Guitar pedals are a fun and cost-effective way to expand, improve and alter your guitar’s sound dramatically. With their fresh new sounds, primitive fuzz boxes and wah pedals changed the world of music in the 60s. Since then, while remaining somewhat conventional, impact pedals have come a long way. The most cutting-edge technology is now available at your feet!
Generally, effects come with two main types of device: single pedals and multi-effects units. Single pedals offer up one (sometimes a few variations) type of sound, such as an overdrive or a phaser. Guitarists pick the ones they like and hook them up sequentially to form what we call pedalboards. This way, individual effects pedals can be subbed in and out as tastes or needs dictate. Single pedals deliver one form of tone, such as an overdrive or a phaser, (sometimes a few variations). Guitarists select the ones they like and sequentially hook them in order to form what we call pedalboards. In this way, pedals can be subjected to individual effects as tastes or needs dictate.
Multi-effect units are larger devices with many different types of effects. These are available for selecting and building sounds from (via multiple footswitches). Full combinations of FX parameters are saved as’ patches’ for later recall in the unit’s memory. For guitarists who need a wide range of sounds at their fingertips, multi-effect systems are useful.
Famous musicians using guitar pedals.
Jimi Hendrix was a pioneer in effects use at a time when few guitarists bothered to try anything. He made the Wah effect famous on songs like ‘Voodoo Child’ with the Vox Wah which is still available in its original form today for a reasonable price. He was also a big fan of fuzz, and at Woodstock he used a Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, which has been reissued.
While the former Guns ’n’ Roses guitarist likes to add little accents of effects like chorus to certain songs, Slash is known for huge distortion and solos that are full of Wah.
The quintessential grunge rocker was a fan of a dirty stripped down sound that changed music forever, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have a couple of stompboxes on stage. Always one to keep it simple!
Pedalboards
Pedalboards help to organise your guitar and bass effects pedals in a professional way for use on stage and in the studio. Pedalboard Cases offer great protection and come in soft and hard versions. There are many shops across the world where you can buy pedalboards! Pedalboards often have a cover which protects the effects pedals during transportation. There are many varieties of pedalboard cases, including homemade DIY pedalboard cases, store-bought pedalboard cases, and custom-made pedalboard cases.
Pedal power supply
Most effects pedals are powered by varying levels of DC voltage, depending on the manufacturer. Possible voltages include 9V, 12V, 15V, 18V, 24V, and 40V, though 9V is most common. Some effects pedals accept a range of voltages, producing different effects. Guitar players can experiment with varying voltages to generate different sounds.
DC power can be generated by batteries, an AC/DC power supply, or a rechargeable battery. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Using individual batteries is fine for occasional players, because they don’t have to worry about the cost of replacement batteries or changes in sound as batteries get tired. Battery life varies depending on the pedal’s power draw. Professional players normally replace all batteries with new ones before a show. We would suggest visiting aclamguitars.com to mount and protect your power supply unit under your pedalboard.