Guitar effects

A cheap multi-effects box will allow you to try all the basic effects. Likewise an amp modeller has the same thing but with amps and speaker simulations built in. Once you've worked out which effects you can actually use getting them in a stomp box form can be the next level.

Pedal boxes range from cheap (Danelectro) to expensive (Electro-Harmonix) but you do get what you pay for. Some boxes are digital simulations of what was originally an analogue effect. Purists will argue that analogue is best; depending on when the effect originated that may mean a valve effect (alot of overdrives coming out now) or old style transistors (often shouts 'germanium' in the title). In the case of echo you'll see effects trying to emulate the sound of 50s tape echo, yep Hank Marvin/Dick Dale echo relied on a loop of tape being recorded and wiped endlessly.

If your amp doesn't have reverb then that would be a good start point. Compression is a subtle yet powerful effect, very useful for a country pick sound. Have fun.

Try the Zoom G2.1U, you can get it for about £80:

http://www.musicstreet.co.uk/zoomg21ugu … db5df7f0c5

It has amp-modelling and each of the different effects.

Hello Tibernius.
How is the ZOOM G2.1U? I read some comments,all pretty good.

to iandraper: please follow the advise of my friend SouthPaw41L.
Besides advise, I still don't know what's best. There are "single" effects, like 1 for distortion, and you can go on. My biggest problem is always the same, impatient, and I WANT IT ALL. This is a nasty habit.
So what happened, I think 10 years ago, I bought my first "effect processor", a floorboard ZOOM 8080 AND I BELIEVE THEY ARE STILL IN PRODUCTION. I adore effects. Important is also THE AMP. My first amp was a Marshall 100W Valvestate, real good and loud, with the basic effects like distortion, reverb, delay. About 5 years ago, I found on the Fender website "the Fender Cybertwin" 2X65W a KILLER. It is amazing, and still mysterious or miraculous how they make products like this. Go see the cybertwin, and judge for yourself. I am addicted to effect processors, and 7-8years ago I buyed a Boss VF 1: 400 patches (200 Preset 200 User)—including everything from COSM® Guitar Amp and Microphone. Fantastic device. But 2 years ago:  Line6 PODxt Live, genial floorboard. My best buy was and is a Korg PX4D Pandora. Amp modelling, effects and a RHYTHM SECTION on board. I play alone, and because of the different rhythms, my playing style changed: RHYTHM. All the effect processors I mentioned can be found on the web: the WHAT, the HOW, the POSSIBILITIES are on the internet. For me my little Pandora= best processor/price

It sounds good, has a decent amount of effects, only problem I can find with it is that you can't use all of the effects at once, but it isn't very likely that you would need to.

The Zoom 8080 has probably been replaced by one of the G series, possibly the G7.1ut.

I've spent lots of money and tried just about everything over the years and have narrowed down to some effects that work for me and the sound that I like... It depends on what you are wanting and one way is to listen to your favorite artists and then find out what they are using. If you have access to one of the larger Guitar stores (we have Guitar center here) you can go in and plug into an array of effects pedals and try each one individually or linked togather for different sounds.

For me? I use a Boss Delay and Chorus...I play mostly fingerstyle with electric and Acoustic/electric and those pedals really "fatten up" my sound. I get my reverb from the amp. I also use a Boss Distortion pedal for blues and to "dirty" or "crunch" up the sound for blues/rock. The first pedal in line is a Boss TU Tuning pedal that keeps me in tune!

Remember that a lot of you sound can and should be shaped first by your guitar and amp...some rooms have lots of natural reverb, some don't. Guitars have different sounding pickups and different settings, ditto for the amp. Once you find the sound you want from the guitar and amp then you can shape it further with the pedals...even then the combinations are numerous!

I hope that helps...   I think some of the websites for effects units now have sound samples that you can check out...