Why use pedals?

Hasie · 2015-09-03T12:36:46+00:00

I've been playing guitar a little more than a year and half now. Most people I know of always have this selection of pedals they use. The thing is, I can't...

Why use pedals?

Voodoo

I know this thread is old but wow, there are some excellent advise here! :applause:

Learning your amp and guitar’s controls is essential, and the variation in tone one can achieve by only working with this is amazing. It should however be noted that the quality of the amp and guitar has a massive influence, but I guess this goes without saying..

I fell into the effects trap when starting off, at my lowest point I was using a Boss GT-8 multi-fx and during practice sessions usually ended up playing the pedal instead of the guitar!

So I sold the pedal and my amp (Marshall valvestate) and bought an Orange Tiny Terror Combo amp and ended up having no pedals. Tone heaven! Since then I have slowly re-entered the effects space, but only getting stuff I really feel will add value to my sound. So far this includes a Tuner, Delay, Reverb, Equalizer, Overdrive (and a loop station, which is not essential, but cool sometimes..)

Also, starting with gear like a tuner, volume pedal, good power supply is a good idea as these are also quite expensive, but creates a great foundation to work from (I have not done this ☹ )

Regarding the amp volume issue, just put the amp backstage facing away from the stage, and then crank it! ?

Hasie

Yup. I still don't have any pedals. Will consider a looper...
Guitar -> cable -> small tube amp -> Celestion vintage 30.
All the tone I need.

Squonk

Hasie wrote: Yup. I still don't have any pedals. Will consider a looper...
Guitar -> cable -> small tube amp -> Celestion vintage 30.
All the tone I need.

Lots of good stuff in this thread!

But basically it all comes down to what kind of music you want to play!

Yes learn how to play guitar first and then dabble in effects, and remember there are no rules.

Some viewpoints over here are from people who play straight forward rock and roll and what they say suits them and is good advice.

But there are the Robert Fripps , avante garde music, experimental and good old fashioned Prog Rock music that might just present a different angle to Guitar - Cable - Amp!

You have an open canvas, what you want to put on there is up to you!

Banditman

Exactly.

Whether you have none, a handful or a board full of effects should really rest on what you play and what you need to get that job done. Neither buy a ton nor use none to make a bragging point. Use what YOU need. If you're playing your own material then outside of the avante garde styles (good word, Squonk) you'll likely use little to none beyond a tuner. If you're into ambient or lush soundscapes, or you play in a cover band needing to cover a variety of sounds and styles then your board will take up more real estate.

But just like painting: you can have all the colours of the rainbow on your workbench but if your brush technique is useless, your brushes are stuffed and your style is bland it won't make any difference. And while you could make some interesting artwork with a very limited palette, it'll restrict you to certain styles unless you really invest in your craft and become a master.

studmissile

??? I love pedals! That's half the fun of playing guitar?

Wizard

There are two approaches to tools (whether woodworking, camera lenses, pedals or whatever):

a) Have a problem ... and look for a specific solution. Call this the "professional approach"
b) Buy a solution ... and see what new opportunities it opens for you. Call this the "hobby approach"

As a beginner you'd never buy any pedals at all under the professional approach a).
By definition you don't know enough to have a problem to solve.
Unless you wanted to do a very specific cover & have researched how to get the sound.

Under the hobby approach b) you're allowed to experiment to just see what can happen.
Which is more or less why you bought the guitar and amp in the first place.
Just to see what could happen.

A good hobby approach is to buy secondhand stuff that you know you can unload for pretty much what you paid.

I'm very much a beginner guitarist and have had some great fun trying out a few pedals.

I got a compressor --> for what I was trying, I didn't see the point. And sold it.
People who are more experienced swear by them.
So that means I should try again later when I know more stuff.

I got a Matt Alisson Fuzzila.
Ohhh.
Discovered fuzz for the first time. Nice. Kept that.

Got a tubescreamer soundtank - the plastic one.
Really didn't like it. Sold it at a small loss.

