A Guide to Common Guitar Effects Pedals and Their Placement

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When building a guitar rig, effects pedals play a pivotal role in shaping your tone and expanding your sonic possibilities. From subtle enhancements to dramatic transformations, these pedals are essential tools for musicians of all styles. Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of guitar effects pedals, what they do, and how they’re typically arranged in a signal chain.

Guide To Common Guitar Pedals and Common Order

1. Tuner 

  • Popular Brands: Boss (TU-3), TC Electronic (Polytune), Korg (Pitchblack)

  • Purpose: Ensures your guitar is in tune.
  • Details: A tuner is indispensable for any guitarist. It accurately reads the pitch of your strings and helps you adjust them to the correct tuning. Placed first in the signal chain, it avoids interference from other effects, ensuring precise readings.

 2. Dynamics and Noise Control

Compressor:

    • Popular Brands: MXR (Dyna Comp), Boss (CP-1X), Keeley (Compressor Plus)

    • Purpose: Balances your volume and increases sustain.

    • Details: A compressor evens out the dynamics of your playing, making quieter notes louder and louder notes softer. It’s great for enhancing clarity in clean tones or adding sustain to solos.

Noise Gate:

    • Popular Brands: ISP Technologies (Decimator II), Boss (NS-2), MXR (Smart Gate)

    • Purpose: Reduces unwanted noise and hum.

    • Details: A noise gate eliminates background hiss or hum when you’re not playing. It’s particularly useful for high-gain setups where noise can become problematic.

3. Gain-Based Pedals

Overdrive:

    • Popular Brands: Ibanez (Tube Screamer), Boss (SD-1), Fulltone (OCD)

    • Purpose: Adds warmth and subtle distortion.

    • Details: Overdrive emulates the natural breakup of a tube amp pushed to its limits. It’s perfect for blues, rock, and adding a bit of edge to clean tones.

Distortion:

    • Popular Brands: Boss (DS-1), Pro Co (RAT), MXR (Distortion+)

    • Purpose: Provides a heavier, more aggressive tone.

    • Details: Distortion offers a saturated sound, making it a staple for rock, metal, and punk genres.

Fuzz:

    • Popular Brands: Electro-Harmonix (Big Muff Pi), ZVEX (Fuzz Factory), Dunlop (Fuzz Face)

    • Purpose: Creates a thick, buzzy tone.

    • Details: Fuzz delivers a heavily distorted, almost synth-like sound. It’s ideal for vintage rock and experimental music.

4. Equalizer (EQ)

  • Popular Brands: Boss (GE-7), MXR (10-Band EQ), Source Audio (EQ2)

  • Purpose: Shapes the frequency response of your tone.

  • Details: An EQ pedal allows you to boost or cut specific frequencies, giving you precise control over your sound. You can use it to compensate for tonal imbalances or create unique sonic textures.

5. Modulation Effects

Chorus:

    • Popular Brands: Boss (CE-2w), MXR (Analog Chorus), Electro-Harmonix (Small Clone)

    • Purpose: Adds a shimmering, doubling effect.

    • Details: Chorus simulates the sound of multiple instruments playing the same part. It’s commonly used to thicken clean tones or add depth to solos.

Flanger:

    • Popular Brands: MXR (Flanger), Electro-Harmonix (Electric Mistress), Boss (BF-3)

    • Purpose: Produces a sweeping, jet-like sound.

    • Details: Flanger creates a dramatic, oscillating effect by combining the original signal with a delayed version.

Phaser:

    • Popular Brands: MXR (Phase 90), Electro-Harmonix (Small Stone), Boss (PH-3)

    • Purpose: Creates a swirling, phase-shifted tone.

    • Details: The phaser splits the signal into multiple paths, shifts the phase of some

6. Time-Based Effects

Delay:

    • Popular Brands: Boss (DD-7), TC Electronic (Flashback), Electro-Harmonix (Memory Man)

    • Purpose: Repeats your signal at adjustable intervals.

    • Details: Delay can create everything from subtle echoes to cascading, atmospheric effects. It’s a versatile tool for solos and ambient soundscapes.

Reverb:

    • Popular Brands: Strymon (BigSky), Boss (RV-6), Electro-Harmonix (Holy Grail)

    • Purpose: Simulates the sound of playing in different spaces.

    • Details: Reverb adds depth and ambiance to your tone, mimicking environments like small rooms or large concert halls.

7. Pitch-Based Effects

Octaver:

    • Popular Brands: Electro-Harmonix (Pog), MXR (Sub Octave Bass Fuzz), Boss (OC-5)

    • Purpose: Adds signals an octave above or below your input.

    • Details: Octave pedals thicken your sound and create unique harmonic layers.

Harmonizer:

    • Popular Brands: Eventide (H9), Boss (PS-6), TC Electronic (Brainwaves)

    • Purpose: Produces harmonies based on the input note.

    • Details: A harmonizer generates intervals like thirds or fifths, enhancing melodic lines.

Whammy:

    • Popular Brands: DigiTech (Whammy), Electro-Harmonix (Pitch Fork), Eventide (PitchFactor)

    • Purpose: Shifts pitch dynamically.

    • Details: A whammy pedal can bend notes up or down for dramatic, expressive effects.

8. Volume and Expression Pedals

Volume Pedal:

    • Popular Brands: Ernie Ball (VP Jr.), Dunlop (Volume X), Boss (FV-500H)

    • Purpose: Controls overall output level dynamically.

    • Details: Placed at the end of the chain, it’s used for smooth volume swells or dynamic control during performances.

Expression Pedal:

    • Popular Brands: Mission Engineering (EP1), Moog (EP-3), Boss (EV-30)

    • Purpose: Adjusts parameters like wah, pitch, or effects intensity in real-time.

    • Details: Often paired with multi-effects units, it allows for creative, on-the-fly modulation

Common Signal Chain Order

A typical signal chain arranges pedals to maximize clarity and minimize interference:

  1. Tuner: First for accurate tuning.
  2. Dynamics (Compressor, Noise Gate): Smooths and cleans the signal early.
  3. Gain-Based Pedals (Overdrive, Distortion, Fuzz): Shapes your foundational tone.
  4. EQ: Refines your tone.
  5. Modulation (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser): Adds texture and movement.
  6. Time-Based Effects (Delay, Reverb): Creates spatial and temporal effects.
  7. Volume Pedal: Controls the overall output at the end.

Experimenting with the Signal Chain

While the standard order is effective, feel free to experiment. Placing delay before distortion, for example, results in a gritty, vintage echo, while modulation effects early in the chain create unconventional textures. The possibilities are endless, and your preferences should guide your setup.

 

Start Small and Build Over Time

Having all these pedals is not necessary to create great music. If you’re just starting out, consider picking one pedal that sounds the most interesting to you. Over time, you can slowly build your collection as your needs and musical interests evolve.

 

By understanding the purpose of each type of pedal and their placement, you can build a pedalboard that brings your musical vision to life.

About The Author
Brian Fish is a professional guitarist who has been dedicated to helping other guitar players in Northeast Ohio pursue their musical dreams since 1994. He’s passionate about guiding others on their musical journey! He is the Guitar Playing Transformation Specialist, instructor, mentor, trainer, and coach at Guitar Lessons Geauga. 

Brian has also assisted people from around the globe in developing a solid sense of timing and enhancing their creativity through the fantastic rhythm course, “Ultimate Rhythm Mastery,” available at MusicTheoryForGuitar.com.

If you live in Geauga County / North East Ohio, Guitar Lessons Geauga can help you become the player you’ve always wanted to be. 

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