Written by: Winston Whitford
Guitar pedals provide a wide range of effects that can be added to your guitar playing, but what pedals are the most beneficial? Which ones can improve your guitar tonality? To find this out, I thought I would compile a list that is based purely on my own experiences with guitar pedals and the benefits they provided me and my own playing. I had to consider the genres that many of these pedals spanned and how effective they might be depending on the styles they are featured in. With all that being said, this is a list of the pedals I would recommend most players at least consider when building their own pedal board.
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1. Distortion Pedal
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As one of the most popular types of guitar pedals, distortion pedals are undoubtedly needed on every pedal board. The type of distortion you may want can vary based on the genre you play or the tonality you are looking for. One of the most popular brands of distortion pedals on the market is the Boss brand. They have a range of distortion sounds from classic to turbo and many users believe they are consistent in quality. Another highly rated brand of distortion pedals you might want to consider are the MXR brand of pedals. Much like the Boss pedals, the MXR brand has a wide variety of distortion pedals available. As for what I personally use, the Jekyll & Hyde brand of distortion pedals have a full and classic type of distortion that I truly enjoy. Although they are hard to find on the market, they are definitely worth their price. Overall, Distortion pedals are incredibly important to feature somewhere on your board as they can add so much more body to your tonality if you use them. When it comes to distortion in general, finding what tonality you like through experimentation is vital and most players will take weeks or even months adjusting their tonality to a sound they love.
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2. Compression Pedal
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Compression pedals are immensely important to have on a pedal board, especially if you are looking for a fuller tone in your guitar playing. Compression pedals can also help in adjusting the dynamics of your sound and can assist in improving your sustain if they are combined with an overdrive or distortion pedal. Some of the leading brands of compression pedals are of the MXR brand (specifically the popular "dyna comp" variety) and the Keeley brand. Although these kinds of pedals can be overlooked since they don't greatly change the input sound of your guitar, the qualities that are brought by compression shouldn't be ignored. Many artists that play funk, rock, and blues have these pedals to improve their tonality. If this is what you are looking for when it comes to your own sound, give compression pedals a try, you won't regret it.
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3. PhaSER PEDAL
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Phaser pedals are some of the more unique pedals you will encounter when filling up your pedal board. The sound produced by these kind of pedals spans across several genres with a swirling effect that is reminiscent of psychedelia from the 1960's. Nowadays, phasers are used to add depth to a guitar's tonality by shifting the sound in and out of phase, making the sound produced a little more unique in tonality. Again, MXR is one of the leading brands for this kind of pedal with the "Phase 90" and "Phase 95" being some of the more popular types. Other brands such as tc electronic and Ibanez have their own versions of phaser pedals that are commonly used as well. Many bands from the indie rock genre use phaser pedals quite frequently, so if you are searching for a similar quality in you music, look for a phaser pedal that matches a tonality you want.
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4. delay pedal
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Much like it's name implies, delay pedals are primarily used to set a delay to the input granting an atmospheric and dreamy quality to your playing. Delay pedals are used in several genres including indie rock, rock, funk, and even country. Boss and tc electronic are some of the leading brands that produce delay pedals. The "Flashback" model made by tc electronic is the delay pedal I personally use and I can say it definitely brings a lot of customization and variety in terms of sound. If you are looking for a "snapback" kind of quality in your playing, give delay pedals a try; they are absolutely worth putting on your pedal board.
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5. looper pedal
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Looper pedals are some of the most important pedals to have on your board especially if you are a solo player. The whole purpose of the looper is to act as a playback to any input it receives which can be very helpful to those who wish to play over a specific riff or melody they created themselves. Boss, tc electronic, and electro-harmonix are the leading brands of looper pedals. As previously stated, I have the tc electonic "Flashback" pedal which acts as a delay and looper pedal. I highly reccomend anyone interested in getting pedals to try a looper because they are very helpful when playing solo without a band. Overall, looper pedals can be used for just about every genre of music and any player can benefit from having one on their pedal board.
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6. Chorus pedal
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Chorus pedals bring a very unique sound to every pedal board they are featured in. The chorus effect they produce is the result of multiple sound layers being added to the input sound resulting in a output that mimics the sound of multiple instruments playing the same thing at once. This effect brings a full and brighter sound to your playing and can often be found in the indie and rock genres. Boss, electro-harmonix, and Keeley are the popular brands that produce chorus pedals. The "Neo Clone" made by electro-harmonix is the chorus pedal I personally use and I could not recommend it enough. It brings an amazing tonality to my playing and I believe that everyone looking for pedals should give it a try.
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7. Wah Pedal
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Last, but certainly not least, the wah pedals are an absolute must-have on any pedal board. Used by such guitar legends as Jimi Hendrix, John Frusciante, and Tom Morello, the wah pedal is by far one of the most unique and recognizable pedals that exists. One of the most popular brands, Dunlop's "Cry Baby" wah pedal, is one I personally use and advocate for along side many other guitarists. Vox, famous for their amplifiers, also makes their own variety of wah pedals that many find to be great in sound as well. The effect produced by wah pedals is used frequently in funk and is what gives most funk-style guitarists their signature sound. The iconic sound of the pedal is nothing to be undermined. It truly adds an amazing tonality that spans genres and time periods.
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