Like a fingerprint or a social security number, the series of digits inked or impressed on the back of a Gibson headstock can go a long way toward identifying a guitar. But, with more than 75 years of shipping records in the Gibson books, and dozens of variations on numerical schemes used over the years, serial numbers sometimes do little to shed light on the origin of a mysterious Gibson.
As guitar players, we all know the importance of good set of strings…
Don’t we?
We’ve all heard the difference between cheap ones and the good ones.
And we’ve heard the difference between old ones and fresh ones.
(And if you can’t hear the difference…try recording them through a nice condenser mic, and listen back on some good studio monitors.)
The difference will be OBVIOUS.
But ask a guitar player WHY he uses his particular make and model of strings…
And you’re not likely to receive much of an answer.
Because the truth is…
The vast major of guitar players simply don’t know shit about their strings.
So the goal of today’s post is to solve this problem. If you’re shopping for strings, whether it’s electric, acoustic, or classical, and you’re not sure what to buy…THIS POST IS FOR YOU.
Let’s begin. First off…
The Key Factors Affecting Tone
A guitar string’s tone comes from a mix of 5 factors:
- Gauge
- Metals
- String Core
- Winding Method
- Coating
So let’s discuss each one in more detail, starting with…
1. String Gauge
When comparing string gauges, you often hear labels such as:
- Extra Light
- Light
- Medium
However…
There are no set-in-stone definitions for any of these terms…
- Light strings on an electric guitar will have smaller gauges than light strings on an acoustic guitar.
- And light strings for either can vary greatly between one manufacturer and another.
That is why…it’s far better to compare the actual diameters of the strings.
So here’s how it works:
Measured in 1/1000th’s of an inch, string gauges commonly range anywhere from .008 on the lightest 1st string, to .056 on the heaviest 6th string.
For example:
- Extra Light – (.009/.011/.016/.024/.032/.042)
- Light – (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046)
- Medium – (.011/.015/.018/.026/.036/.050)
To make things simpler, guitarists typically refer to an entire set of strings by the size of the high E string. So according to the previous example, a set of medium strings would simply be an “11“.
With classical strings, it’s a bit different. While the specific gauges are still shown, they aren’t nearly as important as the string “tension“. The 3 standard options to choose from are low, medium, and high tension.
So how do heavy strings differ from light strings?
Heavier gauges are generally better for:
- Heavy strummers– because they offer more durability, more sustain, and less breakage.
- Slide playing/drop tunings– because they hold a tighter string tension.
- Low-action guitars – because they have tighter vibrations, and are therefore more resistant to fret buzz.
- Unamplified acoustic playing – because they’re louder.
- Jazz – because that style of music doesn’t use much note bending.
Lighter gauges are generally better for:
- Beginner playing – because it’s easier if you haven’t yet developed hand strength and calluses.
- Blues/Soloing – because it’s easier to bend notes.
- Vintage guitars – because they put less stress on the neck.
- Small-body guitars – because they just sound better.
- Fingerpicking – because they’re more responsive to delicate finger-work.
Many manufacturers also offer a “hybrid gauge” known as light-medium strings, which use lighter gauges on G,B,E and heavier gauges on E,A,D. These are intended for players who use a good mix of picking and strumming.
Up next…
2. Metals
With electric strings, the 3 most common metals used are:
- Nickel-Plated Steel – which has a good combination of warmth and brightness, a strong picking attack, and is the most popular option.
- Pure Nickel – which is warmer than nickel-plated steel, and has a classic old-school vintage sound.
- Stainless Steel – which is most resistant to corrosion, least prone to finger squeaks, and has a good combination of both brightness and sustain.
Other less-common metals for electric strings include titanium, cobalt, chrome and copper.
With acoustic strings, the 3 most popular options are:
- 80/20 Bronze (aka Bronze, Brass) – which is 80% copper/20% zinc, and is the most popular option. It has a bright, clean sound, but can lose some of its brilliance after only a few hours of play, as the metal corrodes quickly.
- Phosphor Bronze – which is similar to 80/20 bronze, but with phosphor added to prevent oxidation and increase the life of the strings. The trade-off is that they’re a little less-bright in comparison.
- Silk and Steel (aka “compound strings”) – which have greater flexibility and lower string tension, resulting in gentler, mellower sound. They are commonly referred to as a hybrid between traditional metal strings, and the nylon strings of a classical guitar.
