WHAT ARE THE 5 ESSENTIAL PEDALS?

TUNER

The first pedal you should have on your board is a tuner – it's an indispensable starting point. Spare yourself the humiliation of playing out of tune live by investing in a tuner. There are plenty to choose from so you should easily be able to find one that fits nicely on your board. High-quality tuners often come with additional features like switchable buffers and power outputs, making them even more valuable.

Typically, the tuner is placed at the beginning of the pedal chain, ensuring accurate tuning from the get-go. Being placed first in the chain eliminates unwanted noise and ensures absolute tuning accuracy.

COMPRESSION

OVERDRIVE

REVERB / DELAY

Some amplifiers will come with built in reverb, either through digital emulation or an actual spring tank. If not, then reverb is an essential part of your arsenal to mimic the normal guitar tones of your favourite guitar players. Most players that want to smooth out and widen the endings to phrases on guitar will use a reverb pedal to accomplish this. It is however important to note that reverb pedals are way more versatile than just this effect, and are a more fun pedal to use if you want to get more experimental.

MODULATION

Modulation pedals are by far the most varying type of pedal, with countless types of modulation effects to choose from. The common effects on pedalboards are chorus, flanger, phaser, vibrato, tremolo, univibe, and rotary. A modulation pedal changes the landscape of your tone continuously. Modulation effects are commonly used by lead players to allow their lead playing to pop.

The best example of this with a famous player is probably Jimi Hendrix with the phaser, in particular the tone of his playing on “Machine Gun” is boosted with the phaser/uni-vibe effect, allowing his playing to stand out amongst the other players in the band.

CONCLUSION

To summarise, building your first pedalboard as a guitarist is an exciting journey that allows you to shape your tone and unlock your creative potential. While the options may seem overwhelming, focusing on essential pedals can provide a solid foundation for your sound.

The five pedals every guitarist should consider for their first pedalboard are a tuner, compression, overdrive, reverb/delay, and modulation. A tuner ensures accurate tuning, while compression enhances clarity and helps you cut through the mix. An overdrive pedal adds versatility and grit to your tone, and reverb/delay pedals add depth and ambience to your sound. Finally, modulation pedals offer a wide range of effects to make your playing stand out.

These pedals will give you a good solid starting point for your pedalboard adventure and by incorporating these essential pedals, you can take your guitar playing to new heights and explore endless sonic possibilities.