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