With classical strings, the most common materials used are:
- Gut (aka “catgut”) – which is derived from the intestines of sheep and other farm animals (NOT cats). Although much less common today, before 1940, all strings were made from gut.
- Nylon – which is the material that eventually replaced gut because it was cheaper, and easier to mass manufacture. Common types of nylon include: rectified nylon, black nylon, and composite. Although clear nylon is the most popular by far because of its brightness and clarity.
- Silver-Plated Copper (aka “silver strings”) – which is wrapped around the nylon core of the bass strings, and is the most popular metal for this purpose because its warm rich tone.
- 80/20 Bronze (aka “gold strings”) – which is preferred over silver-plated copper by some players because of its brightness and projection.
Up next…
3. String Core
Beneath the outer winding of the bass strings (E6, A5, D4 and sometimesG3)…
There is a solid core wire that comes in 1 of 2 varieties:
- Round Core
- Hex Core
Check out the diagram above to see how they look from a cross-section view. (This part refers only to electric and acoustic strings…not classical).
Originally all guitar strings had round cores, until D’Addario pioneered the first hex cores.
After that, it didn’t take long for hex cores to become the industry standard with almost all major manufacturers.
The main reason being:
The sharp edges of the hexagonal cores were good at “gripping” the outer wire, thus preventing slippage, and making machine-winding more accurate and consistent.
This is why today, it’s much more common to see round core strings assembled by hand.
Now here’s how these two core types compare in terms of performance:
NOTE: One key detail to remember with round core strings is…you must tune them up to pitch before trimming them. Otherwise, the outer wrapping will slip and unravel.
Got it? Good. Moving on…
4. Winding Method
The wire that wraps around the solid core comes in 1 of 3 varieties:
- Roundwound–which uses a round wire to create a textured-surface string (shown in the diagram).
- Flatwound– which uses a flat wire to create smooth-surface string.
- Halfround –which is a hybrid of the previous two. Using techniques such as mechanical grinding (groundwound) or roller compression (rollerwound), the round wire is partially flattened, but not completely.
Of the 3, roundwounds are the most popular by far. They’re also the cheapest, with the widest selection to choose from.
Flatwounds are 2nd most popular, but are usually more expensive.
Halfrounds are the least popular, and you can pretty much disregard them when shopping for strings.
Now here’s how roundwounds and flatwounds compare in terms of performance:
NOTE: While not in the scope of this article, you might care to know that with bass guitars, flatwound strings are more popular.
Up next…
5. String Coating
Back in 1997, the Elixir company revolutionized the guitar string industry…
By introducing the entirely new concept of “coated strings“.
By covering their strings in a micro-thin polymer coating…
They created a barrier that protected the metal from damaging substances such as oil, sweat, dirt, and skin.
And the result was…
- Their strings lasted several times longer than uncoated strings.
- They had a smoother feel, with less squeaking.
But rather than try to explain it in words, check out the cool visuals in this Elixir promo video:
Now despite their popularity, Elixir strings aren’t loved by everyone…
According to their critics:
- There is a slight loss of brightness and sustain as a result of the coating.
- The supposed benefits do not justify the added cost.
And both of these are reasonably valid points.
Yet they’re still popular enough that other brands have since developed their own copycat versions.
And while those copycats might be just as good, it’s still commonly accepted that Elixir is the go-to brand for coated strings.
Currently they offer two varieties of coating:
- NANOweb – a light coating with a feel and sound closer to uncoated strings.
- POLYweb – a heavier coating with a smoother feel and longer lifespan.
For acoustic guitars, here are your options:
- 80/20 Bronze NANO – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- 80/20 Bronze POLY – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze NANO – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
And for electric guitars:
- Nickel Plated Steel NANO – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Nickel Plated Steel POLY – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
NOTE: As you can see, Elixir doesn’t have very many options to choose from. Personally I love this, because it makes the buying process much simpler.
![What Kind Of Guitar Do I Have What Kind Of Guitar Do I Have](https://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/images/guitarsguide/acoustic-guitar-header-web.jpg)
But as you’ll see, it gets a little tough with the other brands I’m about to show you.
So up next…
The Other 6 Brands to Know
Now that you’ve been properly introduced to Elixir strings…
We might as well cover the other BIG companies.
