How many times have you been to see a band play at a local club and you've been blown away by not only the guitarist's skillful playing but also the clarity and quality of their guitar sound? Or maybe you've been less than impressed with the sound coming from the guitarist's rig? A good guitar sound is a vital component of a great-sounding live performance, or any great recording. Think about the signature guitar tones of the great players such as Mark Knopfler in Dire Straits, or David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Would their albums be half as memorable if it wasn't for not only their great guitar playing but also their distinctly individual guitar sounds?
I've been playing guitar as a hobby for 20 years, and professionally for the past 5 years. In this time I've picked up a lot of experience that have helped me to get a guitar tone I'm happy with - it's taken many years, but by bearing the following tips in mind, I'm almost completely happy with my sound(us guitarists are rarely entirely happy!) - and I hope there's some useful info in here for you too.
1. Less Is More
The truth is that we all love to buy the latest gadgets and toys for our guitar rigs. Whether it's a new wah pedal, distortion box or multi-effects unit, it's a lot of fun to explore and experiment with the different sonic textures these add (or subtract!) from your guitar tone. The trouble is, you might find that the more pedals and signal processors you put between your guitar and your amplifier, the weaker your guitar signal gets...
One thing many of us guitar players forget is that the most important factor in determining your sound is your fingers. What you PLAY is what counts. Try using a cleaner signal path with as few digital boxes as possible, and let your amp do the talking.
2. Less Gain, Less Pain
Using excessive amounts of gain on your amplifier can have disastrous results that not only annoy your fellow band members, but also (and most importantly), your audience. Lots of gain can mean your guitar produces a horrific feedback squeal during the the gaps in your playing, which can cause hearing damage, as well as audience members leaving the gig early.
Excessive gain means your signal becomes distorted, which is great for musical styles such as rock and metal. But take the example of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC... Those guys use minimal amounts of gain and let the sheer volume of their amps do the distorting. This means their sound cuts through in the mix very clear, as their sound is more solid and less broken up by distortion. Of course, you have have to work a little harder to sustain your notes (by using vibrato), but the difference in clarity to your sound is the reward.
3. Learn to really use your multieffects unit
If you're using a multi effects unit, for example a Line 6 or a Boss GT-8 or similar, you'll know just how amazing these boxes can sound. There are so many great amp simulations available, the possibilities are virtually endless. However there are so many variables, you could go mad with option anxiety before you finally find your dream guitar tone!
I think the trick here is to ignore the factory presets and design your own tones from scratch. It helps to listen to your favourite albums and try to emulate the same guitar tones you hear. The factory preset tones are usually designed to wow you in the store to make you buy it, however they're not really suitable for live use or recording. Take the time to read the manual and really understand and get to grips with the operation of the unit, and you'll be more confident in shaping your own unique guitar sound.
If you want a tip on how to really get the very best from your multi effects unit, take a look at http://www.onelouderguitars.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_B_Black
Showing posts with label fuzz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fuzz. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Guitar Fuzz Sounds - 5 Great Big Muff Inspired Fuzz Pedals
The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi Fuzz Pedal is one of the most popular and recognizable tones in rock and roll. The Big Muff was introduced in the early 1970s by Electro-Harmonix and soon after, many of the top artists in rock adopted this effect pedal and appropriated it's thick, rich sound as part of their own.
Among other artists, David Gilmour famously used the Big Muff on many classic Pink Floyd albums. Pink Floyd Animals, from 1977, features numerous lead guitar runs, accentuated by the Big Muff. Also in the 1970s, many classic Carlos Santana signature leads were recorded with the Big Muff. General characteristics of the pedal include increased distortion and sustain of the guitar tone, a smooth and fuzzy characteristic to the tone that separates it from clean guitar tone as well as the other instruments in a rock and roll band.
