Guitar Pedals and Effects

Guitar effects pedals (or simply FX Pedals) are also known as guitar stomp boxes and are often used to radically change and manipulate the sound that a guitar makes. Guitar Effects Pedals are popular due to the ease of use in live situations, as they're operated by the users' foot to engage the effect, leaving the artist's hands to concentrate on the guitar (unless you're The Edge, whose guitar tech does it all, backstage!).

FX pedals made their first appearance in pop music in the Sixties when artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix started to use effects such as fuzz and wah, creating new sounds unheard of before.

The most popular type of effects today are Distortion and Overdrive; time-based effects such as Delay and Reverb, and modulation effects such as Tremolo, Chorus, Phase, and Flanger - besides the traditional Wah and Fuzz, of course!

FIND YOUR SOUND

Several units became iconic due to their association with some famous users. To name a few: Fuzz Face (Hendrix, Gilmour), POG and Whammy (Jack White, Matt Bellamy), DS2 Distortion (Kurt Cobain), Tube Screamer (Noel Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Deluxe Memory Man (The Edge). Brands such as MXR, Boss, and Electro-Harmonix have been popular for decades, but new boutique FX brands such as Strymon and Wampler are quite respected now.

Since Ed Sheeran went massive, looper pedals have also become a must for electro-acoustic guitar players. Users of analog synths are also fond of plugging their synthesizers into effects originally made for guitars!

If you're a beginner who's not sure what kind of effect you're after, the best option is to get yourself a Multi-Effect Unit, which will have all the major types (distortions, delays, etc.) in one convenient package.

THE BRILLIANCE OF PEDALS

After the amplifier and the guitar, effects are the most vital part of a performing musician's rig; they go a long way in giving your sound its own unique identity. No two guitarists ever have quite the same setup, or use the same exact settings, finding your own special combination of pedals, amp, and guitar is what gives each player their own distinctive sound!

A good choice of FX pedals can transform an average performance into a truly great one. And yeah... they are GREAT fun to experiment with!

CREATE THE PERFECT PEDALBOARD SETUP

The beauty of FX pedals is that they are usually compact and easy to use, and often you require no more than a battery and an extra lead.

However, most players don't have just one pedal, and the more effect pedals you use, the more you'll probably need to get some extras: get a multi-power supply to save money on batteries and get yourself a good pedalboard to keep all your pedals tidy.

Check our pedals accessories for more extras you may need, such as patch leads to connect your pedals to each other.

BUY ONLINE OR TRY GUITAR FX PEDALS IN-STORE!

Besides a huge selection of great guitar FX pedals for sale at PMT Online, you can also visit one of our PMT Guitar Shops across the UK, to try before you buy!

All items in stock worth over £149 are eligible for FREE Next Day Delivery, and you can also Reserve & Collect the items you want, in-store.