Among the dozens of brands on the market…
There are a select few in particular that have dominated the competition, and together make up probably over 90% of the market.
They are:
- D’Addario
- Ernie Ball
- Martin
- DR
- GHS
- Fender
Apologies if I left out your favorite brand here. Because as folks will argue, there are many other “lesser-known” brands out there that are just as good, if not better.
Having said that…
If you don’t already have one of those brands in mind…why not limit your options to those who’ve already established themselves as industry leaders?
So anyways, here’s a closer look each one, in no particular order…
1. D’Addario
The oldest string-makers on the list, BY FAR…
The D’Addario family has been in the string-making business since way back in the 1600’s…
Just starting out in a tiny farming town in Italy known as Salle.
Over the years they expanded, eventually moving to New York, and abandoning gut strings in favor of synthetic.
And in 1956, they became one of the earliest companies to start producing modern day electric guitar strings.
Today, D’Addario is arguably the most influential string manufacturer in the world, as they literally have strings for just about any instrument you can think of.
For guitar, here are their top options:
Acoustic:
- 80/20:
- EJ11 uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- EXP11 coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze:
- EJ16 uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- EXP16 coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Silk and Steel:
- EJ40 – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Classical:
- EJ45 Pro Arte – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Electric:
- Nickel plated:
- EXL 110 – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- NYXL – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Pure Nickel:
- EPN110 – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Stainless steel:
- PL010 – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Up next…
2. Ernie Ball
When a man by the name of Ernie Ball was first introduced to Leo Fender back in 1953…
He saw for himself the huge potential that the electric guitar had to offer.
And from that day forward he dedicated his life and business to helping it become the most popular instrument in the world.
His most notable contribution is undoubtedly his line of Super Slinky electric guitar strings.
Originally developed back in 1962, they are still today perhaps the most instantly recognizable brand on the shelf of any guitar shop.
Their acoustic strings aren’t nearly as popular, but here are the top options for both:
Acoustic:
- 80/20:
- Earthwood uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Everlast coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze:
- Earthwood uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Everlast coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Silk and Steel:
- Earthwood – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Classical:
- Earthwood Folk – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Ernesto Palla – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Electric:
- Nickel plated:
- Slinky – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Pure Nickel
- Classic Slinky – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Stainless steel:
- Custom Gauge Stainless – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Also check out their popular m-steel line made of cobalt alloy for higher output:
- Slinky M-Steel – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Slinky Cobalt – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Up next…
3. Martin
Few folks can argue that the Martin&Co Guitar Companymakes anything other than the best acoustic guitars in the world.
And for the past 175 years, that’s pretty much all they’ve done.
Therefore it’s no surprise to learn that they make some pretty awesome acoustic guitar strings as well.
Their electric strings aren’t nearly as popular, and wouldn’t be my first choice…
But here are the top options for both:
Acoustic:
- 80/20
- Acoustic – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze:
- Lifespan SP coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Acoustic SP uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Silk and Steel:
- Marquis – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Classical:
- Classical – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Electric:
- Nickel plated:
- Darco – (Amazon)
Up next…
4. DR
At a time when machine-wound strings dominate the industry…
DR sets themselves apparent by being one of the few companies that still winds the bulk of their strings by hand.
As they firmly believe…the sound and feel of a hand-wound string is worth the extra effort.
While DR may not be quite as popular as most of the other brands on this list…
What they ARE known for…is their bass strings. Because as they claim, the differences with handwinding become much more apparent as strings get larger.
They also seem to be the industry leaders in this new “neon string” fad.
But anyways, here are their top options in each category:
Acoustic:
- 80/20
- Hi Beam – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Black Beauties – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze:
- Rare – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Sunbeams – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Dragon Skin – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Classical:
- Nylon Classical – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Electric:
- Nickel Plated:
- Tite Fit – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Hi Beam – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Black Beauties – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Dragon Skin – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Pure Nickel:
- Pure Blues – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Neon Electric:
- (Blue/Red/White/Green/Pink/Orange/Yellow/Multi-Color)
Up next…
5. GHS
Named after the company’s original founders (Gould, Holcomb, and Solko)…
The GHS Company has been making strings for all kinds of instruments since back in 1964, out of Battle Creek, Michigan.
