Order to acquire pedals?

bigmack209

bigmack209

New member
So I've already got a semi-developed pedal collection, but i always sort of wondered, and maybe it'll help out the newbies... what order would you recommend for getting your pedals when you first start? Should you get a pedalboard first? A power source? I'd say start with a nice distortion, then maybe a reverb or delay, compression, tuner, then modulation/wah etc.
Any different perspectives on this?
 
Re: Order to acquire pedals?

the guy who invented fire said:
There is no order to buy any of this stuff...

With pedals or effects of any kind buy what you need when you need it...
Click to expand...

+1

Mine sorta developed out of a small collection of pedals. First I had a wah and a tube screamer. Then I added another overdrive, then a reverb pedal. I got sick of the Verbzilla eating batteries so I got a Voodoo Labs PedalPower. Next, I got sick of setting that thing up every time so I got a board and better cables etc. Go with your instincts and it'll all fall into place with some thought. Order once everything together is more important than order of what you buy :naughty:
 
Re: Order to acquire pedals?

Oddly enough I started with 4 Rats and an NS2.

Screw a tuner.

Everything else is gravy.
 
Re: Order to acquire pedals?

it's not that i didn't think about the fact that you should probably just buy things as you need them, but if you're like me you browse for new pedals all the damn time and can never decide what the hell you need. my question is, which ones do YOU think are the most important to have first, and why?
 
Re: Order to acquire pedals?

It all depends on perspective, "role" and style/characteristics.

I'm not much of a lead player, mainly rhythm based, therefore I cater my pedals to my playing style.

It also is dependent on what amp you are using. If you're rocking a Fender per se, you're going want to get a dirt pedal first. If you're using a Marshall per se, a dirt pedal shouldn't be higher up on your priority list, maybe an OD/Boost or delay.

When I recently redid my board, I started with a tuner, then chorus, then delay, then od, then dirt, then nuances such as tremolo and volume pedal. Picked up a power supply and a buffer.

1/4 of the music I play is clean based, so I need a chorus and delay to give off a shimmering, sparkly and lush clean. I use the OD for lower gain and slamming the front end, while my dirt is a separate/secondary distortion.

The Volume pedal and tremolo is adding effects, nuances and ambient parts.
 
Re: Order to acquire pedals?

If you have no idea what you need, you don't need anything.

When you are having a "problem" like you just can't get "that" sound, or you aren't happy with your sound, then figure out WHAT/WHY the problem exists. Then figure out what pedal makes that noise, and then go shopping.

If I had to say "pedals everyone shoud have" maybe...

An OD/distortion pedal of some flavor, a delay pedal, and some kind of modulation (chorus, flange, phase) - whatever rocks your boat.

Those three pedals can go really far if they are wide-range flexible ones. But you don't "NEED" anything besides an amp. everything else is just flavoring. Some people like things simple, others ridiculously complex.

Worry about how it sounds to YOU, not how many pedals you need.
Worry about what you need to make THAT sound, not how many different sounds you can make.

The role thing is a good point. i used to be the "Sound FX" guy in a band playing Billy Idol tunes. I had a boatload of 20+ pedals running at once. Yesterday, just playing the amp/reverb. I expect that's all I'll have next time I play out.
 
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