A Guide to Guitar Effects

How to Categorize and Order the Boxes in Your Signal Chain
By Jon Chappell

Most guitarists have an intuitive sense as to where basic effects should go in their signal chain. If you have two pedals, a distortion unit and a digital delay, you would naturally put the distortion before the delay (the guitar goes into the distortion, the distortion into the delay, and the delay into the amp). But the more pedals you use, the trickier it gets, and some truly bizarre gizmos—like a digital whammy pedal—might put you at a loss to explain just effects go where they do relative to others in the chain.

Additionally some processors (such as EQs and reverbs) can go in different places in the chain, depending on the desired effect. And in one very famous example, the debate is still raging about whether the wah-wah goes before or after the distortion (Hendrix put his before, though conventional wisdom says the wah should follow).

Now, you might be thinking, "Gee I know in which order the basic pedals should go, but I guess I don't really know why."

Before we discuss which categories of effects go where they do in the chain, take this pop quiz (I hear you groan) to determine your effect-ordering mettle. Order the effects below from 1 to 10, with 1 being the first effect the guitar plugs into, and 10 being the effect whose output goes into the amp. No text-messaging among yourselves for hints.

1. __ A. EQ
2. __ B. Distortion
3. __ C. Chorus/Flanger
4. __ D. Noise Gate
5. __ E. Digital Reverb
6. __ F. Volume Pedal
7. __ G. Preamp
8. __ H. Compressor
9. __ I. Delay
10.__ J. Wah-wah Pedal

Here are the answers, showing the "correct" order of the 10 effects above: 1) G, Preamp; 2) H, Compressor; 3) B, Distortion; 4) J, Wah-wah pedal; 5) C, Chorus/Flanger; 6) I, Delay; 7) A, EQ; 8) D, Noise Gate; 9) F, Volume Pedal; 10) E, Digital Reverb.

Artículo completo en inglés en http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/tips/guitar_effects_guide/

The Effects Chain

The Effects Chain

The effects chain is really a sequence of effects where one effect is followed by another effect. The last effect in the effect chain is the most predominant. This is only one possibility on arranging your guitar effect chain. These become quite elaborate and complicated using a number of different means (switches and routers).

This particular chain of effects is too long and will produce a lot of noise but is here so you can get an idea on where some of the effects could be placed. One special effect is one many guitarist forget about and that’s the noise gate. The noise gate can be very useful for eliminating the accumulated noise produced by each effect. Some place the noise gate at various places in the effect chain but usually before the distortion and compressor. But interesting effects can be made by breaking the ‘rules’.

Guitar->Wah->Volume->NoiseGate->Compressor->Distortion->EQ->Chorus->Delay->Reverb

Note: The Volume pedal is before the Distortion module. This will sound different than having the volume pedal after the distortion. Here when the volume pedal is turned up more distortion is applied to the signal. When the volume pedal is after the distortion the amount of distortion remains the same only its volume changes.

Your guitar’s sound will be better using fewer effects. Use only the effects you really need in your chain. Many guitarists effect chain is somewhat smaller than that listed here.