Blues Guitar Lessons Secrets Guitar Solos

Most guitarists shy away from excessively technical gear. Because of this, they usually gravitate towards uncomplicated effects pedals. So the goal for most manufacturers is to put out pedals with only a couple of knobs. But occasionally even three knobs can be intimidating. Don’t allow this to stop you. Get in there, experiment and learn how to dial in cool sounds with your guitar pedals. If you are just learning how to customize your tone using guitar stompboxes, the MXR Carbon Copy is a groovy place to start.

Insert the Carbon Copy into your signal chain.

Instead of just plugging your guitar directly into your amp, you need to plug it into the Carbon Copy first. Plug the output of the Carbon Copy to the input of your amp.

Unless it is your only pedal, you’ll want to determine where in your signal chain to put the Carbon Copy. Practically all guitarists agree that delay pedals follow any compressor or distortion pedals.

Understanding what each control does.

Delay:

The Delay knob allows you to set the amount of delay time from 20ms (fully counter-clockwise) to 600ms (fully clockwise).

Regen:

The Regen knob allows you to set the number of delay repeats from one (fully counter-clockwise) to infinite (fully clockwise). The Regen knob functions together with the Delay knob so modifying the settings of one will affect the other.

Mix:

The Mix knob allows you to alter the portion of delayed, or “wet”, signal from entirely dry (fully counter-clockwise) to uniform amounts of wet and dry (fully clockwise).

Mod:

The Modulation button allows you to add a certain amount of modulation to the delay signal. Modulation is an effect that changes the pitch of a signal by a small, regularly occurring amount, making a warbling effect.

There are two internal trim pots that allow you to set the width and rate controls of the modulation effect inside the pedal.

Effect on/off switch:

Like most guitar pedals, the Carbon Copy has a foot-switch that toggles on and off.

So Make Some Noise

Begin with the Delay and Mix knobs placed entirely clockwise and the Regen knob set full counter-clockwise. Turn the pedal on by stepping on the footswitch. A blue LED illuminates when the effect is engaged. Now all you need to do is dial in your desired sound by adjusting the three knobs in relation to each other.

No matter what your level of experience, get in there and move some knobs. You’ll be certain to come up with something exciting.

Head on over to MXR Carbon Copy. While you’re there be sure to check out our top 5 Carbon Copy videos.

If the thought of “should I buy a pedalboard?” has come to mind, then something must not be working with the pedals you currently own. It can be inconvenient to transport loose pedals and cables. It gets difficult to keep all of the parts in one place. A pedal board can offer relief from these issues. Finding the right pedal board does not have to be difficult.

Keep the basics in mind when looking for the right pedalboard. Look into the size and weight, specifications, and the price. Find the right board to meet your needs.

Do the necessary research and this investment will be well worth it. Meet your personal needs. Look into different companies and retailers.

Size is an important factor to consider before the final purchase. A basic pedalboard consists of a power supply, volume control, and distortion. It is up to the musician if more than the basics are needed. Keep the weight and size in mind. The pedal board will be traveling with you to different venues.

Price is often an issue when buying a pedalboard. Try not to look only for name brands. The more well known the company, the higher the price will be. Music is not about name brands. It is about moving an audience with the sounds of the band. Go try the pedal boards out. See if it is comfortable to use and produces the right sounds and distortion. Name brands will not get you auditions, amazing sound will.

Research is always an important part of finding out if a pedalboard is something that will enhance the overall sound of your music. It takes searching the past of retailers and companies and talking with experienced clients of these companies. Firsthand experience can go a long way. Other pedal board users may be able to tell you things that the salesmen or companies do not want you to know about their products. There may be glitches that have not been worked out yet, that only other guitarists know of.

The personal choice of investing in a pedalboard requires much thought. Looking into this topic implies that you have the need for this product to improve the quality of your life. A first impression when auditioning for gigs goes a long way. Disorganized pedals, missing pedal wires, and uncomfortable transportation can have a lot to do with losing out on an opportunity to succeed. Pedal boards make being a musician a little bit easier, giving a person less to think about before a show. This can produce a better performance.

