Fender Footswitch
Tim | Jun 28, 2010 | Comments 0
There is more to playing the electric guitar than just playing guitar. You actually need to know how to use your amplifier, as well. Some amps just amplify sound, while most will add effects to your music. Some of the popular effects are distortion and reverb. Have you ever wondered how your favorite rock star gets so many different sounds out of his guitar without ever stopping to change the settings? Chances are he is using a footswitch. A footswitch will control the sound and other settings by pushing a button with your foot.
In order to use a footswitch you first need to set everything up. First thing you need to do is connect the power cord and the cord from your amp to your guitar. Turn your volume knobs on your guitar and amp to zero, before turning the amp on, to avoid feedback. Then plug in your footswitch. Now turn your amp on and adjust the volume. Now adjust the low, mid, and high knobs on your equalizer and the tone knobs on your guitar. Then adjust your reverb and distortion, if your amp has these added effects then you will be able to control them with your footswitch also.
One of the most popular guitar and amp combos is the Fender guitar and amp. Consequently one of the most popular footswitch brands is the Fender footswitch. A very popular Fender footswitch is the G-DEC 30 which is used with the same amp. These usually have 4 modes which allow you to select quick access presets, select up or down presets and stop and start the band presets. You can also overdub with the phrase sampler. The footswitch also has a tuner mode, that can be selected with the left most button.
A Fender footswitch is usually compatible with a corresponding Fender amp. Some of the old one and two button Fender footswitches will work with most any brand of amp. To learn how to use your Fender footswitch you can thumb through the PDF guide that corresponds with your amp and there should be a section on how to use your footswitch to control the functions that come with your particular amp.
Knowing how to use your amp and seamlessly controlling the sounds and effects can make the difference between a good performance and an amazing performance. Knowing the ins and outs of how to use sound to create mood, separates the real musicians from the pretenders.
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