If you’ve ever played guitar, you know how essential it is to have the right pedals. Whether you want to add different effects to your guitar solos or just want more variety when playing rhythm parts, having a wide pedalboard is a great way to expand your sound. And with so many different types of pedals on the market, there is sure to be one that fits your needs and style. Fortunately, understanding how guitar pedals work isn’t difficult. In this guide, we’ll break down everything from the most common pedal types and how they work to our top recommendations for new players and intermediate pedal users alike. So if you’re ready to unlock the secrets of what makes up a pedal board, read on!
What is a guitar pedal?
A guitar pedal is a type of effect used to modify or alter the sound coming from your guitar. You can use pedals to achieve a wide range of effects like distortion, delay, reverb, and many more. While there are many types of pedals, all guitar pedals work by receiving a signal from your guitar and then altering that signal. There are three main types of pedals used with electric guitars. – Distortion – Distortion pedals are the most popular type of guitar pedal. They typically produce a harsher, more intense sound than reverb or delay pedals, which produce a more ambient sound. Many distortion pedals also produce a lower pitched, raspy tone that’s great for blues, rock, or metal. – Filter – Filter pedals are similar to distortions in that they produce a harsher and more intense sound. However, filter pedals produce a much cleaner sound than distortion pedals. They’re great for producing jazz, classic rock, or pop sounds. – Reverb – Reverb pedals are typically used with electric guitars to add a sense of space and dimension to your sound. Reverb pedals come in many varieties and can produce different sounds from halls to rooms to even big concert halls.
Types of Guitar Pedals
Now that you know what a guitar pedal is, let’s take a closer look at the different types of pedals available. – Distortion – Distortion pedals alter your guitar’s sound by adding a harsher, more intense edge to your tone. They are typically the most popular type of pedal and are great for giving your tone a boost. While most distortion pedals produce a low tone, there are also many high-gain models that can produce a high-pitched sound. Most distortion pedals come with a variety of knobs and switches to control the amount of gain, tone, and distortion. – Delay – Delay pedals work in the same way as reverb pedals by producing a sense of space, depth, and dimension to your sound. However, delay pedals are typically cheaper and smaller than reverb pedals, making them better for use with electric guitars. – Modulation – Modulation pedals produce a variety of sounds that range from modulating the guitar’s pitch up or down to create a wah-wah effect. They are typically best used for solos and can be used to create interesting textures with your sound. – Overdrive – Overdrive pedals produce an exaggerated version of the overdrive tone heard on old tube amplifiers. Overdrive pedals typically range from mild to wild and produce a range of tones from blues to classic rock sounds. – Reverb – Reverb pedals produce a sense of space and dimension to your sound by imitating the sound of various rooms and spaces. Some reverb pedals also allow you to control the amount of echo as well as the type of reverb. – Wah-wah – Wah-wah pedals produce a sweeping waveform that can be used to create a wah-wah effect. They are typically best used with blues, funk, and jazz guitar.
How Guitar Pedals Work: A Step-Bystep Guide
Now that you know what a guitar pedal is and what types they produce, let’s take a closer look at how they work. – Effect – Most guitar pedals produce some type of effect – whether it’s distortion, delay, reverb, or modulation. Generally, the more expensive the pedal, the more effect it has. – Signal – As we mentioned before, a guitar pedal receives a signal from your guitar. This signal is then altered by the pedal to produce a sound of your choice. – Cabinet – Most guitar pedals have a metal housing with a volume knob and a switch that controls whether the signal is sent through your amp or not. Some pedals have a cabinet that houses the circuitry, which means you don’t need a separate amplifier.
Best Guitar Pedals for Beginners
If you’re new to guitar pedals, we recommend starting with one of these five pedals: The DigiTech RP Series RV-100 Random Volume RV-110 RV-120 Shuffling Guitar Synthesizer – The DigiTech RP Series is one of the most popular budget-friendly pedal boards on the market. It has a wide range of effects, including distortion, delay, reverb, modulation, and more. You can easily upgrade the RP Series with a different pedal or two and still have a great tone for less than $200. – The RV-100 is one of the most popular distortion pedals on the market. It’s great for beginners because it produces a smooth, mild tone with a wide range of gain levels that are easily adjusted with the onboard knobs. – The RV-110 is a delay pedal with a built-in expression pedal that can be used to control up to three parameters including delay time, rate, and decay. – The Shuffling Guitar Synthesizer is a unique effect that produces a wide range of sounds by splitting your guitar signal into five frequencies and playing them on an organ-style keyboard. The synthesizer is great for adding interest to your solos and creating interesting textures with your rhythm parts.
Guitar Pedals for Intermediate Players
If you’re an intermediate guitarist, we recommend investing in a good multi-effect pedal or modeling pedal. They enable you to use a variety of guitar effects simultaneously, which can create a huge range of sounds for a small price. – A multi-effect pedal typically consists of a variety of effects, including distortion, reverb, delay, modulation, and more. They are typically designed for use with electric guitars and provide a wide range of effects for a small price. – A modeling pedal is similar to a multi-effect pedal, except it produces sounds based on classic guitar pedals. Some modeling pedals come with presets that emulate famous guitar pedals like the Fender Stratocaster and Minimoog synthesizers.
Guitar Pedals for Professionals
For experienced guitarists, a pedal board is a great way to expand your sound and add new styles of playing to your playing vocabulary. Pedals are typically more durable than rackmounted effects, making them great for musicians who travel and use their equipment on-stage. – If you’re looking for a pedal board that’s more durable and can handle the wear and tear of on-stage use, we recommend checking out the Electro-Harmonix Metal Zone. It’s a great pedal board for guitarists who want to take their sound to the next level. With these tips, you should be prepared to find the right pedals for your playing needs. If you want to take your playing to the next level, we recommend investing in a pedal board. They are the ultimate way to expand your sound and add new styles of playing to your playing vocabulary.