The question “should I buy a pedalboard?” is up to the musician. Pedalboards can make playing a lot easier. This option can eliminate stress caused by lost pedals and other necessary equipment. Peaceful musicians make better music.

Selecting a guitar effects pedalboard will help to better your musical career. Find out more information about the Pedaltrain PT2 by checking a review site.

If you are a guitarist and budding superstar, then you will eventually need Electric Guitar Effects Pedals to enhance your performance, and to develop your sound and style. Of all the pedals available this article shows five which are most commonly used, with a brief description of each.

1. Compressor Pedal

Due to the extreme usefulness of this pedal, no self respecting guitarist would be seen without one. However, despite this the Compressor is thought to be the most difficult pedal to use effectively, and it is generally understood the least. Simply put, use of this pedal enables the guitarist to perform over a wide dynamic range e.g. loud solo to background rhythmic playing, yet the output of the amplifier remains at a constant volume level. The result is that the listener can hear all the nuances of the guitarists performance, without the softer passages being drowned out by the band, or conversely, everyone being deafened by the solos.

This pedal is also used to produce those long sustained notes, made popular by the likes of Gary Moore. One drawback to the Compressor is that incorrect use may cause unwanted noise to be introduced, or at the other extreme the performance can become rather bland.

2. Tremolo Pedal

Initially becoming very popular in the 1960′s, this pedal is still in wide use today. The Tremolo produces a vibrato effect by rapidly changing the volume of the sound at a rate determined by the user.

The signal for the guitar is altered by feeding a separate sine wave through a Voltage Controlled Amplifier, within the pedal. By adjusting the gain of the VCA, plus the frequency of the sine wave, the resultant output rate and depth of the signal is modified, producing the Tremolo effect.

3. Overdrive and Distortion

The role of the Overdrive/Distortion pedal is to alter the Gain of the guitar signal to the Amplifier, to the point where the sound is anything between a dirty or gritty sound, to a warm heavily clipped tone. Compressor pedals vary in complexity – from just a few simple controls like Tone, Gain and Drive – to more complex configurations which incorporate tone shaping facilities.

4. The Wah Wah Pedal

The Wah pedal produces a similar sound as a human voice saying – you guessed it – Wah. Again this is a very commonly used pedal which is brilliant at enhancing your lead or rhythmic performances. Control over the Wah effect is carried out via a foot treadle, enabling the performer to instantly change the wah effect to suit the style and performance.

The Wah effect is produced by passing the guitar signal through a low pass filter, the amount of which is controlled by the floor pedal. This effect is now also used extensively in modern dance or trance music where the high frequencies are gradually filtered out to a muffled beat, and then restored again.

5. Phaser Pedal

Finally, there is the Phaser. This is an extremely well known effect where, basically, the guitar signal is doubled up then mixed together again at the output, but slightly out of phase. Easy as that.

Configuring the Pedals

If you are wondering about the best way to configure your effects arsenal, there are two ways available. Firstly, you could buy a Multi-effects Unit, which has a varying number of guitar effects built into the one unit. This is quite a nice way of doing things and is easy to set up at a gig. Prices vary, but the quality difference between them is very small, mostly due to the fact that they all utilise microprocessor controlled technology.

If your on a budget and can only afford one pedal at a time, then another way of assembling your effects arsenal, is by daisy chaining the pedals together with cables, as you buy more. Some guitarists even prefer this method as many have favourite pedals which they know very well, and prefer the sounds or effects they produce. The order in which they are connected is a subject I will not go into, as this is debated often amongst musicians who have their own preferences.

Looking to find the best deal on Electric Guitar Effects Pedals, then visit www.ElectricGuitarEffectsPedals.com to find the best Advice, Information and Videos on Guitar Effects Pedals to enhance your playing experience.