While using guitar pedals, one question may have crossed your mind: “Why do guitar pedals go from right to left?”. It’s a great question for the curious guitarist, and a great fact to pull out of your pocket at the next party. Let’s get into it!
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Why do guitar pedals go from right to left?
Guitar pedals go from right to left because most guitar players are right-handed. According to Fender Guitar, approximately 10% of guitarists are left-handed. As a result, the jack on an electric guitar usually ends up on the right side of the guitarist’s body.
The input jack on your guitar pedals are also on the right side, so the cable hangs on that side of the guitarist’s body. Having the input jack on the right side of guitar pedals lowers the chances of tripping on the guitar cable. In a way, this makes sense since the cost to produce pedals for both right- and left-handed guitarists would be enormous.
Do all guitar pedals go right to left?
Suprisingly no! There is at least one pedal that does not go right to left: the Fender Blender fuzz. Don’t get too confused though, the Fender Blender is the only pedal I’ve seen that goes from left to right. The photo below shows the fuzz pedal with the “Guitar” input on the left and the “Amp” output on the right.
Which side is input on a guitar pedal?
Usually the right side is the input on guitar pedals. This is the same for both side-mount and top-mount jacks. Normally a guitar pedal will have a graphic designating the input and output jacks, like I/O, In/Out, or Input/Output.
Other times the pedal manufacturer prints an arrow pointing into the pedal to show where the input is. An arrow pointing outwards designates the output.
Can a pedal be modified to go from left to right?
The guitar signals usually flows from right to left. However, some pedals can be modified for use by left-handed guitarists. Simply swap the placement of the input and output jacks!
For example, BOSS pedals are built using panel-mount jacks. Open the pedal, unscrew and dismount the jacks, and swap them to convert the pedal for left-handed guitar.
Meet the Author:
Hi, I’m Dominic. By day, I’m an engineer. By night, I repair and modify guitar effects! Since 2017, I’ve been independently modifying and repairing guitar effects and audio equipment under Mimmotronics Effects in Western New York. After coming out with a series of guitar effects development boards, I decided the next step is to support that community through content on what I’ve learned through the years. Writing about electronics gives me great joy, particularly because I love seeing what others do with the knowledge they gain about guitar effects and audio circuits. Feel free to reach out using the contact form!