Where do you begin? Well, turn your thoughts to essential pedals first. The number 1 being the compressor.
Every guitar and bass player should take advantage of a compressor pedal. This should be your start point for your collection of essential – effects – pedals. (Some people would argue a foot controlled on and off switch should be your first, but there you go and this is our blog anyway.)
I use a Behringer CS100. This is a compressor pedal with the added advantage of offering sustain too. It looks like a traditional big name brand pedals from the 1970s / 1980s, but its bang up to date technology at a good price. It’s rugged – made from tough plastic and the foot-operated switch is sturdy. I’ve been using mine for a few years and it’s never let me down once. Battery life is good and you can buy an optional power pack, which is handy.
The photo shows my actual pedal and you can see it’s not that battered after heavy but careful use – the trick is be mean and don’t let anyone else in the band get their mitts on it!
Why do I say this is an essential pedal? Simple. It evens out the guitar signal to the amplifier and allows you to shape the sound. You don’t get uneven volumes from each string and the sustain feature means you get a nice smooth sustain across the range. You can adjust your level and attack which is also useful. The tone adjust also adds a bit more colour to the normal tone spectrum of your instrument.
The positions shown in the photo are pretty much what I stick to, but you can experiment to suit your own taste – as well as to match your axe and amp.
A compressor allows you to squeeze a lot more out of your guitar and amp’s standard features. You will be surprised. I’ve got a reissue of a 50s model guitar with relatively low-output pickups, but with this pedal I can get some screaming harmonics. As for my basses – it just boosts their sound capabilities. If you have passive pick ups you'll hear a huge difference and you will be able to play more delicately without muffling your sound. And, at higher volumes, you'll be able to spank your plank until it growls.
Behringer don’t stop at compressor / sustainers. The company offers a comprehensive range of pedals – you can even get a nice case to stick them all in, giving you a decent neat pedal board for stage and practice use. So any aspiring Edges or Bellamys out there can build up a tasty sonorous collection in no time – they won’t make you play like the real thing but at least you can become a sound-alike!
Call in at the shop and take a look at what we’ve got. If you’re good we’ll let you have a play. But remember – first get your compressor pedal and then look at the others!
See you, hear you soon.
