Honestly, as a newer player, if you’re not sure if or why you need a pedal, you don’t need it. It took me a long time to sort out what kinds of overdrive I do and don’t like, so if the built in OD is working for you, stick with it. Spend your time playing, not dicking around with gear (I am extremely guilty of that, even after playing for 35 years).
I came up when you could still have a (reasonably) loud stage, and the prevailing attitude was, "if you want overdrive, turn up your amp". I had an AC30, I turned it up about halfway, voila, overdrive. As stages got quieter, it got complicated.
And I agree: the outlay on books and a few lessons here and there was money well spent - not a single non-guitar-playing audience member has ever commented on my OD tone, dammit
This exactly. I spent a lot of time playing before I even thought about pedals. My biggest reason for buying a pedal was to switch clean/distorted easier than hitting a button on my amp. Plus, I prefer the tone of the pedal over what the amp puts out.
Gear doesn't make you a better guitarist. It's better to wait and know that you want something before you buy it. That'll limit regret in the wonderful and expensive world of playing guitar.
Agreed, having an overdrive pedal gives you more control and flexibility over your sound. Plus, it's always good to have a backup in case your speaker's button fails.
Unless your amp has an optional foot pedal to control it an additional pedal will be extremely useful.
There are no right or wrong answers here. Experiment to your hearts content.
Depends on if you like the sound of your distortion on the amp you own. Different pedals with give you different sounds and distortion. Play around with some different pedals. Try some friends pedals out. Eventually you might want a tube amp. (Pretty much what all guitar players eventually want) then you'll have to buy a overdrive pedal. Good luck. Have fun
Overdrive is like cars. They all do basically the same thing, but you may prefer one over the other. If you like the overdrive tone you get from your amp, then done. If not, or if you want more choices, then look for a pedal you like.
A low cost multi fx pedal like Flamma FX100 will give you many overdrive options to play with as well as lots of other goodies. But as a new player I'd suggest getting solid playing down pat with clean tone first. Overdrive and distortion tend to hide and mask mistakes and bad technique, leading to long term bad habits.
OP, this is definitely the path you want to take starting out. As you progress in your learning, you will discover whose playing/sound you'd like to most emulate. From there, it's a matter of going with the same isolated/specialized effect pedals your heroes use (or at the very least, using their selections as inspiration for your own).
What sound are you trying to build musically?
A pedal is a tool, like a hammer or a pen. You need to know what you’re trying to build before you know which tool to use.
Not necessarily. You sometime's can't know what might surprise you when you have pedal combinations. Sometimes a sound you want or need might come to you just from fiddling around with them.
Go for it man. If you invest in good pedals you can keep using them even if you ever upgrade to a new amp or are using a different gear setup.
Ultimately if you get a lot of pedals, you'll probably want to go into a clean amp or modeller as a "pedal platform" and not use the effects on your amp itself.
Lots of songs change dynamics during the song. So it might start with a clean tone and then the distortion kicks in. Hard to do without a pedal. Lithium for example starts clean and then hit that pedal.
I started with Nirvana way back when and still remember concluding I needed a pedal. I had been trying to hit the button with my toe but just couldnt do it consistently.
Wound up starting the addiction to pedals with a Boss DS1. I highly recommend it for simplicity. Or a multieffect pedal and just skip the guff. I hate little 6 inch long wires and pedal boards now so thats what I settled on
Overdrive and distortion are like fruit. Lots of colours tastes etc. you need whatever your head wants to hear. Sounds f that’s what your covering has to have the same pedals and tone then that’s what you need.
Tom morello has had the same amp settings from the day he did his first gig with it. Would rather work on the songs than the tones because there is only his sound.
Most people end up with a light drive for Always on like a klon or bluesbreaker. Then a more driven sound as a second pedal You an send light drive into heavier drive to get a 3rd level. Then a boost pedal for solo if they want.
This is generally the way. Some use two klon or breakers etc. the rules don’t exist only the well worn tracks
But honestly, if you play with a group please have them setup before hand. Nothing bothers me more than a fellow guitarist messing with their damn pedals an entire song or an entire practice. If you are using that many pedals and are adjusting them that frequently you are probably masking poor playing habits (which I see a lot of when playing in groups). Sorry, I just hate a few guys I play with as we don't play anymore, we sit and listen to them dick around with their gear.
The reason you’d want a pedal is if you want to mix clean sounds with sleazier sounds or just different effects.
A good example of needing an ‘overdrive’ pedal is All Apologies by Nirvana. The song is clean until you get to the chorus and outro, at which points it explodes into a wall of sound.
