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My Favorite Always On Guitar Pedals (And Why You Should Care)


If you have never thought much about always-on pedals, you are not alone. But once you start experimenting with them, it is hard to go back. An always-on pedal is not about adding a dramatic effect to your sound. It is about enhancing and customizing your base clean tone so that everything you play sounds and feels better from the moment you plug in. Here is a rundown of my favorite categories and the specific pedals I keep coming back to.


Buffers

A buffer is essentially a tone preserver. When you run a long cable chain into your amp, you can lose high end and clarity along the way. A buffer keeps your signal crisp and present. Almost all Boss pedals have a buffer built in, so if you have a Boss tuner on your board you are already covered. For this video I used the Empress Para EQ MK2 Deluxe, which lets you switch the buffer on or off independently of the EQ and boost functions. The difference is subtle but once you hear it you cannot unhear it.


Transparent Clean Boosts

A transparent clean boost adds punch and presence to your tone without dramatically coloring it. My three favorites in this category are the RC Booster, the Revv Tilt Boost, and the Spark. The Spark is particularly impressive for the money. I paid around $100 Canadian and it holds its own against pedals that cost significantly more. The Tilt Boost is my current favorite in this category because of how convenient it is for switching between guitars with different tonal characteristics.


Colored Clean Boosts

These do a similar job to transparent boosts but impart more of their own character onto your tone. The EP Booster is great for fattening up single coil guitars, but if I had to pick just one always-on pedal right now it would be the King of Tone. The way it adds mids and warmth is something I have not found anywhere else.


Overdrives

Sometimes you fall in love with an overdrive at such a low gain setting that it essentially becomes an always-on pedal. That has happened to me multiple times over the years with pedals like the Full Tone OCD, the TS808 Tube Screamer, and the Timmy. These add more character and grit than a clean boost but at their lowest settings they can sit beautifully under your playing all night long.


EQ Pedals

A good EQ pedal can replace a clean boost entirely. Just boost the level and leave everything else flat. But a great EQ pedal like the Empress Para EQ Deluxe MKII takes things much further. It functions as a buffer, a clean boost, and a full parametric EQ all in one. If you record at home or play live and do not fully trust the soundman, this is one of the most versatile tools you can have on your board.


Compressors

I will be honest. I was never a compressor person until I found the Keeley Compressor Plus. The blend knob is what won me over. You can dial in just enough compression that you feel it in your playing without being able to hear it working. It can also double as a clean boost which saves valuable board real estate.


Time-Based Effects

A touch of delay and reverb can transform the experience of playing guitar, especially at home through headphones. My favorite delay ever is the Keeley Halo and my go-to reverb is the Immerse. Even just a subtle room reverb running all the time makes playing so much more enjoyable and musical.


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Happy playing,

Nate & Chelsea

Guitar Fam

 
 
 

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