Scope: Stompbox-format audio effects pedals and the controllers (loopers, expression/volume pedals, MIDI/switching controllers) that work alongside them on a guitar/bass pedalboard; excludes standalone tuners/metronomes (own leaf), amps, and cases.

Seed:
1. The musical-pedals equivalent of "weave" (the real split under a marketed generic trap): true-bypass-vs-buffered/analog-vs-digital is marketed like thread count (bigger number = better), but the real expert fork is effect_category (the job) crossed with circuit_type; a buffered pedal is often the better engineering choice despite "true bypass" sounding more premium.
2. Ship's-cook persona notices first: the power budget — current draw (mA) and plug polarity/isolation — because running a digital board off an unfiltered daisy chain is the pedal-world version of running out of propane mid-voyage.

Sources:
[wikipedia_effects_unit] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_unit — signal chain order (tuner, compressor, octave, wah, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, EQ, tremolo) + effect taxonomy + true bypass def — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_distortion] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distortion_(music) — soft/asymmetric vs hard/symmetric vs square-wave clipping — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_wah_wah] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah-wah_pedal — auto-wah envelope follower, expression pedal concept — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_guitar_pedalboard] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_pedalboard — pedalboard = platform + integrated power supply — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_delay_audio_effect] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delay_(audio_effect) — 2290 looping upgradeable to 32s; analog tape/oil-can/solid-state/digital types — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_reverberation] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverberation — spring reverb tanks reference — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_chorus_effect] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorus_effect — detuned delayed copy mixed with dry — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_flanging] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanging — swept comb filter via varying short delay — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_phaser_effect] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaser_(effect) — all-pass filter stages, peaks/notches — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_tremolo] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo — amplitude-variation tremolo def — fetched excerpt
[wikipedia_midi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI — MMA standard body; program change vs control change — fetched excerpt
[boss_ds1_spec] https://www.boss.info/us/products/ds-1/ — 10 mA current draw, 9V battery/PSA adaptor — fetched excerpt
[boss_rc5_spec] https://www.boss.info/us/products/rc-5/ — 13 hrs stereo recording, 99 phrase memories, 170 mA — fetched excerpt
[boss_es8_spec] https://www.boss.info/us/products/es-8/ — 8+1 loops, 800 patches, MIDI I/O/Thru, TRS exp/control, 400 mA — fetched excerpt
[strymon_timeline_spec] https://www.strymon.net/product/timeline/ — true bypass relay + selectable trails, 9VDC center-neg 300mA min, 200 presets, MIDI, expression in, stereo looper — fetched excerpt
[voodoolab_pp2plus_spec] https://www.voodoolab.com/products/pedal-power-2-plus/ — 8 isolated outputs, 100/250mA, 9/12/18/24V, center-negative 5.5x2.1mm standard — fetched excerpt

Branches:
- product_type=single_effect_pedal -> ask effect_category/bypass_type/circuit_type; makes loop/switcher facets irrelevant — supported by effects_unit's category taxonomy being pedal-specific, not shared with loopers/switchers.
- product_type=looper_pedal -> ask loop_recording_capacity/preset_storage — supported by RC-5 spec being judged on recording time/memories, not clipping or bypass.
- product_type=volume_expression_pedal -> ask expression_pedal_jack only — supported by wah-wah wiki's expression-pedal-as-pure-controller framing.
- product_type=switching_midi_controller -> ask switcher_loop_count/midi_support/patch_memory_count — supported by ES-8 spec being judged on loop count/patches/MIDI, not clipping or recording time.
- effect_category=gain_distortion -> ask clipping_character — supported by distortion wiki's clipping-style section.
- effect_category=time_based_delay_reverb -> ask trails_on_bypass/tap_tempo — supported by Strymon Timeline spec listing both as named features specific to delay.
- product_type=multi_effect_processor -> ask amp_cab_modeling/ir_loading_support/effect_block_count — supported by BOSS GX-100 spec (32 amp models, 15 simultaneous blocks, onboard cabs + WAV IR loading) and Line 6 HX Stomp spec (amp modeling, 6 amp/cab/effect/IR blocks, HX Cabs/IRs).
- product_type=volume_expression_pedal -> ask volume_pedal_output_jack/volume_pedal_minimum_level/volume_pedal_potentiometer_value — supported by Ernie Ball volume-pedals page (mono 250k vs stereo-TRS 500k, MVP minimum-volume knob) and Dunlop Volume (X) Mini page (AUX tuner/expression jack, internal minimum-level pot).
- effect_category=modulation -> ask tap_tempo — supported by BOSS MD-500 spec (modulation processor; footswitches offer tap tempo) and Strymon Flint spec (tremolo speed knob doubles as Tap Division).
- effect_category=dynamics_eq/pitch_harmony/filter_wah -> makes_irrelevant clipping_character/trails_on_bypass/tap_tempo — inferred from wikipedia_effects_unit's taxonomy: these categories aren't gain-staged or time-based, so clipping style and tail/tap-tempo questions don't apply.

Noise (spec-sheet rows with no facet):
- Price, brand, star rating — excluded per rule (never facets).
- Weight/dimensions in inches — physical fitment detail, not an expert-judgment axis beyond enclosure_format tier already captured.
- Finish/color, country of manufacture, warranty length — marketing/logistics rows, not expertise.
- Included cables/power supply in box — purchase-bundle detail, not a product-judgment facet.
- LED color/brightness — cosmetic, not functional.

Corrections (2026-10-26):
- Added product_type=multi_effect_processor with amp_cab_modeling/ir_loading_support/effect_block_count facets (GX-100, HX Stomp spec sheets) so amp-and-cab-modeling floor units no longer fall into single_effect_pedal.
- Replaced the volume_expression_pedal branch's expression_pedal_jack ask with volume_pedal_output_jack/volume_pedal_minimum_level/volume_pedal_potentiometer_value, which describe the pedal being bought (Ernie Ball, Dunlop DVP4 spec pages).
- Reclassified midi_support and patch_memory_count from source=listing to source=researched (patch_memory_count backfill_cost low->medium); both were only confirmed on brand spec sheets in this check.
- Cited the modulation->tap_tempo branch leg with boss_md500_spec and strymon_flint_spec; documented the previously-uncited dynamics_eq/pitch_harmony/filter_wah makes_irrelevant legs in Branches above.
- Added a "TRS (tip-ring-sleeve)" vocabulary entry, cited to wikipedia_trs_connector, before its use in expression_pedal_jack.
- Reworded the RC-5 reference's "13 hours" line and loop_recording_capacity's listing_field_hint to state it's total time summed across all 99 memories, not a single-loop figure.