Guitar Effects feature articles
Getting startedThe community's favorite wah-wah pedal - Top wah-wah pedals for guitar
The quest for the perfect wah-wah pedal is not an easy one. The sound varies a lot from model to model and we don't all want to attack the same frequencies. Any reviews and advice is always very much welcome when discussing this legendary effect... which made us want to ask our readers their opinion. To help you out we chose 50 models among the be…
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A synth in my guitar - Brief guide to guitar synths
The '80s revival that has taken hold of pop culture seems to not have an end. And, obviously, music hasn't escaped this phenomenon, to the benefit of one instrument: the synthesizer. A fact that makes most guitar players sad... But fortunately, there are solutions.
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Legends: The history of the great fuzz pedals - A rundown of the most mythical fuzz pedals
Fuzzzzz! This onomatopoeia used to describe the first distorted sounds of an amp is hardly a stranger to any guitar player. The fuzz is obviously a distortion effect, but it's a also a culture in its own right. It actually defines a whole category of rock by itself and symbolizes the desire for emancipation and renewal of an entire generation. Aud…
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A brief history of the Talk Box - History of the Talk Box
Although many hits have been marked by the Talk Box sound — take, for instance, California Love by 2Pac, Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi or Pigs by Pink Floyd — it still remains a little known effect. Often confused with the vocoder, the wah wah and even auto-tune, this mighty vocal machine is much older than you might think. At a time when there's…
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The top small brands for guitar effect pedals - The best small brands for guitar effect pedals
The long-awaited poll regarding "small" guitar effect pedal brands is finally here! It's open season for anybody who likes controversy!
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The top big brands for guitar effect pedals - The best big brands for guitar effect pedals
Despite the explosion of the pedal market and the appearance of countless small manufacturers, the big names in the effects world continue to implacably dominate the business. Here's a list of the main players in the pedal world. Be it huge corporations or somewhat smaller enterprises, they all share a common trait: a large production capacity. We…
- Getting started
The Top Overdrive Pedals for Electric Guitar - The Best Overdrive Pedals for Electric Guitar
The overdrive pedal is one of the most timeless and classic effects for electric guitar, and finding the overdrive of your dreams can be a lifelong endeavor. They have become a true cult object and manufacturers have seized the opportunity to expand the offering exponentially throughout the years. Given the saturation of the market, it's not easy …
- Getting started
Let's Get Small - Mini-effects pedals make configuring your pedalboard a whole new ballgame
One of the great things about pedalboards is that they give you the freedom to choose the effects you want for your rig. There is one caveat: Your pedalboard is a finite size, and you can only add effects up to a point before you run out of space. Without having to buy a larger pedalboard, you can maximize the number of effects you have by adding …
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A Devilishly Clever Pitch Shifter - Review of the Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork
The Pitch Fork is a powerful and clean-sounding pitch shifter with some smartly designed features. It can produce shifts of plus or minus 3 octaves, which can make for some pretty cool and unusual sounds. With the addition of an expression pedal (not included), you can get whammy style effects as well.
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The gritty details on our five favorite overdrive pedals - The best overdrive pedals for electric guitar
With over 100 overdrive pedals listed on just one gear-shopping website, how does one choose the top five? The first order of business is to define the terms: An overdrive pedal should have enough volume to distort a clean amplifier before adding gain from the pedal. It should also have enough gain to provide a dirty sound on its own, though anyth…
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