Volume pedals are pretty interesting little devices. Sure, just about every guitar comes with a volume control wired right on to the guitar, but consider the concept of gain staging, and the advantages of having a volume potentiometer on your pedal board become more apparent. Think about the volume control that is built into your guitar for a second. I've mentioned in previous posts that the volume control on your guitar can be used to reduce the gain coming from your amp. This is because the volume control on your instrument is at the very beginning of your signal chain, way before any overdrive pedals or amp settings. Place a volume pedal after your drive pedals, and now you have a...
Finding the right wah pedal might not seem like a difficult thing, but those of us who have tried know that wah pedals are a weirdly personal choice. What I look for in a wah pedal may not be the same as what you do, whether we're talking about the sweep of the filter or additional features such as power requirements or whether or not the pedal is true bypass. That said, I'm hoping that I can help out my fellow guitarists by talking about some of my favourite models of wah pedals that have spent time on my pedalboards over the years. This post will not go over a huge variety of pedals, only personal favourites. I...
In the past 20 years, electric guitar tuners have come a long way. The variety of styles and designs that are readily available internationally and at affordable prices is incredible. Let's take a look at some of the most common, some tried and tested favourites, aan some more high end options. Headstock Tuners The Snark SN-5 is ubiquitous these days. Low cost and reliable, this tuner is a must have for any guitar case. Headstock tuners do not rely on your electrical signal, and instead interpret your tuning by reading the vibrations from your guitar. This means that headstock tuners are fantastic for use in green rooms, backstage, bedroom practicing, or any purist who doesn't want foot pedals interfering with...
There isn't much in this world as satisfying as a set of new strings on an old guitar. Sometimes a new set of wires is all you need to improve your guitar's intonation, clarity and tone. That said, there are endless varieties of brands, gauges and styles of strings to choose from and it can be tough to make an informed choice about what kind of strings to try if you're looking for a change. Here is a list of some of my favourite guitar strings, so that maybe you can benefit from my years of trial and error navigating my way through the tyranny of choice in today's market. D'Addario 11-50 Balanced Tension These strings are by far my...
Like many guitarists, I love to use the volume control to affect the gain coming from my amp. If this practice is new to you, please do yourself a favour and look into it. Once I started habitually using my volume control, the size of my pedal board just shrank because all of a sudden I didn't need a tube screamer, and a clean boost, and an overdrive, and a distortion, and a fuzz... you get the idea. Just turning your amp way up and using the volume control dramatically extends the dynamic and tonal range of your guitar. Back in 2014, I was shopping for a Gibson SG guitar. I would lie awake at night salivating over...
