2014/01/16

A Guide to Effects Placement on the Guitar Pedal Board

When you are seeking to create an original and effective tone for your guitar, you will want to arrange your guitar pedal board in the most efficient manner. The pedal board helps to keep pedals and effects in the same area, so they do not rotate or slip when they are stepped on. While most pedal boards rely on a square or boxy form, they can be customized so that your pedals can be placed in a semi-circle or some other shape. While tone is subjective, there are some loose rules that should be followed when selecting guitar pedal order. These placements can be experimented with and altered to create different tones and sounds.
Personal preference and comfort are the most important factors when deciding how your pedals should be placed. This guide follows a logical pattern that associates the purpose of each pedal with its placement on the board. First up would be any Tuners that you may have. A tuner can technically be placed anywhere and still function, but the clearest signal will be received in the first slot. Next up would be your Filters and Phasers. This includes items such as Wah-Wahs and Envelope Filters. Like the Tuner, these pedals work best when placed closest to the unprocessed signal coming from your guitar.
These should be followed by any Compressors you may have. They will act to smooth out the tone for the rest of your effects. Distortion and Fuzz Boxes will come next, along with any Overdrive options. The next slot is a great spot for the EQ. It will help to shape the tone and also offer a volume boost for soloing. Pitch Shifters and Modulators should follow and these pedals can include Flanger effects as well as the Chorus pedal. Volume and Delay pedals are best placed toward the end of your set up. The Reverb works best in the final position, so it can affect all of the other sounds as a whole.
While the guitar pedal order is very personal, the above suggestions will help anyone to achieve a more consistent and interesting tone. Placement on the guitar pedal board can also be effected by such factors as the size and shape of the pedal, along with any aesthetic considerations that may come into play. When setting up your board it is a good idea to have some fun and experiment. That is best way to come up with the most unique and original sounds.

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