Guitar Effects

Manual Effects on A Guitar

Guitar effects are changes to the natural play of the instrument. They can make your song or riff sound amazing. On the other hand, if you improperly do the effect, it can sound absolutely awful. Effects for your guitar come in all shapes and sizes. It is up to you choose which style you want to go with.

Most guitar effects somehow distort the natural sounding music. This can be done by changing the pitch or tone of the music. The instruments which are used to achieve the effect you desire are pretty much all electronic. They come in devices such as pedals, amplifiers, processors, and even software. The style of music that utilizes effects constantly is the rock and metal scene.

Probably one of the most widely recognized ways of creating a guitar effect is through distortion. Now we all know what distortion is don't we? In a nutshell, distortion alters the way something looks or sounds. Distortion basically clips the wave that an electric guitar sends out. It is a fairly simple concept yet at the same time, very complicated.

There are different types of distortion available. Common ones include solid circuitry distortion and tube distortion. At least these are the most used anyways. Tubes use a preamplifier in order to achieve their desired effect. Some companies which produce distortion gear include Boss and Marshall.

Some other distortion techniques include a power attenuator, tube pedal, and fuzz. Fuzz makes your music sound like the good old music of the late 19050s and 60s. The tube pedals produce their distortion without regard of the actual volume. This makes for an interesting effect. This effect is also very common.

The power attenuator is similar to the tube pedal. It also works independantly of the volume. How cool is that? This device is placed between the amp's tubes and a guitar speaker. Some people use a delay pedal in conjunction with attenuators. Delays pedals do exactly what their name implies. They delay the sound so that it either repeats all the time or just once. This device can be digital or analog. It is a matter of opinion which type of device you like more. You have to hear the sound in order to know which is best for you.

Another common effect used in the guitar world is the overdrive effect. This type of sound is smooth and nice, just like butter. The top of the wave gets pinched here or compressed, giving you that smooth sound. If you use an overdrive effect on a very high setting you are going to get a sound which is not so smooth anymore. Overdrive is used a lot in the rock area of music.

Some other devices include a looping pedal, which makes the sound loop or come in a long time after it was played. Another way of trying to picture this, is to think of yourself playing a song and by the time you finish it, it is still playing on its own with an echo. This allows you to play a new tune over the old one. Does that make sense?

So there you have it, some of the most used manual effects on a guitar in the industry. Each one is used for a different purpose and is largely based on your own opinion. Obviously you are not going to use effects which you cannot stand playing with. Before you start to use effects though, I would recomend learning the guitar basics first. Have a look at the "Full Guitar Course" on the navigation menu on this page for more info on that. Phase Shifter >>