How to Choose Guitar Effect Pedals
When you're chasing a specific guitar sound, an effects pedal can help you get it. Pedals use electronic circuitry to manipulate your guitar signal. Effects can add subtle qualities to your tone, or they can make your instrument sound like something else completely: an ambient choir, a baby crying, an airplane whooshing by, water dripping in a cave. While pedals aren't always necessary, they can lend your tone some emotional and dynamic diversity.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Know what the basic types of pedals do. Overdrive/distortion pedals add gain and grit to your tone. Chorus pedals thicken the sound by sending a slightly detuned signal through to the amp. Phasers, flangers, wah pedals and the like all manipulate equalization to create their signature effects. Pitch shifters and other modulators add octaves and harmony, tremolo pedals give the tone a shimmering, pulsating quality, and delay pedals produce an echo effect.
-
2
Listen for guitar sounds you enjoy. Read guitar magazines, fan sites and band sites to learn which effects your favorite guitarists favor. Certain guitarists use effects sparingly, while others make them a staple of their sound. For example, the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus pedal is featured heavily on Nirvana's "Nevermind" record; the MXR phase 90 is a longtime favorite of Edward Van Halen, and U2's The Edge builds his sound and crafts his parts around the use of a delay pedal.
-
-
3
Decide between variety and specificity. If you want to use several effects and switch quickly between different combinations, consider a multi-effects unit. These buffet-like devices allow mixing and matching in one compact housing. If you want one specific sound, go with a single-effect unit. They allow less flexibility as to the general spectrum of sound, but more flexibility within the parameters of the effect. For example, a single-effect flanger generally has a more dramatic sonic sweep than a flanger setting on a multi-effects unit.
-
4
Try several versions of the same effect. Pedals vary greatly by manufacturer and model. Differentiating factors include price, circuitry, construction, and the use of digital or analog technology. For example, guitarists who strive for vintage sounds generally favor analog effects, and those who play live frequently require pedals that use durable metal housing.
-
5
Consider "signature" pedals. Digital technology has enabled manufacturers to make pedals that recreate certain guitarists' approximate amp and effects settings.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
When trying out effects, use your guitar and amp if possible. Different guitars and amps can make pedals sound drastically different.