Calling themselves “the strings experts” might seem like a bold claim…
But unlike some of the other big brands…
With GHS, it’s pretty much all they do. And they’ve been around for a long time so they’re probably pretty good at it by now.
Before we get to the recommendations, I’d like to show you an awesome video they did, showing you exactly how guitar strings are actually made in their factory.
Check it out:
Pretty cool huh? Anyways, here are their strings:
Acoustic:
- 80/20:
- Vintage Bronze – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Bright Bronze uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Infinity Bronze coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze:
- Americana – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Silk and Steel:
- Silk and Steel – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Classical:
- Silver Alloy – (Amazon)
Electric:
- Nickel plated:
- Guitar Boomers uncoated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Guitar Boomers coated – (Amazon/GuitarC)
- David Gilmour Signature – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Pure Nickel
- Nickel Rockers – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Burnished Nickel Rockers – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
6. Fender
As the only true “household” name on the list..
And the name probably most synonymous with the electric guitar…
Fender has been perhaps the biggest driving force in the industry since they started way back in 1946.
Today, they make not only guitars, but a ton of other instruments and music related products as well.
And yes, their strings are just as good as everything else they make.
Here are their most top models:
Acoustic:
- 80/20:
- Dura Tone coated – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Phosphor Bronze:
- Phosphor Bronze – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Classical:
- Classical Nylon – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Electric:
- Nickel plated:
- Super 250’s – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Super Bullets – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Pure Nickel
- Original Bullets – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Pure Nickel – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
- Stainless steel
- 350’s – (Amazon/GuitarC/MusiciansF)
Up next…
When to Change Your Strings
If you know a lot of guitar players…
I bet you can think of at least one who changes strings every other week…
Possibly by choice, but probably because he breaks them that often.
On the other hand, I bet you can also think of another guy who has never changed his strings once since he bought the guitar!
So when exactly is the right time to change your strings?
If you play…
- heavy/often
- with lighter string gauges
- in multiple open tunings
- with lots of bends
- in a humid tropical climate
…your strings probably break often, in which case, it’s obvious when to replace them.
However…
If they don’t break on their own, it’s up to you to decide when they need changing.
And it’s tough, because the look, feel, and sound of your strings deteriorate so gradually that you often won’t even notice how bad they are unless you have something to compare it to.
When you finally do restring them, it suddenly becomes crystal clear how bad your old strings truly were.
As such, everyone has their own rule of thumb as to when it’s time to change up their strings:
- Some do it by time – such as once every month or two. The problem is…strings get worn out quicker with frequent play.
- Others do it by playing hours – but that method isn’t great either. Because strings get worn out over time even if you don’t play them. A guitar sitting untouched for 2 years will surely need a new set of strings once you start playing again.
So here’s what I do:
I keep a spare set of strings close-by, and occasionally compare them to the ones on my guitar.
Once I start to see a noticeable difference in the color and texture, I change them up.
Up next…
Extending the Life of Your Strings
To maximize the life of your strings, you’ll often hear tips such as:
- wash your hands before playing
- wipe down your strings after playing
While tips such as these may be true…
Personally, I know I’ll never do that stuff on a regular basis. And I bet most other people won’t as well.
The ONE tip though, that makes a HUGE difference in the life of your strings is…
You need to make sure you wind them properly.
It may be a hassle to create those perfectly spiraled coils on your tuning pegs. And some people might even think it looks cool to do a sloppy job…
But that sloppy job is the reason strings break prematurely. And it’s the reason so many people leave bad online reviews about a perfectly good set of strings.
Getting good at stringing guitars takes some practice, so if you want to get better, here’s a good video by Fender that explains how it’s done:
Some Final Tips
- Don’t skimp on strings – The difference between your ideal string and something lesser will only be a few dollars, but it will make a big difference in your sound.
- Buy them in bulk – Strings are like toilet paper…you’ll always need more eventually, and they never go bad. So if you want to save money…do it by purchasing them in bulk.
- Don’t choose nylon or light-gauge strings because you have weak fingers – while this advice does help initially, it doesn’t help in the long run. You need to build up those calluses eventually so you might as well do it now.
- Don’t become obsessed with strings – try a few different ones out, pick something you like, and move on with your life. They are just strings, after all.
- If you’re a beginner, pick what’s popular – it makes no sense to try comparing strings if you aren’t even comfortable holding a guitar yet. So play for a few years, develop some reference experience, and THEN start comparing strings to find the ones you like.
