Guitar Foot Pedals - Distortion and Overdrive Effects

By Lynne May

There is often quite a bit of confusion between the terms "overdrive" and "distortion". Let's try to clear that up a bit.

Overdrive

Overdrive inherently involves distorting the sound coming from your amp, but it is different from what we have come to call "Guitar Distortion". Overdrive is simply a boosting of the the signal of your guitar before it enters the amplifier. Basically, you can think of it as a very big signal trying to get through a smaller opening. In the early days--and sometimes still--, overdrive was achieved by turning the volume on the amp DOWN and the volume on the guitar UP. This forces the large signal of the guitar into the smaller output capacity of the amp. (Think of a garden hose where the water is forced into a smaller power nozzle.)

The sound that you get with overdrive is a kind of warm, dirty, "beefed up" sound. It is not meant to add massive amounts of screaming metal distortion. Rather, it is an overall boost to the guitar signal without any added tonal coloration. The sound is similar to that of a tube amp when it is "cranked up". If you are doing blues and rock then maybe an overdrive pedal will give you the sound that you want.

Distortion

Distortion is a more intense overdriven sound with added tonal coloration. There are as many types of distortion as there are players.It all depends upon taste--anything from a fuzz tone to a full-on, notched-out midrange, death metal wall of noise. Digital distortion has a more metallic, raspy sound which works well for heavy metal, grunge, or reliving your 80's hair band days. Analog tube distortion gives a good, all-around rock tone, such as the sound of a Marshall stack cranked to the MAX.

Overdrive and Distortion Pedals

There is a countless variety of overdrive and distortion guitar effects pedals on the market. Most of these pedals are geared toward a specific type of musical sound. There are pedals for Metal, pedals for a Classic Rock Sound and pedals for the "Overdrive Crunch" enthusiast, just to name a few. While some pedals have three simple knobs,--Tone, Level, and Distortion--others have many more controllable parameters.

In addition to the individual overdrive and distortion pedals, these effects are also available in a wide variety of "Multi-Effects" pedals. With all that is available to today's guitarist, there is absolutely nothing to stop you from developing your "signature sound". You just have to look around a bit. For a more detailed discussion of overdrive, distortion and other guitar effects pedals as well as purchasing resources and pedal recommendations, visit:

www.may-studio-music-lessons.com/guitar-foot-pedals.html

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Guitar Effects, the Chorus Pedal

By Andy Partridge

Another guitar gadget that you can use is the chorus. This is guitar effects where individual sounds with about the same timbre and almost the same pitch converge are then converged to be played as one. When these different sounds are played, none of them will appear off key or out of tune. Instead, the sound becomes rich more enhanced. This is not what would normally happen if the sound would come from a single source. This effect is evident in sounds that would be sustained for long periods of time.

The chorus effect is something that you would normally find in string instruments. When you actually listen to a string ensemble, the instrument would sound like they are a choir of angels singing, thus the name of the effect. And since the guitar is, of course, a string instrument, the chorus is one of the best effects that could be applied onto the instrument. The chorus effect would then help enhance the sound of the guitar that comes from different moments, timed a little slightly apart from each other, seemingly coming from different locations like in the case of a full band.

Of course, the effect can be simulated with a gadget. Normally, guitar players would have a foot pedal, similar to the overdrive distortion that can be activated by stepping on the pedal. The effect can also be applied during the processing of recorded music in the recording studio.

When the chorus effect is applied, the processor then receives the audio signal from the instrument and allows it to mix with delayed and more pitch-modulated replicas of itself. These replica sounds are then moderated. The effect, in turn, becomes a little similar to flanging. The difference here would be the delays are longer and there will be no feedback present.

Sometimes, the chorus effect would be built in to the guitar. There are models of acoustic and electric guitars that would allow you to use the chorus effect with just a flip of the switch. And as what was mentioned earlier, the effect can also be applied during the post processing of the musical piece. After recording the music, you can put the desired effect when you make some edits in the piece. This will ultimately allow you to add more delays and fully enhance the musical piece. Some chorus foot pedals also allow other effects related to the chorus effect like reverbs and delays to be added in.

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Classic Guitar Pedals - The Fuzz Face

Classic Guitar Pedals - The Fuzz Face
By Jon Mercer

The Fuzz Face is a classic guitar pedal, originally produced in England by Arbiter in the mid-1960s. The company was later sold and became known as Dallas-Arbiter, and they continued to produce the pedal under that name.

The original (Arbiter England) Fuzz Face pedals first began being imported into America in 1966. A strong argument could be made that it's introduction contributed greatly to the burgeoning hippie movement, and the psychedelic rock scene that first took shape in the late 60s.

So what made the original Fuzz Face so special? One of the most unique aspects of the pedal is its smooth, transistor-based fuzz sound. It produced this rich, smooth tone with the use of the (now rare) PNP germanium AC 128 transistors.

Later editions of the pedal began using more modern components, and replaced the original germanium transistors. Unfortunately, modernizing the components of the pedal also took away much of the warmth and color of its original sound. For this reason, original Arbiter England models are now considered rare finds. A unit in good condition can sell at auction for more than $1000. Pretty expensive guitar pedal, huh?

Fortunately, you can also find good deals on these vintage guitar pedals if you shop around at online auctions, or local pawn shops. Many times an individual will have an old pedal lying around and decide to sell it without knowing how rare and prized this classic stomp box actually is.

In these situations you might be able to buy one in great shape for as little as $100 or less. Of course, you have to do some shopping around to find bargains like this, but it is possible.

Tone-wise, the original is an amazing guitar effect. Legendary guitar heroes such as Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend have immortalized the this pedal on recordings from the 1960s and 70s. Many modern rock players also go ga-ga for its "creamy" transistor produced sustain. In fact, it is probably more popular today than ever.

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of confusion about what an original Fuzz Face pedal actually is. Various companies produce stomp boxes that use the name "fuzz face," but are in fact very different pedals, using completely different components.

For example, Jim Dunlop produces a "Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face" pedal that is quite popular, but is NOT the original. Like the Dunlop model, many manufacturers produce a reissue or "reconstruction" of the classic Arbiter English version. And although some of these "remakes" are very good, and have established solid reputations in their own right, none are as revered as the original English version.

Even the Dallas-Arbiter version is slightly different from the original English model, and lacks a certain "bite" that is difficult to describe. Mind you, they still sound pretty great -- just not quite as great as the original.

Trying to get your hands on original is not always easy, but with a little bit of persistence you can usually find one at a decent price by searching around. If the price tag of an original English model is a bit out of your league, consider one of the many high quality reissues such as the Cornell AC 128. Next to an authentic English-manufactured Fuzz Face, it's one of the sweetest sounding fuzz boxes you're likely to hear.

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