Best Guitar Pedal Boards Buying Guide
Choosing a guitar pedalboard can be a tedious task. Since it is subjective, no one can tell you what you’re going to prefer. So when picking one out, you need a guide to know about different guitar pedalboards and what they do for you. So before you head out with absolutely zero idea on the guitar pedalboard you should use, take a look at this guide we have prepared for you and you’ll know exactly what you need.
Why Do You Need A Pedalboard?
Guitar pedalboards are useful because of their extreme convenience regardless of what kind of instrument you play and the place you play them at. So whether you play at home, at shows or in studios, these pedalboards will help you keep all your guitar pedals in one place. This will help you pack them, store them and set them up more efficiently.
Pedalboards can also be useful when you’re looking to organise your pedals in formation. You can group them by type or by effect. However, the only downside to pedalboards is the added hassle of having to change up your pedal placements for anyone who likes experimenting with it. But if you don’t then you’ll benefit greatly from having a pedalboard.
Common Effects In Guitar Pedals
What you actually need from your guitar pedal plays a major role in determining which pedalboard you should get. There are several common effects pedals give, take a look and find out which one you need.
Distortion
Also known as “fuzz” or “overdrive” depending on the level of distortion a guitar pedal has, this effect is what adds the crunchy edge that you’ll hear in hard rock and metal genres. While many amps already have the distortion effect, some guitarists like to own a couple different distortion pedals for some added variety.
Reverb
If you are looking to thicken up a sound that isn’t distorted then you need this effect. It can add echoing reverberations, making you feel like you’re in a giant concert hall. This helps to add a bit of a “surf” vibe to your music.
Delay
People often confuse this with reverb, however, delay works by copying every note that is played and then repeats it by fading it away like a pretty well-defined echo.
Chorus
You can use the chorus effect to replicate your sound to give the impression that there are more than one guitar playing the same note. Although it’s slightly out of tune and fades out with different vibrations, that’s often what most guitarists are looking for.
Wah-wah
If you want to know just what we’re talking about here then give a listen to the start of Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child and you’ll know what the wah-wah effect sounds like. All you have to do is just rock your foot back and forth and the pedal will change the tone from bass to treble.
Looper
While these effects pedals don’t really change your sound, they can still be a great addition to your musical instruments. The looper effect pedals record a small portion of your playing and then plays it back on an endless loop. This effect is particularly great for solo players.
Once you have decided which effects pedals you want, you can go ahead and start looking at pedalboards.
Things To Keep In Mind When Picking The Best Guitar Pedalboards
Besides the effects you can find in guitar pedals, there are a few additional features you should keep in mind in order to make an informed decision about the kind of pedalboard you should go for.
If you are someone that has a small setup and are planning to keep it that way then you can opt for a miniature size board for yourself. These boards are not only lightweight but they do a great job of keeping your guitar pedals organised. Ideal for busking when you don’t want to haul around something too big. However, if you feel like you will be expanding in the future then you can invest in something larger, even if there is excess empty space on your board.
If you are a regular musician then you can opt for a medium-sized board. Since they’re not super heavy and provide ample space, you can pack in plenty of effects on the board with ease. If you use the expression and wah pedals then you might like to buy a medium-sized board just so you can fit the pedals on there comfortably.
But for players who can’t function if everything is not at their feet, you will need a premium board that is large enough for all your pedals. Depending on the amount of effects pedals you want, the pedalboard should be big enough to fit all them and more.
We get it, you might still have questions about guitar pedals. Since not many people talk about this subject, there are many things that are needed to cover here. But hopefully, this guide will help you get started on your search towards the perfect guitar pedal for you.
FAQs
What do guitar effect pedals do?
Putting it simply, guitar effect pedals have the ability to make your tone sound better than you would have if you used only a guitar and amp. You can even use them to create different types of tonal textures. While there are some effects that are more commonly used or are more essential than others like reverb, overdrive, etc, these effects are what make up most of guitar rigs.
Do you really need a guitar pedalboard?
When all of your pedals have been installed on the pedalboard, there’s not much that can move them around. You can then use them with zero worries knowing that you will get the complete effect whenever you need during your performance. If you have more than 5 pedals then it is probably time for you to invest in a pedalboard.
How many guitar pedals is too many?
When you go look at equipment in the market, you’ll be surprised to find that pedals don’t cost half as much as guitars and amplifiers do. So like most things in life, you can get away with having 7 pedals with much ease. With 6 being too less and 8 being too many, 7 is the perfect amount of pedals for most guitarists. But if you are a bass player then you need no more or less than 3 pedals.
Do beginners need guitar pedals?
No, beginner guitar players do not need guitar pedals at all. If you like you can handle them then you can certainly go for minimal effects like a distortion pedal, chorus pedal and even a wah pedal. This will form the basic setup that is good to use by a beginner. But truth be told, for any newly starting out guitarist, the best thing would be to keep your focus on things that are important.