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Guitar Effects Pedals: 5 Pedals Everyone Should Own
So, you've got your guitar rig, amp, and some skills under your belt. You're looking to spice up your sound a bit with some effects, but you're not sure what kind to get, what they do, or anything else about them for that matter. Not to worry, choosing pedals is relatively simple. There are only a few major types, and though you can get many others kinds, keeping things simple is usually the best approach. In this article, I will outline the different types of pedals available, what you can expect from them, and how to choose the best model.
First and foremost, a gooding tuner pedal is an essential accessory for any gigging musician. Sure, you might be able to tune by ear just fine under normal circumstances, but things might get a bit harder on a noisy stage. A tuner pedal cuts off the signal from your guitar (so your audience doesn't have to hear the tuning process), and gives you visual indicators as you tune your string, allowing you to keep in perfect tune even in the most difficult of conditions. Though this isn't an "effects pedal," its such a key item that I still needed to mention it.
A reverb pedal is perhaps one of the best basic pedals you can get. Unless you're fortunate enough to own an amp with high quality built in reverb, you probably don't have a really good reverb sound available. Reverb adds a lot of depth and atmosphere to a piece of music. Of course, like many effects, it can be easily over used, but in moderation it is excellent. There are many types of reverb, ranging from high tech digital designs to really basic technologies. One of the most sought after reverb types is modeled after the spring reverb found in early Fender amplifiers. These are expensive, but they do give a very lovely vintage tone. If you're interested in a reverb unit, be sure to listen (and play through, if possible) each pedal to see if it has a sound that suites you well.
The most commonly desired pedal by many players is the distortion pedal. A distortion pedals, as its name implies, distorts the signal from your guitar to give a distinctive sound. Of course, there are many ways of accomplishing this distortion, so every pedal has its own unique sound. It's hard to give general guidelines for choosing a distortion pedal, since every one is completely different, but you should definitely make sure that your pedal does not sound too harsh. This harshness is a common flaw with cheaper or lower quality distortion pedals, so try to buy quality.
Another essential pedal is the delay pedal. A delay pedals plays back your guitar sample in a loop, with a given decay. It's a little hard to explain, but if you listen to almost all songs by U2, or "Run Like Hell" by Pink Floyd, you'll hear the effect clearly. It's a fairly complicated effect and requires precise timing to get the repeated loops to sound in rhythm, but the final effect is worth it. Definitely a pedal to check out. One of the most important aspects of choosing the delay pedal is that it has intuitive controls. You don't want to be fussing around with a bunch of fiddly controls on stage.
For the final pedal, I recommend getting whatever you want. This may seem like a copout on my part, but I can't speak at all to your personal sound and style. If you're going for a trippy sound, try a flanger. If you need a wah pedal, by all means get one. The point is, sound is very personal, and nobody else can tell you what to get. Shop around, play around, and you're sure to get the pedal board of your dreams.
About the Author
David Wilson is a musician and webmaster. He encourages you strongly to visit Guitar Effects Pedals to get great deals on guitar effects pedals, as well as read some more articles on the subject.
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Excellent $17.99 Track Listing: 1. She's a Yo-Yo - (from "Condition Blue"), 2. Mister Odd - (from "Cult Of The Basement"), 3. She's on Drugs - (from "Cult Of The Basement"), 4. Bicycle Kid - (from "Big Planet Scarey Planet"), 5. Get It Wrong - (from "Fishcotheque"), 6. Chicken Town - (from "Fishcotheque"), 7. Sister Death - (from "Cult Of The Basement"), 8. Girls Say Yes - (from "Condition Blue"), 9. Our Friends the Filth - (from "Condition Blue"), 10. Sweetwater - (from "Waiting For The Love Bus"), 11. Whaddya? - (from "Waiting For The Love Bus"), 12. Ghosts - (from "Waiting For Love Bus"), 13. Pineapple Tuesday - (from "Cult Of The Basement"), 14. Shirley MacLaine - (from "Condition Blue"), 15. Girl-Go - (from "Cult Of The Basement") |
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Classic Pedal Boat Cover $30.95 Protect your Pedal Boat with the Classic Pedal Boat Cover. The Weather Protected? 200D polyester fabric protects both three and five-person pedal boats against dirt, sun damage and rain and provides excellent UV and sun fade protection that won?t stretch or shrink. The cover is held securely by an elasticized cord in the bottom hem. Comes with a storage bag for easy storage. Features: Perfect for off-season storage or as a quick cover Elasticized cord in bottom hem for a quick and secure fit Coated for water repellency Storage bag included Size: Fits 3 or 5 person pedal boats up to 112.5" (L) and a beam width up to 50" |
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Rocktron Utopia Bass Wah Pedal Black $99 The Utopia Bass Wah pedal from Rocktron is voiced for the howling and growling sound you crave. You'll love this wah pedal and how it performs with your bass rig. Solidly built and soulfully expressive, the Utopia Bass Wah is an excellent pedal for an easy price. |
