Guitar Effects For Beginners - Gain, Overdrive, Distortion, & Fuzz

👉My Favorite Guitar Effects Are Here: www.justinguitar.com/guitar-l... Learn how to use guitar effects for beginners! We'll explore the difference between gain, overdrive, distortion & fuzz. How to use them - and when! #justinguitar #guitar #guitarforbeginners
Please SUBSCRIBE ► bit.ly/jgtr-sub ♥️Your Support Appreciated!
►►► Check out ‪@JustinGuitarSongs‬ for tutorials on your favs!
Video Chapters
00:00 How do Gain, Overdrive, Distortion & Fuzz effect sound
00:35 Guitar Effects for Beginners - What are they?
02:04 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Electric guitar pickups
03:32 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Distortions
04:38 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Tube Screamers
08:41 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Boss Pedal Distortion
10:14 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Nobels Natural Overdrive
11:34 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Settings, presets, etc.
12:25 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Dan Drive Fuzz Pedal
13:50 Guitar Effects for Beginners - Tips & Tricks
🎵 See JustinGuitar.com for over 1800 completely free lessons! A super effective, highly structured online guitar course with a motivational Practice Assistant! 🎸 You’ll be able to track your progress, set a practice routine, get PDF downloads, and get help with lessons. Just like private classes with me! :)
🚀 Looking to LEVEL UP your guitar skills? Check my Practical Music Theory course - The best music theory course available on the web! bit.ly/jgtr-theory
👉 Check out www.teespring.com/stores/just... for my best-selling (paper!) songbooks, cool guitar-related t-shirts, and much more!
• Website www.justinguitar.com
• Theory Course bit.ly/jgtr-theory
• JustinGuitar Beginner Song App go.onelink.me/3065804798/jgtryt
• Store (books/t-shirts/more) www.teespring.com/stores/just...
• Jam Tracks bit.ly/jgtr-jams
• Instagram bit.ly/jgtr-instagram
• Facebook bit.ly/jgtr-facebook
• Twitter bit.ly/jgtr-twitter
• Forum bit.ly/jgtr-community
• Workshops bit.ly/jgtr-workshops

[@frederickthompson8686]

You would think that this topic would have been discussed endlessly on KZbin. But not so. Leave it to Justin to produce a thoughtful, informative discussion of these various tonal options. Thanks, mate!

[@justinguitar]

Thank you too, mate! Cheers :)

[@remymelvin6492]

instablaster.

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Bro, there's like millions of youtubes on millions of pedals! Ha ☺️

[@jpr4212]

As a 56 year old metal fan who's only been playing 4 months, this is a brilliantly informative vid. Cheers Justin!

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Thankyou I'll pass your comment on, me and Justin are good friends

[@brownpunk1794]

for any of you new learners out there. Justin is the OG of guitar tutorials. There are so many new so called 'teachers' out there that are pretty garbage. But Justin wont steer you wrong! cheers

[@retiredguyadventures6211]

Thanks Justin! I bought the Katana 50 MkII about a year ago on your suggestion and am not disappointed. Plus it has an acoustic setting as well. I haven't ventured into effects pedals yet, but this video helps someone who is just starting out on electric guitars a lot. Having modeling amp also helps me to get acclimated to the different sound effects.

[@alexv7745]

That smile when you kicked the fuzz pedal 😂. Priceless ! Great overview, Justin

[@keithhenson9788]

I've already learned two songs from you, and now I feel like I just learned some information I've always wanted to learn. Very helpful. Just subscribed. Can't wait to see other videos from you. Thanks

[@Pbnj1379]

Thanks Justin! Great lesson. I was given an OD-1 as my first foray into pedals. I love it but it’s nice to learn a bit more about what else is out there.

[@T3AMKILL]

Awesome video! Could you do another with other forms of pedals? Like reverb, tremolo, delay etc.?

[@shantytownbrown]

Beginner here. What a great primer! Would love to see more on other pedals types too And what tweaking their knobs do to your sound. Compression etc...thanks Justin!

[@BeowulfGaming]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU Justin for all the work, i am following your courses, started 2 months ago and picked up guitar for first time in my life and yesterday i finally played the solo from Nothing Else Matters (slower than original of course) with little to no mistakes, something i thought is impossible in my case for the past 33 years. You changed my life for the better

[@justinguitar]

Thank you - and great job on the Nothing Else Matters solo. Keep up the hard work. Cheers!!