If you rely on the button on your amp, you’ll need to stop playing to push it. A pedal allows you to use your foot to do the work while you continue playing.
Just as a matter of clarification it is your amp that has the the overdrive button (not the speaker). To your original question there are a number of different types of overdrives out there each with there own characteristics but if you are new it probably doesn't matter, I would recommend just using what you got for now and once you find what you like to play only then start experimenting with different pedals.
It's supposed to be fun, if you WANT a pedal and it brings you a bit of joy, go and grab one, they also have the advantage of being really easy to sell on if you don't like it. Just don't go too expensive starting off
The behringer chorus pedal for €30 is superb as is the vintage overdrive they do. There is a lot of variation in what is available so try then if you can, or check YouTube
For some songs I play it switches between a clean sound then distorted, and I don’t have time to push the button on the amp and then play again in time, so, for that reason I’d like to use a pedal, it can be right at the feet and switched on and off that way. Other then that no, especially if you like the OD on your amp the way it is
I remember, 26 years ago, wanting to play Nirvana, and not having a distortion pedal, so I just lay my amp down and clicked the distortion button when it was time. It was awesome when I first started, then I got the ds-1 and it all went downhill.
Whether you like it or not, one day you'll get to the point in your life, when buying an overdrive will be inevitable. Buy one now and get this over with. The sooner the better.
If you got one of those small practice amps you're better off getting a Boss Katana amp. It will sound wayyyy better and packs all effects you may need. Go second hand if necessary.
Regards
I got katana 50 when pandemic started. It has been the best purchase I have done playing guitar. It extends the tones you can experience infinitely without breaking the bank. It kept me away from the hassle of getting different effect pedals for so long. I recommend getting a footswitch to change the pre-set banks sometime as well.
Hey man noticed the Suhr tag, I’m thinking about the Hombre. Is that what you play? I dig the brownface thing. How’s the feel of the amp compared to a standard blackface fender?
Well it depends. Some amps have better overdrive effects and some have worse. Pedals are almost always better then the built in effect but if you're happy with your amps effect then you don't need a pedal.
There’s a ton of different kinds of overdrive “flavors” that you’ll discover, and eventually you’ll develop preferences for some over others. If you’re new, you’re probably won’t even notice a difference.
The pedal is convenient if you’re playing along to recordings or with friends and you want to toggle the effect on and off. If you’re just planning on leaving it on all the time or you don’t mind having to stop playing to push a button, you don’t really need to spring for a pedal right now. Just focus on playing music before you focus on gear!
2 questions:
Do you like the way your amp sounds?
Are you playing live, or in any other situation where you need to change tones hands-free?
If it's yes/no, then you don't NEED to buy or do anything differently.
If it's yes/yes, then you might consider a foot switch for your amp.
If it's no/anything, then yeah man, find an OD pedal you like the sound of.
A pedal also lets you dial in the exact "dirt" if it's got dials for it. I found that the OD on my katana =/= the OD on my Jekyll and Hyde pedal.
Also see if there's a plug for an OD switching footstomp, OP. That's a cheaper alternative for sure.
I have about 25 pedals so you won't find me usually lobbying against them. Except for newer players. A lot of amps especially more budget models don't have great overdrive/distortion on board. For a newer player my advice is get what you need to be inspired to play. If that means a pedal or better amp it makes sense. But to be fair pedals are gadgets. Toys to occupy us and bring some fun into the process. They are also useful tools. We all want to sound good and be able to find tones that are cool.
A couple of things to consider when buying pedals. Price does not equal value. Example: Behringer VD400 Delay. I paid $20 for one years ago they still sell for $30 or less and are really good pedals. My DOD IceBox Chorus was worth about $50 when I got it my cost is closer to $35 it was a trade and its really cool and built like a tank. I can't count how many times someone has tried to buy it off my rack. Nope. Not a chance.
If you can play a pedal before buying do that always. When you can get pedals at or below market price they often pay you back when selling. When you can sell for around what you paid its always a good time. But my best advice is practice (a lot...) without pedals. You create the dish. Pedals add flavor and depth. If you need them to sound good you have more work to do.
Heres a tip while you make your mind up. Set your amp to have the overdrive you're looking for, with the volume knob on your guitar all the way up. Then, as you roll back that same volume knob, you'll eventually end up with a clean tone.
From then on all the overdriven and clean tones you're after should be accessible with just a tweak of a knob, and with the gear you already have, without having to switch channels on your amp.
Hope that helps, have fun playing with it!
There are a lot of variations on the same theme with effects, IMHO it's worth considering that you might be better off getting something like those Boss multi-effect boards or a modeler, since it can really help to focus on what gear you like and what would be merely nice to have. It's easy to get caught up in the feeling of missing out.
