You’ve been playing a while, your clean tone is getting old, and you want to chase new sounds with pedals. Then you see how many stompboxes exist and the fun turns into guesswork.
Most of those pedals can wait. A good first pedal, like a simple overdrive, is easy to use on day one yet still rewards you as your skills grow.
This guide explains what effects pedals do and the two basic ones beginners tend to skip. We then walk through a short set of effects worth starting with, plus the safe way to power and wire them.
Still putting the rig together? See our picks for a beginner electric guitar, an amp, and a full starter guitar, plus more beginner guitar tips, but first a quick look at what guitar effects pedals actually are.
What Are Guitar Effects Pedals?
Guitar effects pedals are used to create different sound effects with a guitar, effectively altering the normal sound. Sometimes these are called “effects pedals” or “stomp boxes.”
Usually, these pedals are used to create a sound distortion or a special effect. However, they can also be used to create more traditional guitar sounds that are slightly altered in some way.
For example, they can be used for equalization, or to control volume.
Using guitar pedals is a straightforward process, as they’re simply connected to the guitar and the amp. It generally takes some practice and experimentation with various settings and notes in order to achieve the desired sound effect.
In fact, through experimentation, you might even discover some new sounds that you never even knew you wanted to achieve.
It’s also possible to string more than one pedal together to create various sounds. To do this, you can simply connect them one to the other using a guitar cord, which is exactly how a pedalboard is built up over time.
There are various types of these pedals to choose from. Some are considered to be “the basics” for guitar sound and, as such, are good selections for beginners.
There are also more advanced, specialized, and sophisticated pedals for when a guitarist advances in skill level and wants an even greater range of sound.
Two Basic Pedals Beginners Overlook
Before getting into the fun effects, two practical pedals are worth mentioning because beginners often skip them.
A tuning pedal is very handy to have and can be used for tasks like muting when switching guitars. It’s also great for getting a very clear concept of the pitch of a guitar’s strings.
A volume pedal is another basic that’s often overlooked by beginners. Guitars already have a volume knob, but a volume pedal provides even more control.
These can be used either before or after the amp for different volume control needs, and a stereo volume pedal can be used to expand tonal range.
Best Guitar Pedals for Beginners to Start With
With so many options to choose from, it can be confusing for a beginner to decide which guitar pedals to start with. A few basic ones that are good for a beginner pedalboard include overdrive pedals, delay pedals, wah pedals, looper pedals, and multi-effect pedals.
Here’s what each one does and why it earns a spot on a starter board.
1. Overdrive Pedals
Thankfully, gone are the days when guitarists had to really crank up their amplifiers to “off the charts” settings in order to achieve the desired sound distortion. Today, overdrive pedals are used for this effect, and so much more.
Overdrive pedals provide the ability to shape the tone and precisely choose the amount of gain, at any volume.
Some musicians also use these pedals to boost the amp’s crunch channel into distortion, which is a very popular sound effect to use during guitar solos. Overdrive pedals are extremely popular in rock and blues.
As compared to a boost pedal, the overdrive pedal adds more texture and distortion, but less distortion than would be achieved with an actual distortion pedal. A versatile overdrive like an Ibanez Tube Screamer is a good choice for beginners to start with on their pedalboard.
2. Delay Pedals
When one thinks of delay pedals, musicians such as Hendrix come to mind. Delay pedals can be used to create the common vocal-like effect that’s so popular in music - click here to see how to use a digital delay effects pedal.
It serves to open or narrow down the guitar’s voice, and it creates a very recognizable sound.
Essentially, it’s a timing-based effect. It copies an incoming signal and then, after a period of time, plays it back one or more times.
Delay pedals differ from echo pedals in that they can create the echo, but also more. Just like an echo pedal, the delay effect pedal creates a duplicate sound and then time shifts it.
However, delay effects pedals also provide more ways to manipulate the sound.
Depending on the pedal used, it’s possible to create multiple levels of delay, complex repeats, and other effects. The end result is the ability to create everything from a fairly simple repeat to a very complex and interesting sound.
Delay pedals are versatile and fun to work with, and they can be well-utilized by guitarists of all levels, including beginners.
3. Wah Pedals
The wah pedal is used to create the very distinctive “wah-wah” sound that’s so popular in music. These pedals have the ability to alter both the guitar signal’s frequency and tone.
The end result is a sound that mimics a human voice saying “wah-wah.” This “wah effect” is reminiscent of a trombone player using a mute to create a crying, expressive sound.
It’s a popular pedal used in a wide variety of music, including metal and funk. A wah pedal provides the ability to move the resonant peak’s frequency up and down, resulting in the “wah-wah” crying sound.