How to Choose a Guitar Pedal
Like picking the all-time best ice cream flavor or a favorite color to paint your living room, choosing the right guitar pedal is completely subjective, and no one can tell you what you’re going to love. However, there’s a lot to know about different kinds of guitar effects and what they can do for you, so before you start buying pedals at random, you’ll want to get a solid overview of the basics. This Sweetwater Buying Guide takes a pedalboard-style approach to your signal path, providing important insights into the wide world of guitar effects.
Signal Flow
By and large, the path from your guitar to your amplifier is a straight line, and anything you stick into that path will affect everything down the line. That makes the order of your effects almost as important as the kind of effects you put on your pedalboard. While there’s no right way to arrange your pedals, the most common arrangement looks like this: guitar → gain stage → frequency → modulation → time → amp. Let’s take a look at each section and the kind of effects that belong there.
Gain-staging Effects
The first part of your signal chain is where you’ll typically stick any effects that are based on gain staging. That can rage from pedals as mild as clean gain boosts to insane fuzz effects, and the topic is so deep that we have an entire Buying Guide devoted to these effects. The important thing to keep in mind is that these pedals shape the foundation of the rest of your tone. You can construct harmonically complex tones with gain-based effects alone, but if you’re at the beginning of an extended signal chain, you may get better results by keeping it simple. There are many kinds of gain-staging pedals: gain boost, overdrive, distortion, compression, and volume control.
Gain Boost
Also called clean boosts, gain boost pedals are basically in-line preamps designed specifically for high-impedance guitar signal. They range from totally transparent to mildly colored. There are two main purposes for gain boost pedals. First, you can use them to hit amplifiers and overdrive effects with an extra-hot signal, pushing them into the sweet spot with the click of a footswitch. The other common use for gain boosts is to compensate for signal loss over extensive effects pedal chains or extended cable runs, in which case they may need to be placed at the end of your pedalboard.
Some gain boost pedals include limited tone-shaping options, but most feature only a single volume control and a footswitch. Gain boosts are commonly found paired with overdrive effects as well.
Overdrive
Overdrive picks up where boost pedals leave off, and there’s a fair amount of overlap between the two. Ostensibly, overdrive pedals simulate the breakup you get when you push an amplifier to the point where it starts to distort, emulating the progressive compression and distortion intensity based on incoming volume. However, many overdrive pedals (e.g., the classic Ibanez Tube Screamers) are often used as dirty boosts, driving your amplifier’s preamp while adding a bit of color and texture as well.
There are two gain stages in a typical overdrive: the input volume (how hard you hit the effect) and the output volume, which drives the rest of your signal path. It’s also common to see at least a simple tone control for backing off high frequencies, though bass, treble, and other tone-shaping controls aren’t rare.
Distortion
If your tone was a batch of chili, then the various types of distortion pedals would be the peppers. They come in a wide range of styles, each with its own flavor and heat range, but they all serve the purpose of spicing up the mix. While some rare tube models exist, typical distortion pedals use diodes and some form of transistor to push incoming signal to the clipping point. The transistor has a lot to do with the character of the distortion, with variants such a silicon-, germanium-, and FET-based models each imparting a particular set of nuances. Taken to an extreme, where the distortion loses virtually all its dynamics, you get fuzz effects.
Common controls you’ll find on distortion pedals include an incoming volume adjustment, drive (gain boost), and a tone knob that usually rolls off harsh high frequencies. They’re also regularly combined with other effects and processors, such as compression and overdrive.
Compression
As a type of signal processor, guitar compressors aren’t all that different from the compressors you’ll find in the studio. They turn down the volume of signal that’s louder than a certain threshold, decreasing the dynamic range. If the compressor is set to kick in quickly and boost the output, effectively making the quietest sound close to the same volume as the loudest ones, then you get a sustain effect that’s great for solos. On the other hand, if the compressor is set to kick in after a short delay, allowing unaffected transients to pass without gain reduction, then the punchier effect you get is ideal for chicken pickin’ and other more articulated playing styles.
Compression pedals vary in complexity from simple one-knob compressors with fixed settings to sophisticated studio-style compressors with attack, release, threshold, ratio, and volume controls. The most common configurations you’ll find consist of two or three knobs including a gain adjustment and additional controls that frequently combine two other functions, such as ratio and threshold, into one knob.
