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If you play electric guitar, you are almost
certainly going to want to use digital effects pedals to provide you
with the range of sounds that you will want to have for the types of
music you wish to play. And if you are a particularly ambitious player,
you are probably going to want to create your own distinctive sound,
which can be done by the guitar you select and the way you match it to
your amplifier and speaker cabinet (use
this link for a good overview on that aspect of rig selection) and
augment it with the effects pedals that you select. You will want
to build an effects board consisting of electronic devices to process
the signals that you send from your guitar(s). Guitarists who feel the
need for an effects board are almost certainly players who will use more
than one guitar, and your effects board should give you the versatility
to quickly and easily select the correct sequence of signal processors
for the type of sounds each guitar is designed to produce.
On this page, we have provided some basic overview
information on the types of effects pedals available and how they are
used. And, once you have your pedal components, we provide guidance on
how to chain your effects to get the most out of them.
Overview of Pedal Effects for
Electric Guitar
|
TYPE OF EFFECT |
DESCRIPTION |
FLAVORS |
PURPOSE |
POPULAR/HIGHLY RATED MODELS |
Drive |
Drive effects are used to ‘push’ your guitar’s signal before it reaches
your amplifier. |
Overdrive: Pushes a clean sound so
that it breaks up slightly, giving it a warmer, thicker sound. It adds
sustain and volume. |
Blues, Rock |
|
Distortion: Like overdrive, it
pushes the signal coming from your guitar, but in a more extreme way,
adding thickness to the sound. |
Metal, Punk |
|
Reverb |
Adds warmth and depth to a clean tone by simulating the sound of your
guitar being played in a larger physical space. |
Many combo amplifiers have a reverb effect built in to their design
(e.g., Fender's famed spring reverb).
NOTE: Users of Head/Cabinet stacks typically need to add a reverb
pedal to their effects board. |
Universal (i.e., Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country, etc.) |
-
Strymon Blue Sky
-
Strymon Big Sky
-
Boss RV-6 Digital Reverb
-
TC Electronic Arena Reverb
-
Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Plus
-
Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Nano
-
Rowin LEF-662 Reverb Pedal
|
Delay/Looping |
Delay repeats a signal at pre-determined intervals. It is typically
applied to a clean sound.
Looping is a long-form version of delay, allowing a player to record an
entire passage that can then be looped to repeat. |
Delay: Repeats a played signal.
Looping: Records whole sections of
music so that it can be repeated while additional sections are played
over it. |
Pop, Experimental, Alternative |
|
Modulation |
Modulation effects add flavor and texture to tones. |
Chorus: Adds warmth to a signal by
mimicking it with a subtly detuned duplicate. |
Universal |
-
TC Electronic Corona Chorus
-
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
-
Electro-Harmonix Small Clone (Analog
Chorus)
-
Danelectro D-5 Fab
-
Boss CE-5 Stereo Chorus Ensemble
|
Phase:
Emulates the sweeping of the frequency band, alternating between cutting
the bass and treble frequencies. |
-
MXR M101 Phase 90 Phaser
-
Moog Moogerfooger MF-103
-
Strymon Mobius
-
Electro-Harmonix Nano Small Stone
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Pigtronix EP2 Envelop Phaser
-
Red Witch Deluxe Moon Phaser
-
TC Electronic TonePrint Helix Phase
-
Boss PH-3 Phase Shift
-
Whirlwind Rochester Orange Box Phaser
-
Behringer Vintage Phaser VP1
|
Tremolo:
Subtly alternates signal volume
in a repeated pattern. |
-
Diamond
-
Fulltone Supa-Trem ST-1
-
ZVex Vexter Series Sonar
-
BOSS AUDIO TR2
-
EHX Stereo Pulsar
|
Wah:
Emulates the human voice by using a bandpass filter or an overcoupled
lowpass filter that exhibits a resonant peak just at its lowpass rolloff
frequency. |
-
Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby® Multi-Wah
-
MXR MC404 CAE Dual Inductor
-
Morley VAI-2 Steve Vai Bad Horsie 2 Contour
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Dunlop GCB95 The Original Cry Baby
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Fulltone Clyde Deluxe
|
Flange:
Similar to the phasing effect, but more
extreme. |
|
Multi-fx |
Packages multiple effects in a single effects box that allows the user
to select and mix effects options. |
|
Universal (not typically used professionally) |
-
Boss ME-25
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BOSS GT-100
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Line 6 POD HD500X
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DigiTech RP1000
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Zoom G5
|
|
OTHER COMPONENTS: There are
components other than the effects described that may be added to your
signal processing, including a tuner, filters and other components
described below. |
Tuner |
Displays the frequency of individual notes
so that players can tune their instrument. |
Digital tuners should be the first component
in the effects box loop. You are always best advised to tune a straight,
un-modulated signal before it enters other effects. |
Universal |
Boss TU-3 Tuner
TC Electronic Polytune 2
Dr. Tone FTN101
TC Electronic Polytune 2 Mini |
|
Sequencing Effects Box Components
There are few rules for building an effects box
and chaining components, though how effects are chained does have a
dramatic impact on the tones and sounds that you will be able to use
your effects to produce. It comes down to how pure your signal needs to
be as it enters any chosen effects unit. The sequencing suggested here
takes the signal from pure/clean to various states of filter and
modulation. |
1. Chromatic Tuner |
Plug your guitar directly into the tuner.
You will then be able to tune a clean, unmodulated signal, which will
provide a constant tuning status state during live performance. Some
guitarists check their string bends in the tuner to make certain they
avoid being flat or sharp - especially useful in situations where you
might not be able to hear your own instrument with clarity. Some tuners
allow you to cut the signal from your guitar so that you can switch from
one instrument to the next using the same cable. |
2.(Optional) Signal Splitter - A/B Switch |
An A/B switch provides options for sending
your guitar's signal through alternative filter and effects chains, and
much more. Some guitarists keep two channels active, each providing its
own processing equipment, so they can easily move from one to the next
during a performance. For example, you might use a Channel A sequence to
pass a signal from your archtop to a low-wattage tube amp, and Channel B
to send the signal from your metal hardtop through a bunch of filters
and effects on its way to a full stack transistor amp. The potential
variations are endless, and the use of signal splitters is common among
touring professionals. Wide ranges in sound can be controlled with the
touch of a single foot-switch. You can also use the switch to kill the
signal while you switch instruments. |
3. Filters |
Filter pedals rely on a clean signal and
should be placed before modulation effects. |
4. Compressors |
Compressor pedals "level out" your guitar's
volume, boosting the volume of quieter tones. Place them before
modulation effects. |
5. Extreme Modulation: Overdrive and
Distortion |
These pedals generate and amplify the
overtones of each note played. |
6. Less Extreme Modulation: Chorus, Flanger,
Tremolo, Phaser. |
The order that you place these types of
modulators in is part of getting the sound coloration you may want. |
7. Volume Pedal |
Control the volume of filtered, modulated
signals. |
8. Delay Pedal |
For best control, place a delay pedal last
in the chain. |
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