Wah-wah pedals filter the frequencies of the incoming guitar signal to give it a distictive, human-like sound when rocked back and forth. Wah-wah pedals are used by many famous guitarists in their riffs and solos. Some guitarists use wah-wah pedals in one position to create a filtered tone, while others play them the conventional way […]
Delay and echo effects repeat the guitars signal based on a time setting creating slap back and other delay and echo effects. There are many different delay and echo effect processors and stomp boxes. Each offer different functions to make use of delay such as looping. Delay effects use digital or analog circuitry. Digital delay […]
Reverb (short for reverberation) is an effect that alters the guitars sound to recreate the subtle echoes of a room or other environment. Reverb is commonly included in guitar amplifiers using spring reverb tanks in the amp. The size of reverb tanks allow them to be placed inside the cabinet of combo amps and in […]
Tremolo is an effect created by the consistent alteration of the amplitude or volume of the guitar’s sound signal. Tremolo is similar to turning the volume knob on your guitar up and down slightly or dramatically while sustaining a note or chord. Vibrato is similar to tremolo, but alters the signal’s pitch up and down […]
Distortion and overdrive effects are one of the most common effects used by guitarists. In music genres with loud, crunchy guitars like rock and metal, distortion is vital. Distortion and overdrive effects mimic the tone and sound of a cranked tube amp. This is done by boosting the guitar’s signal causing the sound to “clip”. […]
Open chords are guitar chords that use at least one open string on the guitar, meaning one or more strings are played without being fretted. The open position, refers to the first few frets where Open Chords are able to be played. The guitar chord diagrams below are basic major and minor open chord forms. […]
Fender acquired U.S. guitar string manufacturer the V.C. Squier Company in 1965; by 1982 the Squier name had resurfaced as a “value brand” alternative initially manufactured and distributed in the Japanese domestic market and soon offered to Europe, North America and the rest of the world. At the time, many other established brands offered copies […]
Production of U.S.-made Guild Traditional Series guitars once again moved back east in 2008, near the place the brand was born; to a newly acquired production facility in New Hartford, Conn. Whether it’s a jumbo, dreadnought or small-body acoustic guitar; a six-string or a 12-string; or one of the new GAD Nylon/Classical Series acoustics, Guild […]
Chorus refers to the sound of multiple sources creating the same, or very similar sound at the same or similar time. An example of this is a choir singing; multiple voices in different pitches. Chorus effects are produced by slightly delaying a sound signal and also altering its pitch while mixing it with the original […]
A reference to every note on the guitar’s fretboard in standard tuning up to the 12th fret. Use this to learn where the notes on guitar are and repeat. The # / b (sharp / flat) between notes show the sharp and flat notes. Example: “# / b” between a C and a D note […]
Compressors for guitars come in pedal / stompbox and rack units, and are used to even the sound of the guitar’s incoming signal. This is done by adjusting the volume so the level of the incoming signal is “squeezed” or “squashed” to a more uniform volume level letting notes or chords sustain better and longer. […]
Pitch Shifters, Octave, and Harmonizers alter the pitch of the guitar’s signal to create their effect. Octave or Octaver effects combine the guitar’s signal with a duplicated signal raised or lowered an octave in pitch, creating a synthesizer type of sound. Both guitarists and bassists sometimes use octave effects to create a lower ranger and […]
Phase modulating effects combine the original signal of the guitar with one or more copies of itself that have been altered in phase. This creates a sound similar to that of a jet flying by. Phasers produce their sounds similarly to flange effects, but the phase and replication of the original sound signal produce a […]
Gretsch Guitars
Much has been written about “That Great Gretsch Sound” over the years, and the company continues to build-as it has throughout its long and legendary history-some of the world’s most visually stimulating and sonically captivating guitars. True, they are still unrivaled as the rockabilly guitars, but they’ve always been and remain much more than that, […]