THE ESSENTIAL SOUNDS

NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT MAKES THE PERFECT PEDALBOARD, LET’S LOOK AT THE ABSOLUTE MOST CRUCIAL PART OF IT: THE PEDALS THEMSELVES. THESE ARE THE BEST ALL-ROUNDER PEDALS ANY GUITARIST SHOULD BE PROUD TO OWN.

Even before the boutique pedal explosion of the last few years, there was already a dizzying array of options for guitar players to explore and use. As a newcomer to the instrument, this can be nothing short of overwhelming. What are they? Why do I need them? What are the best guitar pedals for beginners?

Well, first off, it’s possible you might not even need them. It’s worth reminding yourself that although it’s easy to feel like a kid in a candy store with all the options available, that pedals are just tools. Just like guitars, they aren’t really anything until the player – you – makes them into something.

Just as different guitars have different timbres and tones, so do pedals – and using them effectively is a way for you as a player to make an idea or riff really stand out. Some players become experts at sound design using pedals, and it’s an excellent half-way-house between the immediacy of a guitar and having the knowledge required to do sound design in a studio setting.

All of that said, while it’s nice to have a brace of cool FX on your pedalboard and loads of nice gear, some of the best music ever recorded was made with cheap gear and few-to-no pedals, so always keep in mind that the song comes first.

WHERE TO START

Sorry to do this, but our first recommendation has to be a boring one – get a guitar tuner. We’re fans of the TC Electronic Polytune 3 Mini or the

Boss TU-3, but we also have to be honest and say that our first two pedals were a Boss Metal Zone and a Boss DD-6. We didn’t get a tuner until our bandmates started complaining.

So assuming you, like us, want to go for cool sounds first, then our two recommendations are simple. The first step is to get a drive or distortion. If we could have our time again, we’d probably go for a Big Muff or a ProCo RAT as we’ve always played in heavier bands, aiming for the guitar sounds of grunge bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, or progressive metal groups like Tool or Porcupine Tree. If we were in a more low-gain, indie or blues group, we’d go for the Tube Screamer – though it’s worth saying that the RAT works really well at lower gain settings too, especially if you have a good amp.

Second, you’ll want a delay. Check out some clips of the Ibanez Analogue Delay Mini and the Boss DD-3T and decide which one suits your playing style better. We tend to think that the versatility of a digital delay is better for a beginner as it gives you more options while you’re finding your feet and your sound. Then again, perhaps you’re somebody who thrives when dealing with creative constraints, in which case maybe the straightforwardness of an analogue delay would be right up your street.