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Enertech 3605 Fire Engine Pedal Car $346.28 This Red Fire Engine Pedal Car features a stamp steel pedal car design. This pedal car features a working bell and two ladders with tires that are made of sturdy plastic for excellent traction on the ground. Recommended for ages 3 to 7 years old. Dimensions: 37 L x 19 W x 19 H. |
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Red Fire Engine Pedal Car $519.7 This Red Fire Engine Pedal Car features a stamp steel pedal car design. This pedal car features a working bell and two ladders with tires that are made of sturdy plastic for excellent traction on the ground.Red Fire Engine Pedal CarStamp steel pedal carTires are made of sturdy plasticWorking Bell and 2 LaddersRecommended for ages 3 to 7 years oldWeight capacity: 66 poundsMaterials: MetalDimensions: 26 inches high x 21 inches wide x 43 inches longModel: 3605Assembly Required |
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Classic Accessories Silver-Tech Pedal Boat Cover $37.99 This Silver-tech Pedal Boat Cover protects both three and five-person pedal boats against dirt, sun damage and rain. Perfect for off-season storage or as a quick cover. Elasticized cord in bottom hem for a quick and secure fit. Storage bag included. Silver-tech fabric provides excellent UV and sun fade protection and won t stretch or shrink. Coated for water repellency. One year warranty. Fits 3 or 5 person pedal boats. |
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Pedal To The Metal $5.99 Pedal To The Metal |
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Senor Excellent $10 Senor Excellent |
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Excellent And Decadent $16.29 Excellent And Decadent |
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The Excellent 11 $8.95 The Excellent 11 |
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Excellent View $24.99 Excellent View - Photographic Print |
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Plush Pure Gain Boost Guitar Effects Pedal $179 The Plush Pure Gain Boost Pedal has a unique circuit topology unlike any other stompbox currently on the market. The Pure Gain gives up to 25db of gainabout a 20 times increase in your guitars output levelwith an astoundingly low noise floor. By using selected and matched devices in the Pure Gain effects pedal's circuit, premium parts throughout, Plush has produced what may be the quietest gain boost on the market. Besides a true hardwire passive bypass, the gain control gives the Pure Gain pedal active buffer capability, which converts your signal from a high impedance input to a low impedance output. The Pure Gain is excellent for driving long cables, or a pedal board. Or use the Pure Gain to drive an overdrive pedal or amplifier into searing high gain territory. Excellent for raising single-coil pickups to humbucker levels. The Plush Pure Gain pedal's small footprint has it snuggling easily into most pedal boards.Like all Plush guitar effects pedals the Pure Gain has: a cast aluminum housings, industrial powder coat finish, heat cured silk sceen labeling, true bypass, Cliff switch, Neutrik connectors, metal shaft controls, premium boutique quality passive components selected for tone, mil spec fiberglass 2-sided circuit board construction for consistent long term performance, and a 5-year warranty. Made in the USA.Unique circuit topologyGives up to 25db of gainLow noise floorTrue bypassCast aluminum housingsIndustrial powder coat finishHeat cured silk-screen labelingCliff switchNeutrik connectorsMetal shaft controlsPremium boutique quality passive components selected for tone,Mil spec fiberglass two-sided circuit board construction for consistent long term performance,5-year warrantyMade in the USA |
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Excellent of a Bulldog $79.99 Excellent of a Bulldog - Premium Photographic Print |
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Joemeek Floorq Compression Guitar Effects Pedal $249.99 The floorQ is basically a Joemeek Optical Compressor in a pedal. After realizing so many guitarists and bassists were playing through their studio gear, Joemeek put its sought-after compressor in a convenient guitar pedal that's more practical for live work. The floorQ also boasts a high-impedance, JFET-input, Class-A preamplifier with an Input Level control, so even with the compressor switched out, the compression pedal makes an excellent front-end and level matcher for all types of guitar amps.Another useful feature is that it will run on just about any power supply (though it does include a standard 12V wall wart). You can plug in anything that gives anywhere from 9V to 18V AC or DC and the floorQ doesn't care!Joemeek's Optical Compressor in an easy-to-gig pedal formatInput, Slope, Output, Compress, Attack, and Release knobsHigh-impedance, JFET-input, Class-A preamplifier with an Input Level controlIncludes standard 12V wall wart but works with any AC or DC power supply from 9V - 18V |
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Excellent III $74.99 Beate Emanuel Excellent III - Framed Art Print |
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Excellent I $74.99 Beate Emanuel Excellent I - Framed Art Print |
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Excellent II $74.99 Beate Emanuel Excellent II - Framed Art Print |
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Excellent IV $74.99 Beate Emanuel Excellent IV - Framed Art Print |



US $325.00


































































































