Distinguishing electric guitar effects

The session guide for beginners

Guitar effects are like the salt in the soup. They make the sound just that bit better. When you venture into the world of effects, the first distinction is usually: multi-effects or single-effect pedals? While multi-effects units are jack-of-all-trades — offering amp and speaker simulations, hundreds of effects and recording solutions — single-effect pedals are highly specialised building blocks for your own sound. They often provide only a few sounds per pedal, but offer completely different options and possibilities for creating your own rigs.

Check out all single-effect and multi-effect pedals here

When you look at single-effect pedals, it's no surprise that there are countless effect units from different manufacturers. They can, however, be divided into a few groups that Olli shows and explains to you in the video. That will make it easier for you to find the right effect for the tone you want. It will also help you in the next step to arrange and cable your pedals on a pedalboard. We show you how to cable your pedalboard in another guide.

So, watch the video and get an overview for yourself:

Have you still got room on your pedalboard?

If you've become curious and want to expand your pedalboard with some effects, you'll find a huge selection of different guitar effects in our webshop. We've put together the most popular stompboxes from the various categories directly below this article for you.

Additional accessories for your stompbox pedals

And if your electric-guitar effects are still looking for a safe home where they're protected from shocks and hard knocks, you'll find robust cases and additional accessories here.