How to Set Up Your Pedalboard 101 | The Basics of Signal Chain Order

By Kevin G | Last Upload on February 10, 2023 | Home Guides How to Set Up a A Pedalboard

Do you know how to organize your pedals to achieve that maximum tone and texture for your playing?

Your board’s guitar pedal chain order is one of the most important parts of your tone. Just about anyone who owns and regularly uses an electric guitar winds up buying effects pedals that help to shape the tone and sound coming from the amp. Most guitar players buy one or two pedals at a time.

Pedalboard Setup 101


But, before you know it, you may have accumulated a dozen different pedals or more. If your pedalboard starts to look like a tangled mess of cords, it’s time to get organized. Here are some tips on how to set up your guitar pedalboard and keep it clean and tidy:

Next, you will have to decide which pedals you use most often. These are the pedals that should be placed front and center on your pedalboard for easy access. Remember to place similar pedals together. For example, if you have two or more distortion pedals, place them next to each other. This will help keep your signal path short and reduce the risk of crosstalk between pedals.

Shopping List

  • Industrial-Strength Velcro
  • Bulk Plastic Twist Ties
  • Black Hockey Tape
  • Straight Angle Pedal Couplers
  • Angled Pedal Couplers
  • 9V Pedalboard Cable Kit
  • Suitable Guitar Patch Cables

The best guitar pedals for beginners are those that help you to stay in tune and produce your desired tones. Many guitarists use a tuner, Wah, a distortion, fuzz, or overdrive pedal, and a compressor that adds sustain when starting out. Amps that include reverb also can help. When the pedals multiply, they could become overwhelming. If you are tripping over effects pedals or fighting electrical interference, you need to learn how to set up a guitar pedalboard.

Tips Before You Start: Clean Your Guitar Pedalboard

Tips for Cleaning Your Guitar Pedalboard

You must make sure you clean your guitar pedalboard properly if you want it to last as long as possible. A few tips you should follow include:

  • Always use a spray cleaner that has been specifically formulated for cleaning your pedalboard.
  • You can also use a Q-tip with some dish soap to get into those tight spaces.
  • Another option is to use a mixture of water and vinegar combined with a dishrag.
  • When cleaning the pedal, try to avoid rubbing the graphics, as they could come off.

Organizing Your Effects Pedals on Your Rig

You need to place your effects pedals in the correct order to get the best sound from your amp. When setting up your guitar pedals, you should organize them into four common types.

The four common types of guitar effects pedals are those that:

  • Add noise or amplify sound.
  • Produce tone.
  • Modify tone.
  • Create ambiance.

Wah, distortion, and compressor are good examples of pedals that add noise or volume. You can use pedals like a dedicated tone pedal, chorus, or another pedal that creates and shapes tone to get the ideal sound. And pedals like a reverb or delay are perfect examples of effects that create ambiance.

The signal chain order is very important when you want to get the best sound out of your amp. The signal chain refers to the order in which your guitar signal travels from the guitar to the amplifier.

It’s important to have a basic understanding of how the signal path works so that you can place your pedals in the correct order. Here is the typical signal path for an electric guitar.

blank

How Important is Your Guitar Pedal Signal Chain Order?

blank

As you can see, there are several places where you can insert effects pedals into the signal path. The most common place to insert effects pedals is between the guitar and the input jack.

If you want to achieve a very “squashed” sound, then you would place the compression pedal before the amplifier. If you want a more subtle effect, then placing it after the amplifier will be better. A chorus, a phaser pedal, and an equalizer pedal are examples of pedals that modify the tone. You can gain ambiance with delay, reverb, and other pedals that more subtly shape the sound.

This is because most distortion, overdrive, and fuzz pedals need to be placed before the amplifier to work properly. Placing these types of guitar pedals after the amplifier will result in a weaker signal that won’t sound as good.

There are some exceptions to this rule though! For example, if you have a clean boost pedal or an EQ pedal, you can place these types of effects after the amplifier in your signal chain. This is because they are not meant to distort your signal, but rather shape it in a specific way.

Compression pedals are another exception to this rule. You can place compression pedals either before or after the amplifier in your signal chain. It’s really a matter of personal preference as to where you place them.

