Must Have Pedals

Stickman12

Im fairly new to playing guitar, only a couple years now, and was wondering what pedals people consider a "must have" in their set up.

mccreadyisgod

Tuner is the first must-have. The Boss TU-2 and TU-3 can provide power to additional pedals with an AC adapter and a daisy-chain cable. The older Korg Pitchblack (not the poly, the chromatic) will do the same.

For me (and probably most players), the second pedal would probably be an overdrive or distortion pedal. If your amp has a good distortion channel already, then this is probably less necessary. Some of this depends on what kind of amp you have, especially tube vs. solid-state, modeling, or hybrid.

I think the best third pedal to integrate is delay, but this is where we get into some pretty heated debate. A lot of folks like modulation, so a phaser, flanger, chorus, tremolo, envelope filter, or wah could be a great third pedal. And if you like it, there's also reverb (again, depends on whether your amp has reverb or not). But I can tell you that I had more fun, and expanded my playing more, with my delay pedal compared to any other single pedal.

xtremehardy388

+1 to the tuner. Blew my mind after I got one and realized just how nice it is to tune on the fly OR have a bypass where I can switch off the signal when I change guitars.

MIG is right on ALL fronts, by the way. My "must have" pedals for a quick setup are: Delay (I love the Digitech X-Series Digidelay), TS-5 Tube Screamer, Wah, BB Soul Vibe, and BOSS TU2 Tuner.

The rest of my pedals (I have a plethora of them) are just for fun. It's all about what you want to sound like. I'm not one of those guys that thinks I need a sound that is unique to everything else. Honestly, I want to sound like the guys I like listening to. It's impossible to get the exact sound--that's where your own flavor develops.

pjnm13

Tuner for sure! learn to play in tune then add some spice like Overdrive Etc...

FoxyRedLa

What I'm reading is a noob should start with a distortion pedal. If I were looking at a used mini tube screamer......bad idea?

Some are described as guitar effects, overdrive, and bass. I suppose you'd pick the sound you like...can anyone give me a song reference to the differences?

Thanks!

pjpjpaul

Tuner, Wah, Fuzz, Compression, Booster, Overdrive, Distortion, Pitch, Phase, Chorus, Delay, Reverb, Loop

FoxyRedLa

thanks

xtremehardy388

FoxyRedLa said:

What I'm reading is a noob should start with a distortion pedal. If I were looking at a used mini tube screamer......bad idea?

Some are described as guitar effects, overdrive, and bass. I suppose you'd pick the sound you like...can anyone give me a song reference to the differences?

Thanks!

Tube screamer is a great overdrive---especially if you have a TUBE amp. The most versatile overdrive/distortion pedal IMO is the BOSS BD-2 because you can tweak the sounds so well.

For distortion, listen to just about any Nirvana song. Typically, the BOSS DS-1 is the "noob" distortion pedal. I've got two (one is moded) and I love them both. Honestly, just youtube different pedals and sounds. That's gonna be the best way to get side-by-side comparison unless you're at a store with both pedals. If you've got a song or two you like the sound of, feel free to post it on here and we can try to decipher the effects and pedals.

FoxyRedLa

Thanks X! Youtube! D'oh! I'll go check some videos out tonight. I would say no I don't have a tube amp. Lol I have an amp but doubt it's what you're referring to. I'll read about the boss you mentioned. Also is it a bad idea to buy used?

2-feign-reluctance

If you can find one, a Boss Blues Driver. I think way better than any Tube Screamer.
*Edit - I've had it since 1997 and the thing just cranks. I also have a solid state Fender amplifier and the tones I have gotten from the BD-2 rival that of any tube amplifier I've played (most recently a Fender HotRod amplifier).

2-feign-reluctance

@FoxyRedLa

I used my BD pedal on this song for 2 different guitar parts. The first is the muted strumming you hear behind Matt's clean rhythm playing, and the second is the guitar solo about half-way through the song. This is why I like the pedal so much. It is so versatile! Try headphones if you can't pick up that first bit.

https://www.reverbnation.com/presentlyfalling/song/4390501-stagnant-in-park

FoxyRedLa

Thanks 2FR!

I asked about the tube screamer because it appears to be most popular. I watched a handful of youtube videos as suggested above and yes everything makes much more sense now.

I mostly understand the differences now and I get why there are so many of them in each category.

And it looks like with anything else just takes practice and playing around to find the sound you like.

So not as scary as I thought.

If you've had your pedal that long I should be just fine buying used to start out.

Thank you guys! You're the best!

That link pulled up a bunch of songs Chris. Which one are you referring to?

mccreadyisgod

A tubescreamer isn't going to work very good with a solid-state amp. It's meant to drive the front end of a tube amp into breakup, which just doesn't translate for solid state amps.

What amp do you have? Most newer amps, tube or solid state, have a distortion channel on the amp itself. Since we are trying to make specific recommendations for you, we should ask the other typical questions in this situation: what guitar do you have, with what kind of pickups? What kind of sound are you trying to achieve?

One good option right now would be the Line 6 M5. It's a modeling pedal, which means it can do lots of different individual effects. You can play with lots of different distortions, overdrives, and fuzzes, but also phasers and chorus and envelope filters and reverb and delay and some I'm probably forgetting. Then, as you figure out what you like and don't like, you can invest in the real gear that the pedal is modeling. You may find that you really like a Big Muff fuzz sound, so you can buy a Big Muff. Then you can play around and discover analog delay, and get an analog delay pedal. And so on.

And finally, get a tuner pedal. Really. Even a cheap one (although the Boss and Korg units can supply daisy-chain power to other pedals).

