There’s a joke about guitarists that they’re addicted to buying pedals. Pedals are the electronic devices that sit between the guitar and amplifier that modify the sound and tone of a guitar’s signal. They can be used to add distortion, compression, delay, and a wide range of other effects. Whatever sound you can imagine, there’s probably a pedal that allows you to do it.
The reason why pedals are a joke among guitarists is because they consistently get sucked into buying “yet another pedal” with the hope they’ll create a new sound that’ll work for a yet-to-be-written song. But everyone knows that it’s rarely a new pedal that helps you write a good song.
Deep down, guitarists know that the time, energy, and money spent on pedals would be better spent on investing in the fundamental skills that make one a better guitar player or a better song writer. But pedals are a fun distraction that give an illusion of progress.
In every job and every hobby, there’s likely a similar “yet another pedal” mistake that is all too easy to make. The hard part is having the discipline to invest in core skills and avoid the distraction.