NAMM 2026: Polyend Endless is a new customizable effects pedal that allows you to prompt or even code from scratch your favorite FX pedal.
There will be tons of new guitar pedals at NAMM 2026 in the coming days. However, some will stand out from the crowd—for example, the Hugo prototype from Poly Effects or the new Polyend pedal.
At NAMM 2026, Polyend unveiled Endless, a fully customizable effects pedal and FX platform, using your own code or with AI.
Polyend Endless
Endless is a new stereo guitar FX pedal, or rather, an open-source platform. Out of the box, the Polyend pedal is “empty”, but you can fill it yourself with endless, colorful effects palettes. You don’t need to be a skilled developer for this.
Polyend has developed Playground, a text-based builder that turns natural-language descriptions into compiled, ready-to-load effects, aka prompts. Describe an idea, download the file, and drop it into the pedal.
If you are not happy with the result, you can ask for improvements and get new results without coding. Polyend doesn’t explicitly state that it’s AI, but I’m pretty sure that artificial intelligence is at work in the background.
Playground – Create All Kinds Of Effects
The developers promise it can generate all kinds of effects, from reverbs and amp sims to loopers and drives, or something completely new.
We’ll have to see how the generated effects turn out. I expect both good and bad results, as is typical with text-to… editors. From the start, it includes the following algorithms:
- Multidrive — multiband drive with selectable bands and multiple drive modes.
- Tessera — transforms a signal into micro-looping arpeggios.
- Tape Scanner — warm, gritty, lo-fi tape delay.
- VHS Lo-Fi — VHS emulation from “fresh” to “dusty.
- Memory Cloud — a field of grains that can be reversed, randomized, and morphed from delay to reverb.
- 65’ Sparkle — amp simulation tuned for edge-of-breakup sweetness.
- Glitch Loop — records a loop, then slices it into glitchy pieces on playback.
- Arp — an arpeggiating pitch shifter with multiple playback modes.
Alternatively, you can build your own DSP effects in C++ using Polyend’s GitHub SDK. Once done, copy them over using a USB-C cable.
According to Polyend, community effects are free to download, and new effects are added daily. However, the Playground app uses a token system that applies only when generating new effects.
Good, there are no subscription or cloud fees, but micro transactions that can become a bottomless pit.
Hardware With Swappable Faceplates
The pedal has a custom-made aluminum enclosure and looks a bit unspectacular, with dual-layer three knobs, two foot switches, and a multicolor LED. Hold on to access analog preamp level, master output, and wet/dry mix.
A cool idea, however, is the swappable faceplate system. It ships with a blank plate at launch, and more designs and DIY specs will be available.
On the connection side, you have a 6.3mm stereo input, a stereo output on two 6.3mm mono sockets, an expression pedal input, a USB-C port, and a 9VDC power supply input.
Polyend Endless lets you switch between stereo, mono, and mono-to-stereo configurations on the fly.
Polyend Endless First Impression
At first glance, this is a fascinating concept for an FX pedal. The “AI”-driven text-to-effect editor is particularly intriguing. I’ll be interested in testing it out and seeing how far the engine can be pushed. My only concern is the microtransaction, since I’m not a fan.
Polyend Endless is available for pre-order now at $299/299€. Shipping starts February 22, 2026. New units include a blank faceplate and $20 in Playground tokens. Playground (beta) access is available to registered Endless owners.
More information here: Polyend
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