Wah pedals are quite versatile and can be used to create sound-manipulated effects. Rocking the pedal back and forth on each note will give each note the signature “wah-wah” sound.
This is a technique that’s fairly simple and easy, and as such, is a popular one for beginners. However, as the beginner advances in skill level, the pedal can be manipulated to the beat instead of with each note, to create a funk rhythm.
That’s one of the great things about getting a wah pedal as a beginner: it can be used effectively right away but provides plenty of room to grow with more intricate techniques.
4. Looper Pedals
The looper pedal is a great choice for a beginner to start out with. Most guitarists, at one point or another, have wished they could just clone their playing.
A looping pedal is one way to achieve this, as well as create a number of other interesting effects. Essentially, these pedals provide the ability to record a passage of music and then play it back in a loop.
Once the loop is played back, many pedals provide the ability to overdub the first musical passage with additional passages. Depending on the pedal, the direction of the loop as well as the tempo can be altered.
Besides the obvious advantage of creating great effects during play, there are other reasons these pedals are great for beginners. Many guitarists use them to practice various solo techniques.
A looper pedal makes it easier to figure out the perfect harmony and to experiment with different playing techniques. This can also come in handy during songwriting sessions, since the repetition provided by the looping effect is a great way to perfect melodies and musical passages.
Looper pedals are also a great way to create a “live band” effect during a solo. Because they provide the ability to add various loops, these sounds can be layered.
The end result is percussive, bass, melody, and other loops that the solo guitarist is able to play along with and build upon. While there are many advanced techniques that can be achieved with a looper pedal, it can also be used very effectively by the beginner.
5. Multi-Effect Pedals
The multi-effect pedal is sometimes referred to simply as a “multi-FX” pedal. Essentially, it’s a single guitar effects pedal that provides multiple electronic effects.
These pedals allow the guitarist to preset various effect combinations, which provides for a lot of different effects when playing. It’s like having a toolbox of musical effects that the guitarist can call upon while playing.
It’s common to find effects such as reverb pedals, flanger pedals, phaser, a good chorus pedal, and distortion on a multi-effect pedal, and more advanced units may include looper functions.
A multi-effect pedal is a great addition for any guitarist who plays live performances. Because it allows so many different sounds to be preset, it provides a lot of versatility on stage.
It’s a great pedal for the beginner because it offers such a wide range of versatility and can be used in simpler ways successfully even by a novice. It’s also a great investment for the beginner, because it provides so much functionality to grow into.
Pedal Brands Worth Considering
If you aren’t sure where to begin, these are well-known brands that make beginner-friendly pedals across many of the effect types above:
- Electro-Harmonix
- TC Electronic
- Ibanez
- AmazonBasics
- BOSS
- Universal Audio UAD
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pedals does a beginner really need?
You don’t need a full pedalboard to get started. Many players begin with just one or two pedals, often an overdrive and a delay, and learn those thoroughly before adding more.
Starting small lets you master each effect and figure out what sounds you actually want before spending money on pedals you may not use.
Do guitar pedals need their own power supply?
Yes. Guitar effects pedals require their own power supply, and most can run on either a battery or a wall adapter.
Batteries are convenient when you want to play away from an outlet, and many pedals have a warning light that indicates a low battery.
For longer playing sessions, a wall power supply is recommended so you don’t risk the battery failing mid-song.
Will pedals make my guitar louder?
Some can. Pedals such as boost and overdrive can greatly increase volume when engaged.
Before playing through them, turn the volume on your amp down for the safety of your speakers, then bring it back up to taste.
Should a beginner buy single pedals or a multi-effect unit?
Both are good options, and it comes down to how you like to learn. A multi-effect pedal gives you many sounds in one box and is great value, which makes it easy to explore what’s possible.
Individual pedals let you build a board one effect at a time and get a deeper feel for each one. Many beginners start with a multi-effect unit to explore, then add dedicated pedals for the sounds they use most.
Final Thoughts
Although guitar effects pedals may seem a bit confusing and even daunting to a beginner, there are plenty of ways to use them easily. Starting with just a couple of basic pedals and working with those until you reach a decent level of mastery is one of the best ways to get going.
It helps to remember that there’s a beginner, basic way of using these effects pedals, and then more advanced methods you can grow into as your skill increases. Any one or more of the pedals listed above can be used successfully by a beginner while providing the groundwork for more advanced techniques.
Once you master these basics, there are many other guitar effects pedals to explore. As is the case with almost everything in life, the best way to master these pedals and their techniques is to just jump in and start learning and experimenting.
