pedal | Name | RatE | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster | 85.5 | |
 | TC Electronic Dark Matter Distortion | 91.7 | |
 | TC Electronic Hall of Fame (HOF) Reverb | 95.8 | |
 | TC Electronic Flashback Mini Delay 2 | 87.5 | |
 | TC Electronic Mojo Mojo Overdrive | 86.8 |
The TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal.
1. TC Electronic Flashback Mini Delay 2
BEST FOR: Small pedalboards, slapback, and budgets.
TONE
89
EQ/CONTROL
85
VERSATILITY
86
COST/VALUE
88
- Small size conserves space
- True bypass connection
- Three-band EQ for ambience
- Tone quality is similar to the larger version of the pedal
- No tap tempo
- Tone quality has its limits
The Flashback's second mini version does have tap tempo, which is surprising in a pedal this small. Also, max delay time gets up to seven seconds. It does a good job of replicating the solid tone quality of the full Flashback, which we'd also recommend. The Mini version is just a much better deal at nearly half the price, yet still manages to get you a lot of the functionality seen in the full Flashback version.
The larger version of the TC Electronic Flashback delay.
It's a little better for slapback delay styles, where you don't have to set the tempo, though the Mini has a lot of other applications as well. The second version of the Mini adds the MASH expression functionality and a USB port for TonePrint compatibility. You'll need a 9V DC power supply.
Read more: Best Guitar Pedal Power Supplies
2. TC Electronic Mojo Mojo Overdrive
BEST FOR: Vintage tube amp fans/users.
TONE
88
EQ/CONTROL
88
VERSATILITY
85
COST/VALUE
86
- Bass adds a lot to the higher notes
- Vintage/cranked tube tone
- Does a great job of emphasizing right hand dynamics
- Bass response is awesome everywhere
- Doesn't do heavy distortion
This Mojo Mojo overdrive pedal is a lesser-known member of the TC Electronic lineup, but a good solution for those wanting a pedal that can emulate a pushed tube amp. You get a lot of warmth and smoothness with some distinctly percussive lows. Even higher notes sound thick and full without being overly saturated or too messy. It's a simple overdrive pedal that provides a lot of great sounds, and what we'd consider a diamond in the rough of overdrive pedals.
3. TC Electronic Dark Matter Distortion
BEST FOR: Versatility between modern and vintage distorted tones.
TONE
89
EQ/CONTROL
79
BUILD/STRENGTH
95
COST/VALUE
92
- Versatile tone profile
- Can handle both modern and vintage tones
- High gain sounds nice and full
- True bypass
- Great price point
- Not a ton of control
- High gain can sound a little too messy on occasion
The Dark Matter is significantly cheaper than most other TC Electronic pedals. It's also cheaper than a lot of the distortion pedals I recommend. But what I like most about the Dark Matter is the gain profile having a foot in both vintage and modern styles. As a result, it sounds good on high and low gain settings, giving it a wide variety of applications.
The TC Electronic Dark Matter hanging out on my dining room table.
The control scheme is simple with a gain and level knob set over a two-band EQ with a bass and treble knob.
For midrange, the "VOICE" switch gives you a little bit of variety, but when I tested it, the switch seemed to have less of an impact than I would have hoped. Most of the variety came from adjusted the gain control and the bass knob.
Even then, the gain control gives you such a wide range of saturation that it was easy to jump from vintage distortion to a modern, almost metal-sounding gain level. In its price range, it's tough to beat.
Read the full review: TC Electronic Dark Matter
4. TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster
BEST FOR: Acoustic rigs, simple volume boosts.
TONE
95
EQ/CONTROL
60
BUILD/STRENGTH
95
COST/VALUE
90
- Small design
- Completely analog
- Up to 20 db of boost
- Improved tone quality, good to have on all the time
- None
Another top cheap guitar pedal candidate from TC Electronic is the Spark Mini Booster, which is a really simple boost pedal that also seems to upgrade your tone quality in a way that's difficult to explain. I've tested it with an electric guitar, bass, and my acoustic rig for when I play at church. Particularly when paired with an acoustic guitar, it just sounds really full and vibrant.
The tiny Spark Mini Booster.
Even if I didn't want the signal boost, the sound coming out of my acoustic was just more full and lively than I got without it. Whenever I use the Spark I typically set it to match the output I want and then just leave it on the entire time. It's an easy win for your rig and your wallet.
5. TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb
BEST FOR: All ambient effects needs.
TONE
90
EQ/CONTROL
90
BUILD/STRENGTH
90
COST/VALUE
73
- 11 different reverb modes
- True bypass
- Stereo i/o
- Three-band ambience EQ
- Some of the modes are hard to distinguish from one another
- On the expensive side of the aisle
While I've always thought the Hall of Fame pedals (currently two versions out) were a little over-priced, I've also found them to be some of the most usable digital reverb pedals on the market. You get 11 different modes and plenty of control, which allows you to run the table between subtle ambience and deep ethereal saturation.
As with the Spark, I've used it both in electric and acoustic guitar rigs. It can be a little difficult to discern a difference between some of the modes, depending on how you have parameters set. When I use reverb, I prefer a more subtle layer of ambience, with a shorter trail, which means part of the melding of sounds was just because of the way I use them.
The first TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal.
But for its size and price, the Hall of Fame functions more like the old Line 6 modeling pedals than a single switch stomp box.
For the price, it's another high-value option and one of my favorite recommendations.
If you're thinking about pulling the trigger on this one, check out used options before you buy new. Also consider there are two versions out, as of December 2020, the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame 2. There's a "mini" version of this pedal as well.
Honorable Mentions
In addition to the pedals mentioned here, there are a few TC Electronic honorable mentions that didn't get their own product highlight above. Some of them I'm less familiar with but have heard equally good things about. Others are just more utilities that are difficult to "highlight" in the same way.
- Ditto Looper
- PolyTune 3 Tuner
- Corona Chorus
- Hall of Fame Mini Reverb
- Vortex Flanger
The TC Electronic Pedal Series Lineup
Like many pedal manufacturers, TC Electronic breaks their stompboxes down into three different sizes:
- Mini series
- Medium or "normal" size
- Large-form
The typical TC Electronic pedal is about the size of a mid-level Boss stompbox, like the Boss DS-1. Here's a picture of the Hall of Fame just for reference:
Size of the TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal.
Why pick these?
When I'm looking for the best TC Electronic pedals I'm trying to find a decent combination of price, quality, and functionality within the brand name. For example, the Hall of Fame mini has so much functionality stripped out of it (compared to the regular HOF) that it wasn't worth highlighting because you'd be better off with the other version.
At the same time, the mini version of the Flashback still does a lot of what the regular flashback does. In that scenario, the Mini version gets the edge.
But there's some subjectivity involved too, because these are the TC Electronic pedals I've owned and/or tested myself. That's a big part of how we select pedals to be on roundup lists like this one.
Your TC Electronic Pedal Experience
But what about you? What are your favorite TC Electronic pedals, or which ones have you owned before? Maybe there are a few you've owned that you wish you hadn't. Anything is fair game in the comments section below. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and perspectives there.
More Guitar pedal Roundups
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Pedals & Roundups
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Pedals & Roundups
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Our disclosure↬
The mini flashback does not use a 9v battery as an option. It only uses a 9v adapter.
Thanks for clarifying, John. Corrected.