Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

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Lewguitar

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My first pedal board ever!

I need some suggestions as to the order of the devices I want to mount on it. I don't know that I'll put all this stuff on it but since it's just for fun, I might.

It'd be a blast to have all of my overdrive and distortion pedals all in one place - even if for no other reason than just for comparing them so I can decide what stays and what goes back in the boxes! lol!

Anyways, here's what I have to work with:

Boss TU-2 tuner
Homebrew CPR Compressor
Fulltone '69 (Fuzzface Clone)
Fulltone '69 (I have two)
Ibanez MIJ TS-808
Ibanez MIJ TS-9 Spina Modded to TS-808 specs
Ibanez Jemini
Vox Satchurator
ProCo Rat
Prescription Experience Pedal
Boss MIJ DS-1
Boss CE-2 Chorus
Danelectro Cool Cat Stereo Chorus
Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah
Line 6 DL4 Delay and expression pedal
Sho-Bud Volume pedal
Kendrick A/B/C pedal for selecting one, two or three amps
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

If it were my board, I'd do this.

Volume
Wah
Compressor
'69
Rat
Jemini
808
Cool Cat
DL4
A/B/C

Not sure if I'd need anything else on there, but generally I would add other OD pedals between the '69 and the 808.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

There are so many options and none of them are really wrong. I will tell you this...any buffered bypass units such as the Boss and Ibanez pedals need to go AFTER any fuzz boxes you have...that buffer really screws with the dynamics of a good fuzz tone.

Based on what you've been liking lately if I were you i'd go with the Jemini for OD and Distortion needs, the 69 for Fuzz, the Compressor pedal since you seem to dig it, the volume and wah the Line 6 delay and a tuner. The catch is keeping the Tuner AFTER the Fulltone 69 in the path plus you'll have to put the Clyde wah after it as well so it will actually work.

So, my first suggestion is

Guitar->Sho-Bud Volume Pedal->Fulltone 69->Fulltone Clyde->Jemini->HBE Compressor->CE-2->TU-2->Line 6 Delay

Now, there are a few wild cards here...the compressor is a biggie. Some guys tend to prefer it before distortion some after, I like to be able to let my OD pedal get all the playing dynamics from my guitar, pickups and my picking BEFORE it gets compressed so if I run a compressor I put it after any gain devices.

Also, Keeping the line 6 delay last gives you the option of running mono or stereo if you want to do that since I know you like to run 2 amps sometimes.

Another thing you can do is set up the tuner on a small A/B box so that signal "A" runs to the tuner and signal "B" runs to the pedal chain and then amp(s).

If the Line 6 delay has stereo inputs you could also swap out the CE-2 for the Cool Cat and have stereo chorus AND delay/echo but thats up to you. I really like the tone of my CE-2 so it's the chorus I use myself.

You have several great pedals so Im sure whatever you do it'll sound great! Let us know what you decide.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

If you decide to keep the A/B/C pedal on the board, I'd suggest putting it between the last gain pedal and 1st modulation pedal. Then, you can use A for signal, C one way to the tuner, and leave B open in case you ever want to run it out to another amp without any modulation in the chain. Then, use your DL4 for effected mono or stereo outs, keeping B as an option for going between A wet or B dry.

I've also found that fuzz before wah is the only way it sounds good, so I always wonder what's up when I see players with the wah before fuzz.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Compressor - Pedal compressors typically maintain full dynamic range when fed a high impedance signal. Putting it after a wah will cause it to squash hard as soon as you turn the wah on.
- That said, if you're playing funk.... put the compressor after the wah.
- And you can use the compressor to overdrive the '69 for more sustain.
'69 - Fuzz Faces oscillate when placed after a buffer... like a wah that's turned on. Try to keep it at or near the front of your signal chain.
Wah
Dirt/OD pedals
Volume - Putting a wah after your OD's will allow you to fade in overdrive effects, or control how hard they're boosting your amp.
Chorus/other modulations
Delay - I put delays last.


I've also found that fuzz before wah is the only way it sounds good, so I always wonder what's up when I see players with the wah before fuzz.

