There are so many different pedals out there nowadays, how are you supposed to know which ones you should buy? This video walks you through the basic categories of pedals you might want to look at as you put your pedalboard together. You don’t have to have a ton of pedals or the most expensive ones to get a good sound. Just a few simple pedals can cover a lot of ground and make your tone sound great.
The main pedal categories include volume pedals, tuner pedals, overdrive pedals, delay pedals, reverb pedals, and some sort of power supply so you won’t need batteries for everything. You don’t need a ton of pedals to get started with this. One is enough to get going. If you are brand new to guitar pedals, I have a little list of meat and potato recommendations for you below.
Volume Pedal - Ernie Ball Volume Pedal Jr.
Tuner - TC Electronic PolyTune
Tuner - Boss TU3
Overdrive - Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini
Overdrive - Fulltone OCD
Delay - TC Electronic Flashback
Reverb - TC Electronic Hall of Fame
Power Supply - 1Spot
Power Supply - 1Spot CS7
Power Supply - Temple Audio CIOKS
Power Supply - Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2
Pedalboard - Pedaltrain
Pedalboard - Temple Audio
A big part of what pedals you will purchase comes down to personal preference. You may not know what you like yet, but experimenting with pedals and just jumping in and getting your feet wet can help you develop your personal tastes. The pedals mentioned above have stood the test of time, sound great, and provide a nice starting point for your pedal journey.
One thing that confuses a lot of newer players is what order you should put your pedals on your pedalboard. Some of this comes down to personal preference, and there are no hard and fast rules, but there is a general pedal order that most players start with. Try this order and tweak things to your personal taste. Volume, Tuner, Drive Pedals, Time Based Pedals (Delay, Reverb, Chorus) This is just a starting point. It's a good idea to play around with the order of your own specific pedals to see how they behave and sound in your particular guitar rig.
Experimentation and getting to know your own gear will play a big part in nailing down which pedals you use and the layout of your pedalboard. Mess around with your pedals and try to find your own unique sound. Leave any comments, questions, or tips you may have in the comments below. You can also email us at support@guitarfam.com.
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