---Every once in awhile, I will surf some of my favorite Internet forums and find a topic of discussion which inspires me to write something here.  I recently visited a message board where someone said that "real" players don't use any effects and that the best guitarists go straight into an amp for the best tone.

I almost relish getting worked up about this subject.  I've heard it enough through my experiences as a guitarist and think that such blanket statements really make whoever says them look less than intelligent.  Of course, I am a very happy user of effects pedals but that is really not the issue at all.  I will be the first one to admit that bypassing effects in the signal chain can result in some tonal benefits, but to say unequivocally that there is only one way to properly do things is ludicrous.

As I have recounted in a past column, I've had several people "notice" the few pedals I place at my feet when I play.  They always seem to center their remarks around some idea of "blues purism", implying that one must not be able to play very well or "authentically" if they use devices to augment their sounds. Well, first of all, pedals by nature are supposed to affect the sound.  That is why they are called "effects."  Secondly, a pedal by itself does not automatically make a player good.  Nor does a scalpel alone make a surgeon competent. Effects can simply enhance the variety of tonal and creative textures available to the guitarist.
 
 

The main reason I'm addressing this issue is because it seems to be more prevalently discussed among guitar players these days.  As a guitar teacher, I try to encourage a player's creativity.  If experimenting with different sounds captivates a guitarist's attention, then what on earth is wrong if he wants to play through 2,000 pedals or racks chained together?  Granted, my personal preference is for sounds that remain organic without relying upon an excess of gimmickry.  There are players out there who seem to get buried under a ton of processed sound perhaps to their detriment, but if they are happy with their tone, then who's to say they are wrong in their approach?  Simply don't listen to them.

There are many great guitarists who plug their instruments straight into a dry amp with no effects whatsoever, including reverb.  There is an immediacy in feel and tone in doing things like that which may get lost when the signal path is directed through pedals.  Not being an electronics expert, I can still tell that my guitar has a little more volume and thickness when I bypass my pedal board.  However, the benefits of having a lush delay or a pseudo-Leslie speaker sound for certain songs far outweigh what little difference the listener would be able to hear (or not hear) had I gone straight into an amp.

I further resent the heroic notion that players who go straight into the amp are somehow of a greater skill level than those who don't.  You tell me, was Jimi Hendrix lacking in creative skills?  How about Brent Mason, perhaps the most versatile session guitarist currently in Nashville?  Both of those guys have used effects with great taste for incredible sounds. Yeah, Muddy Waters pretty much went straight into an amp.  He sounded great.  Stevie Ray Vaughan went through a bunch of pedals and sounded great too.  To each his own.

Sometimes I simplify the number of pedals I run through for emotional reasons.  Sometimes it's for physical reasons where I may not want to take up much stage space or carry the extra weight.  In either case, I will not do something that places my tone or technique in jeopardy.  I can play straight through an amp with fine results.  I can also use pedals.  I will continue to do things according to my preferences without questioning whether it makes me legitimate to someone else.

I know of a few guitarists who don't use effects at all and they sound wonderful, but many of them have the same tone and licks for every song they play.  It works for some and not for others. Jimmie Vaughan is an example of a guitarist I really dig, but he uses pretty much the same tone these days for all of his songs.  It works great for him, but I would feel limited if I plugged a Strat straight into a Matchless for an entire evening with no variation, given that many of the songs I compose are written with different sounds and textures in mind.

A great analogy to this topic would be to say that Michelangelo couldn't paint because he used more than one color in his pieces.  Why would anyone think that limiting creative choices would result in better music?

I am amazed at how few people stand up and defend the benefits of using pedals in these Internet forums.  It's as if there is now a politically-correct way of playing.  The fact is that most electric guitarists use signal processing in some form or another.  Why do you think boutique effects manufacturers are so popular these days?  Heck, I love the electric guitar precisely because there are so many tonal options available!

My primary issue with guitarists who say that only "real" players go straight into the amp is not that they are wrong in being opinionated, as much as because their statements might limit how others approach the instrument.  For some people, going straight in is better and more toneful.  For others it is not.

Guitar playing should not be a competition, nor should it be about discouraging someone from following their own creative path.  Guitar playing should be about making music the way you want to, plain and simple.

Notes on my pedal board pictured above from left to right:  My current live rig consists of four simple pedals chained together on a board made by my friend Robbie Stewart.  I use the following:

1.  BOSS TU-2 Pedal tuner-  Shouldn't everybody tune?

2.  Fulltone Full-Drive 2-  For smooth sustained leads.

3.  BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver-  For rawer and edgier grit to the sound.

4.  Ibanez EM-5 Echomachine-  Great for a little slapback or more atmospheric delay

Sometimes I might add a chorus or wah depending on the gig/session.  All in all, it is not an elaborate setup and it doesn't seem to overprocess the tone as far as my tastes are concerned.   I am aware of how certain cables and more pedals can change tone.  I like to use the popular George L's cable to keep things as neat and as toneful as possible.
 

Jason