simple question

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antispatula

antispatula

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I've been playing guitar for over a year now, but have never used a pedal. I want to be able to switch between clean electric and distortion, using a pedal. All I need is a "distortion pedal" right? Thanks!
 
Antispatula,
As easy as a distortion or overdrive etc pedal or tube preamp OR depending on your amp a channel switch between clean & "dirty".
Cheers
rayC
 
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That all depends on how much and what kind of distortion you want. If you want a little such as increased gain or overdrive you might be better off with an amp which has chanel switching, but if you are looking for lots of distortion or other effects you will need to add pedal(s) generated efx. Something to consider is that most efx sound better if you don't set them to maximum, and the best results will come from combining two or more efx pedals. Finding the right mix of pedals then finding the best settings for them is something you will need to experiment with, try several before you settle in on a sound which later on you may decide isn't quite what you are looking for. Multi efx pedals are convenient but are often noisy. Don't forget, a certain pedal which sounds great with one guitar may not sound good at all with another.
 
hey thanks guys! Well, my cheapo amp has a button for distortion, but it's a little inconvinient if you want to all of a sudden go from clean to distorted in the middle of a song.
 
antispatula said:
hey thanks guys! Well, my cheapo amp has a button for distortion, but it's a little inconvinient if you want to all of a sudden go from clean to distorted in the middle of a song.


maybe all you need is a cheap $20 foot switch to toggle between the amps distortion and clean channel if you like your amps distortion.

does your amp have a 1/4'' jack for channels switching??
 
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here...

antispatula said:
I've been playing guitar for over a year now, but have never used a pedal. I want to be able to switch between clean electric and distortion, using a pedal. All I need is a "distortion pedal" right? Thanks!

And thus, another life falls victim, descending down into the eternal abyss of the fiery hell we call g.a.s.

Welcome, brother.
 
metalj said:
maybe all you need is a cheap $20 foot switch to toggle between the amps distortion and clean channel if you like your amps distortion.

does your amp have a 1/4'' jack for channels switching??


If you can do the footswitch thing, I recommend it. I've got a small Marshall with a footswitch, and I love it! It's pretty much the only effect I ever use.

That and my Death Metal Pedal.
 
uh.....I don't know if it has 2 channels....There's only one jack for the input, but there is a button that goes between clean and distorted..,,
 
He said a cheap amp, and I know most cheap amps don't have an optional pedal setup that you can plug in.

You will probably be best off getting either a Danelectro Fabtone 1 or 2 (Distortion and Overdrive). They are great pedals for very cheap ($15 each) and will do what you're looking to do very easily and reliably. You'll also get to mess around with your tone more than you would with your guitar amp alone.
 
antispatula said:
uh.....I don't know if it has 2 channels....There's only one jack for the input, but there is a button that goes between clean and distorted..,,
Is there a 1/4" jack on the back of the amp labelled 'footswitch'?
 
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