Guitar Pedal Chain Order: A Comprehensive Guide to Organizing your Effects!

The first type of pedal that should be on your pedal board signal chain are those that add noise or amplify the sound, which would be placed first in your signal chain. This includes distortion, overdrive, and fuzz pedals.

These types of effects pedals increase the level of your signal going into the amplifier. This can cause a decrease in clarity if you have too many of these types of pedals on your board.

The second type of pedal is one that modifies the tone of your guitar such as a wah-wah pedal or EQ pedal. These types of effects are usually placed after any distortion or overdrive pedals in your signal chain.

The third type of pedal is one that creates an effect such as a delay, reverb, or chorus. These types of pedals are usually placed after all other effects in your signal chain.

The fourth type of pedal is one that controls the signal going to your amplifiers such as a volume pedal or an expression pedal.

The fourth and final type of pedal is one that controls other pedals or devices such as a volume pedal, expression pedal, or tuner. These types of effects are usually placed at the end of your signal chain.

blank

What is the Correct Order to Connect your Effects Pedals?

You can use a tuner pedal at any point in your signal chain, but most guitarists prefer to place them either first or last. There is no right or wrong order for placing pedals on your board. However, there are some general guidelines that can help you get started. A typical signal chain order for a guitar pedal board might look like this:

  • Tuner
  • Wah or Volume or Tone Pedals
  • Compressor
  • Overdrive or Distortion
  • Modulation

Now that you know the order in which to place your guitar pedals, it’s time to start organizing them on your board! If you have a small number of pedals, you may be able to get away with simply placing them on the floor in front of you while you play. However, if you have a larger number of pedals, you’ll need to invest in a pedal board.

Pedalboards come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s important to choose one that will fit both your needs and the available space. Once you have your pedalboard, it’s time to start placing your pedals on it! Be sure to leave enough space between each pedal for cables and your feet while playing. It’s also a good idea to label each pedal with its function so you can easily find the right one when you need it.

Plan Your Pedalboard Before Buying!

The BOSS pedal guides and other reputable sources recommend that you plan the signal path for the best results. The signal chain starts with the guitar signal and moves through each pedal to the amplifier. You should determine which effects you want and in what order you want them. This will help ensure that your signal is not degraded by a poor signal path.

When you plan the signal path, think about which order the pedals will go. You also need to consider if you want true bypass or non-true bypass pedals.

You also need to consider if you want to use a power supply for your pedals or not. If you’re using pedals that require batteries, you’ll need a power source. You can buy a separate power source or get one that’s built-in to the pedalboard.

Some people like to place their pedals in order of how they are used while others like to place them in order of signal path. You can also use a combination of both methods. For example, you may want to place your overdrive before your modulation pedals but after your wah pedal. It is up to you to decide what sounds best for your signal chain.

blank

You should have distortion, overdrive, or fuzz pedals located after the tuner pedal because they affect the sound from pedals that might come before them. You should learn how to set up a Big Muff Pi or other fuzz pedals so that you get the best results prior to plugging in your guitar and amp.

The tone pedals could go before any that modify the sound, such as an equalizer. Then you could finish with the pedals that add ambiance followed by the amp.

Tips on Wiring & Installing your Pedalboard

Those who know how to wire a guitar pedal board use patch cables with plugs that are at a 90-degree angle. The angled plugs give the patch cables more room between the pedals. The last step is to route power to each pedal. A good power source will prevent electrical interference and eliminate the need for batteries.

One final tip is that you should not hesitate to experiment with different ways of organizing your pedals until you find a configuration that works well for you and produces the tones that you want to hear.

blank

Guitar Pedal Order Ex. (Unknown)

Conclusion

Now that you know the order in which to place your pedals, it’s time to start installing them on your pedalboard. Be sure to use the right size screws and washers for each pedal. You can find these at any hardware store.

When you’re ready to wire your pedals, start by connecting the guitar signal to the input of the first pedal in your signal chain. Then, connect the output of that pedal to the input of the next pedal in line. Repeat this process until all your pedals are connected.

Finally, connect the output of your last pedal to your amplifier. If you’re using a power supply, be sure to connect it to each pedal as well. Once everything is plugged in and turned on, you’re ready to start playing!

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x