Electro-Harmonix was forced out of business in 1982 and for a period of a few years, the Big Muff was out of production. Because of this, original Big Muff effect pedals have become desirable and collectible while a handful of smaller boutique pedal manufacturers began developing their own versions of the Big Muff. In fact, many of these small pedal manufacturers became well known in their own right, and are in business today producing great guitar fuzz pedals. Here is a list of five great BM inspired boutique guitar effect pedals:
1. Blackout Effectors Musket Fuzz -- The Musket Fuzz, by Blackout Effectors is a versatile fuzz pedal that takes its inspiration from the early Big Muff sound. The Musket adds a lot to the party, with additional tone EQ knobs which allow the guitarist to further tweak their sound, especially controlling the amount of midrange that finds it's way to the amplifier. The result is a rich full sound which can be both vintage sounding as well as modern sounding, and can cut through the loudest rock band.
2. BMF Effects Aries Fuzz -- The Aries Fuzz, by BMF Effects is a virtual clone of the classic Big Muff. Less tweakable than the Musket Fuzz but still highly musical, the Aries sports very rich tone with wide frequency response. The result is a smooth sound with huge sustain and can be very desirable for lead guitar tone. In my opinion, this really comes close to David Gilmour lead tone.
3. MJM Guitar FX Foxey Fuzz -- The Foxey Fuzz is a silicon transistor powered fuzz pedal by MJM Guitar FX out of Montreal. The Foxey has a musical, distorted fuzz tone but isn't noisy like many early silicon fuzz boxes. The Foxey Fuzz has also improved upon the original Big Muff circuit by adding true bypass. This pedal is great for chunky rhythm tones as well as lead tones.
4. Earthquaker Devices Hoof Fuzz -- The Earthquaker Devices Hoof Fuzz pedal is modeled after the Russian made Big Muff but offers a tighter, cleaner fuzz tone than that pedal. Armed with a silicon/germanium transistor, the Hoof Fuzz allows you to tweak the tone knob, basically adjusting the amount of mid-range for each tone setting. The Hoof is also a very tweakable fuzz pedal.
5. Way Huge Swollen Pickle Fuzz -- Way Huge Electronics, part of Dunlop, has reissued the Swollen Pickle and this fuzz provides a full, BM style sound. Also, tweakable, the Swollen Pickle can add mids for a vintage sound or scoop them for a more modern sound. The Swollen Pickle sounds great on both chords or single note runs.
Fuzz pedals were some of the original guitar effect tones and are still highly popular. When you think of great guitar rock and roll, most likely a fuzz was used in getting that loud distorted rock tone.
Phil Vickman
Fat Tone Guitars
http://www.fattoneguitars.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Vickman
Among other artists, David Gilmour famously used the Big Muff on many classic Pink Floyd albums. Pink Floyd Animals, from 1977, features numerous lead guitar runs, accentuated by the Big Muff. Also in the 1970s, many classic Carlos Santana signature leads were recorded with the Big Muff. General characteristics of the pedal include increased distortion and sustain of the guitar tone, a smooth and fuzzy characteristic to the tone that separates it from clean guitar tone as well as the other instruments in a rock and roll band.
Electro-Harmonix was forced out of business in 1982 and for a period of a few years, the Big Muff was out of production. Because of this, original Big Muff effect pedals have become desirable and collectible while a handful of smaller boutique pedal manufacturers began developing their own versions of the Big Muff. In fact, many of these small pedal manufacturers became well known in their own right, and are in business today producing great guitar fuzz pedals. Here is a list of five great BM inspired boutique guitar effect pedals:
1. Blackout Effectors Musket Fuzz -- The Musket Fuzz, by Blackout Effectors is a versatile fuzz pedal that takes its inspiration from the early Big Muff sound. The Musket adds a lot to the party, with additional tone EQ knobs which allow the guitarist to further tweak their sound, especially controlling the amount of midrange that finds it's way to the amplifier. The result is a rich full sound which can be both vintage sounding as well as modern sounding, and can cut through the loudest rock band.
2. BMF Effects Aries Fuzz -- The Aries Fuzz, by BMF Effects is a virtual clone of the classic Big Muff. Less tweakable than the Musket Fuzz but still highly musical, the Aries sports very rich tone with wide frequency response. The result is a smooth sound with huge sustain and can be very desirable for lead guitar tone. In my opinion, this really comes close to David Gilmour lead tone.