Volume Control
These large rocker pedals are more of a utility than an effect, essentially placing a volume control at your feet. Though you can stick one anywhere in your signal path, volume control pedals usually live somewhere toward the end of the gain stage section. They’re perfect for creating smooth swells that add ambience to your music or subtle fade-outs, but their variable levels make them less effective than gain boost pedals when you want to give your amplifier an extra push.
Frequency Effects
Filtering effects cover anything in the frequency domain, including equalizers, wah-wah effects, pitch shifters, and similar effects. This stage follows gain staging because gain-based effects tend to add a lot of harmonic complexity to your sound, which either negates filtering or produces unflattering results.
EQ
When it comes to making precise frequency adjustments, sculpting your harmonics, or correcting problems in your tone, nothing does the trick like an EQ pedal. It’s possible to use one of these at the end of your signal chain to correct for frequency imbalances caused by modulation, delay, reverb, or other effects, but most guitarists seem to get the most out of their EQ pedals by sticking them right after the gain-staging section. That way, you can fix any tone problems before they throw off other effects and create more serious frequency imbalances that are much harder to correct.
Most guitar equalizer pedals are graphic EQs with between five and 10 frequency bands. These are easy to dial in on the fly, in case you need to make quick adjustments to suit a particular venue. Other formats range from simple amp-style tone controls to full studio-style parametric layouts, both of which are great for punching in creative tone shifts as well as fixing frequency imbalances.
Wah-wah and Envelope Filter
There’s a whole class of effects pedals based on sweeping a resonant peaking filter across the frequency spectrum to create a vocal-style articulation. The oldest of these types of pedals is the wah-wah, which lets you sweep the filter manually by rocking your foot. As a rhythmical element, it’s a mainstay of funk and disco, but the continuously variable expression of the wah-wah is a fundamental sound of classic-rock and blues-rock solos as well. While the controls are generally pretty simple, dominated by a single rocker pedal and a few adjustments at most, wah-wahs differ considerably based on their circuitry and their control mechanism (potentiometer vs. optical sensor).
The autowah pedal (also called an envelope filter) was developed soon after the original wah-wah pedal. By triggering a resonant peaking filter off of incoming transients (usually the pick hitting the string), the autowah was originally intended to produce the same choppy rhythm sound you can get from a wah-wah pedal. However, the faster automatic frequency sweep response that these pedals provided opened up a new range of effects. Add to that a broad range of controls, including filter styles, dynamics response, envelope shape, and others, and no two envelope filters sound or behave the same.
Pitch Shifter/Harmony
Pitch shifters and harmony pedals come in many styles, from the classic momentary octave up pedal or octave down bass-emulation models to polyphonic harmony pedals that let you dial in full chords. Each of these pedals is its own unique beast, with controls depending entirely on its function. If you enjoy creating unique sounds and thinking outside the box with your tone, then you can have a lot of fun with pitch shifters and harmony processors.
One thing to consider about pitch shifters and harmony pedals is that, although effects manufacturers have made great strides in pitch-shifting technology, there are two things you should know. First, while the effect can be creative and cool, none of these pedals sound particularly realistic, and the more you alter the pitch, the less realistic they sound. Second, the lower the pitch you play, the harder it is for a pitch shifter to track the note, and you may end up with significant lag or glitches. If you have to choose between playing low and adding harmonies above or playing high and adding harmonies below, the latter is almost always the better option.
Modulation Effects
While modulation pedals affect combinations of gain staging, frequency, and time, they tend to live in a special place on your pedalboard, somewhere between frequency effects and more pronounced time-based effects. The term “modulation” really just means that the effect is based on changing something over time. In the case of modulation pedals, the change is regulated by a low-frequency oscillator (LFO), and the part of your signal the LFO affects is the biggest defining characteristic in this class of pedal.
Tremolo and Vibrato
Both tremolo and vibrato effects are based on a simple LFO that modulates one tonal element and nothing more. Tremolo pedals modulate volume (a classic rockabilly and surf effect), whereas vibrato pedals modulate pitch in a way that’s similar to a Leslie rotary speaker. In either case, basic controls include depth (the extent of the change in volume or pitch) and rate (the speed of the effect).
