How to Put Together an Effects Pedal Board

The effects you choose for your pedal board will shape your sound as a musician.

Putting together an effects pedal board requires a bit of testing and research in order to figure out which particular effects to choose; once the pedals have been selected, they can be set up in any order on a pedal board to achieve different tones and sounds.

Instructions

1. Decide which style of music the effects will be used for (e.g., metal, rock, pop).

   Distortion pedals work very well for heavy metal types of music, while overdrive and fuzz pedals generally work best for rock and pop.

2. Visit a local music store and spend an afternoon trying out various guitar effect pedals until the desired sound is created.

3. Purchase at least three pedals and use them to build a basic sound; most effects pedal boards consist of pedals that are geared towards an overdrive or distortion, a modulation-type such as a chorus or flanger and a delay or reverb.

4. Experiment with different effects pedal brands. One company's overdrive pedal might sound better than another's. The sound is often subjective, so use your own ears to decide what ultimately sounds the best.

5. Set up the effects on a pedal board in any desired order. Although the standard rule of thumb is to begin a signal chain with a distortion or overdrive, with any modulation effects in the middle and the delay or reverb at the end of the chain, there are no set rules. Experiment setting up the pedals in different orders to achieve different sounds and tones.

Tips & Warnings

• Research your favorite guitarists and find out which effects they used to get their particular sound; even if they used effects from the 1950s or 60s, many companies make similar sounding effects pedals. These copies are far cheaper than the original pedal.

References

• Finding the Right Pedals for Your Rig; Tom Hughes
• The Top 3 Pedals (Almost) Every Guitarist Needs
• Setting Up a Guitar Effects Pedalboard; 2009