https://guitarnoise.forum/reviews-of-instructional-material-cds-and-shows/book-review-guitar-effects-dave-hunter/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:27:25 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/reviews-of-instructional-material-cds-and-shows/book-review-guitar-effects-dave-hunter/#post-32468 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:00:22 +0000
Title: Guitar Effects Pedals the practical handbook
Authors: Dave Hunter
Number of pages: 216
Price: $16 (U.S. on Amazon)

Was looking for a solid introduction to pedal effects in general. Was vaguely familiar with brands types - DOD, BOSS, Ibanez chorus, flange, delay, etc. But seemed there's such a vast array of brandseffects pedals out there didn't know where to start. Brief recap of what's in it..

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Chapter 1 - Historical look going back all the way to the '30s, really interesting background and setup for later chapters.
Chapter 2 - effects explained - breaks it down into:

- Boost, Overdrive, Compression, Distortion, Fuzz. (For those looking for a 'distortion' pedal the difference between overdrive, distortion, fuzz is made clear - and how 'distortion' pedals interact with amps in general.)

- Modulation: Phasing, Flanging, Chorus, Vibrato and Tremolo, Octave Divider

- Echo Delay Reverb

- Filtering EQ - Wah, Graphic EQ

Chapter 3-4 - Vintage and current brands

Chapter 5 - Tips and Tricks. Long discussion about treating pedals as elements of your whole setup, and how they interact, not just stand alone units. Pedal order discussion.

Chapter 6- Interviews with effects makers

Comes with a CD with 92 sound examples of many of the pedals mentioned in chapters 3-4. (Wish they had many more.)

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Would think much of this is basic knowledge to those who have been around. But if you have only moderate knowledge ( or zero ) regarding pedals its a comprehensive introduction and gives a framework to use in your search for the sounds your looking for. It's already saved me some money by not pulling the trigger on some pedals I thought I wanted. The CD examples are huge.

By the way, there are no multi-FX all-in-one units mentioned. It concentrates only on individual stomp boxes.

( So impressed, just ordered two more of Dave Hunters books: The Guitar Amp Handbook: Understanding Tube Amps and Electric Guitar Sourcebook: How to Find the Sounds You Like..)

Cheers all-]]> Reviews of Instructional Material, CDs and Shows BillyBoy https://guitarnoise.forum/reviews-of-instructional-material-cds-and-shows/book-review-guitar-effects-dave-hunter/#post-32468