how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

[sisass]

ive always wondered this?

if you had a questionable rig. say a crummy amp and guitar could a pedal do much for you?

take me for example, im torn between gettin new pups now or buying a pedal.

most people would probably say go for the pups, but sometimes i can get decent sounds out of my crummy rig and i know that stuff is gonna come down the road. i know im gonna get a new amp soon and ive heard alot of ppl say that playing a crap guitar though a good amp gives it a whole new sound.

so, if i bought a pedal that is known for upgrading your tone would that be a better short term solution, long term i know im gonna drop new pups in but for now im not playing any shows and i doubt i will for awhile. if it helps id probably be gettin new pups for xmas and I'D hopefully have enough money to get myself an amp around that time. so were tlakin 2 or 3 months before i could update my rig. im still concerned about how much a decent pedal would cost me, maybe its better to go for the pups?

anyways, thoughts? pedal suggestions or anything else? thanks.

[HamerPlyr]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

In order to answer the question properly, I think that you should probably tell us what gear you have and what type of tone(s) you are trying to achieve. I'm scratching my head, not knowing what to tell you until I know more about what you have and what you're trying to get.

[sisass]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

sorry.

i have a squier amp and guitar....yup. first guitar i ever got, didnt have a clue about anything.

i play mainly acoustic now, after i got decent i got a really sweet acoustic. but now im goin back into a rock type thing and im lookin to upgrade my crummyness. most people would just buy a whole new rig but i really love that first guitar and wanna make it as sweet as possible. down the road ill do a complete overhaul but for now im looking for a quick good fix, whether it be pups a pedal or new amp...like i said, im shootin xmas for a new amp.

looking for a bluesy sound. i love zep and the black crowes, if that helps.

cheers.

[Kac]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

get yourself a nice tube amp for christmas, I would probably suggest you just save you money for that right now, so you can get yourself a nice combo amp. Crate has a decent tube combo amp, as well as Marshall and Fender, even Peavey... but that would definetly be an upgrade worth saving some money for and making sure you get the right one, so you won't have to mess around with trading it a few months later.

That would be a big step up from where you are now. New pups would help some too, but not as much as the amp.

~Kac

[HamerPlyr]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

I agree. I would set my sights on a new amp.

BTW, stop apologizing. Everyone starts somewhere. I started on a Global acoustic that was the biggest POS in the world, but it was the first step in a seemingly never-ending journey. There's nothing wrong with starting and progressing with what you've got. You've just come to the point where you realize that you want more, and that's a good thing because it means that you're getting better.

[sisass]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

hey, thanks alot guys.

i agree that a really nice amp is my next big purchase, but right now im talkin 150-200.

i live at home and have no bills, no car payments, nothing. also im hoping to get a job in the next few weeks so every paycheck i get will be towards a new amp....200 bucks isnt gonna make or break me in that respect, i figure itll be less then a weeks pay and i dont really want to wait. patience isnt a strong suit of mine hahaha.

so basically im thinking, right now how can i spend 200 bucks to best serve me and my tone, noting that an amp is coming, lets just say i have one on back order for arguments sake and now im just looking for something else to add.

great responses though, its great to know that im not alone in my crappy rigdom.

[Kac]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

Ummm... save the money for a really good amp... if ya need to buy something right now, buy some new strings.

~Kac

[WhoFan]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

Yup a good amp is what you need from the sounds of it...

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

Ultimately, you're going to need it all: decent pickups, amp, and probably some kind of fuzz or overdrive to get that Black Crowes/Led Zep thing going on.

You may want to look into trading the Squire in for an Epiphone Les Paul type guitar; that guitar will get you much closer to the sound right away, and the pickups will be less of an issue (in the beginning).

Next up would be a good tube amp. "Good" is highly subjective. Play a bunch and buy the one that makes you happiest.

Finally would be accessorizing with pedals. Enjoy your search!

[Davey]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

what TO said.


keep saving, get yourself a tube amp for christmas (peavey classic 30 maybe?) or scour ebay for a laney pro tube 30.
get an overdrive pedal and then get a better guitar.

remember a good guitar/pickups, through a crap amp will still sound ****ty. a mediocre guitar through a nice amp and a good pedal will sound good enough for a time


also worthy to remember is:
save for a longer time. dont give in for a cheaper solution, cos you will regret it later when you save enough to buy the other amp

[IcedEarth112]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

yeah dont blow all the money you get, especially cause your only practicing right now you dont NEED this excellent tone, just save up until you got a good amount of money and buy a nice tube amp or something.. just do what the last two guys said

[neosadist]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

ive always wondered this?
if you had a questionable rig. say a crummy amp and guitar could a pedal do much for you?

Nope. Tone has to start from somewhere. You cannot add something where there is nothing. The guitar is where tone is first made. From here, pedal modifies it, then amplifier turns it into sound. My experience is that a cheap pedal can "throw away" tone. But it depends on what tone you want. My favorite experiment was to go spend time in the guitar shop, playing guitars straight into various amps, sometimes with a pedal, sometimes not.[/QUOTE]

take me for example, im torn between gettin new pups now or buying a pedal. most people would probably say go for the pups, but sometimes i can get decent sounds out of my crummy rig and i know that stuff is gonna come down the road. i know im gonna get a new amp soon and ive heard alot of ppl say that playing a crap guitar though a good amp gives it a whole new sound.
so, if i bought a pedal that is known for upgrading your tone would that be a better short term solution, long term i know im gonna drop new pups in but for now im not playing any shows and i doubt i will for awhile. if it helps id probably be gettin new pups for xmas and I'D hopefully have enough money to get myself an amp around that time. so were tlakin 2 or 3 months before i could update my rig. im still concerned about how much a decent pedal would cost me, maybe its better to go for the pups?

I would say pedal now, pickups later, but it depends. If you already have one distortion pedal, for example, yet want yet another distortion pedal, get a life and get pickups first. The mere fact that you hear how bad you sound is a sign your ear is improving. Anyone, however, that says krap guitar + nice amp = new sound is either high or using an amp with effects built in (which I don't like). You cannot upgrade tone, however. Save for when you play shows, possibly get new pickups soon. Focus time and energy on the one thing you can upgrade for free: your own skills. I'd also recommend using stuff for how IT sounds, not how well it can imitate something else. It's no wonder people still buy the original, not the imitation. One exception to this rule, however, would be if you need a "vintage" sound for only ONE song in your set that you rarely play, go effects for that. Think in terms of money: play jazz all the time, buy jazz-worthy guitar. Play only one jazz song every year, buy cheaper effects pedal. Anyways, a lot of this is personal opinion and preference. Experiment and spend time playing.

But yeah, you should pick the cheaper of the option for now, in my opinion. But I'd still recommend pickups over pedals, for now, except that you said the guitar is krappy, so pickups will have the greatest positive effect, but won't do as much as you'd eventually want.

[strat_master]

Re: how much does a pedal affect your overall tone?

from a squire guitar and amp, to any higher end piece of gear is quite a jump. with that being said i would gof or smething that is ideal for you. If you dont play in a band you probbaly wont need a high end marshalll tube amp. For amps that sound good and are affordable to someone who will not gig go with a fender blues junior, theya re affordable...and sounds great and have tubes. Form there tou could upgrade your guitar or get a new one, and thenf or pedals simply add to taste. If you feel you need a distortion pedal get one, there are tons of pedals on the market.