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John Mayer is arguably one of the most influential guitarists of our generation. While he has mentioned that he doesn’t believe that he is as impactful or creative as someone like Jimi Hendrix, the comparison between him and Hendrix is often made by fans and even his contemporaries. Don’t get me wrong though, there are actually countless guitarists out there who even Mayer himself would consider technically superior. However, we’re not just talking about technical skills here; we’re looking at a body of work that is easily digestible by the masses, yet has enough complexity to influence many young guitarists … Read more

Clean boost pedals don’t usually get as much love as flashier effects like overdrives and delays, but they do find a place on the pedalboards of many professional musicians. They’re perfect for soloing situations where you’d like to retain your overdriven tone, but you’d also like a volume boost (without adding more grit to your overdrive) to cut through the band mix. You can also use it to boost the volume of an already clean signal. As its name implies, clean boost pedals simply add a transparent volume boost; however, there are many clean boost pedals out there that intentionally … Read more

Chorus effects pedals create another class of modulation effects that people often confuse with flangers and phasers. Technically, a chorus effect is very similar to a flanger, just with a different sonic objective. While the chorus effect isn’t discussed as often as some of the more popular effects like overdrives or delays, it is actually a really important effect, especially if you play a lot of classic rock. The goal of a chorus effect is to mimic the sound of a choir, hence the name. In a choir of human voices, there will always be slight variations of pitch and … Read more

One of the most musically expressive effects available in the guitarist’s toolbox is the Wah pedal. Musical legends across several genres have used this effect with great results for decades. Notable Wah effect users include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Slash, Steve Vai, John Mayer, George Harrison, and the list goes on and on… The Wah effect may be the second most common pedal (just behind Overdrives) found on the pedalboards of pros all around the world. The reason for this is thanks to the many different things a Wah can be used for. You … Read more

Fuzz pedals are like the unnoticed middle child in the family of distortion-type effects. Their achievements are often overshadowed by their older sibling, Overdrive, and they don’t require as much attention as Distortion, their misbehaving younger brother. However, Fuzz does have its place in the family due to its very unique sonic characteristic. There is not a Distortion or Overdrive pedal that can get you the same sound as a Fuzz pedal. However, some Fuzz pedals can be tweaked to sound similar to a Distortion or Overdrive pedal, which makes Fuzz pedals highly versatile. If you’re a Blues-Rock guitarist, then … Read more

Phaser pedals allow you to get really unique sounds out of your guitar. If you’ve ever wondered how Van Halen got that slow, sweeping sound in his epic guitar solo in “Eruption,” or if you are chasing that psychedelic vibe from Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” look no further than a decent phaser pedal! A phaser is often used to achieve a Wah sound, or a sound that is similar to a Leslie rotating speaker, but make no mistake, this effect can be used in a multitude of manners (as demonstrated by Jimi Hendrix). Phasers are also often used on other instruments … Read more

Distortion pedals often can have an identity crisis of some sort; many of them can double as a fuzz or overdrive pedal, and some can even be tweaked to fill in all three roles of overdrive, distortion, and fuzz. Although many of us may prefer to own a pedal that’s a little more versatile, more often than not, a pure distortion pedal will sound and function better than a pedal that’s made to fill multiple roles. When it comes to guitar effects pedals, the saying “Jack of all trades; master of none” often holds true. That’s the reason why you … Read more

The reverb effect pedal is used to mimic natural reverb and to create a sense of depth and space in your guitar tone. Without a reverb effect, your guitar tone can often sound like it’s too up close and “dry,” which sounds unnatural as reverb exists in natural spaces. Reverb, in essence, is the persistence and continuation of a sound after it is produced. That persistence of sound is created by sound waves reflecting off surfaces in a room. The eventual decay of the sound occurs when the sound waves get absorbed by objects in the environment, including things like … Read more

Delay pedals will almost always be on every guitarist’s pedalboard. If you’re looking to create lush soundscapes fitting for worship music, or if you’re looking to recreate the guitar tone of The Edge from U2, a delay pedal, or maybe even multiple delays, will be necessary. Perhaps the coolest characteristic of a delay effect is its ability to create a very full guitar sound with only one guitarist. If you’re unfamiliar with what a delay pedal does, it simply records an incoming signal and replays it several times. Some delay pedals aim to replicate an incoming signal as accurately as … Read more