How to Use Guitar Effects on a Pedal or an Amp
For many electric guitarists, half the fun of playing the instrument comes from getting to use an effects pedal to change the sound coming from the instrument. There are hundreds of effects pedals on the market, ranging from cheap to high end. The most popular effects include distortion, wah, delay and chorus.
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Things You'll Need
- Guitar
- Pedal board
- Pedal board connector cables
- Amp
- Pedal coupler cables
- Instrument cables
Instructions
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1
Plug the foot pedal from the amp into the jack on the amp. Adjust the controls on the amp to choose the level of distortion you want. After plugging in the guitar, activate the amp's distortion circuit by pushing in the button on your foot pedal with your foot. With some amps, the foot pedal switches on vibrato instead of distortion, but the principle is the same.
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2
Lay out your effects pedals on your pedal board. Generally, players like a wah pedal to be first in the chain, then distortion, then chorus or delay, but you can experiment to find the best order with your particular effects. Plug in the power jumpers from your pedal board into the power jacks on the pedals.
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3
Connect the pedals with pedal coupler cables. Run an instrument cable into the first effect from your guitar, then run an instrument cable from the last effect to your amp.
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4
Match the volume levels. Some players prefer that effects have a transparent sound instead of a boost, so check the output levels on your pedals. Play a chord on your guitar with no effects on, then turn on the effects pedal by pushing it in with your foot and play the chord and see if the volume levels are the same. Adjust the level on the pedal until it is the same.
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5
Experiment with different settings. All effects pedals have controls that let you control the depth of the effect; find the sound that works best for your playing by adjusting the controls on the pedal (usually speed and depth) until you get the sound you want.
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Tips & Warnings
Check the voltages on your pedals; some pedals run better with higher input voltages, while some use lower voltages. Make sure the power cables on your pedal board are compatible with the effects so you don't short them out.
