Lead Guitar - Effects and Equipment

Effects and Equipment

In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar line often involves melodies (as well as power chords from the rhythm guitars) with a sustained, singing tone. To create this tone on the electric guitar, guitarists often select certain pickups and use electronic effects such as effects pedals and distortion pedals, or sound compressors, or doubler effects for a more sustained tone, and delay effects or an electronic "chorus" effect as well as electronic reverb and echo for a reverberant sound.

To attain this prized sustain effect tube amplifiers such as Marshall are often utilized. The desired effect, springs basically from where the tubes, when pushed to high volumes reach their peak and no farther which has an effect of attenuating the attack portions of the signal while presenting the trailing portions of the signal (which are normally progressively quieter) at the same volume as that peak output portions mimicking compressor/limiter electronic effects.

Simultaneous to this, the distortion can actually distort itself in fidelity of its production adding a smooth "creamy" effect to distortion when as well the resolution of the usually gritty distortion sound is compromised and the note will almost return to its original configuration plus the desired "sloping" effects. These are aesthetically pleasing to many guitar players and sometimes violin and keyboard players as well.

High gain is also used to induce audio feedback, which increases sustain dramatically. Sometimes, if done correctly by holding the guitar pickups at precise distances from the amplifier speakers such can present a steady, undecaying sound. Electronic special effects employing effects loops can artificially reproduce this as well. Other effects used to embellish lead guitar tone and pitch include the whammy bar which physically stretches the strings, slides used extensively in country music and wah-wah and univibe effects. Also very commonly used are hammer-ons and pull-offs.