However, a boost/overdrive pedal *is* usually the one thing that almost every player can use, though a dedicated mode-switching pedal for your amp might be more useful if that's an option. If you've got a decent soundcard and a somewhat modern CPU, a good modeling plug-in a la Guitar Rig or Eleven could do a lot for you too - especially since you can then use much cheaper MIDI pedals for the switching.
How does it sound with the amp overdrive on an your guitar volume rolled back? Try this with different pickup combinations if you have multiple pickups. See what you can get out of just the guitar and amp before you add pedals.
It depends on a lot of things.
If the amp has a foot switch and is a channel switcher maybe not.
But OD pedals are fun and can add unique elements on top of what the amp does on its own. Resistance is futile for most.
Think pedals like spices when you are cooking a meal. Everyone has different tastes, and a universal recommendation, like which OD pedal to get, is not too easy. Especially, since everything in your chain affects the sound: Your guitar, the pedal itself, your amp, plus the player itself. There are some general choices people (like good ol' Boss pedals or other established brands) might recommend, but I'm not an expert in that.
If you know someone who plays guitar, maybe ask them if you could borrow an OD pedal to try it with your amp first. Another option is to buy used pedals, so you don't splurge too much money. Some of those stompboxes can be quite expensive, new (or rare vintage ones), although there is a huge span in price. IMO no need to think about that as a beginner.
The rest is just plugging this bad boy in. Guitar > pedal > amp. Turn those knobs, hit your strings in-betwen and experience how the sound changes. Quickly you realize how your amp reacts to this pedal, and soon you will find a setting which pleases your ear.
But is a OD "needed"? I know this is not the answer you might want to hear, but I think the general answer is "no" - it is just a matter of taste, and what music you want to make.
If you didn't explore your amp and twisted those knobs yet, I recommend doing this first, before you get your pedal. So you don't need to explore your amp and the pedal at the same time, which can be really difficult.
Have fun on your guitar journey!
If you want an overdriven/distorted sound different from your amp sure. Pedals can do a lot more than your amp usually can. Wait until you know you need it though.
I have an overdrive pedal that I use for my clean channel because the OD on my Marshall is kinda weak compared to and EVH5150 pedal. When I use the OD channel and OD from the pedal it does not sound good though. You’ll need to experiment
Not really. You might want one if you don't love the amp's overdrive. It's nice to have a foot pedal for it so you can switch mid song. You may be able to get a foot switch for the amp to toggle on and off the button too though. The overdrive on beginner amps isn't usually very good. But it is probably sufficient for your purposes right now. I caution against buying too much gear when you're a new player. Just play and slowly you will figure out what you want and need, and what would be extra or useless.
What kind of amp you looking at? Pedals can color the sound so depending on the channel it has you can most likely make do and save up and eventually get a new toy
Um, no but yes. So if your amp has an overdrive on it, you might want to see if there was a pedal originally. The likelihood of you really liking the sound of the amps overdrive is slim, so ideally you want to spend some extra cash and get a pedal you can tweak for days. For crazier people, using both a pedal and the preloaded overdrive can result in some insane frequencies... Good luck
Even for subtle overdrive I like using a little amp drive with my OD pedal. For example on a Peavey or Fender blues setting up the drive channel pretty clean and then putting low to mid gain on a pedal sounds great to me. For blues and psychedelic rock
most people don’t “need” guitar pedals to make the music they want to make.
From the point of view as a gigging musician: I’ve played many good shows without any. When I do use them I have a wider palette of sounds and I think that helps the music I make be more dynamic.
However: I also appreciate pedals because they are fun and somewhat affordable. I don’t really need any of my pedals and most of my pedals don’t see much use. I just like really like buying and experimenting with them. There is something super satisfying about plugging them in and having new tonal possibilities open up.
Overdrives, distortions, fuzzes and delays are where I would advice anyone to start.
I’d advice anyone who plays through an amplifier to buy a few cheap effects units.
I really recommend checking out cheaper lines of pedals when starting out. Thomann has Harley benton and I think Amazon in the US with brands like Joyo and flamma.
Most overdrives fall into one of three categories and usefulness between them is something that changes from guitar to guitar/amp to amp. There is a difference in relyiability but that should be a huge issue until you start hauling your gear from place to place.
Happy tinkering!
an additional note:
I see lots of people recommending multi-FX. I recommend against those when starting out.
To me they are less fun to use and dialing them in can be frustrating and the cheap ones tend not to sound great.
Go get the pedals. Although I don’t know what your current amp is but I would recommend before buying them see if you can use the $200 plus you plan to spend on pedals and see if you can buy an amp that will give you the sound you want.