3. MJM Guitar FX Foxey Fuzz -- The Foxey Fuzz is a silicon transistor powered fuzz pedal by MJM Guitar FX out of Montreal. The Foxey has a musical, distorted fuzz tone but isn't noisy like many early silicon fuzz boxes. The Foxey Fuzz has also improved upon the original Big Muff circuit by adding true bypass. This pedal is great for chunky rhythm tones as well as lead tones.
4. Earthquaker Devices Hoof Fuzz -- The Earthquaker Devices Hoof Fuzz pedal is modeled after the Russian made Big Muff but offers a tighter, cleaner fuzz tone than that pedal. Armed with a silicon/germanium transistor, the Hoof Fuzz allows you to tweak the tone knob, basically adjusting the amount of mid-range for each tone setting. The Hoof is also a very tweakable fuzz pedal.
5. Way Huge Swollen Pickle Fuzz -- Way Huge Electronics, part of Dunlop, has reissued the Swollen Pickle and this fuzz provides a full, BM style sound. Also, tweakable, the Swollen Pickle can add mids for a vintage sound or scoop them for a more modern sound. The Swollen Pickle sounds great on both chords or single note runs.
Fuzz pedals were some of the original guitar effect tones and are still highly popular. When you think of great guitar rock and roll, most likely a fuzz was used in getting that loud distorted rock tone.
Phil Vickman
Fat Tone Guitars
http://www.fattoneguitars.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Vickman
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Guitar Effects Pedals - An Introduction and Buying Guide
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 were the "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.
Effects pedals are used to give the guitarist more tonal colors or, that is, an expansion of timbre on his instrument's palette. It's possible to use an amplifier's settings to create these different tonal colors, too, but the amplifier is limited to what effects it can give, plus its settings would have to be changed only between songs, whereas guitar players frequently want to change tonality and color in the midst of playing a single song, and often many times over. 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 volume pedals used by electric guitar players aren't usually part of their tonal palette. Since the first pedals were created, other guitar effects called rack mounted effects have been invented. These are widely used, too, but they require a more sophisticated and time-consuming approach (not to mention considerably more money) than the simple pedals. Rack mounted effects are triggered by pedals, anyway.
So with their pedalboards in front of them, electric guitar players have only to "stomp" a "box" (hence the name stompbox) to instantly switch on or switch off an effect. The wah-wah pedal is a little different than the others, as we'll see below. 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.
Guitar players go through a great deal of effort to tweak the settings on their guitar, their amps, and their configuration of effects pedals to get their "just right" or signature sound. What are their basic effects pedal choices today?
1) Distortion/Overdrive. The most widely used guitar effect in the world. Of course, this one is often left on for most or all of a rock song. This is the famous (or infamous to many people) sound of heavy metal. Metal guitarists typically use a type of overdrive called distortion, which can distort their tone even more than standard overdrive pedals. Distortion works by adding in tons of overtones to the actual note played. Popular distortion & overdrive pedals included offerings from Fulltone (such as the OCD or Fulldrive), Boss (DS-1, BD-2), and Ibanez Tubescreamers and their host of clones. Distortion and overdrive pedals are without a doubt the most popular type of pedal, so it would be impossible to list them all.
2) Volume and "wah-wah" pedals. Hendrix probably did the most to pioneer the wah-wah pedal. Unlike other effects pedals, this pedal is used by way of keeping your foot on it and applying more or less pressure. A volume pedal, while operated in the same way as a wah pedal, allows a guitarist to rapidly sweep the volume of his instrument from full to completley silent. This is the pedal that is used to create an electric guitar's "violin sound", such as on the first part of Rush's "Xanadu." The wah pedal creates the "chugga-chugga" and "crying baby" sound (like Stevie Ray Vaughan's or Hendrix' intro and outro to "Voodoo Chile"). Popular wah pedals included the Dunlop Crybaby, the Vox Reissue Wah, the Teese Wizard Wah, and the Fulltone Clyde Wah. The Ernie Ball volume pedal is popular, as are models by Visual Sound and Boss.