[@mickthompson9426]

Well done you. I’ve been trying for four years now and I still can not get it right.

[@espedale]

Great overview, Justin. You are the ORIGINAL guitar lesson SUPERHERO!

[@notenoughpaper]

Well, my first pedal is a behringer super fuzz and Im loving it, I play alot of white stripes (probably also not the best beginner move hahaha) and I really teaches me how to mute properly

[@Jake-yx7ct]

A great descriptive of peddles for OD Gain and Metal. Thanks Justin.

[@stevefielding8324]

Thanks Justin. The quality of your recording is supreme, as is the content.

[@justinguitar]

Thank you, Steve!

[@unitedtomato5444]

Thank you for explaining everything for beginners. Very easy to understand :D

[@macshebly4330]

Thank you very much mate one of the best lessons i ever get.

[@galaxygooner1998]

I also like the Boss Katana 100 as it has all the effects as Justin pointed out, but also effects loop and/or a bypass input such it serves just as a powered speaker!

[@Sir_Gonzo]

Been going through the JG Beginner Course on my new guitar and desktop amp. Loving it! Been researching pedals for when I can use them, this video is perfect timing! Been trying to do Chereb Rock in between lessons. Time for some Fuzz!

[@DeusExMathias]

Beautiful! I recently got an old ZOOM 505ii FX pedal from a pawn shop for $10 and I'm learning what all of the stuff does.

[@rmay55]

Hi Justin! Thanks for all your hard work, it is much appreciated. My first pedal was a Boss BD2 Waza blues driver. Excellent pedal.

[@justinguitar]

Great to hear! Cheers

[@tonysajkowski3534]

I always enjoy your layman's terms of explaining complicated stuff thanks..

[@kimcarr7409]

Thank you so much for explaining all of this! I have the Spark practice amp, very nice amp with so many downloadable sounds....but frankly, it's so much information I go into overload! Thanks for making this easier for me to understand what is going on!

[@jray5363]

Personally, I think one of the greatest things about The Spark is the way you can sort through and adjust all the pedal and amp settings. It’s just great software, and really simplifies the learning process. Plus, you don’t have to buy and hookup all the pedals. This video is a good idea, because those effects are so similar, and I’ve often wondered why you would need all of them.

[@alberthernandez9384]

awesome video, thank you!

[@Bora-xo8mt]

I love it when Justin says stuff and all the time he goes "Mehh...it's true most of the time but not always" or speaks quiter not to misinform us. And the beautiful thing about this is that the reason is so simple: He just knows too much. Thank you :)

[@justinguitar]

Thank you too!

[@alanwarren4587]

Loving these lessons Justin👍🏻😎

[@mtx-7197]

Well done again Justin. I’m curious why more beginners haven’t watched this.

[@justinguitar]

It was an unlisted video but it's now open to everyone! :)

[@christopherjones4789]

Really well explained!

[@CB-wi3vc]

Coming from a beginner..... the overdrive and the tube screamer sounded the same. Not to sure about their differences. Distortion clearly stood out as did the fuzz. Thanks for the demo.

[@fawkesandhound]

Nobles ODR mini is a great choice. It’s become my main OD.

[@Errk2G]

Love Justin videos and courses

[@kevinbahri5251]

Justin, thank you so much for all your videos, you are a Godsend. Would you be able to do a video like this about eq settings on an amp? I kinda get it but I can never seem to dial in a good tone

[@justinguitar]

Yes, I need an updated vid on it. For now, see if that helps: www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/getting-great-guitar-tone-gg-010

[@LeoCharles]

I have been following every step of the course to this point. I'm so excited about the pedal topic and as a beginner I guess the time has arrived for a Multieffects pedal first. I'm excited to learn the power chords this week or two, but I only have an Amp lol. Thanks for everything you have taught us, Justin! EDIT: I have heard somewhere about something called ''signal chain'' (I guess the way pedals should be arranged one by one) Just a video idea, I guess. Cheers!

[@PleiadianArcturian888]

I have the one you have the orange boss Ds1 its amazing. Also , i love your course i have learnt so much from the app.

