14 votes

How do I find a guitar pedal that shuts off output below a set volume?

What you're looking for is called a noise gate. There are a ton of options.
MattPutnam's user avatar
  • 22.3k
14 votes
Accepted

Theoretical difference between amp distortion and distortion from a pedal

As Todd Wilcox commented, there isn't a completely clear-cut classification, however the three categories of saturation-type effects are tube overdrive, fuzz, and transistor overdrive / distortion. ...
leftaroundabout's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

How to play this kind of "growly" sound in the guitar?

Interesting effect indeed! Obvious thing first: don't use a pick when playing Knopfler parts! His tone is very much dominated by the particular way he plucks the strings with his fingers, often ...
leftaroundabout's user avatar
10 votes

Should I connect my multi-effects pedal to PA or Amp?

It depends, really. If you decide to connect it to the input your amp, you do want to disable the amp modelling in the pedal (assuming that's possible). I can think of three ways to hook this up. I'...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
  • 56.1k
9 votes
Accepted

What is the advantage of DC out in tuner pedals?

If you have a power supply with eight outputs, for example, then you can add the tuner without taking away from the ability to power eight other pedals. It gives you nine pedals in total. An ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
  • 56.1k
9 votes

Effect for "rounding off" guitar pick attack

I don’t think Kurt is using an effect, I think he’s using a technique. Some techniques that round out the attack include: Plucking with fingers Picking/plucking closer to the fingerboard Using the ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
  • 56.1k
8 votes
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Acoustic guitar with humbucker pickup sounds like an electric guitar, not acoustic

So this guitar is quite a unique model, the John Lennon signature. Its pickup is not an acoustic-guitar pickup at all but, well, basically a standard high-impedance humbucker in small format. It's no ...
leftaroundabout's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

Effect for "rounding off" guitar pick attack

Assuming that you don't want to just replicate that exact sound in the exact position of the video. Guitar tone control, attenuate/cut the highs Guitar volume control (manual swell) Volume pedal (...
piiperi Reinstate Monica's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

Choosing a guitar stompbox for producing moderate distortion (general advice)

You'll have no idea whether you're really hearing a pedal correctly or not until you fix or replace that bad cable. The same goes for amp settings. Cranking the master volume throws off the EQ balance ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
  • 56.1k
7 votes
Accepted

Can a multi-effects pedal produce the same tone as dedicated pedals?

This may be considered off topic given that it's kind of a gear recommendation. But I'll give the general concept of multi vs stompbox a go. Firstly, any time one thing is emulating another, it will ...
user37496's user avatar
  • 4,103
7 votes

Are effects pedals overkill for acoustic instruments?

Just about everything sounds better with some reverb on it. For steel strings you can get magnetic pickups that require no power to function. For nylon strings you can get a piezo pickup but the ...
luser droog's user avatar
  • 15.1k
7 votes

Should looper pedal come before or after reverb pedal?

If the reverb is before the loop, I would expect the reverberating sound could be cut off in cases where reverb is long and loop is short. That might result it some artificial sound in terms of reverb ...
Michael Curtis's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

The usefulness or otherwise of batteries in multiple guitar effects pedals

Typically, one or other of the sockets is a physical power switch, as well as a signal connection. Remembering which socket is the switch is probably not a simple task, so the result is that every ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 27.4k
7 votes
Accepted

Cheap way of reversing pedal order

If you're looking for a DIY method, that would be a latching 3PDT (3 pole double throw) switch, which comprises three two-way switches, flipped at the same time with a single button. You also need six ...
user1079505's user avatar
  • 15.9k
6 votes

Where should a buffer pedal be placed in the signal chain?

If you are using a signal chain that includes other pedals, and your cable from the guitar to those pedals is fairly short, then you probably don't need a dedicated buffer at all, because any other ...
Нет войне's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Power supply for guitar pedals

Mainly for two reasons - they mostly can work with batteries, they are originally not sold with power supplies. A third reason may be that the original owner will still have other pedals, so will ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 190k
6 votes

What does this foot switch do?

Simple solution - open the box! follow the wiring. It probably re-routes an input to different outputs, so, for example, a guitar or mic can be plugged into it, and pushing the switch sends that ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 190k
6 votes

What does this foot switch do?

Seems to be a simple routing box - the input can be sent to an external 'Effects Loop' (hence the name) or not. The LED indicates whether the loop is switched in or not. The capacitors reduce ...
Laurence's user avatar
  • 90.4k
6 votes
Accepted

How can I make any knob on any pedal controllable with an expression pedal?

If you just want to be able to give the control a tweak with your foot now and again, rather than needing to 'ride' it, the simplest solution is probably an option knob: If you really want to be able ...
Нет войне's user avatar
6 votes

The secret of Fuzz?

https://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/tech-tips/how-electric-guitars-got-their-fuzz-on describes that incident as follows: Another documented early fuzz bass sound also grew out of a malfunction. ...
Нет войне's user avatar
6 votes

Different pedals/effects for low strings/notes than high

Could a low/high pass filtering solution work, or are the higher harmonics of the low notes too important? It can have an interesting effect - in fact I have experimented a lot with this on bass ...
Нет войне's user avatar
6 votes

When Should I Use a Buffer?

If you have a long cable run from your guitar to your amp, and/or you have a lot of true bypass pedals chained together between your guitar and amp, and you feel like your guitar tone isn’t quite ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
  • 56.1k
6 votes

Guitar pedal blocks sound when I engage

With the pedal "off" your signal is routed past the effect, which is why that works. With the pedal "on" the signal is routed into the effect so any problem with the effect will become noticeable. ...
Doktor Mayhem's user avatar
  • 36.8k
6 votes
Accepted

How Do I Make an Electric Upright Bass Sound More Standard?

Being an upright player for most of my life and playing both acoustic and EUB’s I understand your desire to get a more acoustic tone out of an electric instrument, nothing beats the sound of a well ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
6 votes

What type of pedals would be good for a beginner

While digital effects are cost-effective, I personally prefer some inexpensive stompboxes. The reason is that with a stompbox it's very easy to turn some knobs and immediately hear how it changes your ...
mkorman's user avatar
  • 1,317
6 votes

How to listen to my guitar on earphones on a live playing gig while it also sounds in the main monitor speakers, and switch off the guitar sometimes?

I believe this can easily be accomplished with an inexpensive compact mixing board. Run your Line 6 Pod into a stereo channel and the main output of the mixing board to the main sound input. The ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
6 votes

How to listen to my guitar on earphones on a live playing gig while it also sounds in the main monitor speakers, and switch off the guitar sometimes?

John's solution was my first thought. But you may have your hands full of guitar at those moments. So augmenting the equipment needed with a couple of simple volume pedals placed in the signal train ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 190k
5 votes
Accepted

Enable effect pedals by giving them power in different power chains

Would it work? No, it would not work. The problem is if you leave a pedal bypassed, then applying or cutting the power to it does nothing. If you leave a pedal engaged, then applying power gives you ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
  • 56.1k
5 votes

Overdrive pedal in an acoustic amp

You can definitely use your distortion pedal to make a different sound. Whether or not that is better is going to be entirely down to what sounds you like yourself. As ever with these sort of things,...
Doktor Mayhem's user avatar
  • 36.8k

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