1. Quick links
2. Editor's picks
3. Black Friday FAQ
4. Shopping tips
5. How we choose
6. Why trust us
7. Last year's top deals
Black Friday is easily one of the best times of year to grab a stompbox-related bargain - and luckily the offers have arrived earlier than ever! That's right, the early Black Friday deals are in full swing and we are seeing some truly spectacular discounts already.
For example, Sweetwater is currently offering up to 70% off a wide range of guitar gear - and yes that includes pedals. Elsewhere, you'll find up to 30% off a wide variety of popular models in Fender's Holiday sale and up to 40% off at Musician's Friend.
Over the last few years of covering this mega sales event, we've seen huge discounts applied to all the big-name brands, such as Boss, MXR, JHS, TC Electronic, NUX, Pigtronix, and so many more – and we'll be sure to see more of the same this year.
Of course, it's not only heavily discounted stompboxes on offer, there are also deals to be had on patch cables, pedalboard power supplies, and everything else you may need to build your dream pedalboard.
From now until Cyber Weekend, we'll be searching high and low for the very best pedal deals we can find, so be sure to bookmark this page and return regularly to see what we uncover. We've also answered a few frequently asked questions surrounding Black Friday and included some handy shopping tips as well.
Black Friday guitar pedal deals: Quick links
Below you'll find all the latest music sales ahead of this year's Black Friday music deals being announced.
- Sweetwater: Up to 70% off a wide range of guitar gear
- Guitar Center: Up to 35% off big-name brands
- Fender: Up to 30% off a range of guitars
- Musician's Friend: Up to 40% off in their Holiday Sale
- Fender Play: 50% off annual subscription
- GuitarTricks: Get 1 month for $1
- Positive Grid: Savings on Spark amp bundles
- Reverb: Up to 66% off early Black Friday sale
- Thomann: Shop the hottest deals Thomann has to offer
- Andertons: Up to £296 off the PRS SE Silver Sky
Black Friday guitar pedal deals: Editor's picks
Black Friday is a couple of weeks, but there are some great offers floating around already. These are our current top picks.
Black Friday guitar pedal deals: FAQ
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday 2023 will land on Friday, 24 November. The deals will extend across that weekend (also known as Cyber Weekend) before finishing with a bang on with Cyber Monday guitar deals on 27 November.
The deals won't be restricted to those four days, though. Previous experience tells us that some of the best Black Friday guitar deals will emerge well in advance of the event – so keep checking this page to see what epic deals we uncover.
Should I buy guitar gear online during Black Friday?
If you're concerned about buying a guitar or other gear on Black Friday without playing it first, you needn’t be. Online music instrument retailers like Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend and Sweetwater offer hassle-free returns as standard, so you can purchase a guitar, play it in the comfort and privacy of your home and, if it’s not right, send it back without issue.
You should check the specific returns policy for your chosen retailer before you purchase, but most offer between 30-45 days to return an item, as long as it’s in original condition.
What else can I buy during Black Friday 2023?
It's not just about the Black Friday guitar deals in November. Aside from music-making gear discounts, you'll find bargains on great tech like robot vacuum cleaners, iPads, MacBook Pros and Amazon Echos – and you can even pick up groceries, pet food and dishwasher tablets – but it’s the guitar deals we’ll be looking out for.
Black Friday guitar pedal deals: Shopping tips
Got your eye on a few things and wondering whether Black Friday is the time to buy? Here's a few tips from our personal experience that will ensure you're ready to strike if the gear you want is up for grabs:
1. Create a wishlist early - The most sensible way to take advantage of this year's Black Friday music deals is to know in advance what you’re looking for. This will make searching much easier, rather than having to trawl through loads of deals you don’t want to find the ones you do, or pondering things you don't need. To help you create your dream shopping list, take the time to explore our expert and up-to-date buying guides and reviews.
2. Work out what you actually need - Check out your favourite brands, see what you need and will genuinely use - don’t waste your cash and fill your basket with stuff that will never truly see any action.
3. Consider your music goals - What do you want to achieve with your music over the next 12 months or so? Do you want to gig more? Learn a new instrument? Or finally, record your songs? Now could be the time to invest in gear that helps you fulfil your musical aspirations.
4. Streamline your current gear - Something else you should consider ahead of time is whether you have enough space in your collection for new gear. Could you offload some gear you don't use to make room and generate funds for some new gear?
5. Sign up to mailing lists - In addition to bookmarking this page, we'd recommend signing up to mailing lists of your favourite retailers now to get the jump on the best deals when they do come around.
What to expect
As you'd expect, all major musical instrument retailers get in on the Cyber Monday action, slashing prices on a wealth of products, services and of course, guitar pedals!
Last year we saw money off all the pedal big hitters, with the prices slashed on everything from Boss to MXR, JHS to TC Electronic - and we have our fingers crossed we'll see the same this year.
Now, if you have all the pedals you'd ever need, Cyber Monday is still a great time to stock on pedalboards and pedal accessories such as patch cables, power supplies and carry cases.
Black Friday guitar pedal deals: How we choose deals
Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar-related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products we recommend.
First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want to match other players with the right products for them, at the best prices.
For us to recommend a deal it has to be a product we rate that’s a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers where you will have a positive shopping experience.
Black Friday guitar pedal deals: Why you can trust us
We spend a lot of our time scouring guitar retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite gear. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides, but we’re also dedicated to helping players get the best deals for the gear they need, too. After all, the only thing better than new gear day is a hearty discount.
We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, Black Friday, 4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.
