When the average person thinks of an electric guitar, they think of axes and amplifiers. As a guitarist, however, you know that there's a third step that's just as important: pedals. These floor guitar effects are powerful tools for shaping and defining your unique personal sound. That's why effects pedals have been growing more and more popular ever since they first rose to prominence in the 1960s. In the decades between then and now, a wide variety of effects have been created, leading to the numerous options you'll find here. These range from common pedals that nearly every workshop makes and the majority of guitarists use, to specialty boutique effects designed and built by just one pedal maker. Experimentation is the key to discovering your favorite effects, whether you're a veteran looking to diversify your sound or a beginner filling up your first pedalboard. Some of the classic effects pedals that are universally adopted are the wah-wah and reverb, as well as the modulation family, including chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo and vibrato. Since these types of pedals are considered staple tools for a guitarist, you'll find some or all of them combined into one unit in a multi-effects pedal. These all-in-one floor effects sometimes also include added features like built-in preamps, and many of them have rocker pedals to support volume, EQ and control effects.
While considering your options in floor guitar effects, another thing to keep in mind is how you will store and transport them. To make that easier, you may want to pick up a pedal bag as well. They vary in size from small single-pedal totes to spacious cases big enough for an entire loaded pedalboard. Not only do pedal bags simplify handling your effects between gigs, they also protect the units from bumps and knocks while you travel. No matter what genre of music you play, floor guitar effects make an important contribution to your overall sound. It's never too early to start working with pedals, making them a great creative tool for experienced and novice guitarists alike.