The 5 Best Wah Pedals: A Gigging Guitarist’s Guide
Jacob Tanner has used wah pedals on stage for over ten years across rock, blues and funk. Here are five picks at every price point, from the classic Cry Baby GCB95 to the premium Xotic XW-1.
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The 5 Best Distortion Pedals: Tried on Stage and in the Studio
Jacob Tanner has played live for over ten years and tested distortion pedals in real gigs, not just demos. These are his five picks — from the Boss DS-1 at $50 to the Empress Heavy at the premium end.
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How To Use A Guitar Amplifier Without Guesswork
Getting sound out of a guitar amp for the first time seems simple—until you’re standing there, staring at six knobs and wondering what to do next. I’ve been in that spot, and I’ve seen plenty of new players make the same missteps that lead to bad tone, loud pops, or just plain silence. Here’s the…
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TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay And Looper Review
I’ve had the TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay & Looper on and off my board for a few years now. Honestly, it pops back on more often than I expected when I first got it. This pedal packs 12 delay types, four TonePrint slots, a built-in looper, tap tempo, three preset footswitches, and MIDI control…
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Reverb Vs Echo: Major Differences Explained
If you’ve ever sung in a tiled bathroom or shouted across a canyon, you’ve heard both reverb and echo in action. They seem related because, well, they are—both come from sound bouncing off hard surfaces and returning to your ears. The confusion is all about how they return and when you actually hear them. The…
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Do You Need A Delay Pedal? What It Actually Adds
If you play electric guitar and have spent any time eyeing other guitarists’ pedalboards, you’ve probably noticed that delay pedals show up everywhere. Whether it’s a faint echo behind a clean chord or a massive wall of repeats, delay is one of the most common effects in guitar playing. The real question isn’t whether delay…
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How To Choose The Best Volume Pedal For Your Rig
Picking a volume pedal seems simple until you actually start shopping. There are passive options, active designs, different impedances, varying treadle sizes, tuner outputs, and expression modes—suddenly a straightforward purchase turns into a rabbit hole. The right volume pedal for your rig depends on three things above everything else: where it sits in your signal…
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How To Choose The Best Octave Pedal For Your Rig
Things to Think About… Choosing the right octave pedal looks easy until you’re staring at a wall of options in a gear shop, all with similar spec sheets and no clear winner. I’ve been there, made my share of mistakes, and figured out which questions you actually need to ask before dropping any cash. The…
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How to Choose The Best Delay Pedal
Delay pedals are one of the most versatile tools in a guitarist’s kit — they can thicken a rhythm part, fatten a lead, or build huge ambient soundscapes. But there’s no single “best” delay pedal: the right choice depends on the sound you want, how you play, and how much board space and cash you…
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Boss RV-500: Long-Term Reverb Pedal Review
I’ve been using the Boss RV-500 reverb for several months, and honestly, it’s changed how I think about reverb pedals. Before picking one up, I spent weeks digging through spec sheets and YouTube demos, but none of that really prepared me for just how deep this pedal gets once you actually live with it. The…