[@mcgrath16511]

Great video! As a guitarist for more years than I care to say,, let’s just say over 50 , my favorite setup was drive my amps naturally and use a tube screamer or and believe it or not, a BOSS compressor/sustainer to boost the preamp side, depending on what I needed.. Given all that, it is all a personal choice of what and where to use .. keep up the great stuff!

[@adriancoppin977]

Justin, try the Fender Mustang GTX. All the effects and more mate.

[@paularkell5589]

Justin great vid, can you do one about delay , reverb pedals, thanks

[@elliotjay2273]

If you watch the first 40 seconds of this video it also teaches you the correct face to make according to the type of pedal used haha. Thanks Justin for another excellent video. I would love to see something about acoustic guitar care...particularly humidifiers? the need for them in UK and if its a bad idea to wall hang. (just got a faith guitar and its telling me to keep it in its case when not in use.... but its so pretty and it would be easier to grab off a wall hook) Cheers dude :-)

[@justinguitar]

That's a good suggestion, I'll put this on the list of suggestion Justin reviews regularly! Thanks for sharing! | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide

[@StevenShults]

3.5 years into my journey, I'm almost ready to start using effects. I've been playing clean all this time so I can actually hear what I'm actually doing. So, this is yet another very useful video from Justin. Thanks!

[@harlequin75]

Thank you

[@davidkean5680]

Good work pal

[@zackboring3314]

I am using a Vox VT20X. It is a combo amp that uses both valve and digital. It comes with a LOT of effects but to be honest I still have no clue what the heck to do with them lol

[@jamesm.3967]

Justin, you are a great teacher. I learn so much when I watch your videos. To the point, accurate, and you appear to have fun as well.

[@runningwithscissors0911]

HSF ~ Humbucker, Single, Filtertron -- ??? How cool is that?! Hadn't noticed before. Crunch, delay, reverb ~ that's all I muck about with.

[@jeffreyberg5007]

Great beginner explanation from British Norm Macdonald

[@billterri4889]

Just curious which Boss Katana is that you are showing in the video? Thanks!

[@nessi5413]

Hey Justin, thanks for that great video! You said the Tubescreamer works better with Marshall. I got a Fender amp and am wondering now, which pedals are generally thought to go well with a Fender? Best regards from Germany :)

[@christopherbrooks2316]

A big thank you Justin. I'm still getting my head around all the gear. Not easy at my age but I love it. Thank you so much for helping on my journey.

[@BenniferJufferson]

Which pedal do you recommend for playing sunshine of your love on a stratocaster?

[@cycomiles4225]

Justin casually shredding like Yngwie on a pink guitar. You are a gift to humanity. Thank you for everything you do :)

[@galaxygooner1998]

Justin first time I saw you rip on a distorted solo on that last pedal!! Are these guitar - pedal - Kemper? Or does the Kemper have like an effects loop but still prior to amp cab?

[@nsp477]

This is not going to sit well with pedal purists, but anyway here it goes: If you are a beginner and want to familiarize yourself with the different effects (not just distortion / overdrive / fuzz, but also reverb, chorus, delay, flanger, phaser, etc) without breaking the bank, Zoom makes these multieffect units that are inexpensive and allow you to experiment with simulations of most types of effect. I got a Zoom 505 back in the day that I loved. Turns out Josh from JHS pedals used to have one in his setup, too (this was around 2000 - 2001).

[@davepilgrim5798]

I'm a long subscriber. Buyed a boss katana 50 mk 1 thanks to you. Buyed a multi fx boss gt1 yesterday cause I need more patches storage under my feet. Got no pedal. Been lookin for effects explanation since a week, than this video pops up 😁👍 It happened a lot of time that you (and others channels) made videos about things I was lookin for on the tube 👌😉in the days that I needed one. Does Google tell you all my needs? 😂😂

[@justinguitar]

haha, that's awesome. Cheers mate.

[@davepilgrim5798]

@@justinguitar cheers from 🇮🇹

[@Esse70R]

Yeaaaaaaaaaah ! 🔥 Just in Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah spirit.... 😉

[@davebowman5392]

Justin, your website is on a Vodaphone advert in the UK

[@justinguitar]

I heard! haha :) Cool eh! :) Thanks mate!