3) Compression. Basically speaking the compressor pedal is used to make soft notes louder and loud notes softer. This is often used in conjunction with distortion/overdrive to help balance out the guitar player's sound and give him consistency. Popular compression pedals included the Keeley Compressor, the MXR Dyna-Comp, and the Boss CS-3.
4) Chorus. The chorus pedal is popular among guitar players who need or want to create a "spacious" sound. Like distortion, chorus adds overtones to the note played, but they are more widely spaced out and they are on a very slight delay, meaning they sound very, very slightly after the original note. Chorus and distortion can be used together to give a guitarist a gargantuan sound, or chorus can be used to make a clean channel sound feel richer and fuller. Popular chorus pedals include the Boss CE-3 and Visual Sound H20.
5) Flangers. Flangers are offshoots of the chorus pedal. With the flanger, the guitarist picks one note, but two of them sound; except, the second note sounds on a very, very slight delay. Flangers are used to create deep resonance in a guitar player's sound, but some guitarists insist that if you use a chorus you don't need a flanger. The Boss BF-3 is a popular flanger pedal, as is the Fulltone Choralflange.
6) Phasers. Another take-off of the chorus, the phaser pedal is used similarly to a flanger, but it gives a different sound because it doesn't harmonically relate the two notes. Instead, it takes the original notes and puts it "out of phase" as a second, additional note, meaning that it's mathematically shifted across the frequency spectrum. Phasers can give "other-world" effects or make distortion that much more mind-boggling. The MXR Phase 90 is a very popular phaser pedal, as are the Red Witch Deluxe Phaser and the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phase Shifter.
7) Delay. Delay pedals are used to give a very prominent echo-effect. They, too, operate like a flanger, except the delayed signal is substantially more delayed, perhaps even by a full second or two. Popular delay pedals include the Line 6 DL-4, the Boss DD-3 and the Visual Sound H20.
8) Pitch shifters. Also known as Harmonizers or Octave pedals. These produce overtones that are one, two, or three octaves above the original note, or they can be changed to produce harmonic notes at specified intervals. These can give the effect of the guitar player accompanying himself. The Boss PS-3 is a popular pitch shifter pedal, as is their OC3 Octave pedal.
9) Tremolo. This gives an effect like very rapidly turning the guitar's volume control up and down. It's not the same as "vibrato", which as an effect is typically created using the "whammy bar" on the guitar. Popular tremolo pedals include the Fulltone Supa Trem, the T-Rex Tremster, and the Boss TR-2.
10) Vibrato. This is usually accomplished with a "whammy bar" on the guitar itself, which was made famous by Hendrix and Ritchie Blackmore. However, there are pedals for this, too. This is used to give some very dynamic effects, from an exaggeration of a bent note to a squeal to a "dive bomber" effect. Rather than a very rapid change in volume, it produces a very rapid change in pitch. Popular vibe pedals include the Fulltone Mini-Deja Vibe and the Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe.
So if you are a developing electric guitar player who wants to explore new sonic landscapes, check out these guitar effects pedals.
R. S. Rasnick is the owner of JustEffectsPedals.com, where you can find all the effects pedals mentioned in this article and hundreds more! Visit JustEffectsPedals.com today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R._S._Rasnick
Effects pedals are used to give the guitarist more tonal colors or, that is, an expansion of timbre on his instrument's palette. It's possible to use an amplifier's settings to create these different tonal colors, too, but the amplifier is limited to what effects it can give, plus its settings would have to be changed only between songs, whereas guitar players frequently want to change tonality and color in the midst of playing a single song, and often many times over. 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 volume pedals used by electric guitar players aren't usually part of their tonal palette. Since the first pedals were created, other guitar effects called rack mounted effects have been invented. These are widely used, too, but they require a more sophisticated and time-consuming approach (not to mention considerably more money) than the simple pedals. Rack mounted effects are triggered by pedals, anyway.
