Your Complete Guide to Multi-Effects Pedals

Making a pedal board can be a bit of a pain. Not only is it difficult to transfer (having twenty or more pedals lined up in a specific chain, then having to take the chain apart, store the pedals, move them, then rebuild the chain each show) but it is also inconvenient, having to take so many separate bits.

In this article, we’ll help you to cut down on your effects pedal chain by talking about the benefits of using a guitar multi-effects pedal.

So first off, what is a multi effects pedal and how can it help you in playing the guitar?

Simply put, it is a combination of different pedals in one housing. For instance, some multi effects pedals contain a hundred or more different effects, with up to a dozen banks in which to save your favorite effects for quick access.

This means that, when you want the specific sound, all you have to do is stomp on one of the twelve bank buttons and you are instantly transferred to the desired effect. This makes it much, much easier to change between a flanger and a wah, or a pitch shifter and a chorus.

With a multi effects pedal, not only are you carrying around less gear, but you are carrying around more effects.

This is particularly useful if you are playing live and if you would be able to recall the settings with the flick of your footswitch (instead of squatting down to tune the settings on individual pedals). One of the most powerful multi effects pedals is the BOSS GT-10. Take a look at the video demo.

Depending on what your goal is, or what sorts of effects you want, there are a ton of different options in regard to size when it comes to multi effects pedals. As stated above, some have hundreds of effects, while others only have a dozen or so. The kind that is best for you is the kind that will fit your specific needs.

Don’t feel it necessary to buy a guitar multi effects pedal with two hundred effects if you can get one cheaper that has all of the effects you need. (And we’ll be honest—sometimes the effects that the pedals offer aren’t the greatest; in fact, some of them you may never use).

Why Should You Get A Multi Effects Pedal?

One of the best things about using a multi effects pedal instead of using a chain of single effect pedals is that your signal strength will be better.

The more things you have between your amp and your guitar, the weaker your signal becomes. Take for instance a basic rig; the guitar goes through the amp, giving a direct path. Now, if you simply throw in a tuner, that is already one thing that stands between your guitar and your amp. This is one thing that makes the signal weaker.

Now, if you have ten pedals between your guitar and your amp (and you have no choice; you can’t simply plug the guitar into the amp and magically make the pedals work) then that is ten things between your guitar and your amp, making the signal that much weaker.

In the end, you know your needs better than anyone else. If you only use one or two effects pedals, then a guitar multi-effects pedal may not be the thing for you. However, if you are constantly changing effects, and lots of them, it may be something to look into.

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