How many guitar pedals is too many? It’s the age-old debate among us pedal players. Some say more than five pedals starts to get excessive. But for others, the sky’s the limit when it comes to effects. Where do you stand? I, well, I have a shameful amount of pedals. I’m in no place to tell anyone they have too many.
A few weeks back, I was talking to a music journalist who mentioned that, from his research, most players use five or fewer pedals. And roughly a fifth of players admit to having a board loaded with six to ten effects. That’s a lot of pedals.
A lot of us guitar players love effects pedals. And it’s no secret that if you find the right ‘modest’ collection of pedals, you can improve not only your tone but your overall confidence when playing.
So, should I drop what I’m doing and order more pedals? Or is it time to admit that less is more?
Key Takeaways
- The number of pedals you need depends on your playing style, musical tastes, and goals.
- A cluttered pedalboard can hinder your performance. Starting with 3-5 essential pedals is often recommended.
- Quality is more important than quantity.
- Regularly evaluate your pedalboard and remove pedals that you’re not using.
- Everyone’s ideal pedal setup is different. Genre and personal preference all make a big difference.
- Experiment to find what works best for you.
Table of Contents
How Many Guitar Pedals Is Too Many?
There is no such thing as too many. Okay, I’m kind of joking. But really, how many guitar pedals you need depends on your playing style, musical tastes, and what you’re trying to achieve.
Some guitarists are pedal minimalists, they believe simplicity is best to let their natural tone shine through. Others are pedal connoisseurs, always searching for that elusive “unicorn” pedal.
I believe that if you have pedals on your pedalboard that you barely use, then you might be using too many.
Creative Expression vs Pedalboard Clutter
There’s no denying that having a large collection of pedals at your feet gives you a lot of possibilities for creative expression and sound exploration. You can create rich, layered soundscapes or instantly switch between vastly different tones mid-song. It’s a lot of fun.
But there is a downside to all this. A cluttered pedalboard that’s a nightmare to navigate can lead to messy transitions and inconsistent tones – unless you take the time and expense to program a switcher.
How Many Pedals Should a Guitarist Have?
There’s not one specific magic number, but while writing this article, I spoke to some of my guitar player friends. Rather than focusing on the too-many, I took a different angle and asked them how many pedals is enough.
Many of them suggested starting with 3 – 5 essential pedals, such as overdrive, delay, and reverb, and expanding from there based on your needs.
They’d all been on pedal journeys themselves, from tens on one board to simpler setups of one or two, and had all ended up finalizing their most recent boards on relatively simple 4, 5, and 6 pedal setups.
It’s worth mentioning here that this is largely because they’re trying to save money on transportation costs — very important to a touring musician who doesn’t have The Rolling Stones’ transportation budget.
Quality Over Quantity: Which Is Best?
At the end of the day, it’s not just about collecting pedals but about choosing the right ones. A few exceptional, awesome pedals that perfectly suit your needs will serve you better than a load of mediocre ones.
Thinking about my own pedalboard, if I really wanted to, I could trim away quite a few pedals to leave myself with 4 or 5 pedals and core tones that would get me through 90% of any of my shows and rehearsals.
If you think you’ve got too many or don’t use a lot of your pedals, remember you’re not stuck with it forever. Don’t be afraid to sell pedals if they’re not working for you, and don’t keep a pedal on your board just because you hope to be able to use it one day. Every pedal needs a job, or it’s out. We’ve gotta be strong Pedal Players.
Keep experimenting until you find the pedals that work for you. It’s not about having too many or too few — it’s about having just the right ones.
How To Use Just 4 – 5 Pedals
Bear with me; this is painful to admit. But having a massive pedalboard crammed with every effect under the sun can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to keep your pedalboard size down to 4 or 5 (or 6) pedals.
1. What Are Your Must-Have Pedals?
If you stick to just your core effects, you can make a good start in minimizing your pedalboard.
So, what are the typical pedals on a minimized pedalboard?
Usually, you’d find the classics like overdrive/distortion. Maybe a delay and a reverb (although if your amp has reverb, you can even cut this). You might even want to throw in a wobble, such as tremolo or vibrato.
These three or four core effects can easily give you the foundations for everything from sparkling cleans to heavy rock riffs.
But that’s just the start.
A tuner pedal is essential for me. I’ve tried these clip-on tuners and other options, which are great for practicing at home, but they just don’t cut it on a loud stage.
To finish off, a versatile multi-effect like Line 6, Eventide, or Zoom can be a great addition. It gives you a whole pedalboard’s worth of options in one compact unit—you might even consider using this to remove your wobble pedal (or modulation).
With this in mind, you can easily cover almost every sound you’ll need with about 5 or 6 pedals. Pretty cool, right?
2. Experiment Before Putting Them All Together
Of course, the hard work is in how you arrange and combine these pedals. The order in which you put them in the signal chain can drastically shape your tone. Putting drive pedals before modulation gives a very different flavor than the reverse.
And remember – many pedals can pull double duty with their various modes and settings. That Boss DS-1 might just become your always-on edge of breakup or a heavy distortion machine.
Experiment and get to know your pedals. Try them in different orders and see what you like best. Do all this experimenting before you even think about sticking them to your board. You’ll find it so much easier and save yourself a bunch of time.
3. Find the Right Balance of Pedals for You
At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all pedalboard. A metal virtuoso might need a dozen effects pedals, while a singer-songwriter might just want a tuner and a reverb pedal.
The 4 – 5 pedal range is a reliable starting point. It is a chance to hone your core sound before expanding. But when it comes down to it, add or take away effects when/if you want.
Some guitarists thrive with a minimalist setup of just a few essential pedals, while others crave a pedalboard playground to sculpt their sound. The beauty lies in the fact that there’s no wrong way to approach it.
4. Think About The Genre Or Type Of Music You Play
Don’t forget the musical genre you play can also influence your pedal needs. A blues rocker might get by with a trusty overdrive and wah, while a shoegaze enthusiast could easily justify a dozen (or more) ambient and modulation pedals. It’s all about finding the right tools for the job.
To Sum Up
When it comes down to how many pedals a guitarist should have, it totally depends on you and your personal style.
If you love pedals, like I do, you’ll probably use a lot regardless of whether you need them or not. But if you crave an easy or light setup, then you might want to consider scaling down.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Only you can say how many pedals is enough. Enjoy playing, build your rig how you like it. If you want 100 pedals or even no pedals at all, then that’s the rig for you.
Am I going to downsize? I don’t think so. I love my pedals and feel I use everything on my board. I also change and mix up my pedalboard almost every 3 to 5 weeks. That said, I do look at my board differently after researching this article. I think more about how and why I use each pedal and the reasons it qualifies for that precious real estate.
