Volume Swell/Killswitch

These are effects that are often produced just using the guitars own control rather than through pedals, but can also be found on pedals.

Volume Swell Normally guitar has a very fast attack. It is at its loudest just after a not has been picked and there is a definite picked sound. You can get a softer pad style sound be picking with the volume off or very low and then raising the volume as the note/chord plays. This can be done with the guitar's own volume knob, but sometimes it is more convenient to leave your picking hand free and use a rocker pedal. By adding delay and/or reverb you can soften the note's ending also so that it doesn't stop abruptly.

Kill Switch A kill switch abruptly stops the sound while it is active and lets the sound play again whilst not active. On guitars with a pickup and pots configuration like that of a typical Les Paul this can be achieved by turning the volume for one pickup off and playing with the pickup selector in the middle position. Whilst holding a note, the player can rapidly switch between middle pickup and the silenced pickup giving a stuttering effect. Do this at your own risk because rapidly switching pickups will inevitably wear your pickup selector. This effect is sometimes implemented by a pedal which is only active while it is pressed down (unlike most pedals which are one click on/one click off). Some people will also modify their guitars to add a dedicated killswitch.