Guitar Effects Pedals: The Practical Handbook [With CD (Audio)]

by Dave Hunter

Book Overview

Guitar Effects Pedals: The Practical Handbook opens up the world of effects pedals, vintage and new alike, for the guitarist. In an easy, guitarist-friendly style, the book explores the history of different effects pedals, what each type of effect does and how it does it, the best ways in which to use and combine your own effects, and how to make the most of the pedals you own. It includes exclusive author interviews with a dozen leading pedal makers...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1617131016
• ISBN13: 9781617131011
• Release Date: October 2013
• Publisher: Backbeat Books
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.4" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful -- Really Helps Figure Out TONE

I am an experienced acoustic and classical quitar player who has always owned an electric guitar (tele) and a nice amp (Rivera R11255) but never really figured out how to get the kind of tone I like out of the instruments. (I need lessons and more practice time as well, but that's another story.) I was looking for a book + CD that would help me figure out what pedals to buy and why (I was always told that you had to have some pedals if you are going to play electric.) This book + CD delivers the goods. Hunter gives tons of information on how and why guitar effects are used, their history, loads of data on classic, popular, and even obscure specific boxes. He tells you what some of your heros actually use to get their tone. Best of all, you can hear the sound on the CD -- this is absolutely key. There is no universally understood way to describe sounds in words: you have to hear them. Hunter provides nice sequences of licks, appropriate for each kind of box, and plays the same sequence for each box in a category of box (say, tube screamers, or chorus -- he plays the exact same sequence for each chorus box). That way, you get an apples-to-apples comparison of the sounds of different choices. It's great. The sound clips run from about 0:30 to around 1:20, plenty of time and licks to get the sound in your head. He doesn't demo every box on the CD (92 tracks) but very many and pretty much all the ones you're going to be wondering about. I can't imagine a better tool for the beginner or intermediate player, looking to spend their money wisely on stomp boxes. My eventual choices: Visual Sound Route 66 American Overdrive Proco Rat Fuzz Face Boss Digital Delay DD-6 Boss Chorus

Great primer for newbie with effects.

I bought this book to try and get an overview of effects pedals. I think it does an outstanding job, providing a review of vintage effects as well as some of today's new pedal designers. If you are looking to get into effects pedals, this book is a great way to start.

great book and CD

The only bad thing about this book is now I'm scouring eBay and music stores to add to my pedal collection! The CD was super helpful too. Analogman's book is a little more complete but a lot more expensive.

Fun And Fact Filled

Not only is this one amazingly info-packed book, I found it a fascinating and very enjoyable read on many levels, and I wouldn't normally categorize myself as a "gear head" (although I think this book has converted me...). Although the chapter on Vintage Pedals is fascinating, I really appreciated the author's inclusion of an extensive chapter covering Current Pedals too. I agree with his view that "better pedals are being made now than ever before," and the newer effects often don't get their due. If you don't have $500 to spend on a rare, noisy, expensive but occasionally cool sounding box from the late `60s, Guitar Effects Pedals will point you to some alternatives, and will explain why the new options might even be more satisfying. On top of all this, the History, Tech, and Interview chapters are really useful and very entertaining. I have to say, I was a little puzzled - even stunned - by another reviewer's claim that this book "wasn't well written..." Huh? It flows beautifully, tells you what you need to know, and keeps you gripped along the way (then again, I believe that reviewer admits to being a writing teacher - kind of says it all). On top of that, the reviewer makes odd claims that seem to indicate he didn't really read (or understand) the book: he says that the JRC4558 chip isn't covered, but I found tons of info on it in here, and he also seems dismayed that the book didn't teach him how to build effects or something, where I don't find that angle promoted anywhere on the cover or inside, and that's not the stated intention of this book. Overall, I can't imagine packing more information - or a better read - into the pages allotted here, and we all know that no publisher is going to attempt to even print a 1,000-page to-it-all effects book. Ultimately, this is a book that every guitar player, pedalhead or not, would love to have on his or her shelf.

Pedal Power

Musician-turned-journalist Dave Hunter describes the current market for guitar pedal effects as "booming." His book, which covers everything from the history of pedals to tips on expanding your arsenal of effects, is an indispensable bible for guitarists who are trying to make sense of today's flood of available options. My favorite part of the book is Chapter Six. Entitled "Meet the Makers," this section includes extended interviews with legendary effects inventors such as Roger Mayer, Mike Matthews, Mike Fuller, Pete Cornish, Josh Fiden and Dan Coggins. These interviews give a behind-the-scenes peak at what inspired many of the innovations that have shaped the effects industry. Beyond the text, "Guitar Effects and Pedals" comes with a 92-track CD which demos many of the sounds described in the book. In other words, when you read about a certain effect in the book, you can hear how it sounds by switching on the CD. Chapter Seven of the book provides a thorough index of the CD, so you won't have any trouble finding the track that you are looking for. Overall, the no-bull approach of this book is probably what is most appealing: it doesn't try to tell you what to buy, or what pedals you need to play "to be cool," but lays the big, wide wonderful world of effects out in front of you so you can make your own sound-based decisions. No plugged-in guitarist should be without it.