Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

[d1dsj]

So today I didn't go to work, the weather is dull and overcast and I'm not feeling great. So to cheer my self up I decided to have my own pedal fest just for kicks. So I dig them all out and after a few hours of fun realised that of all the pedals I own I only really use my tuner, a delay and lead boost on a regular basis. The biggest thing to dawn on me is that I've got most of the dirt pedals that I had always wanted, and they do sound great but I just love the dirt on my 2 main amps which really does negate the need to have them... With these amps at least. The other effects are cool and I enjoy messing around with them but again they are just not used enough when gigging. Time to think about a major cull.... Or get a Bassman or other clean single channel amp but then I guess I'd just be swapping dirt pedals on and off the board... Haha. Seriously though, it's a real pain in the ass and may be time for a change. How many of you guys have the same problem?

Edit. Obligatory pics

[mwalluk]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

I can totally relate. Granted my stash wasn't even remotely close to what you got going on. At one point I had a dozen or so on my board. I only used the dirt from my amp as well. I had crazy effects that were used hardly (tremolo phaser flanger). Honestly I got rid of everything. Went with a tc nova system instead. It has those novel effects on the rare case I need them. But it does have a chorus verb delay that I regularly use. I just need to pick up a good tuner and a nice od pedal maybe volume for swells and that's a rig I can live with

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

Yes, I can relate. I have several that I rarely use.

[hydro]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

I never had the dirt box obsession since I have mainly used amp overdrive in recent years, but I went through a lot of modulation type effects and delays before culling out everything but a TC Flashback 4 and a vibe pedal.

My real obsession is wah pedals, I have one now which is the best sounding one I have ever owned but I may buy another just for fun (and a backup).

[jon the art guy]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

Its one of the reasons I dont build pedals for myself. Theres only one pedal I like that doesnt either come on an amp or a digital preamp effect on a mustang and thats the boss hm2.

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

I get bored of modulation really quickly. My main amp already does dirt better than most pedals. I've decided I probably should not buy anymore pedals. They just don't get used and end up being money sitting in my closet. I have been thinking about getting an ab box and trying a stereo rig though.

[Aceman]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

You can't play it if you don't have it.

[d1dsj]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

The thing is I haven't knowingly gone out of my way to just buy for the sake of buying. In fact have recently bought 4 because they had come at the right price at the right time and it's only when I got them out I realised how many I had. I'm not going to rush to off load any as they are all pieces that I really wanted over a long period of time so I'm going to put a small board together purely for gigging and the rest will be a home board.... Something I've never specifically set up. As Ace quite rightly says "You can't play it if you don't have it."

[gatorblue]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

I can relate. I can get such great "natural" OD out of my 59 tweed deluxe, I finally decided to simplify my life a few years ago. After trying a lot of things, I went against the politically correct concept and bought a little zoom multi-effects box. I only use the delay, tremelo, or wah (on occasion and never together). I found, like you, that I don't often need effects and, when I do, I generally limit it to one. When I did A/B comparisons with separate pedals and a multi-unit, I found that the good multi-boxes sound just as good and it really simplified my life the past 3 years.

I think the multi-effect boxes got a bad rep because most people try to stack up a bunch effects on each channel. That may sound okay when you're playing by yourself, but in a live venue, it sounds weak and "all digitally." The best sound comes from a good tube amp and if you are just using one single effect for the specific song, these boxes are fine. Also, I've found that I make more use of my guitar controls and depend less on boxes. A creamy smooth tone on a volume 3 can become a driving saturated scream turning the guitar volume up to 8=9. With the volume pedal, you can still bring down the feed to the amp a bit to offset the hotter p/u sound. It's really much less distracting. Also with the multi-effects box you can program just what you need. For me, user channel 1 is flat, 2 has delay, 3 has tremelo, and 4 converts the volume pedal to wah---since the box is also a tuner, you can hit that, turn volume down with the pedal and tune on the fly between songs if needed.

I know that some people will tell me that a digital tremelo or delay cannot compare to an analog box, but I think you might be surprised it you AB and test, how slight the difference really is for live applications. In recording sessions, you might pull out your old boxes, but for live. this works great for me. --Gator

[Brow]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

Yep, I know how that is too Don!

When I was in my originals band about 4 or 5 years ago I used to use an old Carlsbro 50-Top head that was set clean and then all my dirt and drive came from pedals.

Since I changed direction and got back into multi channel amps I've found that they're all just sat there gathering dust!

[Simon_F]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

I've explored the clean amp with dirt pedals route a few times but I always go back to crunchy amp with a TS-style solo boost. Roll back guitar volume for cleans, turn up guitar volume for crunch, step on OD for solo boost. If cleaner cleans are required use 2-channel amp with clean/crunch channels. I've never found a pedal that does Marshall crunch better than a Marshall amp, even when it's from an MV Marshall with the pre-amp at 7 or 8 and the master low.

[d1dsj]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

Craig, I guess being in a covers band dictates certain sounds and which pedals depending on the set and if we want to get close to the original which is what people seem to expect. So it's have a big board, swap pedals out depending on the set, go basic or get something like a TC Nova system which I have considered just for gigging. Unfortunately I have a bit of history with multi effect boards and kicking the crap out of them so don't fancy that again! My real problem is having all the dirt pedals but still much preferring the drive of the amps I use. I have just put a board together for a charity gig we have next week and I've just put the Klone and Timmy on, at least both of those are useful and can work with the amps.

Simon, I know what you mean about pedals not having that Marshallesque crunch, at least non of the ones I have tried ... Even the Crunchbox. Great pedal but just too much even with my amp set fairly clean. Out of the ones I have, the ones I will definitely keep are the Klone, Timmy, T.M.B, JB Fuzz Face, old Distortion + and newly acquired old Keeley Fuzz Head series #07. The jury is still out on the Classic OD, PoT and Pharaoh whilst the Crunchbox and SoulBender are on the hit list. Ref the clean amps, I have a real itch for a Bassman and until it's scratched I doubt it's going away!

[Chickenwings]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

Craig, I guess being in a covers band dictates certain sounds and which pedals depending on the set and if we want to get close to the original which is what people seem to expect.

I hear this a lot from players who do covers. When you think about it tho, the singer cant mimic every different singer's tone that they are covering. The drummer uses the same kit all night. So does the bassist. Essentially, trying to mimic all of the recorded sounds of a diverse set of covers is an uphill battle - especially as you as the guitarist are the only one who can actually get close to doing it. As a result, the sound of the covers band will never sound like the famous songs you are covering. Forget about that. Just play the right notes and play them with attitude using a sound that you enjoy using and that gets you within the ballpark . The crowd will dig it.
So yeah - simplify your rig and simplify your life. If you dig the tones the amp can offer you and a minimum of pedals, use those. Have fun at your next gig

[ErikH]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

Been there, done that. Sold off all my store bought pedals except for a delay and crybaby. I've got a few DIY boosts that I use here and there but not very often. I like a simple setup.

[everdrone]

Re: Nothing doing today so had my own pedal fest with a sad realisation.......

if theres no way you will ever use it, definitely sell it! but ya it is fun being ready AND stockpiling for GUITARMAGEDDON!!