FoxyRedLa

I mainly use my Yamaha APX500 and I think the pick ups are piezoelectric - not sure that's what you're looking for???

And I have my Epiphone special with 700T/650R open-coil humbucking pickups.

My amp is Acoustic AG15.

Funny you bring up a tuner pedal. I was going to pick up a tuner/metronome combo....like the pedal better? Or just do both? The tuner I have now is a little one that attaches to the head stock. But the kids have beat it up and my string is busted on my BFF and the switch is loose on my other guitar and I'm afraid to plug it in and use it lol its super loosey goosey - thanks kids .

I'm going to have to hang my guitars up instead.

That Line 6 M5 sounds pretty great! No specific sound I'm looking for. I mostly like to play for my kids. I was just trying to learn some lol!

Thanks so much everyone - so appreciated!

dudeman

If you're playing your electric guitar through your AG-15, a Tube Screamer or most other overdrives will probably not sound very good. Your amp is designed for acoustic guitar and the emphasized frequency range for acoustics and electrics is different.

A multi-effects processor or modeling unit will be your best "bang for the buck" option. Most of those units feature amplifier simulations that will be more appropriate for electric guitar. I completely agree with everything stated by MIG. A modeler will help you determine what you like and what you don't very easily. You can always get better quality, individual pedals later.

Used is a great option. I try to find pedals that still have the original box and manual as that usually means the previous owner took care of the equipment. You can usually sell pedals for what you paid for them if you buy used.

FWIW, pedals and tone chasing can be expensive, addictive and rewarding.

Good luck!

FoxyRedLa

Yes when I bought my amp I looked more towards my acoustic but the guy told me for practicing I could use my electric too.

Well awesome I'll start with a multi effect pedal! Exciting!

Thanks again everyone

2-feign-reluctance

FoxyRedLa said:

Thanks 2FR!

I asked about the tube screamer because it appears to be most popular. I watched a handful of youtube videos as suggested above and yes everything makes much more sense now.

I mostly understand the differences now and I get why there are so many of them in each category.

And it looks like with anything else just takes practice and playing around to find the sound you like.

So not as scary as I thought.

If you've had your pedal that long I should be just fine buying used to start out.

Thank you guys! You're the best!

That link pulled up a bunch of songs Chris. Which one are you referring to?

A dang - thought I direct linked it. 'Stagnant In Park' is the one.

mccreadyisgod

I think you might get more mileage out of a proper electric guitar amp for your electric guitar, rather than pedals. If you want effects for your acoustic guitar and acoustic amp, that's different. But if you are looking to get some "electric" sounds out of a rig, a proper amp would be a pretty necessary component. You could conceivably get similar results by getting a modeler like a Line 6 POD and plugging that into your acoustic amp. The advantage of a POD is that it has effects built in.

If you have a reliable tuner of some sort, then you might be set on that front. But it really pays to keep in tune when you play, whether at home by yourself or jamming with others. And it really helps if that tuner is something you can use at any time, without having to unplug from your rig, plug into a tuner, then tune, then re-plug into the rig. The Korg Pitchblack is pretty affordable (I own two of them, and I like them) and Snark just came out with a pedal tuner that's pretty cheap. The Boss TU-3 is the current standard. A clip-on headstock tuner is a pretty good solution also, except you don't get the mute and silent tuning function.

FoxyRedLa

I don't know why I'm drawn to my acoustic. Always have been. The sound and the portability as well as I think I thought it would build up my fingers. My wrist is still extremely awkward so I think the lighter weight is more comfortable.

I was just going to use what I have but knew I'd have to get a differ amp when I gained more skill.



Totally get it now Chris - thanks! I don't think you guys have made a bad tune! Always enjoy thanks for sharing.

xtremehardy388

90% of my gear is used. It's cheaper and I don't feel as bad if I lose or let something go (*gasp*).

The Tube Screamer isn't terrible in a solid state amp, like everyone says. But it doesn't do what it's supposed to do. The Blues Driver really is the best thing you're looking for.

Craigslist and ebay are your friends (craigslist being the better choice since you can test the gear out).

The BOSS TU-2 is the tuner I use. I especially love being able to turn the tuner on and have the signal near muted on my amp (also good when I'm swapping guitars).

dudeman

My go-to guitar overdrive is the Fulltone OCD. It can be used for a little bit of boost or you can slam the front end of your amp with it for a lot of saturation. I like it because I still have playing dynamics even at higher gain settings and it's responsive to the volume control on the guitar.

xtremehardy388

dudeman said:

My go-to guitar overdrive is the Fulltone OCD. It can be used for a little bit of boost or you can slam the front end of your amp with it for a lot of saturation. I like it because I still have playing dynamics even at higher gain settings and it's responsive to the volume control on the guitar.

The Fulltone OCD (or any Fulltone pedal) is a solid one, too. It's tough just to pick a pedal without trying it out, though

dudeman

xtremehardy388 said:

dudeman said:

My go-to guitar overdrive is the Fulltone OCD. It can be used for a little bit of boost or you can slam the front end of your amp with it for a lot of saturation. I like it because I still have playing dynamics even at higher gain settings and it's responsive to the volume control on the guitar.

The Fulltone OCD (or any Fulltone pedal) is a solid one, too. It's tough just to pick a pedal without trying it out, though

That's true.

I spent a lot of time and money choosing pedals. There was a period of a few years where I bought over sixty effects pedals.

Finding effects that favor your particular playing style, sound good with the the other pieces of the signal chain and inspire one to play creatively can be a delicate balance.

Buying used was key for me as that allowed me to try a lot of combinations of effects at home with my rig. I was able to just reinvest the initial cost by trading or selling the ones that didn't make the cut and moving on to the next one.