A Shopping Guide for Guitar Effects Pedals
Effects pedals for the guitar have been around since the 1960s, when electric guitar based music and rock 'n' roll were on the rise. Roger Mayer, an engineer, is believed to have created the first guitar effects pedals, which was known as as "fuzz box" (today known as distortion or overdrive) and the "wah-wah" pedal. Mayer created pedals that were used by the likes of legendary rockers Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page (for whom Mayer, his friend, reportedly created the first pedal in 1963 or 1964). Today, numerous effects are widely used by electric guitar players.
Guitarists use effects pedals to give themselves a wider variety of sound choices to use during recording or live performances. While different amplifiers can offer some of the alternatives, not many amplifiers have built-in effects. Besides, guitar players would have to go to their amplifiers every time they wanted to make a change. Effects pedals are much more convenient, especially since guitarists often change tones in the middle of a song.
Just as the invention of the electric guitar and the amplifier gave the guitar player a far more powerful voice and greater sustainability of notes, so the effects pedals gave him a far wider range of expressive options. Today, even some acoustic guitar players and classical guitar players use effects pedals although the distortion and wah pedals used by electric guitar players aren't usually part of their tonal palette.
Since the first pedals were created, rack-mounted guitar effects have become more common. These were more popular during the 1980's, thanks to companies like Yamaha and Eventide. Since rack gear requires a more sophisticated and time-consuming approach (not to mention considerably more money) than pedals, most guitar players prefer effects pedals for their simplicity and tweakability.
So, with their effects usually mounted on pedalboards (a way to transport and store effects pedals), electric guitar players have only to "stomp" on the pedal box (hence the name "stompbox") to instantly switch on or switch off an effect. The wah-wah pedal and volume pedal is a little different than the others in that the player "rocks" the pedal back and forth to adjust the sound.
Most pedals, though, have a simple on-off feature. For instance, the ubiquitous distortion tone of hard rock and metal guitar players can be instantly switched off and the guitar's "clean channel" allowed to be played, to give a different feel to different sections of a song. Another simple stomp, and the distorted tone comes roaring back.
Guitarists often spend a great deal of time tweaking their effects, amps, and guitars just to get the "perfect" sound that they've been searching for. There are literally thousands of effect devices for you to chose from. Some more common effects include volume, wah, compression, distortion, overdrive, chorus, echo/delay, tremolo, and vibrato. Effects such as these can drastically and effectively shape a guitarist's sound.
If you are guitarist who is wondering how you can shape your sound in new and exciting ways, then check out the above guitar effects. They might inspire you in ways you never considered possible. - 18780
Guitarists use effects pedals to give themselves a wider variety of sound choices to use during recording or live performances. While different amplifiers can offer some of the alternatives, not many amplifiers have built-in effects. Besides, guitar players would have to go to their amplifiers every time they wanted to make a change. Effects pedals are much more convenient, especially since guitarists often change tones in the middle of a song.
Just as the invention of the electric guitar and the amplifier gave the guitar player a far more powerful voice and greater sustainability of notes, so the effects pedals gave him a far wider range of expressive options. Today, even some acoustic guitar players and classical guitar players use effects pedals although the distortion and wah pedals used by electric guitar players aren't usually part of their tonal palette.
Since the first pedals were created, rack-mounted guitar effects have become more common. These were more popular during the 1980's, thanks to companies like Yamaha and Eventide. Since rack gear requires a more sophisticated and time-consuming approach (not to mention considerably more money) than pedals, most guitar players prefer effects pedals for their simplicity and tweakability.
So, with their effects usually mounted on pedalboards (a way to transport and store effects pedals), electric guitar players have only to "stomp" on the pedal box (hence the name "stompbox") to instantly switch on or switch off an effect. The wah-wah pedal and volume pedal is a little different than the others in that the player "rocks" the pedal back and forth to adjust the sound.
Most pedals, though, have a simple on-off feature. For instance, the ubiquitous distortion tone of hard rock and metal guitar players can be instantly switched off and the guitar's "clean channel" allowed to be played, to give a different feel to different sections of a song. Another simple stomp, and the distorted tone comes roaring back.
Guitarists often spend a great deal of time tweaking their effects, amps, and guitars just to get the "perfect" sound that they've been searching for. There are literally thousands of effect devices for you to chose from. Some more common effects include volume, wah, compression, distortion, overdrive, chorus, echo/delay, tremolo, and vibrato. Effects such as these can drastically and effectively shape a guitarist's sound.
If you are guitarist who is wondering how you can shape your sound in new and exciting ways, then check out the above guitar effects. They might inspire you in ways you never considered possible. - 18780
About the Author:
About the author: R. S. Rasnick is the founder of JustEffectsPedals.com, where you can easily shop for all the effects devices mentioned in this article and many, many more!
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12:23 AM
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