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New to gear? Start here.

Plain-English answers to the first questions players ask about gear: which pedals to buy first, what order they go in, how to power them, and which strings suit a 7-string, an 8-string or a drop tuning.

Updated

The first questions to ask

  1. 01What should I buy first?Tuner, overdrive, then delay or reverb, and why that order works.
  2. 02What order do my pedals go in?Tuner to reverb, slot by slot, with the reason behind each one.
  3. 03Do I need a power supply?Voltage, polarity, mA, and isolated vs daisy chain, in plain English.
  4. 04What strings for a 7-string, 8-string or drop tuning?Heavier gauges for lower tunings, why scale length matters, and the setup after.

Tools that help

First Year · the forum

Ask the First Year room.

First Year is the forum room for players in their first year of gear. No question is too basic, and nobody gets roasted for asking.

Make it easy to answer: Say what guitar and amp you play, what music you like, and what you want your rig to do.

Suggested title: “New to pedals: where should I start?”

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