[@SDisonYT]

The Boss Katana is awesome, but I find the Fender GTX much easier to use for beginners. It has an on-amp display that lets you change/move pedals anywhere in the chain without needing to plug it into a PC each time like the Katana requires. The GTX also has WiFi and Bluetooth, which the Katana doesn’t have, so it’s much easier to use with iPads, phones, etc. It also has tons of sound profiles you can download just Ike the Katana does, including many created and uploaded by the actual artists themselves. (ie, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr, etc) But you can’t go wrong with either amp as a beginner. Both great, and saves you tons of money in pedals when you’re starting out.

[@bluesdude1194]

I have a Bad Monkey overdrive pedal which I use most of the time.

[@switch1e]

What does the Kemper thing do?

[@Britton0932]

Question for Justin or other viewers. I’m just learning electric guitar. I have an acoustic, but prefer to learn on electric. Instead of pedals, is a modeling amp an acceptable way to play with different sound styles? I’ve got a VOX VT20. I know I can’t change tones on the fly, but I’m not there yet anyway. So, is a modeling amp a decent way to start?

[@thebostonbrawler1]

I liked the "base level" sound of your "Stratoblaster" before all of the pedals LOL

[@Sportingalagrieska]

This is such a broad topic

[@joesteffe6155]

The first 3 sound best to me

[@MiguelOlivan]

One litttle question... Do you recommend other effects for beginners? (You know, reverb, delay, chorus, that kind of things) if you do, a video would be more than welcome... Or is it better for beginners to use "gain" effects only? Many thanks for your videos, they are an amazing source of knowledge for beginners (like me)

[@justinguitar]

Many simple amps will have some effects built in - reverb or chorus or delay or maybe those and more. A little touch of reverb never hurt anybody! :) :) | close 2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum [ justinguitarcommunity.com/index.php ]

[@mczirsangzela4923]

I really like your channel and you look like my fave comedian Norm's much younger brother

[@mrtambourineman6107]

I'm an acoustic folk guitar player, is it worth me getting a fuzz or distortion pedal for an experimental new sound?

[@JoseFerreira-xy8rf]

Fantastk love

[@TheHutDave]

So the tube-screamer is like a crunch effect?

[@genes6703]

I'm a beginner and I just got the Boss GT1. What do you think about it? Do you have a video on it.

[@justinguitar]

Justin does not have a video on the GT1. There has been discussion on it and other multi-fx units in the forum if you go searching here: justinguitarcommunity.com/index.php?board=82.0 Cheers | close 2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum [ justinguitarcommunity.com/index.php ]

[@geneyablonski1]

So ALL those pedals go into the same amp? At the same time?

[@VipulChagotra]

Hi justin. I got my melodic intervals down and i can identify them by ear. i am having trouble with harmonic intervals. any tip on how to practice them?

[@justinguitar]

Start very, very easy and practice the easy level a lot. don't expect too much from yourself the first session the first day. Play them on your guitar yourself to familiarize yourself with their character. | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide

[@VipulChagotra]

@@justinguitar thank you🙏🙏🙏 you are the best🤘🤘🤘

[@ungarlinski7965]

Are these pedals only for tube amps? Or do they also do the same thing for solid-state amps?

[@justinguitar]

Altohugh every amp is different, they work for solid state amps just as well. | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Assistant

[@reyyan3739]

Hi may I ask what guitar is used in this video?

[@justinguitar]

custom Gray guitar

[@jonworsley5356]

I've bought a Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s and a Marshall Code 25 amp. Trying to get the 93/94 Oasis sound, but there are 99 pre sets. Any advice on how to get that sound or a breakdown would be brilliant.

[@justinguitar]

Have you tried this? marshallcode.tools/patch/6589-oasis-tone.html | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Assistant

[@jonworsley5356]

@@justinguitar Thanks ill give it a go. Absolutely brilliant channel btw, learnt loads over the years Cheers

[@colinkelly279]

Justin- I have 3 pedals and I find it extremely difficult to get the sounds yours are making. I have a Blues Jr. and I keep it at a pretty low volume. Does the amp need to be cranked or the volume on the guitar need to be cranked to get that type of tone? It almost sounds just like my clean sound with every single pedal I have and I have to put it at house shaking level to hear a difference. Thanks.

