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Guitar Effects Reviews – Confessions of a Gear Addict

I love guitars, but I’m really a bit of a gear hound too. That’s why I set up the Guitar Effects Reviews section, so I can share my experiences with what guitar effects I’ve used.

Buying guitar effects is a seriously personal choice. Some players like the ease of use that you get with an all-in-one unit like the Line 6 Boards. Other guitar players prefer to have a separate pedal or stomp box (individual pedals) for each effect. I really think guitar players fall into two camps here, you’re either one or the other.

If you’re more of an old school player, or you’re a very original guitar player, you’re probably looking to craft your unique sound using a collection of carefully chosen stompboxes and pedals. On the other hand, if you’re trying to recreate a variety of sounds in the studio or in the course of a long gig, the multi-effects boards can be a real Godsend.

I personally love the tone, feel, and authenticity of individual stomp boxes. But, I played in bands for years where we would play for 3 hours a night, and I had all my presets carefully dialed in on my Line 6 floor board. Instead of tap dancing on 6 different pedals and wondering if the 9v battery was any good in each pedal, I could just tap on one button and go from clean with a touch of compression and a bit of stereo delay to a raw distortion with a bit different EQ. I love that versatility, and I was willing to sacrifice a little sound quality for it. I was also lead singing, so that certainly helped not having to do the ‘ole tap dance routine. The purists out there may disagree, and that’s fine.

That being said, I’ll definitely include my own opinion in these guitar effects reviews, as I’ve used all of this gear at some point on stage or in the studio.

Here are some Guitar Effects Reviews I think you’ll enjoy:

Things to consider when reading guitar effects reviews and thinking about buying:

What’s your intended use of the Guitar Effect?

Do you plan to gig with this effect? Do you plan to use it in the studio? Are you just looking for that next whacked-out sound to turn you on? There is no wrong answer here, of course, but what you actually plan on using the pedal for will really help you pick the right one. Are you in a cover band that needs to nail lots of really different tones throughout the night? Go for an all-in-one pedalboard. Are you a minimalist blues guitar player that needs purist tone? Get a tube screamer and run it through a great tube amp. Are you bored as hell with your sound and need to mix it up? Go to eBay and find the most bizarre pedal you can and start f*cking with it.

Batteries, 9v Power Cord, or One Power Cord?

If you plan on getting a lot of stomp boxes (individual pedals), plan on using a ton of 9v batteries and replacing them constantly. To solve this problem, you could get a power adapter that powers multiple effects, this helps a lot. The best scenario if you’re using stomp boxes is to get a pedal board that your whole rig of effects units can sit on, that way when you’re practicing or gigging you don’t have to set everything up from scratch every time. Huge time saving. The easiest way to go is to get a multi effects unit that just has one power cord, but you’ll have to make that judgement for yourself. Reading guitar effects reviews all day can’t make this decision for you, it’s a very personal one.

How much Diversity Do You Need?

If you’re a very meat & potatoes guitarist (just need clean, dirty, lead), then you might be totally good to go with just your amp’s built-in effects. If you need a huge array of sounds however, it’s either gonna be a ton of pedals and rackmount gear or a multi-effects board. The pros pretty much always go with a bunch of individual effects, but they also have roadies and techs to handle everything for them. U2′s Edge comes to mind… his rig is freakin’ massive.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guitar effects reviews. Ultimately, the decision has to be up to you, but I hope I’ve pointed you in the right direction.

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