That depends on the amp and the sound you're trying to achieve. If you need a sound that's high gain, a Revv MK2 can do that on its own without an overdrive pedal, a Deluxe Reverb will need to be pushed with a pedal.
If you’re at a point that you don’t think it will distract you from your playing, I would suggest watching a couple YouTube vids about different overdrive pedal types, and then going for one. I always thought I didn’t need pedals cause I liked my amps tone, but recently got into just using a few overdrives and find it really Interesting creating different tones by stacking them. It can be a huge rabbit hole though. I like buying used on reverb and then if you end up not liking it, you can sell for close to the same price. Or check Craigslist
I used to have a friend who would use an overdrive pedal overtop of the overdrive setting on his amp. Sounded very crunchy, but it had massive feedback and background noise because he never used a compressor.
But it depends on the sound you want and the quality of the amp you have. Some amps have great built-in overdrive settings, while others do not. If your amp sounds good, then don't get a pedal. If it doesn't, then explore pedal options.
A noise gate is the opposite of a compressor right? On my multi effect pedal if you turn the comp on and dial it back it seems to cut out a lot of excess noise. Like I still play pretty sloppy sometimes but if I use that you don’t hear the slop
Do you need one? No but still get an overdrive pedal. Boss SD1's are a dime a dozen and probably some of the most widely used and durable pedals. Ibanez Tubescreamers are good too but I've heard that they're not what they used to be. Don't know if that's true or just old people nostalgia.
The point is get an overdrive pedal because otherwise you're having to fiddle with your amp a dozen times a week dialing and re-dialing in your tone. Best to just find a clean tone that you like and then dialing in your overdrive pedal that way you can play how you like, when you like with little to no downtime adjusting tone.
Also make sure to buy a distortion pedal, delay, reverb, tuner, fuzz, phaser, and basically any other pedal you lay eyes on. Jk... ^(unless you want to)
"Need" is a bit strong word to use, but the answer is basically yes. Different drive pedals/amps have different sounds.
You might like the clean sound of the amp, but not the drive. You might like the drive sound, but only below/above/at certain knob setting. You might just like the sound of a specific pedal, or want to use the overdrive pedal as a volume boost. You can totally have multiple overdrive pedals/settings going into each other, in order to produce a certain sound. For example, according to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/spp6pr/built_to_spill_doug_martsch/), Built to Spill's Doug Martsch has had 3 of the same boost pedal on his board.
Honestly your mileage will vary based on your amp. Some ams respond better to being pushed(overdriven) than others. The on board drive might be a better option than a deal
And I'm not shitting on pedals. I have over a dozen overdrive pedals and 10
Fuzzes and several distortion pedals. It can be an extensive dragon to chase, but a good guitaramp are much more important IMO. Katana is a very versatile, flexible and reasonably priced amp.
If tube, yes. If solid state, it’s comparing apples to apples. I’ve yet to see solid state distortion that beats tube. TUBE. TUBE. TUBE. TUBE. TUBE. I know I know.
Marshall released a solid state amp called the 5120 combo alongside the original JCM800 combos and it has stunning gain stages. You also need to remember that cheap valve amps can sound pretty bad and more expensive SS amps like the Fender ToneMasters sound incredible.
Not quite as simple as Valve>SS
That’s fair, but generally speaking, tube distortion has always sounded better to my ears than SS distortion. Now for real clean cleans, I would probably opt for SS
Honestly, as a newer player, if you’re not sure if or why you need a pedal, you don’t need it. It took me a long time to sort out what kinds of overdrive I do and don’t like, so if the built in OD is working for you, stick with it. Spend your time playing, not dicking around with gear (I am extremely guilty of that, even after playing for 35 years).
[удалено]
I came up when you could still have a (reasonably) loud stage, and the prevailing attitude was, "if you want overdrive, turn up your amp". I had an AC30, I turned it up about halfway, voila, overdrive. As stages got quieter, it got complicated. And I agree: the outlay on books and a few lessons here and there was money well spent - not a single non-guitar-playing audience member has ever commented on my OD tone, dammit
[удалено]
tone is in your fingers, anyway
This exactly. I spent a lot of time playing before I even thought about pedals. My biggest reason for buying a pedal was to switch clean/distorted easier than hitting a button on my amp. Plus, I prefer the tone of the pedal over what the amp puts out. Gear doesn't make you a better guitarist. It's better to wait and know that you want something before you buy it. That'll limit regret in the wonderful and expensive world of playing guitar.
No, you need 5 of them
You can never have too many overdrives. Or fuzz pedals.