I had aspirations of being Mike Oldfield and playing loops.
Got a Boss RC-20.
Found it a bit tricky to work out.
But more tragically I found my timing wasn't good enough.
Sold it at a nice profit.

Got a complete bargain Ibanez combo pedal PowerTrio.
It has very dodgy footswitches that work nearly half the time.
A google shows this to be a consistent "feature" on this model.
BUT. BUT. BUT.
I discovered what a tubescreamer is supposed to sound like.
Yum.

And it has a "chorus".
Never tried that before. Love it.

And a delay.
I now really like delay.
Excellent tool for getting your timing sorted out.
I'm keeping the Ibanez PowerTrio.

I also got a Octaver.
But that was to get cool sounds out of an electric marimba.
I bought it knowing I would play with it for a while & sell it.
Sold it at cost.

In total I haven't lost any money in any of the above experiments.

So I'd say follow the hobby approach b).
But just get one at a time, 2nd hand ... and make sure you can get all or most of your money back if you don't like it

Gear Junkie always has a nice stock of 2nd hand pedals - so give it a go.
Fun to be had. Nothing to lose.

Norman86

Why use pedals? Why not?! They're fun.. Add different dimensions, makes one sound better if you're not so good, makes one sound fantastic if you are good!

Wizard wrote: Mike Oldfield

You like Mike, Wizard?!

Wizard

Norman86 wrote: You like Mike, Wizard?!

One day when I'm big & have my timing more polished I'm going to do a Tubular Bells trick.
With lots of different weird instruments
(have enough of those)

Norman86

Wizard wrote:
Norman86 wrote: You like Mike, Wizard?!
One day when I'm big & have my timing more polished I'm going to do a Tubular Bells trick.
With lots of different weird instruments
(have enough of those)

I hear you. Been listening to Tubular bells for like a month. almost exclusively. And I think I'm understating the length I've been listening to the albums. I wish I had 1% of his talent. It's just so good.
Absolutely love Tubular bells 3.

V8

Wizard wrote: a) Have a problem ... and look for a specific solution. Call this the "professional approach"
b) Buy a solution ... and see what new opportunities it opens for you. Call this the "hobby approach"

Fun to be had. Nothing to lose.

Great summary Wizard!

During the recording process, eq, reverb and compression are often used tools to glue the differing parts (bass, drums, guitars, vocals, etc..) together into a coherent sonic space. I found this approach useful, because I had to listen and explore differing ways to create the space - and fx wasn't always the answer.

So, -over time- I've come to think of pedals more as tools. Some shape tone & dynamics (eq, compressor, drives), others inspire (delays & loopers) and others are necessary (tuner, noise gate for high gain setups).

No right or wrongs, Dinosaur Jr is proof of this ?

domhatch

so this has been the most enlightening topic i have read in a looooooong while. great stuff, start to finish, from everyone! hasie, thanks for posting the topic originally ('twas you, 'twasn't it?).

and wizard, i'd just love to see the result of your mike oldfield project; grew up listening to tubular bells
dh|

Chabenda

I would say that most guitar players, other than full time acoustic players, would need/like an overdriven sound at some stage.

A Tube Screamer tucked away in one of your cases should serve the purpose.

A bit of echo or reverb is also a necessity for me.

And I know that I harp on about them, but a Roland Cube with a simple footswitch provides just about everything that I need to cover the wide variety of music genres that we play.

All you need to complete the package is a sharkfin plectrum (preferably a thick black one!)...... and a thick skin to resist Attila's taunts.

Hasie

domhatch wrote: so this has been the most enlightening topic i have read in a looooooong while. great stuff, start to finish, from everyone! hasie, thanks for posting the topic originally ('twas you, 'twasn't it?).

and wizard, i'd just love to see the result of your mike oldfield project; grew up listening to tubular bells
dh|

Yep, was me. I do have a few pedals now.
A compressor to add sustain for volume swells; and to act as a pre-amp for my acoustic pickup.
A volume pedal to do some funny volume things with.
A looper.

Pirate

Agreed, a very useful topic/discussion/thread.

Pedals are fun, especially if you're gifted a Danelectro Fab Tone... :woohoo: