Gear guide
Understand your gear.
Clear explanations for the equipment between your hands and the sound in the room.
Follow the signal
From string to speaker.
Gain
Overdrive / Fuzz
Adds grit and harmonics — from light crunch to thick saturation.
Pro tip: Two low-gain drives stacked beat one maxed out.
Knobs you'll see
Drive
Tone
Level
Power calculator
How much power does your board need?
Add your pedals. Typical current draw shown — always check the label on your own pedals.
- Tuner ~60mA1
- Overdrive ~10mA1
- Fuzz ~5mA0
- Compressor ~15mA0
- Chorus ~50mA0
- Digital delay ~150mA1
- Digital reverb ~200mA0
- Multi-effect ~500mA0
Total draw
220mA
3 pedals · add 20% headroom → 264mA
You'll want
Compact isolated supply (5 outputs)
Isolated outputs stop the hum that daisy chains introduce, especially with digital pedals.
Amp types at a glance
Pick your voice.
| Type | Loves | Watch out | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tube | Warm, dynamic, responds to picking | Heavy, needs servicing | Players chasing classic feel |
| Solid state | Reliable, clean headroom, light | Less touch-sensitive breakup | Jazz, clean tones, practice |
| Modeling | Hundreds of amps, headphone out | Menus can distract | Home players, beginners |
| Hybrid | Tube preamp character, SS reliability | Middle ground on both | Gigging on a budget |
Guides in this section
Go deeper.
Beginner · 6 min read
Pedal Order Guide
Tuner, dynamics, drive, modulation, then time-based effects like delay and reverb.
Beginner · 4 min read
What Does an Overdrive Pedal Do?
It adds warm, amp-like breakup and pushes your amp harder.
Beginner · 4 min read
String Gauge Explained
Gauge is string thickness — lighter is easier to play, heavier sounds fuller.