If you want to turn overdrive on and off while playing, that’s easier to do with your foot.
[удалено]
Option 3!
Agreed, having an overdrive pedal gives you more control and flexibility over your sound. Plus, it's always good to have a backup in case your speaker's button fails.
Unless your amp has an optional foot pedal to control it an additional pedal will be extremely useful. There are no right or wrong answers here. Experiment to your hearts content.
Depends on if you like the sound of your distortion on the amp you own. Different pedals with give you different sounds and distortion. Play around with some different pedals. Try some friends pedals out. Eventually you might want a tube amp. (Pretty much what all guitar players eventually want) then you'll have to buy a overdrive pedal. Good luck. Have fun
Overdrive is like cars. They all do basically the same thing, but you may prefer one over the other. If you like the overdrive tone you get from your amp, then done. If not, or if you want more choices, then look for a pedal you like.
💯
A low cost multi fx pedal like Flamma FX100 will give you many overdrive options to play with as well as lots of other goodies. But as a new player I'd suggest getting solid playing down pat with clean tone first. Overdrive and distortion tend to hide and mask mistakes and bad technique, leading to long term bad habits.
OP, this is definitely the path you want to take starting out. As you progress in your learning, you will discover whose playing/sound you'd like to most emulate. From there, it's a matter of going with the same isolated/specialized effect pedals your heroes use (or at the very least, using their selections as inspiration for your own).
Just listen to Kirk... distortion hiding mistakes and bad technique..
What sound are you trying to build musically? A pedal is a tool, like a hammer or a pen. You need to know what you’re trying to build before you know which tool to use.
I always think in terms of different colors . You’ve got your canvas/brush (amp/guitar) the pedals are all just different colors to use yes I’m high
Not necessarily. You sometime's can't know what might surprise you when you have pedal combinations. Sometimes a sound you want or need might come to you just from fiddling around with them.
Different distortion/overdrive pedals just sound different, not necessarily better
Go for it man. If you invest in good pedals you can keep using them even if you ever upgrade to a new amp or are using a different gear setup. Ultimately if you get a lot of pedals, you'll probably want to go into a clean amp or modeller as a "pedal platform" and not use the effects on your amp itself.
Great reply!
Lots of songs change dynamics during the song. So it might start with a clean tone and then the distortion kicks in. Hard to do without a pedal. Lithium for example starts clean and then hit that pedal.
I started with Nirvana way back when and still remember concluding I needed a pedal. I had been trying to hit the button with my toe but just couldnt do it consistently. Wound up starting the addiction to pedals with a Boss DS1. I highly recommend it for simplicity. Or a multieffect pedal and just skip the guff. I hate little 6 inch long wires and pedal boards now so thats what I settled on
[удалено]
My friend worked at a guitar store and was on the eternal quest of the perfect OD. He had two or three rejects up on Craigslist every week.
Overdrive and distortion are like fruit. Lots of colours tastes etc. you need whatever your head wants to hear. Sounds f that’s what your covering has to have the same pedals and tone then that’s what you need. Tom morello has had the same amp settings from the day he did his first gig with it. Would rather work on the songs than the tones because there is only his sound. Most people end up with a light drive for Always on like a klon or bluesbreaker. Then a more driven sound as a second pedal You an send light drive into heavier drive to get a 3rd level. Then a boost pedal for solo if they want. This is generally the way. Some use two klon or breakers etc. the rules don’t exist only the well worn tracks
[удалено]
But honestly, if you play with a group please have them setup before hand. Nothing bothers me more than a fellow guitarist messing with their damn pedals an entire song or an entire practice. If you are using that many pedals and are adjusting them that frequently you are probably masking poor playing habits (which I see a lot of when playing in groups). Sorry, I just hate a few guys I play with as we don't play anymore, we sit and listen to them dick around with their gear.
This is the way
The reason you’d want a pedal is if you want to mix clean sounds with sleazier sounds or just different effects. A good example of needing an ‘overdrive’ pedal is All Apologies by Nirvana. The song is clean until you get to the chorus and outro, at which points it explodes into a wall of sound. If you rely on the button on your amp, you’ll need to stop playing to push it. A pedal allows you to use your foot to do the work while you continue playing.
Just as a matter of clarification it is your amp that has the the overdrive button (not the speaker). To your original question there are a number of different types of overdrives out there each with there own characteristics but if you are new it probably doesn't matter, I would recommend just using what you got for now and once you find what you like to play only then start experimenting with different pedals.