So with their pedalboards in front of them, electric guitar players have only to "stomp" a "box" (hence the name stompbox) to instantly switch on or switch off an effect. The wah-wah pedal is a little different than the others, as we'll see below. 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.
Guitar players go through a great deal of effort to tweak the settings on their guitar, their amps, and their configuration of effects pedals to get their "just right" or signature sound. What are their basic effects pedal choices today?
1) Distortion/Overdrive. The most widely used guitar effect in the world. Of course, this one is often left on for most or all of a rock song. This is the famous (or infamous to many people) sound of heavy metal. Metal guitarists typically use a type of overdrive called distortion, which can distort their tone even more than standard overdrive pedals. Distortion works by adding in tons of overtones to the actual note played. Popular distortion & overdrive pedals included offerings from Fulltone (such as the OCD or Fulldrive), Boss (DS-1, BD-2), and Ibanez Tubescreamers and their host of clones. Distortion and overdrive pedals are without a doubt the most popular type of pedal, so it would be impossible to list them all.
2) Volume and "wah-wah" pedals. Hendrix probably did the most to pioneer the wah-wah pedal. Unlike other effects pedals, this pedal is used by way of keeping your foot on it and applying more or less pressure. A volume pedal, while operated in the same way as a wah pedal, allows a guitarist to rapidly sweep the volume of his instrument from full to completley silent. This is the pedal that is used to create an electric guitar's "violin sound", such as on the first part of Rush's "Xanadu." The wah pedal creates the "chugga-chugga" and "crying baby" sound (like Stevie Ray Vaughan's or Hendrix' intro and outro to "Voodoo Chile"). Popular wah pedals included the Dunlop Crybaby, the Vox Reissue Wah, the Teese Wizard Wah, and the Fulltone Clyde Wah. The Ernie Ball volume pedal is popular, as are models by Visual Sound and Boss.
3) Compression. Basically speaking the compressor pedal is used to make soft notes louder and loud notes softer. This is often used in conjunction with distortion/overdrive to help balance out the guitar player's sound and give him consistency. Popular compression pedals included the Keeley Compressor, the MXR Dyna-Comp, and the Boss CS-3.
4) Chorus. The chorus pedal is popular among guitar players who need or want to create a "spacious" sound. Like distortion, chorus adds overtones to the note played, but they are more widely spaced out and they are on a very slight delay, meaning they sound very, very slightly after the original note. Chorus and distortion can be used together to give a guitarist a gargantuan sound, or chorus can be used to make a clean channel sound feel richer and fuller. Popular chorus pedals include the Boss CE-3 and Visual Sound H20.
5) Flangers. Flangers are offshoots of the chorus pedal. With the flanger, the guitarist picks one note, but two of them sound; except, the second note sounds on a very, very slight delay. Flangers are used to create deep resonance in a guitar player's sound, but some guitarists insist that if you use a chorus you don't need a flanger. The Boss BF-3 is a popular flanger pedal, as is the Fulltone Choralflange.
6) Phasers. Another take-off of the chorus, the phaser pedal is used similarly to a flanger, but it gives a different sound because it doesn't harmonically relate the two notes. Instead, it takes the original notes and puts it "out of phase" as a second, additional note, meaning that it's mathematically shifted across the frequency spectrum. Phasers can give "other-world" effects or make distortion that much more mind-boggling. The MXR Phase 90 is a very popular phaser pedal, as are the Red Witch Deluxe Phaser and the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phase Shifter.
7) Delay. Delay pedals are used to give a very prominent echo-effect. They, too, operate like a flanger, except the delayed signal is substantially more delayed, perhaps even by a full second or two. Popular delay pedals include the Line 6 DL-4, the Boss DD-3 and the Visual Sound H20.
8) Pitch shifters. Also known as Harmonizers or Octave pedals. These produce overtones that are one, two, or three octaves above the original note, or they can be changed to produce harmonic notes at specified intervals. These can give the effect of the guitar player accompanying himself. The Boss PS-3 is a popular pitch shifter pedal, as is their OC3 Octave pedal.
