What do guitar pedals do?

Guitar pedals can alter your sound in very subtle ways or can change your sound into something entirely different. The scale of the effect is determined not only by the type of guitar pedal used, but by altering the settings on the pedal itself.

How do I choose the right pedal?

Choosing the right pedal can be daunting, there's a lot of different categories and hundreds of options to choose from. First of all, understanding the kinds of music you like to play and the effects commonly used in those genre's can help with establishing the kind of pedals you need.

Which guitar pedals are most popular?

Wah and looper pedals have proved to be a firm favourite over the years. Kirk Hammett, Dimebag and Slash have all used wah as part of their sound (and even have signature models) and players continue to use this effect to add extra style to solos and lead riffs. The looper is very popular with experimental artists and solo performers, with people like Ed Sheeran and Tash Sultana showing how songs can be built up using these pedals.

Do guitar pedals make a difference?

Yes. Guitar pedals make an enormous difference to your guitar sound. Pedals are one of the most important factors in defining your sound, they can have such a huge effect on your sound that without them your tone could be completely unrecognisable, especially when you utilise effects such as distortion, wah and fuzz.

What is the best way to arrange guitar pedals?

Generally speaking, most players will put their tuner first, then wah pedal, followed by compressor and then any drive pedals. This is then followed by modulation effects (chorus, flanger etc) and finally ambient pedals such as reverb and delay. While this order works best for most players, there are no rules and experimenting with this has been the key to some guitarists finding their signature sound. If your amp has an effects loop, it is also common for the modulation effects to be added there for a more natural sound.

Do you get different effects pedals for guitar and bass?

Many effects pedals work well for both guitar and bass however there are models that have been designed with guitar or bass in mind. An example would be the Crying Bass from Electro Harmonix which has a low-pass filter to keep the natural low end frequencies. Overdrive pedals also have both bass and guitar models but some bassists have found that the guitar models do a great job at helping them cut through in a mix by lifting the tone and adding definition. As is normally the case with pedals, it is often down to experimentation and personal preference.

How do I connect a pedal?

The connections for use with almost all guitars, effects pedals and amplifiers are the standard 1/4" jack to jack instrument cables. If you are using one pedal then you'll need 2 cables - one from the guitar to the pedal then one connecting the pedal to the amp. Adding another pedal to this chain would require another cable, and so on. If you are using a pedal with a battery, remember to disconnect the cable from the input jack when not in use to prevent the battery from draining!

Guitar Pedals | guitarguitar

Way Huge Purple Platypus Octidrive MkII

(1)

£159.00 £174.99

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Way Huge Overdrive

£139.00 £154.99

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

The Big Sale

Wampler Paisley Deluxe Overdrive

£199.00 £249.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Voodoo Lab Giggity

£187.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive MOD

(2)

£195.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Walrus Audio Ages 5 Stage Overdrive

£189.00 £205.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Blu Guitar Looperkit

£199.00 £239.00

Available to Order

Eventide Time Factor Twin Delay and Looper Pedal

(1)

£369.00 £389.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Ibanez ADMINI Analog Delay Mini

(1)

£109.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Catalinbread Bicycle Delay

(1)

£189.00

Available to Order

KMA Machines Tyler Deluxe

£249.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series - VT Bass DI

(1)

£249.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Seymour Duncan 805 Overdrive Pedal

£185.00 £249.95

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Revv G2 Overdrive

£199.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

The Big Sale

Pigtronix Gamma Drive Micro

£89.00 £99.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

MXR M76 Studio Compressor

£199.00 £224.99

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Mondo

(1)

£295.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Dod Compressor Pedal 280

£99.00 £105.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Voodoo Lab 2.1mm Right-Angle Barrel Connector and Bare End 36in Cable

£2.89

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Voodoo Lab 2 x 2.1mm Straight and Right Angle Barrel 24in Cable

(2)

£8.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Fulltone 2B Booster Pedal

£129.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Ibanez BTMINI Boost

£95.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Laney BCC-T85 Black Country Customs The 85 Bass Interval

£129.00 £159.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

MXR M235 Smart Gate Pro Rack Unit

£519.00 £569.99

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

FREE Delivery

In Stock

The Big Sale

ZVEX Loop Gate

£109.00 £149.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Fender Large Pedal Board with Bag

(1)

£179.00 £229.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

D'Addario XPND Single Pedal Riser

£15.99 £19.60

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Mono Pedalboard Lite Black

£149.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Mono Pedalboard Lite Silver

£149.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

(1)

£179.00

Get it Thursday, Jan 16

In Stock

Stores Nationwide

Free Next Day Delivery

Sell your Guitar

Expert Advice

Extended Exchange

Guitar Pedals

Filter

Way Huge Purple Platypus Octidrive MkII

Way Huge Overdrive

Wampler Paisley Deluxe Overdrive

Voodoo Lab Giggity

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive MOD

Walrus Audio Ages 5 Stage Overdrive

Blu Guitar Looperkit

Eventide Time Factor Twin Delay and Looper Pedal

Ibanez ADMINI Analog Delay Mini

Catalinbread Bicycle Delay

KMA Machines Tyler Deluxe

Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series - VT Bass DI

Seymour Duncan 805 Overdrive Pedal

Revv G2 Overdrive

Pigtronix Gamma Drive Micro

J.Rockett Audio Touch Overdrive

Laney Black Country Customs Monolith Distortion

Fulltone Soulbender v2 Overdrive Pedal

Fulltone Custom Shop PlimSoul MkII Overdrive/Distortion Pedal

Ibanez TS9B Bass Overdrive Tube Screamer

Electro Harmonix Nano Bassballs

Catalinbread CB Overdrive

MXR M76 Studio Compressor

Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Mondo

Dod Compressor Pedal 280

Voodoo Lab 2.1mm Right-Angle Barrel Connector and Bare End 36in Cable

Voodoo Lab 2 x 2.1mm Straight and Right Angle Barrel 24in Cable

Fulltone 2B Booster Pedal

Ibanez BTMINI Boost

Laney BCC-T85 Black Country Customs The 85 Bass Interval

MXR M235 Smart Gate Pro Rack Unit

ZVEX Loop Gate

Fender Large Pedal Board with Bag

D'Addario XPND Single Pedal Riser

Mono Pedalboard Lite Black

Mono Pedalboard Lite Silver

Mono Pedalboard Lite+ Silver

Mono Pedalboard Small Silver

Mono Pedalboard Large Black

Voodoo Lab Dingbat Small Pedalboard

Keep up with our latest offers, news & events