It's supposed to be fun, if you WANT a pedal and it brings you a bit of joy, go and grab one, they also have the advantage of being really easy to sell on if you don't like it. Just don't go too expensive starting off The behringer chorus pedal for €30 is superb as is the vintage overdrive they do. There is a lot of variation in what is available so try then if you can, or check YouTube
[удалено]
I got a behringer super fuzz for nothing+postage. It's really fun for certain riffs.
I have several tone City pedals.and a few joyos as well. Not a fan of Beringer feel super shoddy to me.
For some songs I play it switches between a clean sound then distorted, and I don’t have time to push the button on the amp and then play again in time, so, for that reason I’d like to use a pedal, it can be right at the feet and switched on and off that way. Other then that no, especially if you like the OD on your amp the way it is
I remember, 26 years ago, wanting to play Nirvana, and not having a distortion pedal, so I just lay my amp down and clicked the distortion button when it was time. It was awesome when I first started, then I got the ds-1 and it all went downhill.
Necessity leads to innovation😂😂 well done m8
Whether you like it or not, one day you'll get to the point in your life, when buying an overdrive will be inevitable. Buy one now and get this over with. The sooner the better.
If you got one of those small practice amps you're better off getting a Boss Katana amp. It will sound wayyyy better and packs all effects you may need. Go second hand if necessary. Regards
I got katana 50 when pandemic started. It has been the best purchase I have done playing guitar. It extends the tones you can experience infinitely without breaking the bank. It kept me away from the hassle of getting different effect pedals for so long. I recommend getting a footswitch to change the pre-set banks sometime as well.
Think of it more like flavours when eating food, variety is the spice of life.
Also handy to be able to kick it on and off mid-solo
Hey man noticed the Suhr tag, I’m thinking about the Hombre. Is that what you play? I dig the brownface thing. How’s the feel of the amp compared to a standard blackface fender?
Actually I've got a Suhr Custom Classic T guitar, don't play through a Suhr amp and haven't tried the Hombre so I can't help you on that one.
Gotcha, thanks for the response anyway! Maybe I’ll look into Suhr guitars too haha
The guitars are incredible, that much is for sure.
What's the amp you are using?
Well it depends. Some amps have better overdrive effects and some have worse. Pedals are almost always better then the built in effect but if you're happy with your amps effect then you don't need a pedal.
There’s a ton of different kinds of overdrive “flavors” that you’ll discover, and eventually you’ll develop preferences for some over others. If you’re new, you’re probably won’t even notice a difference. The pedal is convenient if you’re playing along to recordings or with friends and you want to toggle the effect on and off. If you’re just planning on leaving it on all the time or you don’t mind having to stop playing to push a button, you don’t really need to spring for a pedal right now. Just focus on playing music before you focus on gear!
2 questions: Do you like the way your amp sounds? Are you playing live, or in any other situation where you need to change tones hands-free? If it's yes/no, then you don't NEED to buy or do anything differently. If it's yes/yes, then you might consider a foot switch for your amp. If it's no/anything, then yeah man, find an OD pedal you like the sound of.
you don't _need_ it, but inbuilt overdrive might not sound as good as the kind you can get through a pedal.
Depends on the amp of course. I've heard some mindblowing overdrives on some Fender amps
I'd recommend getting one of the cheap Zoom multi FX pedals first to try out different effects.
A pedal also lets you dial in the exact "dirt" if it's got dials for it. I found that the OD on my katana =/= the OD on my Jekyll and Hyde pedal. Also see if there's a plug for an OD switching footstomp, OP. That's a cheaper alternative for sure.
YES! You need at least ten of them.
überdrive
I have about 25 pedals so you won't find me usually lobbying against them. Except for newer players. A lot of amps especially more budget models don't have great overdrive/distortion on board. For a newer player my advice is get what you need to be inspired to play. If that means a pedal or better amp it makes sense. But to be fair pedals are gadgets. Toys to occupy us and bring some fun into the process. They are also useful tools. We all want to sound good and be able to find tones that are cool. A couple of things to consider when buying pedals. Price does not equal value. Example: Behringer VD400 Delay. I paid $20 for one years ago they still sell for $30 or less and are really good pedals. My DOD IceBox Chorus was worth about $50 when I got it my cost is closer to $35 it was a trade and its really cool and built like a tank. I can't count how many times someone has tried to buy it off my rack. Nope. Not a chance. If you can play a pedal before buying do that always. When you can get pedals at or below market price they often pay you back when selling. When you can sell for around what you paid its always a good time. But my best advice is practice (a lot...) without pedals. You create the dish. Pedals add flavor and depth. If you need them to sound good you have more work to do.
