How to Set Up a Guitar Effect Rack

Many guitarists prefer rack mounted effects; others prefer pedal boards.

Electric guitar effects greatly extend the sonic range of an instrument, from making subtle changes providing depth to creating instantly recognizable, signature sounds that define an artist or genre. Accessories include distortions in flavors from mild to wild, phasers, flangers, choruses and echos and less glamorous pedals like compressors, noise gates, splitters and tuners. The order in which various effects are connected has a huge influence on how each effect sounds and how they work together. While there are no absolute rules, there are some guidelines which serve as an excellent starting point.

Things You'll Need

• Multiple guitar effects units
• Short 1/4-inch phone plug patch cables
• Mounting system

Instructions

1. Place effects like wah pedals and equalizers first in your effects sequence. That is, plug the guitar directly into effects of this type, then connect the "Out" jack to next effect. The idea is that you want the downstream effects to modify guitar tone, and these units alter that.

2. Connect distortion-type effects next in sequence in which you want to modify the sound. These are typically preamplifier substitutes and as such will modify the sound of anything connected before them, including noise, therefore they need to come early in the chain. If there is a place to start breaking rules, it is here. Sometimes distortion effects will sound better first in sequence rather than connecting them in a different order.

3. Plug in modulation effects next. These are processors such as phase shifters, flangers and chorus pedals. They add a swirling effect to the guitar sound that gets buried if placed before distortion. Often these units have a stereo output, so can be run to two separate amps.

4. Hook up time-altering effects last, units like reverbs and echoes. In some guitar amps, reverb units are built in just before the power amp stage. For these you may want to add the foot switch from the amp to your pedal board.

5. Devise a system to organize and connect effects for foot switching. This may be as simple as a board with hook-and-loop fasteners, or something creative like an old suitcase.

Tips & Warnings

• Effects loops are a feature of many amps. These are useful for modulation and time-based effects.

• Some effects units can add extreme volume to your signal when switched on. Take care to use reasonable volume while creating your effects system to protect your hearing.

References

• Gibson.com: Using Guitar Effects, June 2009

Resources

• How to build a Guitar Pedal Board - Using a suitcase!