Video Question: Pedals

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Date: July 17th, 2008 | Length: 5.32 | Instructor: David MacKenzie

Bananachipz asks, "Hi Dave/Brad, I recently picked up a fantastic all-tube amp: a BlackHeart Little Giant 5w. Sounds amazing. It's single channel though, so in order to overdrive the preamp, I gotta crank it. Well 5 tube watts will still shake paint off the walls, and with a newborn baby, it's not a good idea. So I picked up a BOSS DS-1 Distortion pedal.. It sounds great.. But then I borrowed my buddie's Nady TD-1 Distortion pedal. This one uses a 12AX7 tube, and it sounds even better. I'm worried my GAS will kick-in :)... My question is: What distortion/overdrive pedals do you guys use/recommend? Thanks, BananaChipz" Another benefit of being a member of JamPlay is the video response section. Our expert staff fields questions from our members and provides video responses each week.

Other Video Responses:

Chord Songbook - February 19th, 2008 (2 minutes, 70 seconds)

Mogs asked, "Hi wonder if you can help please. I've only been playing guitar for a few months and still mastering the basic chords. Somtimes this gets a little boring so I try learn a popular song to add a little fun to my practice sessions. The problem I have is how to read chord songbooks. For example I have a Johnny Cash Song 'Ballad of A Teenage Queen' the intro is written in the book as: CAPO 1ST FRET [A] Dream on, Dream on, [D] teenage [A] queen [D] Prettiest [A] girl we've [E] ever [A] seen. I understand the capo part and have it set up correctly. My question is how many times do I strum the chords ? Looking at the above is it, (A) on 'dream' only or (A) on 'dream' and 'on'. I kind of get it if theres only one word after the chord but when theres two or three I'm not sure wether I strum on each word even though it doesnt show the chord before each word. Hope this is not a silly question, but would really appreciate your advice. Thanks Mogs PS. The site is fantastic, its given me so much motivation to keep on with the practice sessions." View Response

Floyd Rose Buzz Problems - February 3rd, 2009 (1 minutes, 70 seconds)

Mdpf asked "Well, a problem with buzzes has come up . It seems that every time I pick the Low E and the A string harder, it buzzes like hell. The problem goes away on the higher frets, where I can only hear a tiny buzz. Solutions? Thanks in advance." View Response

Left Hand Position - December 4th, 2008 (3 minutes, 12 seconds)

Lucasholland asked "Hello JamPlay, I just got an electric guitar and I'm 100% comitted to making this thing talk. Now the problem is my left hand. I can play chords just fine but doing my finger exercises on the lower 3-4 strings (E,A,D, sometimes even G) hurts my hand, my wrist and my entire forearm to the point where I have to stop playing. This happens after a couple of seconds. I know that this is a sign that my left hand technique is severely flawed. Here's what I've tried to do so far: - I have tried using a strap to put the guitar at an angle. Doesn't help. - I have tried different thumb positions behind the neck. No luck. - I know not being relaxed is a part of the problem but surely something else must be wrong. I really want to learn how to play guitar but I'm starting to think about giving up on it because of my problems. If I had any good teachers near me I would've started taking private lessons by now but that's not an option. PLEASE help! Lucas." View Response

Pick Slipping SIdeways - June 5th, 2009 (2 minutes, 70 seconds)

Sylvia asked "I've had this ongoing problem with my pick slipping sideways when I try to double and triple pick. I've heard about this stuff called Gorilla snot.... but I'm broke and don't have a gorilla. Do you think my own boogers would work? Also... will it make me sound like Buckethead?" View Response

Learning on Acoustic or Electric - August 28th, 2008 (3 minutes, 30 seconds)

Lucasholland asks "Hey guys, after realizing that my first, classical guitar is a piece of ***** when it comes to quality, adjustability and ease of play, I've decided to stick with playing the guitar and investing some more money. I've only been playing for about a week, so I'd consider myself almost a complete beginner. I've heard a lot of people say that one should start out on an acoustic guitar because it's easier to switch to an electric later than vice versa. My guitar hero is John Mayer and I'd eventually like to be able to play both acoustic and electric guitar, like him. My question is: Is it wise to start out on an electric or should I learn to play the acoustic guitar first? Thanks! Lucas." View Response