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, […]
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 […]
How High Pass And Low Pass Filters Work In Guitar Pedals
January 27, 2024If you look at any schematic for a guitar pedal, you’ll see high and low pass filters throughout the circuitry. Sometimes they’re not so obvious, but once you learn how to spot them you’ll see them everywhere! High and low pass filters, sometimes called low cut and high cut filters, are used to shape the […]
Ultimate Guide To Resistors In Guitar Pedals: What They Do And How They Work
January 20, 2024Table Of Contents: What Is A Resistor? How Are Resistors Measured? Reading A Resistor’s Value Understanding Resistors In Parallel And In Series How Does A Resistor Work? Resistors And Wattage What Do Resistors Do In A Guitar Pedal? Potentiometers As Variable Resistors In Guitar Pedals What Is A Resistor? A resistor adds resistance to an […]
Ohm’s Law: Explanation And Applications
Ohm’s Law is one of the basic electrical equations that will help you better understand what’s happening in electrical circuits and why certain components are in guitar pedals. Although you probably just want to start putting things together and making some noise, you’ll better be able to troubleshoot guitar pedal builds and designs if you […]
