Let’s face it, as a beginner or even as someone who hasn’t touched on guitar pedals before, it can be really daunting to simply pick a pedal online and hope that it suits you. The goal of this blog is to help you understand what exactly each pedal does, as well as give you our top pick from each guitar effects pedal category!
Distortion is that gritty, dirty, high-gain sound that you hear in a variety of guitar music, most notably, but not exclusive to genres such as metal and rock. Distortion effects pedals mimic the sound of a tube amp being pushed to its maximum volume, giving it that crunchy “overdriven” sound. Of the three main types of guitar distortion pedals, you’ll find that the difference in each depends on what exactly you’re looking for in terms of sound and style.
Overdrive is one of the more versatile distortion effects, whether you’re after a light gain or a whole lot of grit in your sound.
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If you’re looking for a pedal that will contribute some necessary grit to your tone without being overbearing, we’d recommend a low-mid overdrive such as the Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini - a compact take on one of the most popular overdrives available. Despite its size, the TSMINI packs a punch that you’d expect from your classic TS-9 Tube Screamer, all thanks to the chip responsible for that legendary tone! If you’re looking to kick your sound up a notch from your clean tone but still cut through with amazing clarity, the TSMINI is for you!
TheTube Screamer has also been used famously in front of high-gain sounds by turning the gain off and kicking the volume and tone knobs on full to tighten up your tone! Overdrive can be heard in almost every genre and is a staple effect used in almost every style, and the Tube Screamer has been used by so many iconic guitar players throughout history. Gary Moore, Kirk Hammet, Rory Gallagher, and Steve Vai have all taken the TS and used it to create the most tasteful of tones. A great example of the Tube Screamer in action is in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Tightrope”, definitely worth checking out to fill that blues rock-shaped hole in your heart!
If you’re confused, we’ll start by mentioning that whilst the term distortion is an umbrella term for the other pedals in this category, it also is a guitar effects pedal in itself!
Muf 14 Distortion/fuzz
Distortion is ideal if you’re after a more aggressive tone for the likes of punk and metal but the effect has been used in many other genres! To show exactly how distortion sounds, throw on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and listen to Kurt Cobain’s crunchy tone turn into absolute mayhem in the chorus of the song. That dirty sound you’re hearing is Kurt turning on his Boss DS-1, a key component in Kurt’s guitar tone throughout Nirvana’s “Nevermind”.
On that note, our top pick for distortion as a guitar effects pedal is none other than the Boss DS-1. This pedal was released in 1978 and very quickly became a favourite of many guitarists and continues to be used as a main tool for driving solos, high-cutting rhythm guitar, or even as a low gain boost to this day!
Fuzz was the first distortion effect to be made available on the market. Though other forms of distortion became available soon after, the fuzz effect was still widely sought after as guitarists loved the chunky, full-faced energy that fuzz brings to your tone!
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Your go-to fuzz should depend on what kind of sound you’re going after. Despite being one of the more recognizable guitar effects pedals, fuzz covers a whole variety of sounds. In 1962, Maestro released the guitar market's first-ever distortion pedal, the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone. This caught the attention of many guitarists, most notably: Keith Richards, who famously used the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz Tone throughout the Rolling Stones’ hit single “[I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction”.
For fans of that nasally, vintage, fuzz tone, we recommend Maestro’s faithful remake of their original FZ-1, the Maestro Fuzz Tone FZ-M. This stompbox captures the very sound that started it all but also features a switch to pick between modern and vintage sounds, for those looking to explore a variety of fuzz sounds in their setup.
Whilst the Maestro is a fantastic choice for fans of a lesser saturated fuzz tone, it would be wrong of us not to give an alternative for those Siamese Dreamers out there! In comparison to the FZ-M, the Big Muff is almost an entirely different pedal in terms of what it offers to the player. Creating a huge ambient wave of sustained energy, famously heard in The Smashing Pumpkins' iconic album “Siamese Dream”.
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Billy Corgan’s use of a vintage op-amp which was used on Siamese Dream saw a modern remake of this pedal released by Electro-Harmonix. The Electro Harmonix Op-Amp Big Muff Pi Fuzz is a perfect choice for those looking to perfect that massive Cherub Rock tone, taking the classic big muff sound and adding that extra crunch, ideal for those looking to create the biggest wall-of-sound imaginable! The op-amp feature means that the pedal uses op-amps rather than transistors, and the main difference between this and the classic big muff is that the op-amp PI muff uses 3-gain stages instead of 4.
It wouldn’t be a blog post about pedals without mentioning an all-time great… and that’s exactly what we’ve got in store for our pick of a Reverb pedal that’ll just knock your socks off!
The Strymon Blue Sky is more than just your standard reverb, it is THE reverb pedal. This blue box of ambiance packs enough variety that even the shoegazers will be satisfied with its quality. The variety that the Blue Sky offers in comparison to the available reverb options 20 to 30 years ago is outstanding. With 3 types of reverb options: spring, plate, and room, you can be confident in covering a variety of sounds. Alongside this, you’ve got a shimmer knob which opens up more opportunities for tonal exploration, perfect for those looking for a vastly atmospheric sound!
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If you’re looking for a reverb pedal that can handle just about any genre you throw at it, the Strymon blue sky is the top choice. Pedal heads will love its stellar selection of sounds, midi options, and inputs for expression pedals. And let us tell you that you don’t need to be a master soundscaper to figure this pedal out: every choice and selection can be had from just a few turns of the controls. There are no screens and submenus to slow you down! The Strymon Bluesky gives you an obscene amount of reverb processing in a simple, unassuming little box.
When it comes down to delay, you may have a specific sound in mind. There are a number of different types of delays available, but the two most common delay types that you’ll come across are digital and analog. Both digital and analog delays work by repeating the guitar’s signal, however, they both degrade slightly differently. Analog works by decaying naturally which means it will sound slightly different on each repeat, with digital delay you can expect the delay to degrade however it will sound the same on each repeat! For an incredible example of how delay can be used, we recommend listening to Rob Scallon’s “Rain”.
For an analog delay, we recommend the MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay M169. Whether you’re chasing the atmospheric delay of David Gilmour or simply looking for a bit of slapback to help keep your tone sounding fresh: the MXR Carbon Copy has something for everyone looking for a stunning analog sound!
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As for digital delay, The BOSS DD-3T is a fantastic pick for those looking for an outstanding delay pedal that’s seen the pedalboards of so many legendary guitarists. Based on the DD-2, the world's first digital delay pedal which was released in 1983. The DD-3T offers an excellent tap tempo feature, allowing you to get the exact delay you’re looking for! Alongside this, the DD-3T comes with the hold function that allows you to record a loop up to 800m/s long. If this seems familiar, that’s because it’s based on the original DD-2, in which the hold function inspired the BOSS Loop Station which came after!
For fans of drop tunings that also don’t want to waste time tuning down on stage, a pitch shifter may just be your next go-to pedal! Pitch Shifter pedals cover a lot of area in terms of sound, but the main use of this pedal is to allow you to change the key of your playing with ease, by moving your note either up or down the scale. A great example of how a pitch shifter is used can be seen with bands like Royal Blood creating a guitar sound by pitch shifting a bass guitar an octave higher!
The Digitech Whammy DT Pitch Shifter has stretched to the breadth of the guitar community with artists such as Billy Corgan, Steve Vai, Radiohead, and
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