9) Tremolo. This gives an effect like very rapidly turning the guitar's volume control up and down. It's not the same as "vibrato", which as an effect is typically created using the "whammy bar" on the guitar. Popular tremolo pedals include the Fulltone Supa Trem, the T-Rex Tremster, and the Boss TR-2.
10) Vibrato. This is usually accomplished with a "whammy bar" on the guitar itself, which was made famous by Hendrix and Ritchie Blackmore. However, there are pedals for this, too. This is used to give some very dynamic effects, from an exaggeration of a bent note to a squeal to a "dive bomber" effect. Rather than a very rapid change in volume, it produces a very rapid change in pitch. Popular vibe pedals include the Fulltone Mini-Deja Vibe and the Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe.
So if you are a developing electric guitar player who wants to explore new sonic landscapes, check out these guitar effects pedals.
R. S. Rasnick is the owner of JustEffectsPedals.com, where you can find all the effects pedals mentioned in this article and hundreds more! Visit JustEffectsPedals.com today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R._S._Rasnick
Monday, 26 October 2009
Classic Effects - The RAT
To quote Proco the manufacturers:
“History
From the very beginning, the RAT was destined to define "The Sound of the Underground." It was, after all, born underground in the cavernous basement of the Pro Co Sound factory in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. From these humble origins, the RAT has evolved from a single, hand built prototype into a family of the most versatile and most recorded distortion pedals in the world.
Do you want to see how the RAT has evolved? The RAT Family Timeline details the expansion of the RAT product line throughout the years. Also, since there is no accurate way of dating a RAT pedal by its serial number alone, this timeline can help you determine the general age your pedal.”
If you like your distortion sleazy with maybe a nod towards a fuzz well this is for you.
As with all pedals it’s a matter of personal taste. I love it set with distortion at 3 o’clock, filter at 8 o’clock and volume….depends on the amp. There is nothing like it!
However don’t overlook the other possibilities I’ve used it as an overdrive with light distortion and it performs excellently. Personally it really comes in to it’s own through my Fender HOT ROD, but gets a tad heavy on the treble side through my Marshall…..but some will prefer that!
In short it’s a classic, like a lot of pedals and pedals/effects in general you love them or loathe them.
I will let you decide
George Putland
A Beginer's Guide To Guitar Effects Pedals
We're going to try to give a quick look at the major types of guitar effects pedals. Here in part 1 we'll cover the basics.
We know that there are a million web sites offering insight to this topic, but its been our experience that they're written by engineers, not musicians... they read like microwave manuals rather than a helpful resource... Anyway... off we go.
Boost
I can't really milk more than a few lines out of this topic. It's pretty cut and dry- a boost pedal will give your signal a volume boost - or cut, depending on how you've got it set. Most boost pedals act as a master volume control allowing you a pretty wide range of use.
Why do I need a boost pedal? To bring your guitar volume up over the rest of the band during a solo, to drive your amp harder by feeding it a hotter signal, to have a set volume change at the press of a button.
Overdrive
When most guitarists talk about overdrive, they are referring to the smooth 'distortion' produced by their tube amps when driven to the point of breaking up. Overdrive pedals are designed to either replicate this tone (with limited success) or drive a tube amp into overdrive, creating those screaming tubes beyond what they normally would be able to do without wall shaking volume.
Why do I need an overdrive pedal? Overdrive pedals can be used as a boost pedal- so you get those inherent benefits, you'll get some added girth to your tone from the distortion created by the pedal. Most overdrive pedals have tone control giving you wider tone shaping possibilities.
Distortion
Based on our above definition of overdrive, distortion is where overdrive leaves off. In the rock guitar world think Van Halen and beyond for a clear example of distorted guitar tone. Distortion pedals often emulate high gain amps that create thick walls of sound small tube amps are not capable of creating. If you're fortunate enough to have a large Marshall, Mesa Boogie, Diezel or other monster amplifier to create your distortion you might not need a distortion pedal. But for the rest of us mere mortals, distortion pedals are crucial to modern guitar tone.
