GearPedals

Five pedals that belong on every board

Nirvana Player Experience·26 August 2026

You do not need thirty pedals. You need five that you understand, in an order that lets each one do its job.

Tuner first

Always the front of the chain. Nothing downstream sounds right if the instrument is out.

Put gain before modulation so the pedal is reacting to your guitar, not to a wash of reverb.

Chorus, phaser and flanger sit best after gain and before time effects.

Delay repeats feed the reverb, which is how a room behaves. Reverse them and the repeats smear.

Keep one space free. That is where the pedal that solves your next problem goes.

Pickups, necks, weight and budget — the four things that actually change how a first guitar feels to play.

Guides6 September 2026Nirvana Workshop

Action, relief and intonation, in the order they should be adjusted — plus what to leave to a technician.

Artists11 August 2026Nirvana Workshop

How a masterbuilt instrument comes together, from timber selection to the final setup.