Putting pedal to the metal

THE most common equipment or accessory seen with an electric guitar or bass – other than the strap and pick – are the pedals.

For those who have been to music shows where musicians are using real instruments, you’ve probably seen them messing around with box-like objects in different colours, shapes and designs near their feet, often stepping on them as they tune and perform soundcheck.

These are the all-important pedals. They function by giving the user the ability to manipulate the sound of their guitar tones to various effects depending on that particular player’s desire.

Guitar pedals are designed to universally work well with electric and bass guitars, though there are different outcomes depending on the equipment.

The pedals will usually come with adjustable knobs and switches, so that the user is able to fine-tune the sound to their liking.

They’re also called “pedals” because every pedal is designed to be placed on the floor, so that they can be easily stepped on to either enable or disable the pedals at any point during songs and gigs.

For those seeking to buy their first pedal or are just interested in them, here are the most basic and common pedals a lot of musicians use.

Distortion Pedal

Arguably the most popular pedal in rock and heavy metal, distortion pedals are often the first purchase for those who get into guitars with the intention of learning to play music from the aforementioned genres.

Distortion is the aggressive “blowing out” that is commonly heard on rock and metal. It distorts what would usually be smooth chords into chords with loud, sustained crunch and attitude.

Overdrive Pedal

Overdrive pedals work by keeping the sound generated by an electric guitar or bass in line with the amplifier both are hooked up to.

If you increased the drive and level, you get a big sound from the pedal. If you decrease it, you get a more cleaner sound that the amplifier picks up from the guitar. This drive is versatile and is common on most pedalboards.

Reverb Pedal

The pedal does what it says; it produces and allows control over the reverb. This is usually controllable through most amplifiers, but the reverb pedals allows direct finetuning. Depending on the music, this means players can create distinct “atmospheres” that depends on the settings of the pedal.

Reverb pedals also work best with cheap amplifiers that don’t have fuzz controls.

Fuzz Pedal

Punk, rock and metal are all known for sounds that have a distinct ‘buzzing’ sound when chords are playing, particulary bass guitars. That is done through fuzz pedals.

Wah Pedal

This actually looks like a car pedal. The wah pedal is known for creating the “wah” sound whenever the pedal is stepped on in tandem with the playing. Where other pedals are enabled at the start of songs, the wah pedal is used throughout songs.

Jimi Hendrix and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett are known for their extensive use of the wah pedal.

Tuner Pedal

For new players who still can’t tune by ear, this pedal makes tuning easy. Even experienced players still use tuner pedals during shows, as it helps them cut down tuning time, especially in venues that are already loud.

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