After I run the compressor , I go straight to my overdrive and distortion pedals . I run my overdrive pedals in the chain first . I ’ m currently using my signature “ El Valiente ” pedal for overdrive . It ’ s based off of the Marshall Blues Breaker circuit and It gives me the color I want . I think a good overdrive pedal is necessary to get great tone . After that I go into my Mr . Jax pedal for my distortion sound . The Mr . Jax is my other signature pedal I designed with Jet Pedals . I designed that pedal to give me the power and bite I need to have my lead tone cut through the mix and roar . I also like to combine it with my Valiente overdrive .
Amp simulation is starting to be pretty important for us that need to run direct into the P . A . system . I recommend two pedals for this . On my small rig I use the HX Stomp because I can use one amp on my left and a second amp on my right . I also use one of my Signature Celestion Blue IRs on the left and a Signature Vintage 30 on the right . That gives me a wonderful stereo image through the P . A . On my other rig I use an amp pedal called the “ Simplifier ” by DSM Humboldt . That pedal has a lot of options . Different types of amps , tubes , mic placement and so much more . For most of us that play at church , I think the right amp simulation is one of the most important pedals you are going to have … so invest properly into it .
After these pedals I recommend using a delay pedal . I use delay about 85 % of the time I play . When it comes to delay pedals you can get lost with all the options that are out there . I want to talk about two pedals that I use for that . The first is the Ping Pong delay from the HX Stomp . I am big on stereo imaging , so the Ping Ping delay really crushes that . The other pedal I ’ ve been using is the Specular Tempus by GFI . I think that pedal can do a lot and is worth every cent . One of the most important things you need to ensure when you get a delay pedal is to make sure it has tap tempo . I ’ m always using that function . When you ’ re out of sync with the song you ’ re playing you can sound very dirty .
The last must have pedal / effect I want to discuss is reverb . If you want to add a nice ambient vibe to the song … a reverb pedal is a must . There are so many options and I ’ m sure you have heard of the staple pedals but I want to talk about two that you might not of heard of that are majestic and worth it . Jet Pedals sell a reverb pedal called the “ Revelation ” and it ’ s insane . It has the cloud preset that made the Big Sky super popular , a shimmer and an octave preset . That ’ s what I ’ m currently using on tour and I ’ m extremely happy with my ambient tone . It ’ s about half the price of the Big Sky so I ’ m sure that ’ s very convenient . The other pedal is from Alexander Pedals and is called “ Space Force ”. I have it on my studio board and have just begun to dive into my options on what that verb pedal can do . It has the classic freeze option which can be super cool and the MIDI functions are also very nice .
I hope this article was helpful on helping you decide which pedals are necessary for your ideal setup . Us guitar players are constantly itching to swap our pedals out for whatever the new hot item is , but these particular effects are what ’ s necessary for me .
Chris Rocha Chris Rocha is an American Christian producer , guitarist , business owner and pioneer in the Spanish Christian music industry . He is a two time Dove Award winner , has worked on two Grammy award winning records and has produced or recorded guitars on 5 Grammy nominated albums .