Most of these pedals will allow you to shape the LFO as well, with tremolo pedals regularly offering a range from smooth pulses to a hard square wave that adds a percussive click to your sound. Those vibrato pedals that try to more closely emulate Leslie speakers will usually include controls for changing the rate of the effect (often limited to two settings) as well as adding ramp-up time between changing speeds.
Chorus and Flanger
Chorus and flanger effects are so similar that they’re not only frequently confused, but they’re also often covered by the same pedal. This makes sense because flanging emulates an old studio trick involving desynchronizing two tape reels, and chorus is the result of an early attempt to emulate flanging that produced slightly different results. The biggest difference in the effect itself is that flanging produces a distinct rise-and-fall sound, whereas chorus pronounces a more spacious shimmer with noticeable delay.
Flangers produce a movable comb filter (a series of frequency dips and peaks) by doubling the incoming signal, delaying the doubled signal slightly (no more than a few milliseconds), modulating the delay so the filtering shifts a bit, and feeding a small amount of the delayed signal back into the effect. Typical flanger controls include the modulation rate and depth as well as the amount of feedback.
Chorus effects involve modulating a delayed signal just like a flanger, only there’s considerably more delay and no (or very little) feedback. They tend to have broader depth and rate controls. Additional controls include pre-delay for further offsetting the delayed signal and a tone knob for cutting down the brightness. The result is that you can produce considerably more pronounced effects with a chorus than with a flanger, with more noticeable delay.
Phaser/Phase Shifter
Phasers use an interesting method of phase cancellation to create a number of frequency notches and peaks at evenly spaced intervals across the spectrum. An LFO modulates the cutoff frequencies of the phase-shifted signal, causing a gradual sweep that’s similar to flanging, but a bit subtler. It’s a favorite effect for adding color to rhythm guitar. While classic phasers typically have only a single rate control, some modern phasers include a depth control, which lets you increase the amount of resonance in the filtering to produce a much more noticeable effect.
Time Effects
From subtle ambience to infinitely deep, spacious textures, time-based effects are found on pedalboards throughout all of modern music. They range from distinctly artificial to astonishingly realistic. Like distortion effects, time-based effects pedals are all a matter of taste, and the perfect delay or reverb pedal for surf guitar may have little in common with the one you’d want for a metal lead.
Delay
At its simplest, delay is an effect based on taking the original incoming signal and repeating it some time (or multiple times) later. The basic controls of any delay pedal include the delay time, the number of times the delay is repeated (the feedback), and the balance between the incoming signal and the delayed signal. More importantly, delay effects are common to any kind of modern music, from the short slap-back delay used in surf and rockabilly to the long delays favored by blues-rock lead guitarists. Many guitarists don’t consider a pedalboard complete without delay.
Delay types are generally based on the type of circuitry or digital algorithm used to create the effect. Early analog delay pedals used loops of tape or a series of bucket brigade chips, both of which produce distinct harmonics and decay characteristics as the delay repeats trail off. Later, digital delays developed distinct sounds of their own, with Adaptive Delta Modulation and PCM delay types providing unique characteristics that guitarists still love. Today, delay pedals often feature multiple delay styles and delay lines (taps) that let you create an impressive range of effects.
Reverb
The goal of any reverb – regardless of whether you’re using the effect on vocals in the studio or a keyboard onstage – is to create a sense of space around the sound. Some of these effects are purely synthetic (and impressively musical), others emulate classic analog-reverb types such as springs and plates, while yet others emulate the sound of large rooms and real spaces. Comparing one reverb to another is next to impossible, since reverb is all a matter of personal taste.
Depending on the onboard options, reverb pedals can have anywhere from a single level control to a plethora of digital settings that allow you to craft your ideal reverb tone. The common controls you’ll find include decay (how quickly the reverb effect fades out) and either a level or a wet/dry balance to adjust how much reverb you hear. Tone controls to tame high end are also fairly common.
Other Effects Pedals
There are a number of additional types of guitar pedals that fall somewhat outside this typical pedalboard arrangement, including amp emulators, instrument modelers, loopers, multi-effects pedals, and more.
Amp Emulation
Lying somewhere between distortion and overdrive, amp-emulation pedals model the specific characteristics of particular styles of guitar amplifiers. Amplifier-emulation pedals are a lot like amplifiers, in that there are many of them, and they each offer a different range of tones, from subtle warmth to insane distortion and drive. These are extremely cool, particularly if you use a neutral, solid-state amplifier or want to record direct, without an amplifier. Depending on whether you want to use it as a type of distortion or to simulate an amplifier, you may stick your amp-emulation pedal toward the front or the back of your pedalboard.