Heres a tip while you make your mind up. Set your amp to have the overdrive you're looking for, with the volume knob on your guitar all the way up. Then, as you roll back that same volume knob, you'll eventually end up with a clean tone. From then on all the overdriven and clean tones you're after should be accessible with just a tweak of a knob, and with the gear you already have, without having to switch channels on your amp. Hope that helps, have fun playing with it!
There are a lot of variations on the same theme with effects, IMHO it's worth considering that you might be better off getting something like those Boss multi-effect boards or a modeler, since it can really help to focus on what gear you like and what would be merely nice to have. It's easy to get caught up in the feeling of missing out. However, a boost/overdrive pedal *is* usually the one thing that almost every player can use, though a dedicated mode-switching pedal for your amp might be more useful if that's an option. If you've got a decent soundcard and a somewhat modern CPU, a good modeling plug-in a la Guitar Rig or Eleven could do a lot for you too - especially since you can then use much cheaper MIDI pedals for the switching.
How does it sound with the amp overdrive on an your guitar volume rolled back? Try this with different pickup combinations if you have multiple pickups. See what you can get out of just the guitar and amp before you add pedals.
It depends on a lot of things. If the amp has a foot switch and is a channel switcher maybe not. But OD pedals are fun and can add unique elements on top of what the amp does on its own. Resistance is futile for most.
Think pedals like spices when you are cooking a meal. Everyone has different tastes, and a universal recommendation, like which OD pedal to get, is not too easy. Especially, since everything in your chain affects the sound: Your guitar, the pedal itself, your amp, plus the player itself. There are some general choices people (like good ol' Boss pedals or other established brands) might recommend, but I'm not an expert in that. If you know someone who plays guitar, maybe ask them if you could borrow an OD pedal to try it with your amp first. Another option is to buy used pedals, so you don't splurge too much money. Some of those stompboxes can be quite expensive, new (or rare vintage ones), although there is a huge span in price. IMO no need to think about that as a beginner. The rest is just plugging this bad boy in. Guitar > pedal > amp. Turn those knobs, hit your strings in-betwen and experience how the sound changes. Quickly you realize how your amp reacts to this pedal, and soon you will find a setting which pleases your ear. But is a OD "needed"? I know this is not the answer you might want to hear, but I think the general answer is "no" - it is just a matter of taste, and what music you want to make. If you didn't explore your amp and twisted those knobs yet, I recommend doing this first, before you get your pedal. So you don't need to explore your amp and the pedal at the same time, which can be really difficult. Have fun on your guitar journey!
If you want an overdriven/distorted sound different from your amp sure. Pedals can do a lot more than your amp usually can. Wait until you know you need it though.
I have an overdrive pedal that I use for my clean channel because the OD on my Marshall is kinda weak compared to and EVH5150 pedal. When I use the OD channel and OD from the pedal it does not sound good though. You’ll need to experiment
Not really. You might want one if you don't love the amp's overdrive. It's nice to have a foot pedal for it so you can switch mid song. You may be able to get a foot switch for the amp to toggle on and off the button too though. The overdrive on beginner amps isn't usually very good. But it is probably sufficient for your purposes right now. I caution against buying too much gear when you're a new player. Just play and slowly you will figure out what you want and need, and what would be extra or useless.
What kind of amp you looking at? Pedals can color the sound so depending on the channel it has you can most likely make do and save up and eventually get a new toy
Um, no but yes. So if your amp has an overdrive on it, you might want to see if there was a pedal originally. The likelihood of you really liking the sound of the amps overdrive is slim, so ideally you want to spend some extra cash and get a pedal you can tweak for days. For crazier people, using both a pedal and the preloaded overdrive can result in some insane frequencies... Good luck
Even for subtle overdrive I like using a little amp drive with my OD pedal. For example on a Peavey or Fender blues setting up the drive channel pretty clean and then putting low to mid gain on a pedal sounds great to me. For blues and psychedelic rock
Right! Just a little more umph... Nice
most people don’t “need” guitar pedals to make the music they want to make. From the point of view as a gigging musician: I’ve played many good shows without any. When I do use them I have a wider palette of sounds and I think that helps the music I make be more dynamic. However: I also appreciate pedals because they are fun and somewhat affordable. I don’t really need any of my pedals and most of my pedals don’t see much use. I just like really like buying and experimenting with them. There is something super satisfying about plugging them in and having new tonal possibilities open up. Overdrives, distortions, fuzzes and delays are where I would advice anyone to start. I’d advice anyone who plays through an amplifier to buy a few cheap effects units. I really recommend checking out cheaper lines of pedals when starting out. Thomann has Harley benton and I think Amazon in the US with brands like Joyo and flamma. Most overdrives fall into one of three categories and usefulness between them is something that changes from guitar to guitar/amp to amp. There is a difference in relyiability but that should be a huge issue until you start hauling your gear from place to place. Happy tinkering!
an additional note: I see lots of people recommending multi-FX. I recommend against those when starting out. To me they are less fun to use and dialing them in can be frustrating and the cheap ones tend not to sound great.
