Active Pickups:  Guitar pickups that use a battery's electricity as a preamp boost before sending the to the amplifier. Active pickups require a(...) Read More

Boost:  The Boost effect was created to increase the volume (gain) of the guitar's signal before it hits the input stage on your amp.  It does(...) Read More

Buffer:  A buffer is an active electronic circuit that keeps your guitar signal strong and preserves the frequencies of your guitar sound. If(...) Read More

A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in an electric field. It is a passive electronic component with two terminals. The effect(...) Read More

Chorus:  The chorus effect is a type of modulation that is created by splitting the original signal, changing the pitch slightly on one of the(...) Read More

Clean:  The lack of any distortion or tone changes of any kind.  This isn't as easy as just not using guitar effect pedals.  Many amplifiers(...) Read More

Compression:   A compressor effect pedal creates sustain without adding distortion or clipping the signal.  The compressor controls the volume.(...) Read More

Delay:  Delay is a time-based modulation effect that copies the incoming signal and plays it back one or multiple times through a period of(...) Read More

Digital Modeling:  Digital modeling uses processors in amplifiers and effect pedals to replicate the sound of a variety of amplifiers and(...) Read More

A diode is a semiconductor. Unlike a resistor, they are polarized with an anode and cathode that is represented on their symbol.  A(...) Read More

Dirty:  The tone produced with the addition of distortion:  The more distorted the dirtier sounding.  Distortion, overdrive and fuzz all get(...) Read More

Distortion:  Distortion technically is anytime the input signal differs from the output signal.  The distortion effect was created to replicate(...) Read More

Dry:  A Dry signal is the sound without any effects or pedals.  The opposite of this is a Wet signal which is the result after it passes through(...) Read More

Echo:  Echo effects are also time-shifted repeats of a signal, but they are designed to sound like the echo found in nature. Many include(...) Read More

Equalizer:  An Equalizer (EQ) is commonly used to alter or balance frequencies by either cutting or boosting. Depending on the equalizer unit,(...) Read More

Flanger:  A flanger effect is a simple modulation delay that fits between a shorter vibrato, and a longer phaser effect. Simply defined, the(...) Read More

Fuzz: The Fuzz tone basically is a heavily saturated guitar signal, hard clipping the sound to a plain square wave with amazing sustain.  Fuzz(...) Read More

Germanium and Silicon diodes and transistors: Germanium and silicon are chemical elements called metalloids. Both elements are brittle and have(...) Read More

Looper:  A looper pedal records a musical passage and then repeatedly plays it back over and over called a loop. Once it is played back, most(...) Read More

Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO):  is an electronic frequency which is usually below 20 Hz and creates a rhythmic pulse or sweep.  They are used(...) Read More

Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI):  Initially conceived as a way to connect synthesizers, MIDI was developed as an open standard that(...) Read More

Noise Gate:  A noise gate effect pedal is used to reduce any electronic unwanted noise.  Noise in the guitar world is usually the result of(...) Read More

Octave:  Octave pedals produce a sound that is one or two octaves below the original note, while others add a tone that is one octave above the(...) Read More

Overdrive: The overdrive effect was created to help replicate the sound of a tube amplifier that has been pushed or "driven" to a dirty,(...) Read More

Phase Cancellation:  Also known as "Bucking", phase cancellation is when two or more sound wave signals are out of phase and therefore cancel or(...) Read More

Phaser:  A phaser effect is created when a signal from the guitar being fed into the pedal get’s split into two different signals. One returns(...) Read More

Plate Reverb:  One of the very first artificial means of replicating reverb was the plate reverb. This was actually a roughly 4x8-foot steel(...) Read More

Reverb:  Reverb is created when soundwaves from any sound source reflect off surfaces in a room causing a large number of reflections to reach(...) Read More

Round:  Interchangeable with “dark or fat,” describing a tone that is conservative and softer in the treble frequencies, not harsh.Simpler(...) Read More

Saturation: A point at which a guitar tone becomes notably distorted. This can sometimes be known as the “sweet spot” on the gain knob where the(...) Read More

Scooped:  Missing the mids or middle frequencies of the tone.  Bass and treble tones stand out.  Made popular in 80's and 90's era music, the(...) Read More

Silicon and Germanium diodes and transistors: Germanium and silicon are chemical elements called metalloids. Both elements are brittle and have(...) Read More

Spring Reverb:  Just like Plate Reverb, Spring Reverb was created mechanically by sending the signal electrically through springs instead of a(...) Read More

Through Zero Flanger:  Through Zero Flanging is created when a flanger pedal splits the incoming signal into two.  The original signal is(...) Read More

Timbre:  Also known as tone quality or tone color, it is the perceived sound quality of a given note.Simpler Definition:  Timbre is the(...) Read More

Tone Color:  Tone color or timbre of a sound is determined by the relative strengths, presence, and absence of the different harmonics and(...) Read More

Transparent:   Not coloring the overall sound of your guitar. Allowing the original sound and character of the instrument to shine through,(...) Read More

Tremolo:  Tremolo is a modulation effect that rhythmically changes the volume of your signal.  The end result is like someone turning the volume(...) Read More

Vibrato:  Vibrato is a modulation effect that varies pitch. As the pitch cyclically goes higher and lower in response to the modulation, a sense(...) Read More

Wah:  A wah is a variable equalization boost pedal. It was invented by trying to redesign a midrange boost feature on an amplifier. They wanted(...) Read More

Warm:  Typically used to refer to a darker, rounded tone that doesn’t sound harsh. This term is commonly interchanged with “analog” or “tube.” (...) Read More

Wet:  A Wet signal is the sound after it passes through the chain of effects (pedals).  The opposite of this is a Dry signal (no effects).  A(...) Read More