Miscellaneous Guitar Effects

What is a guitar buffer pedal for?

In certain situations in which we have many pedals, long cables or there are certain pedals that do not understand each other well, they result in a poorly defined final sound, with a lot of bass and off, regardless of whether the pedals are connected or not.

This is where one of the most underrated pedals comes in: the buffer. Basically, a buffer is a circuit that will replicate exactly to the output what is connected to the input and, more importantly, apply that output unchanged (transparently) to the next guitar pedal in the line. In short, a buffer pedal improves the quality and high-frequency response of your effects chain, eliminating impedances and noise.

There are three basic settings for placing a buffer: just before a very long cable, between pedals that don't sound very good together, or typically between a wah and a fuzz.

How to use an EQ Pedal?

In a simplified way, we can say that an equalizer modifies the gain but in specific frequency ranges. What they do is increase or decrease the volume of the low, medium and high frequencies, and this helps us correct problems in the tone and / or improve the sound of our instrument.

Normally for the latter it is usually placed at the beginning of the pedal chain. If what you want is to correct a specific problem, such as an excessive hiss, or boomines in the low frequency range, many use it at the end of the chain or just in the place that generates that specific problem.

When choosing our equalizer pedal, the first thing we have to ask ourselves is what we want to achieve. Improve the bass response? Remove an excessive shapr treble? Correct hum?

Once the “what for” is defined, the main thing to consider is the number of bands. The bands are the number of divisions of the frequencies and generally in the market we will find from the simplest ones with only three bands (bass, middle and treble) to 10, which divide the spectrum into more frequencies. If we only want to enhance or attenuate in a general way, the 3-band ones are enough, if we want to correct a specific problem, the more bands the better.

It is also important to look at how much the bands boosted or cut, measured in decibels. The enhancement or attenuation will be more pronounced in the simpler (and therefore usually cheaper) models and, conversely, the more complex (and therefore usually more expensive) are more accurate.

Finally, there are the "extras”. There are many pedals that, in addition to the basic function that we have already described above, are usually accompanied by a general volume that we can use as a booster (signal intensifiers that improve the level of the signal that comes from the guitar to the amplifier). There are also those that come with presets and those that come with more controls to shape the sound, such as the Q factor, which is a frequency filter control that allows us to more precisely adjust how much and where exactly we want to attenuate or boost.

What is the best eq pedal for me?

In this section you will find our assortment of equalizer pedals from the best brands on the market, from inexpensive pedals for beginners to mid-range pedals to limited-production boutique-style pedals of the best quality on the market.

If you have any questions about which EQ pedal is best for you, get in touch with our team of experts who will be happy to help you choose the one that best fits your budget.

What is a fuzz pedal?

If you’re looking for a very elegant guitar tone, a Fuzz pedal is the perfect answer. Fuzz pedals belong to the same family as the boost, overdrive and distortion pedals and were very famous during the psychedelic rock era of the 60s.

Largely analog, Fuzz pedals have a rougher tone compared to their close counterparts. They would be something like an exaggerated overdrive, with a greater distortion in the waveform, which means that there are more peaks in the various harmonics.

We are talking about the oldest kind of saturation pedals. Conceived in the 1960s, the first Fuzz pedals used germanium transistors, known to produce warm, medium-focus tones. And although germanium pedals are still manufactured, silicone pedals are now the norm. As a more reliable alternative, these transistors provide better longevity and consistency, offering a brighter tone with more gain and saturation.

Fuzz pedals can thicken the sound of your riffs or solos, producing a thick, harmonic-rich sound. Surely the models that ring a bell are the Fuzz Face used by Jimi Hendrix or the Electro Harmonix Big Muff PI used by Carlos Santana. Take a look at our offer!

Loopers

A pedal looper is basically a device that allows you to record small musical fragments and repeat them in a loop, adding layers of new recordings on top of the first one.

With a looper the artist can connect his guitar, microphone or other instrument, record a loop and then use it as an accompaniment to continue playing and / or singing live. You can also record new fragments on top while the loop is playing, a function also known as "sound-on-sound" recording.

How to use a looper pedal?

Originally looper pedals were widely used for home practice. By recording a few bars of a piece of music, you can practice scales over it, or practice a solo until you find the right notes.

But this pedal has become increasingly popular, especially among artists who perform their songs on YouTube, as it allows them to do it alone without the need for a band. Using a live looper is called “Live Looping” and it is a very popular method of recording and playing music in real time today. This can be done using Loop Station devices or with special computer software.

Additionally, each looper allows users to store digital audio files that they can play back. However, choosing a pedal loop station is always a somewhat complex decision. As an artist, you have to take into account how you will use the pedal, what your needs are, etc.

If you have any questions about it, our professionals will be happy to help you, so don't hesitate to contact us.

What is a Pitch Shifter and what is it for?

The Pitch Shifter effect (and among them the Octaver), are effects that transpose (that is, move up or down) a note or notes within a predefined interval (distance between two notes).

An Octaver is a type of Pitch Shifter because it transposes the notes exactly in an interval of octaves (12 semitones). This type of effect creates rich layers of sound, fattening it up and making it more interesting. Many octavers are used when a bass is lacking, setting it one octave below, which is usually the range in which the electric bass sounds.

In general, Pitch Shifters can transpose any note up or down. Normally it is used to lower some tones and, in this way, fatten the sound of our guitar. This is very useful in harder styles like Metal, but you can also get very curious and experimental effects.

What is the difference between a volumen and an expression pedal?

An expression pedal or a volume pedal is essentially a potentiometer that is operated with the foot, allowing us to control some parameter and thus free our hands.

A volume pedal is made up of an audio input and an audio output and, through a potentiometer, reduces or increases the level of the signal coming out of the guitar. Its function, then, is to control an audio signal.

An expression pedal controls a certain parameter (which can be, for example, the repetitions of a delay) by connecting it to the input of an audio device, such as an effects unit. It is thus a controller.

Within the volume pedals we can distinguish between active and passive. The only difference here is that the former require power, either by battery or by connecting them to a power source, while the latter do not, since they are, in essence, a simple potentiometer that lets through more or less amount of signal: a volume.