Go get the pedals. Although I don’t know what your current amp is but I would recommend before buying them see if you can use the $200 plus you plan to spend on pedals and see if you can buy an amp that will give you the sound you want.
Depends on which shade/flavor of the sound you want or need.
What kind of amp do you play?
Honestly? Sometimes a little delay and reverb can make tinny distortion sound decent.
Need it? No, you can make do with out. Will you be able to use it to broaden the range of sounds you get? Absolutely.
That depends on the amp and the sound you're trying to achieve. If you need a sound that's high gain, a Revv MK2 can do that on its own without an overdrive pedal, a Deluxe Reverb will need to be pushed with a pedal.
If you’re at a point that you don’t think it will distract you from your playing, I would suggest watching a couple YouTube vids about different overdrive pedal types, and then going for one. I always thought I didn’t need pedals cause I liked my amps tone, but recently got into just using a few overdrives and find it really Interesting creating different tones by stacking them. It can be a huge rabbit hole though. I like buying used on reverb and then if you end up not liking it, you can sell for close to the same price. Or check Craigslist
I used to have a friend who would use an overdrive pedal overtop of the overdrive setting on his amp. Sounded very crunchy, but it had massive feedback and background noise because he never used a compressor. But it depends on the sound you want and the quality of the amp you have. Some amps have great built-in overdrive settings, while others do not. If your amp sounds good, then don't get a pedal. If it doesn't, then explore pedal options.
Do you mean a noise gate? I dont understand how a compressor would affect feedback or noise.
A noise gate is the opposite of a compressor right? On my multi effect pedal if you turn the comp on and dial it back it seems to cut out a lot of excess noise. Like I still play pretty sloppy sometimes but if I use that you don’t hear the slop
Yeah, a lot of them take out some low end so your sound is tighter. Can make a decent amp great.
Do you need one? No but still get an overdrive pedal. Boss SD1's are a dime a dozen and probably some of the most widely used and durable pedals. Ibanez Tubescreamers are good too but I've heard that they're not what they used to be. Don't know if that's true or just old people nostalgia. The point is get an overdrive pedal because otherwise you're having to fiddle with your amp a dozen times a week dialing and re-dialing in your tone. Best to just find a clean tone that you like and then dialing in your overdrive pedal that way you can play how you like, when you like with little to no downtime adjusting tone. Also make sure to buy a distortion pedal, delay, reverb, tuner, fuzz, phaser, and basically any other pedal you lay eyes on. Jk... ^(unless you want to)
You can get TS knockoffs for nothing too that work great. Joyo/Harley Benton for instance.
"Need" is a bit strong word to use, but the answer is basically yes. Different drive pedals/amps have different sounds. You might like the clean sound of the amp, but not the drive. You might like the drive sound, but only below/above/at certain knob setting. You might just like the sound of a specific pedal, or want to use the overdrive pedal as a volume boost. You can totally have multiple overdrive pedals/settings going into each other, in order to produce a certain sound. For example, according to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/spp6pr/built_to_spill_doug_martsch/), Built to Spill's Doug Martsch has had 3 of the same boost pedal on his board.
Yes, get an overdrive pedal.
Honestly your mileage will vary based on your amp. Some ams respond better to being pushed(overdriven) than others. The on board drive might be a better option than a deal And I'm not shitting on pedals. I have over a dozen overdrive pedals and 10 Fuzzes and several distortion pedals. It can be an extensive dragon to chase, but a good guitaramp are much more important IMO. Katana is a very versatile, flexible and reasonably priced amp.
Amp overdrive beats pedal overdrive all day long.
That depends a whole lot on the amp in question
If tube, yes. If solid state, it’s comparing apples to apples. I’ve yet to see solid state distortion that beats tube. TUBE. TUBE. TUBE. TUBE. TUBE. I know I know.
Marshall released a solid state amp called the 5120 combo alongside the original JCM800 combos and it has stunning gain stages. You also need to remember that cheap valve amps can sound pretty bad and more expensive SS amps like the Fender ToneMasters sound incredible. Not quite as simple as Valve>SS
That’s fair, but generally speaking, tube distortion has always sounded better to my ears than SS distortion. Now for real clean cleans, I would probably opt for SS
You’re right. I was thinking of tube amps because I hardly ever think about solid state amps.
Ahh a man of culture I see