I'm running my wah (Clyde Deluxe) into a Fulltone '70. Once you get used to the oscillation it's not too hard to work around. I ran fuzz-wah for awhile but I found I'm not big into the sound of it. Wah-fuzz sounds better to me, provided you click the Clyde into whacked mode. In Jimi mode the sweep gets buried in the '70 and doesn't do much, but whacked works great.
 
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Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

I've also found that fuzz before wah is the only way it sounds good, so I always wonder what's up when I see players with the wah before fuzz.

Boy Joe - do I ever agree with that! Putting distortion or overdrive pedals after the wah seems to make the wah sound weak, thin and fizzy. Always has! I've been running fuzz pedals into my wah forever.

I like the A/B/C box for choosing amps. It has it's own AC cord and it's not a wal-wart. It's like an amp's AC cord. It's a big box though. Might not have room for it on the Pedaltrain.

Thanks! Lew
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Just out of curiosity, Lew, what version of the Rat do you have?

- Keith

It's an old unit. Big Box. Made in USA. Number RT-177973. I bought it because Jeff Beck uses one. But I don't sound like Jeff - no one does! LOL!

Truth is, I rarely plug into it. The real truth is: I rarely plug into any pedals. I just want to get all my stuff organized in case I do.

My amps all so sound so good and are all tweaked to such perfection by my brother Bruce that I have no real need for pedals - although being the kinda guy I am I have a bunch of them!

Lew
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

A NON Buffered Wah pedal with a 500mu inductor (like a vintage Vox, all Dunlop wahs, Fulltone, most vintage Colorsound, Mutron, Maestro, etc, etc, etc) will oscillate and loose most of not all of the sweep if placed before a transister fuzz box however if you have one of the rare 800mu Inductor Colorsound wahs or a wah with a built in wah buffer like a Teese, Area 51, etc then you can put wah before fuzz all day and get the same or better sweep, no extra noise or squeels.

As to why players put wah before fuzz there are a few reasons...first and likely most important is that Jimi ran his that way and it's just become the norm after all these years. Second, a wah after high gain Silicon fuzz boxes...like later Tonebender Pedals, Jumbo fuzzes (and their clones), Foxx Tone Machine pedals (and their clones), even some Big Muff pedals etc will make a very harsh raspy tone when using the wah that hurts the ears!

If you are running a low gain germanium fuzz like an old Fuzz Face or correct clone or an early style Tonebender then putting the wah after the fuzz works fine if you like that tone.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

The wah after fuzz thing: if I never use them simultaneously it should never be an issue, right? I've got my wah before my fuzz, and I've never had problems, but I've also never used both at once.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

It's only an issue if;

1) You use both at the same time,

2) The wah isn't true bypass, and

3) The fuzz specifically doesn't like wah.

Fuzz Faces for instance oscillate when used with a wah in front of them. The Coloursound Overdriver or Big Muff on the other hand really don't give a rats ass.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

So, since I have two '69 pedals (Mike Fuller's great Fuzzface clone) I set things up with the wah between the two. So I'm trying it both ways: fuzzface going into the wah and also fuzzface after the wah. These kinds of tests in real time are a good way to hear the diff.

So what's the verdict? Both sound great! But having the fuzz after the wah does give a lot more squeeling and feedback - and a lot more fuzz and a cool almost octave divider sort of quality to the tone. So it would seem to me that plugging the '69 (Fuzzface) into the wah is the way to go to avoid squeeling and that plugging the wah into the '69 is a recipe for squeeling. But the tone is so cool!

Having the fuzz before the wah (a Spina modded Voz 847) gives a very different tone than having the fuzz after the wah. Before the wah the fuzz is filtered through the wah and the tone of the fuzz is mellower and much warmer and the wah effect is more pronounced.

Maybe I'll go ahead and put both '69 pedals on my board with one after the wah and one before the wah because both ways sound very different and both sound great.

I really like it after the wah, although I get a lot more squeeling if I'm not careful. But the tone is way cool. I can see why Jimi liked it. It's louder, brighter, pretty darn dynamic and the guitar just SOARS!

