So, you’re beginning your collection of effects pedals and are wondering if it’s okay to leave them turned on when they’re not in use. Is it bad/damaging to keep effects pedals on when not in use? Keeping an effects pedal on/powered when it’s not in use is typically safe, though it may decrease its overall longevity….
So you’re wondering which effects pedal you should buy, rent or otherwise try out. In this comprehensive buyer’s guide, we’ll go through everything worth considering before you make any decisions about an effects pedal. If you’ve found yourself asking, “Which pedal/stompbox should I buy?” this extensive resource is for you. Please feel free to jump…
For guitarists and bassists enthusiastic about hardware effects, the stompbox/pedal collection can get rather large. Choosing the right effects pedals and the order of such stompboxes is one thing, but keeping them all organized and easily transportable is another ordeal. This is where pedalboards come into play. Though there are plenty of multi-effects and all-in-one…
Modulation effects (and modulation in general) are powerful tools when it comes to processing audio. There are plenty of distinct effects that fall into the great category of modulation that we should understand and have at our disposal when mixing audio or sculpting the perfect tone in our instrument. What are audio modulation effects? Audio…
Volume pedals are not the most exciting on any pedalboard, but they are often key elements to a guitarist’s (or other instrumentalist’s) rig. From muting the signal to volume swells and controlling the dynamics throughout a performance, the volume pedal can quickly become our best friend on the pedalboard. Volume expression pedals are all pretty…
Overdrive is a go-to effect for guitarists around the world. A well-designed and quality-built overdrive pedal unit will really step up a guitarist’s (or bassist’s) rig, whether the effect is subtle or pronounced. A nice overdrive pedal unit can really allow us to tune our tone to our specific liking while keeping our amp at…
Distortion is potentially one of the most beautiful and brutal effects in audio. When it comes to guitar and bass, a dedicated distortion pedal will open the sonic world up to new possibilities in tone. In this article, we’ll discuss the top 9 best distortion pedals in the world. More specifically, we’ll focus on the…
Chorus is perhaps the most cherished of the modulation effects when it comes to audio, especially on guitar and bass. A top-level chorus pedal can really step up our guitar’s sound (or bass) and make us sound much larger, sonically, than we actually are. In this article, we’ll discuss the top 7 best chorus pedals…
Hate it or love it, fuzz is a major player when it comes to guitar effects. This “distortion beyond distortion” effect can be heard on countless records, and great fuzz pedals can be found on pedalboards around the world. Speaking of great fuzz pedals, this article will discuss the top 9 best fuzz pedals money…
Tremolo is so simple in concept and so versatile in practice. A top-of-the-line tremolo pedal is an excellent addition to any guitarist’s or bassist’s pedalboard. These level-modulating pedals can really add some interest to the guitar tone and sound great across most musical genres. In this article, we’ll discuss the top 9 best tremolo pedals…
Ring modulation pedals are sonically odd, and their applications are not exactly “pop-oriented”. That being said, the strangeness of a great ring mod pedal can add tons of interest to your tone as a guitarist (or any other instrumentalist). In this article, we’ll discuss the top 6 best ring modulation pedals in the world. Of…
Tuner pedals sure aren’t the most exciting on a pedalboard but are certainly one of the most important investments a guitarist or bassist could make. This is true in live, studio and practice settings. No one wants to hear an out-of-tune guitar or bass! There are plenty of tuner options out there, but a pedal…
