How Does A Drive, Gain, Or Distortion Knob Work?
September 17, 2024I’ve touched on this subject a lot, but I want to approach it differently now. Namely, from the perspective of the potentiometer that is controlling the gain in an overdrive, distortion, or fuzz pedal. When talking about this before, I’ve mostly gone through how clipping diodes work in guitar pedals and how they cause clipping […]
How Do Guitar Pedal (And Guitar) Volume Knobs Work?
August 21, 2024Hopefully this article is going to be short and sweet, as the concept of volume knobs in guitar pedals (and guitars for that matter) is quite simple. This explanation should hold for volume control on analogue devices, however, I’m not sure if it holds for digital volume control; it probably does in a general sense, […]
A Versus B Potentiometers (And When To Use Them)
August 16, 2024One potentiometer isn’t the same as another, if they were, why would some be marked with an A and others be marked with a B (and why would others have a different letter on them)? Like so many things to do with electronic components, the A and the B is a simple shorthand to say […]
What Is A Voltage Divider?
May 23, 2024Most guitar pedals use a 9 volt direct current. There are pedals out there that use something else, but 9 volts is the most common, especially when it comes to DIY guitar pedals. However, what do you do if you need something lower than 9 volts? What if your pedal needs both 9 volts and […]
Potentiometer Wiring: How To Wire A Potentiometer
May 20, 2024A quick note on terminology: a potentiometer has three pins, often numbered 1, 2, and 3. Throughout this article I’ve tried to simplify it by referring to left and right pins, and it’s seemed to confuse a couple people. Whenever anyone talks about potentiometer pins, they’re looking at it face on with the arm pointing upwards. […]
Ultimate Guide To Potentiometers In Guitar Pedals: What They Do And How They Work
January 20, 2024Table Of Contents: What Is A Potentiometer? How Does A Potentiometer Work? Types Of Potentiometers Used In guitar Pedals Linear Versus Logarithmic Potentiometers How Are Potentiometers Measured? What Do Potentiometers Do In A Guitar Pedal? A quick note on terminology: a potentiometer has three pins, often numbered 1, 2, and 3. Throughout this article I’ve tried […]
