To begin, let’s point out that these are some examples of options rather than a set of rules.
The sound you are after is personal choice and may not conform to traditional wisdom. Rule number one, as they say, is that there are no rules.
Tuner
One of the most important components of the pedalboard is the humble tuner. Having your tuner at the start of your pedalboard chain means that you will receive the cleanest signal, which is important for better tuning accuracy.
A true-bypass tuner is a great choice as the additional circuitry within the tuner gets removed when the tuner is not in use. There’s multiple tuner designs available, ‘strobe style’ tuners being the most accurate as they can more clearly communicate the tuning accuracy. Peterson tuners are often accepted as the best in the biz!
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Filters (e.g. wah & EQ)
The general rule is that the pedal that you want the cleanest signal from should be placed to the front of the chain, avoiding colourisation from other pedals that will unintentionally affect your tone.
However, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to creativity. A wah pedal works by adding and subtracting a preset ‘Q’ at a specified frequency, resulting in the “wah, wah” sound associated with both trumpet mutes, voice and guitarists like Buddy Holly, Hendrix and Slash. This sharp EQ can become harsh when placed after a distortion or overdrive, and can result in a more extreme sound. For this reason, it’s best to put your wah early!
Handy hint: a common trick is the ‘half-cocked’ wah technique, where the wah is engaged, but set to about halfway to add some extreme EQ. This is great for solos, and gives Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing” its unique ‘quack’.
Compression/Sustain
A compressor essentially acts as the nucleus for your tone, sitting almost in the middle of your chain to both enhance and cut unwanted low and high level sound. The compressor assists in delivering the most from your guitar’s tone and is often paired with sustain to push and prolong desired frequencies. Balancing out your tone is what a compressor does best and, much like a wah, can often sound extreme when it’s placed after drive pedals, therefore compressing the harmonics and sonics that a compressor introduces.
Bass players! Compressors are a great addition to your board to keep the tone balanced overall. An unruly bass can be distracting, especially with resonant frequencies in rooms, and a balanced bass tone will make the whole band feel and sound more consistent while you’re grooving and slappin’!
Distortion/Overdrive
The position of your overdrive pedal really comes down to preference. For example the late Rowland S. Howard (The Birthday Party) used an MXR distortion pedal followed by a graphic EQ stompbox to give those long sustained notes beef and bite. The post-punk innovator’s pedal chain placed less emphasis on maintaining balanced tones and more on assisting his wild performance, placing the MXR at the beginning to emphasise the high end.
EQ
When sculpting your own tone, an EQ pedal is arguably one of your most important tools, particularly if overdrive is being used, as it can provide some much needed definition. This is a flexible one, as shaping your tone pre-drive can result in a more controlled sounded, and after your drive can yield a more extreme effect. EQ can be used as an ‘always on’ effect or instead of a boost, to add much needed mids and definition. Removing low end can help your solos to cut through!
The EQ is often placed as the final step before amplification, though often also just before…
Modulation (e.g. chorus, flangers, phasers) and Reverb/Delay
Modulation and time-based pedals such as reverb or delay are essentially used at the end of your chain in order to not muddy the tone by compressing and applying distortion to a modulated signal. Modulating pre-drive can distort and ruin the modulation effect, whereas modulating after adds a sheen of flange, chorus or phaser across your carefully sculpted tone.
The order of your pedalboard can help you get the most out of your pedals! Keep reading about the biggest pedalboard here.
