Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
For me, 2012 was a year of pedals before any other obsession.
I've been happy using the guitars and amps I've sunk into, as well as my staple pedals. But, I wanted to really dig into the idea of accumulating the best modern classic pedals I've always thought about, but never acted upon.
To start with, I'm a guitar player who's perfectly happy to plug straight into an amp and control it all with my volume, tone, and picking attack. At the root of who I am as a musician, core tone is number one. Great guitars and pickups into beautiful tube amps. That's always got to be there.
But, I'm also into effect pedals, and use them liberally with some projects, as well as generally entertaining myself during my practice time....my favorite head space.
Most of the time, an effect is just a sound that you try to incorporate into a certain part of a song or solo. And then there's the times when an effect knocks your socks off, so to speak.....the pedals or rack piece that does something special.
That's what I want to talk about. The pedals or effects in general that totally kick ass. And how you use them. Let's discuss that and how to use them in your rig....straight in or in the FX loop.
My new favorites are the..
Boss Harmonist. This thing is the funnest and most wild pedal I've used in my life. I really love it. It can cover the classic Eventide harmonizer vibe, with all the harmonies put into their proper key, mode, etc. Then, you've got the ability to bend the pitch in any direction you want, fast or ramped up gradually. This pedal will do a pseudo Whammy Pedal. It can even be used in place of Octavia pedals, and deliver those goods even more dramatically than the originals. The Boss Harmonist is an instant classic.
The Boss DD-7 is the latest of the long lived digital delay series, of which each of them have a lot of useful sounds.
They sell the DD-3 and DD-7 currently; a classic and the best they got. I run this in my FX loop, and it's just amazing. It's got more features than the best boutique delays selling for 3 times the money. It's even got a full 40 seconds of looping capability, so you can create multitrack loops that are like a guitar orchestra. Also, analog and modulation sounds, as well as reverse guitar. Stereo IN/OUT. It's Boss's flagship regular sized pedal.
The Strymon Lex Rotary pedal is the dream pedal for those seeking to emulate a Leslie 147. Strymon is the best new pedal company, IMO.
It's always money well spent. Not only do the knobs do what they say they'll do, you can hold down the switches and put the knobs into a secondary mode. Then you can really dial in the pedal. Leslie mic positioning, and the ability to send the rotating speaker to one amp, with the horn going to another amp.....this pedal will make you sea sick. It's so badass.
By now, I should tell you that I bought all these at rock bottom Craigslist prices, and that was part of the fun. I normally detest Digitech Dead On Delivery products, but am completely sold on this piece....the Digitech Hyper Phase. It's really a great phaser pedal. What can I say about it's features?.... better than most, actually 7X better, and nice and dramatic.
I have quite a few other pedals, but just thought I'd shine the light on these since they're new to me.
Feel free to discuss your very favorites.
I've been happy using the guitars and amps I've sunk into, as well as my staple pedals. But, I wanted to really dig into the idea of accumulating the best modern classic pedals I've always thought about, but never acted upon.
To start with, I'm a guitar player who's perfectly happy to plug straight into an amp and control it all with my volume, tone, and picking attack. At the root of who I am as a musician, core tone is number one. Great guitars and pickups into beautiful tube amps. That's always got to be there.
But, I'm also into effect pedals, and use them liberally with some projects, as well as generally entertaining myself during my practice time....my favorite head space.
Most of the time, an effect is just a sound that you try to incorporate into a certain part of a song or solo. And then there's the times when an effect knocks your socks off, so to speak.....the pedals or rack piece that does something special.
That's what I want to talk about. The pedals or effects in general that totally kick ass. And how you use them. Let's discuss that and how to use them in your rig....straight in or in the FX loop.
My new favorites are the..
Boss Harmonist. This thing is the funnest and most wild pedal I've used in my life. I really love it. It can cover the classic Eventide harmonizer vibe, with all the harmonies put into their proper key, mode, etc. Then, you've got the ability to bend the pitch in any direction you want, fast or ramped up gradually. This pedal will do a pseudo Whammy Pedal. It can even be used in place of Octavia pedals, and deliver those goods even more dramatically than the originals. The Boss Harmonist is an instant classic.
The Boss DD-7 is the latest of the long lived digital delay series, of which each of them have a lot of useful sounds.
They sell the DD-3 and DD-7 currently; a classic and the best they got. I run this in my FX loop, and it's just amazing. It's got more features than the best boutique delays selling for 3 times the money. It's even got a full 40 seconds of looping capability, so you can create multitrack loops that are like a guitar orchestra. Also, analog and modulation sounds, as well as reverse guitar. Stereo IN/OUT. It's Boss's flagship regular sized pedal.
The Strymon Lex Rotary pedal is the dream pedal for those seeking to emulate a Leslie 147. Strymon is the best new pedal company, IMO.
It's always money well spent. Not only do the knobs do what they say they'll do, you can hold down the switches and put the knobs into a secondary mode. Then you can really dial in the pedal. Leslie mic positioning, and the ability to send the rotating speaker to one amp, with the horn going to another amp.....this pedal will make you sea sick. It's so badass.
By now, I should tell you that I bought all these at rock bottom Craigslist prices, and that was part of the fun. I normally detest Digitech Dead On Delivery products, but am completely sold on this piece....the Digitech Hyper Phase. It's really a great phaser pedal. What can I say about it's features?.... better than most, actually 7X better, and nice and dramatic.
I have quite a few other pedals, but just thought I'd shine the light on these since they're new to me.
Feel free to discuss your very favorites.
Last edited:
