Some guitar effects have left their mark on many important moments in music history. Many of these sounds are therefore in our collective memory, at least if you are of a certain age ;-)
From the intro to Satisfaction, Jimi Hendrix’s Fuzz Face, to Steve Vai’s opening riff in Bad Horsie, memorable moments are created in part by guitar effects. We have listed 15 of these moments below. Not in all cases it were guitar effects (pedals) with which the effect was made and in a few songs we chose a moment where the effect was on another instrument. However, the moments below are memorable and we wish you a lot of fun with them!
Show Me the Way by Peter Frampton – Talk Box
A talk box is a strange effect that you control with your mouth. The sound of your guitar is delivered to your mouth through a small speaker through a hose. When the pedal is off, your signal goes to your amplifier. Turn the pedal on and the sound is interrupted and sent to your mouth. By enlarging or shrinking your oral cavity you get the characteristic effect of the talk box. This sound is amplified from your mouth via a microphone.
Come As You Are by Nirvana – Chorus
In the intro of this song you can hear Kurt Cobain’s guitar through an EHX Small Clone Chorus. It is perhaps the most famous song associated with this pedal. Kurt was known to have the depth switch in the ‘stronger’ position and the rate knob at around 11 o’clock. It is not known which guitar he used for this song, probably a Japanese Fender Stratocaster or a Fender Mustang.
Ain’t Talkin’ bout Love by Van Halen – Flanger
From Van Halen’s first album, you can hear Eddie use a delay and a flanger in the intro of this song. Although Eddie was known for his use of the Phaser, you can hear an MXR flanger here. The flanger is only on the single notes at the end of the riff. Set the Manual (delay time), Width and Speed knobs to about 11 o’clock, and the Regen knob (called feedback) to about 2 o’clock and you’re pretty close to the original.
Where the streets have no name by U2 – Delay
The Edge is known for using delay, not so much as an embellishment but more as a riff in itself. The biggest difference between me and other players is that I don’t use effects to color my parts. I create guitar parts using effects. In this song you hear 2 delays. On the right is The Edge’s signature ‘dotted eight’ delay, a delay of 3/16 and on the left is a delay of just over a quarter note. Both delays have modulation that gives you a chorus effect.
Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers – Compressor
Compression is described by some as an overdrive for your clean guitar and is a good way to make your guitar sound a bit fuller. John Frusciante probably used his Fender Jaguar and a MXR Dyna Comp for this song. It produces a thick tone with a lot of presence. The sensitivity knob was about halfway, so not too much dynamics was lost.
Killing In the Name by Rage Against The Machine – Whammy
Digitech released a bright red pedal in the 1990s and named it Whammy. The effects pedal enabled pitch shifting by moving it back and forth with your foot. A guitarist who would use the pedal a lot is Tom Morello. In the solo of the song Killing in the Name, the debut single of the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, you clearly hear a Whammy. For this song, Tom used the Digitech Whammy WH-1, a model from the 1980s.
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix – Wah
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) is the last track on Jimi Hendrix’s latest studio album. Jimi was known for using wah pedals. You’re hearing a Vox Clyde McCoy ‘Picture’ Wah here. It was the first Vox-made Wah and was produced in California in 1967 and (shortly after) in Italy. The pedal is named Clyde McCoy because its effect was reminiscent of the 1930s big band trumpeter Clyde McCoy’s “wah” trumpet style.
Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley – Reverb
This Leonard Cohen song has been covered by many artists including Jeff Buckley. Jeff recorded a version with just vocals and guitar. The reverb heard on the guitar is most likely a combination of amp reverb and reverb added later in the studio. Strictly speaking, we are not talking about a reverb effect pedal here. Three types of reverb are used: a short room, a medium room and a large hall. The three reverbs were then mixed and the result has created a special moment in music history.
Creep by Radiohead – Tremolo
Creep is Radiohead’s first and still biggest hit. The guitar intro of this Radiohead song is played by Ed O’Brien. He (probably) used a Dunlop TS-1 Tremolo for this. This pedal had a foot switch that allows you to switch between mono and stereo. It also contains three buttons that allow you to set the intensity, shape and speed of the effect. The effects pedal is unfortunately no longer made and has been succeeded by the MXR M305 Tremolo.
Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel – Octaver
One of the most famous intros and perhaps one of the most iconic bass parts of the 80s is in the song Sledgehammer. Tony Levin was the bass player on this Peter Gabriel song. Here he uses a fretless bass and plays with a pick. The effect he’s using is probably a Boss OC2 Octaver. He has set the effect pedal so that it sounds a full octave below the note played. With the octaver, the bass part gets extra weight.
Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden – Rotary
This is one of Soundgarden’s most famous songs and it was written by Chris Cornell. Chris used his Gretsch Silver Jet and a Leslie 16 rotating speaker cabinet for this. No rotary pedal, so just a rotating speaker. You don’t hear the effect in the guitar intro yet, but as soon as Chris starts singing you hear the effect on the high guitar tones.
Breathe by Pink Floyd – Uni-Vibe
The Uni-Vibe pedal was developed by Fumio Mieda in the mid-1960s. The idea was to mimic the sound of a rotating Leslie speaker. The general opinion is that this has not succeeded. Despite this, many guitarists became interested in using it, including David Gilmour. For the song Breathe, David (almost certainly) used a Univox Uni-Vibe, which was released in North America in 1968. The effect a Uni-Vibe produces is perhaps best described as somewhere between a phaser and a chorus. It has a pulsating low end and a sticky presence.
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by The Beatles – Vibrato
In 1967, The Beatles recorded Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds at Abbey Road Studios (Studio 2) in London. In the intro of this song you can hear a Lowrey DSO-1 Heritage Deluxe organ. This was a tube organ that needed 10 seconds of warm-up time before you could play it. For Lucy in the Sky, the Harpsichord mode of this organ was probably used together with the built-in vibrato. The sound of this organ is somewhat similar to a Gibson G101, as used by Ray Manzarek on late Doors records.
(I Can’t Get no) Satisfaction by Rolling Stones – Fuzz
Probably the most famous intro of all time is Keith Richard’s on the Stones’ song Satisfaction. The fuzz pedal used for this is the Gibson Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone. The pedal was introduced in 1962, but only became popular after Keith Richards used it prominently. Later came the Fuzz Face and the Tone Bender.
It’s Nobody’s Fault but Mine by Led Zeppelin – Phaser
In 1976 Led Zeppelin recorded the song It’s Nobody’s Fault but Mine in Munich. The original is by Blind Willie Johnson and Led Zeppelin recorded a rendition in which the arrangement in particular has been modified. In the intro of the song you can hear Jimmy Page playing a riff in which a phaser can clearly be heard. There is some debate about exactly how this intro was recorded, but it seems that Page played the intro three times, once an octave higher than the others and once with a phaser.
Finally
These were 15 guitar effects that, in our opinion, have left an indelible impression in music history. We have selected our favorites and these 15 are not a top 15 or anything like that. Music is not a competition, although some may think otherwise. What is your favorite guitar effect and in which song can we hear it? Leave it in the comments!