First time I've ever liked the tone of a fuzz after the wah. Despite the squeeling, it's a blast!
 
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Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

So it would seem to me that plugging the '69 (Fuzzface) into the wah is the way to go and that plugging the wah into the '69 is a recipe for squeeling and feedback.

Lew

Squealing and feedback isn't an issue once you learn how to make it work. It helps to use the whacked (Colorsound) wah setting since the sweep is more pronounced. The sweep on the Jimi setting is swallowed up by the fuzz, and it tends to oscillate a lot more.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Squealing and feedback isn't an issue once you learn how to make it work. It helps to use the whacked (Colorsound) wah setting since the sweep is more pronounced. The sweep on the Jimi setting is swallowed up by the fuzz, and it tends to oscillate a lot more.

Well - it IS an issue - but maybe it's worth it. Sounds really, really good with the wah going into the fuzz - although the feedback can be hard on my already damaged ears.

Standing away from the amp and not facing the amp helps a lot though.

I'm really glad I did this test in real time. I'm going to put both '69 pedals on my board so I can have it both ways.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Well - it IS an issue - but maybe it's worth it. Sounds really, really good with the wah going into the fuzz - although the feedback can be hard on my already damaged ears.

Standing away from the amp and not facing the amp helps a lot though.

I'm really glad I did this test in real time. I'm going to put both '69 pedals on my board so I can have it both ways.

Hmm...

Mine doesn't feedback... just squeals in the heel down. I'm using a Fulltone Clyde into a '70. Maybe silicon is less touchy?

Too bad about the dual 69 setup... I was going to try to talk you into selling me one. :D
 
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Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Hmm...

Mine doesn't feedback... just squeals in the heel down. Fulltone Clyde into a '70. Maybe silicon is less touchy? Either way, as long as I'm soloing it's not such a big deal, I just try to avoid putting the heel too far down.

Too bad about the dual 69 setup... I was going to try to talk you into selling me one. :D

Yep, mine too. Squeels mostly in the heel down position. Man, does it sound good when it's not squeeling though! I should plug in my Fulltone Clyde now and try it. I've been doing this test with my Vox that John Spina modded with Fulltone parts.
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Lew,

You can buy a Foxrox buffer from Dave Fox (www.foxroxelectronics.com) and solve the squeeling no problem...it installs in the wah with 4 wires and can be put in in about 10 minutes and fter that no extra noise, no feedback, and you'll get all of the sweep of the wah plus it has no negative effect on the sound of the wah...

If you don't want to mod the Fulltone wah for any reason or if you think you'd be switching out wahs now and then you can order a Foxrox buffer in a stand alone box from AnalogMan (www.analogman.com) and just leave it on your board between the wah and the fuzz.

Also, one more thing is that if you wanted to have the ability to go wah into fuzz AND fuzz into wah loopmaster (www.loop-master.com) makes a switch unit that will let you put the wah in one loop and the fuzz in the other and wiht a single switch swap the order...that might be a better call than running 2 seperate fuzz pedals...

Just a few thoughts that may or may not help you...
 
Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Thanks Christian!

So: after a little more time spent wailing and with my guitar just soaring, I'm ready to admit I've been wrong all these years.

I prefer the '69/fuzzface after the wah after all. I've been playing since the early 60's and you get some ideas stuck in your head.

I've been chasing this tone I've been getting for the last hour for years now - and here I could have had it all along if I had just played with it a bit more. I think I was just put off by the squeeling and by the wah effect not being as pronounced as with the fuzz going into the wah for all these years.

Placing the wah before the '69 pedal is the way to go. The tone just rages and the wah effect is fine after all.

My guitar is just soaring!

Man: you can teach an old dog new tricks after all!

Sincerely,
Old Dog Lew
 
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Re: Help! Bought a PEDALTRAIN PT-2 HC w/ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER II

Wow, very cool!

I've always put my wah before my fuzz and a few years ago you told me you did it the other way, so simply based on that I tried it...it is cool and does yeild a neat tone but after just a short time I went back to my old stand by of wah into fuzz and have never looked back.

I think thats just the way to go personally, glad you figured out something that you can use!
 
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