Why do I need a distortion pedal? You want to be relevant don't you? Even with large amps, like those mentioned above, distortion pedals play a key role in modern music. They offer flexibility that boosts and overdrives can not rival.
Fuzz
God bless Ike Turner and the Kinks. Both acts achieved their landmark tones by using abused speaker cabinets. Ike dropped his on the street walking in to Sun Records to record Rocket 88, the Kinks cut their speakers with knives or so the legends have it. No matter how they got it, their tone changed the world. Some call it distortion, some call it fuzz, however, seeing the progression from these damaged speakers to the fuzz boxes built to emulate those tones, I think its safest to call what Turner and Davies created/stumbled upon was fuzz.
Why do I need a fuzz pedal? Ya like Hendrix, don't ya? In all honesty, the fuzz pedal is seeing resurgence in popular music these days. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Muse and the White Stripes rely heavily on classic designs on recent releases.
Compressor
The job of a compressor is to deliver an even volume output. It makes the soft parts louder, and the loud parts softer. Current country music guitar tone is driven by the use of compression.
Why do you need a compressor? Improved sustain, increased clarity during low volume playing.
Modulation
Flanger
The earliest "flanger" effects were produced in the studio by playing 2 tape decks, both playing the same sounds, while an engineer would slow down or speed up the playback of one of the dupe signals. This is how you could produce wooshing jet streams. The edge of the old school tape reels is called the flange.
Why do I need a flanger? A flanger will offer a new color to your tonal palette. You can live with out one, but you'll never get some of the nuance coloring of the Van Halen's, Pink Floyd's, or Rush's of the world.
Phase shifter
The phase shifter bridges the gap between Flanger and Chorus. Early phasers were meant to recreate the spinning speaker of a Leslie. Phase shifting's over use can be heard all over the first few Van Halen albums.
Why do I need a phase shifter? See Flangers answer.
Chorus
Chorus pedals split your signal in 2, modulates one of them by slowing it down and detuning it, then mixes it back in with the original signal. The effect is supposed to sound like several guitarists playing the same thing at the same time, resulting in a wide swelling sound, but I don't hear it. You do get a thicker more lush tone, but it doesn't sound like a chorus of players to me.
Why do I need a chorus? Because Andy Summers uses one, and Paul Raven says so... that should be good enough.
Tremolo
As a kid, did you ever play with the volume knob on the TV or the radio manically turning it up and down? Yeah? Well you were a tremolo effect.
Why do I need a tremolo pedal? 6 words for ya: The Smiths 'How Soon Is Now'
Delay
A delay pedal creates a copy of an incoming signal and slightly time-delays its replay. You can use it to create a "slap back" (single repetition) or an echo (multiple repetitions) effect. Who amongst us can't appreciate The Edges use of digital and analog delay throughout U2s career?
Why do I need a delay pedal? See Flangers answer.
Wah
A variable band-pass frequency filter... Screw all that- you know what a wah wah is... its porn music! It's Hendrix! It's Hammett. It's Wylde. It's Slash.
Why do I need a wah wah pedal? Do you really have to ask at this point?
Dennis Mollan is the founder of Pro Tone Pedals. With 20 years experience as a practicing guitarist coupled with his formal education in music theory and audio engineering Dennis has become a noted resource in all things rock guitar related. Pro Tone Pedals was founded in 2004 to provide hand built high quality guitar effects to modern hard rock players. In the four years following, the Dallas Texas based company has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in modern rock music. Pro Tone Pedals have been on tour and in the studio with Velvet Revolver, Alice In Chains, Camp Freddy, Flickerstick, Ministry, Prong, Warrant, Poison, Overkill, Fear Factory, and the Cult.
Website: http://www.ProTonePedals.com
Blog http://blog.ProTonePedals.com
Myspace: http://myspace.com/protonepedals
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Mollan
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