[@justinguitar]

The Blues Jr is a great amp! To get some distortion on that amp, you should put the master very low and the volume high. The volume drives the preamp tubes. The master is what's going out at the end. Pedal will make it easier: turn up the gain on the overdrive or distortion pedal. It will get louder. Turn down the level/volume on the pedal to compensate. | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide, Approved Teacher & Moderator

[@joellebrodeur1015]

Before even touching those effects, make sure you sound good with a clean signal first. Certain effects covers mistakes and you don't want to fall into that trap of "faking" it.

[@mustafaalkotobe7741]

I'm just about to change and buy my first electric guitar .... I just want to know what is the best budget amp i can buy Thank you Justin for making these great tutorial videos you are a real bless

[@ColdPie]

Boss Katana.

[@dano8801]

@@ColdPie I agree here. I didn't want to spend that much and bought a fender mustang lt25. I'm happy with it, but wish I just spent more and bought the katana 100 combo or head so I had an fx loop.

[@nick60444]

Are also going to cover just general amp settings?

[@justinguitar]

There's so many different amps, some with some without built-in effects that it would not be possible to cover. You need to learn your own amp a little by experimenting. Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum [ www.justinguitar.com/ ]

[@erikthompson404]

Justin Would you be willing to do a video on pedals for vocals? Thank you. Erik

[@justinguitar]

Request noted! | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide

[@vince1229]

Here I thought Norm MacDonald was just giving a simple guitar lesson then he starts shredding.

[@pdjtw]

2:40

[@drkmriggs]

It’s all about the tweaking! Oh, and don’t go near fuzz if you’re a beginner!

[@Stoffendous]

MARRY ME JUSTIN!!

[@justinguitar]

You are the first one to propose. Today. :D | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide

[@Sombro56]

9:22 blink-182 vibes ☺️

[@jarvikseven]

Is that some UFO (Rock Bottom) riffage I'm hearing? :)

[@alguitarchristie]

Fuzz in to a clean amp,yet again! When will they learn????

[@AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken84]

So?? I do that too with my Big Muff because it sounds like shit when you pile it on top of gain

[@alguitarchristie]

@@AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken84 Big Muff is a different beat to a fuzz face style!

[@TigerGer90]

I gave up on electric guitar - could not get a single good sound out of my guitar+amp. :(

[@toniusheidemann5771]

Keep on trying. There are so many variables to your sound, so finding your sound can take a while. Maybe the guitar or amp you've been using wasn't the right one for you. Take some time in a music shop, so some research about bands / guitarists you like and rather shoot for used intermediate gear than for cheap beginner gear.

[@TigerGer90]

@@toniusheidemann5771 I have an ESP LTD EC-256 and Boss Katana 50 MKII but I don't get a good or decent sound out of it, unfortunately.

[@toniusheidemann5771]

@@TigerGer90 What sound are you aiming for? What kind of music do you want to play?

[@TigerGer90]

@@toniusheidemann5771 Mostly classic rock, like in Bryan Adams Summer of 69 or Run to You. I like that kinda clean sound in these songs. I like to play all different genres though, except for jazz and blues.

[@joellebrodeur1015]

@@TigerGer90 you got the wrong rig for that genre. I'd stick with a simple tube amp, low wattage (5-15 watt range) and something other than an ESP. I never cared for the Katana or other modeling amps. Simple is best. If you can't get a decent, playable, musical sound using a basic rig (guitar and amp), then you're doing something wrong.

[@anish_99]

13:37 australian accent or irish accent :)

[@nycshelbygt500]

Guitar Effects are like bacon, pork, and cheese. They just make everything in life better.

[@MGsubbie]

Has anyone ever told you you look a bit like Nolan North?

[@danbaron2561]

I wanted to find out the difference between gain and distortion. I didn't.

[@PaleCaretaker]

So guitarists can bankrupt easily

[@justinguitar]

Oh yeah

[@redrock1963]

From all the demos I've seen the Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MKII matches all these pedals (and yes even the Dan Drive Fuzz pedal) and then some. They are expensive but for the added value of other tones it produces and size compared to having many "other" pedals on a board, I think it's worth it if you can afford one.