Instrument Modeling
Want to switch to an acoustic guitar mid-song? How about turning your guitar into an organ? There are some seriously interesting instrument-modeling pedals out there that can totally transform your sound. What’s more, these pedals seem to be getting more popular every year, so there’s always something new to explore.
Loopers
Over the past decade, looper pedals have become increasingly popular. The idea is pretty simple: you start recording when you step on the footswitch, and when you step on it again, what you just played loops back indefinitely. There are loopers that are much more complex than this, with multiple parts, sync capabilities, and other cool features, but even a basic looper can be an amazing songwriting and practice tool. What’s more, there are many excellent ways to use loopers onstage, particularly to create background rhythms and continuous effects.
Loop Switchers
Not to be confused with loopers (and not strictly speaking effects at all), loop switchers are a major part of advanced pedalboard construction. These devices let you set up independent effects loops that you can switch on and off and arrange in various configurations. One of the biggest bonuses of using a loop switcher is that you can leave all of your pedals engaged and, with a single press of a footswitch, engage them all. This lets you pull off massive tone changes mid-song, including switching amplifiers right along with your effects. If you look at the pedalboards of the top guitarists out there, there’s a good chance you’ll find a powerful loop switcher in there.
Multi-effects Pedals
Take all of these other pedal types and toss them into one oversized pedal, and you get a typical modern multi-effects pedal. Some of these pedals are extremely cool, with physical modeling that not only covers all of the bases, but also allows you to dig in deep and tweak your effects as though they were individual pedals. If you play in a cover band or on a worship team, multi-effects pedals can save you a lot of money and a lot of trouble. They don’t offer quite the same freedom and possible sound quality as traditional pedals, but having your whole pedalboard in a single unit that can be as small as a single pedal is mighty convenient.
Advanced Concepts
There are a few additional concepts that will help you make informed decisions about the pedals you buy. These are deep subjects, so these quick overviews don’t cover everything, but they’re a good place to start.
Stereo vs. Mono
Some pedals – particularly time-based types – include the option to run the effect in mono or stereo. The advantage of running pedals in stereo is that you get to take full advantage of the depth and dimension of spacial effects such as room reverbs and ping-pong delays. The downside is that, unless you’re either recording or running two amplifiers, stereo doesn’t do you much good. What’s more, stereo effects can come with some unpleasant phase-related issues that can cause your tone to be lost in the mix. It’s a bit of a gamble, but when stereo effects work, they’re absolutely amazing.
True Bypass vs. Buffered Bypass
This is the topic of endless debates between tweaky guitar players. The simple answer is that neither true bypass nor buffered bypass is inherently better than the other. Ostensibly, true bypass completely cuts the circuitry of the pedal out of the signal path when it’s not in use, keeping your signal path free from any additional coloration caused by the pedal’s circuitry. However, there’s still a considerable amount of wiring in guitar pedals, and several true-bypass pedals in a row will add the equivalent of several feet of extra guitar cable.
Buffered-bypass pedals may affect your tone, but the small amount of amplification they provide improves signal retention and fights the high-end attenuation caused by an extended cable run. If you’re running a few pedals over a small distance, true bypass may be better for you, but if you have a packed pedalboard, then buffered bypass may provide you with better tone all of the time.
Batteries vs. AC
There’s a persistent myth that all AC power supplies are noisy and can ruin your sound. While there’s no getting around the fact that bad power can affect your pedals, and batteries will get around that issue, bad power is going to be an even bigger problem for your guitar amplifier than your pedalboard. Some pedalboard power supplies are great at fighting power-related noise, but the best thing you can do for your guitar gear is to get a decent power conditioner and run your amp and your pedals through it. That way, you get clean sound, and you don’t need to worry about juggling 9-volt batteries when your pedals die mid-show.
Any Questions?
Of course you still have questions about guitar pedals. This subject is insanely dense, and there are so many things to cover. Lucky for you, we have a staff of extremely knowledgeable Sales Engineers, and lots of them geek out about this gear as much as you do. Don’t miss out on taking advantage of their years of expertise. Give us a call at Sweetwater: (800) 222-4700.
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