So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
- Thread starter millsart
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Rich_T
Kyuss_Rockologist
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
I've been tempted to add a second wah to my board, so that I have one pre-fuzz and one post-fuzz.
I've been tempted to add a second wah to my board, so that I have one pre-fuzz and one post-fuzz.
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Heres a quick question for those who don't really see the point of a bunch of pedals (nothing wrong with that mind you)
Do you also only like to gig with one or maybe two guitars ?
Theres so many different guitars one can own, and/or different pickups
LP with buckers, LP with P90's, Semi hollow bodys, Strat with singles, Telecasters, acoustics, Superstrat with buckers. Hard tail, TOM's, Floyds, Bigsby's, vintage trem etc etc
What are your views on using lots of different guitars ? If you can argue theres not enough difference to make it worth having a flanger AND a phaser, could you still its worth having say a LP with buckers and a LP with p90's ?
They aren't that different and maybe the audicne wouldn't know the difference right ?
Heres a quick question for those who don't really see the point of a bunch of pedals (nothing wrong with that mind you)
Do you also only like to gig with one or maybe two guitars ?
Theres so many different guitars one can own, and/or different pickups
LP with buckers, LP with P90's, Semi hollow bodys, Strat with singles, Telecasters, acoustics, Superstrat with buckers. Hard tail, TOM's, Floyds, Bigsby's, vintage trem etc etc
What are your views on using lots of different guitars ? If you can argue theres not enough difference to make it worth having a flanger AND a phaser, could you still its worth having say a LP with buckers and a LP with p90's ?
They aren't that different and maybe the audicne wouldn't know the difference right ?
S
Skarekrough
Guest
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Generally I gig with two guitars. Optimally they're voiced much the same. In my current band I bring a Les Paul clone and the Epi Dot Studio, both which have vintage-voiced pickups.
Mostly this is done for the necessity of breaking a string or having something go wrong mid-set. But the other guitar player is playing Teles into cleaner-sounding amps so I have a specific sound that I go for.
In other bands when I needed to have a different guitar tone on something I would have a Strat and a Les Paul and one would act as a backup. You make-do with what you have in case of a breakage. I've had nights where I HAD to use just one of the two because of one reason or another. Playing "Message In A Bottle" when my Strat had a wiring issue with a Les Paul was a challenge but figuring it out made me a better player.
You're correct.
I know the difference tonally.
However, the audience doesn't really care.
For something like Gary More's "Still Got The Blues" the inclination is to grab the Les Paul.
But guess what?
The audience doesn't really care.
As long as you can get the job done with the Strat in regards to sounding somewhat correct then the job gets done.
The audience is inherently where all of this matters when it comes down to brass tacks. they buy the booze that makes the bars take go up which means we get invited back to play on a better night for more money.
I've never heard of an audience walking out of a bar because the guitar player attempted to play "Don't Fear The Reaper" with a Les Paul equipped with regular pickups rather than the mini-hums that it was originally recorded with.
As players I think we spend WAY too much time concentrating on minuscule aspects of our rigs and gear and nowhere near enough into actually doing anything with them.
If you're a home player and never gig then great, have a blast. That's your obsession and go hog-wild.
But if you're in a band and play out you know all that goes on with it. You know there are a thousand things to do and another thousand that can and will go wrong.
I don't have time to wonder why my Flanger sounds different today than yesterday and why the definition between it and the Phaser isn't what it used to be since I switched the power supplies. I've got a PA to setup, a bartender to schmooze with, a door-man to shake down and convince to be honest taking the door, a bass player grumpy that we cut a Rush cover and expressing it by playing GameBoy in his car rather than help setup, a lead-singer on his cell phone fighting with his girlfriend, a drummer messing with the "Miller High Life" sign that was hard-wired into the places electrical system and somewhere along the way I need to get a sandwich, some water and a cup of coffee for myself to make it through the next 5 hours and 50 songs.
Generally I gig with two guitars. Optimally they're voiced much the same. In my current band I bring a Les Paul clone and the Epi Dot Studio, both which have vintage-voiced pickups.
Mostly this is done for the necessity of breaking a string or having something go wrong mid-set. But the other guitar player is playing Teles into cleaner-sounding amps so I have a specific sound that I go for.
In other bands when I needed to have a different guitar tone on something I would have a Strat and a Les Paul and one would act as a backup. You make-do with what you have in case of a breakage. I've had nights where I HAD to use just one of the two because of one reason or another. Playing "Message In A Bottle" when my Strat had a wiring issue with a Les Paul was a challenge but figuring it out made me a better player.
You're correct.
I know the difference tonally.
However, the audience doesn't really care.
For something like Gary More's "Still Got The Blues" the inclination is to grab the Les Paul.
But guess what?
The audience doesn't really care.
As long as you can get the job done with the Strat in regards to sounding somewhat correct then the job gets done.
The audience is inherently where all of this matters when it comes down to brass tacks. they buy the booze that makes the bars take go up which means we get invited back to play on a better night for more money.
I've never heard of an audience walking out of a bar because the guitar player attempted to play "Don't Fear The Reaper" with a Les Paul equipped with regular pickups rather than the mini-hums that it was originally recorded with.
As players I think we spend WAY too much time concentrating on minuscule aspects of our rigs and gear and nowhere near enough into actually doing anything with them.
If you're a home player and never gig then great, have a blast. That's your obsession and go hog-wild.
But if you're in a band and play out you know all that goes on with it. You know there are a thousand things to do and another thousand that can and will go wrong.
I don't have time to wonder why my Flanger sounds different today than yesterday and why the definition between it and the Phaser isn't what it used to be since I switched the power supplies. I've got a PA to setup, a bartender to schmooze with, a door-man to shake down and convince to be honest taking the door, a bass player grumpy that we cut a Rush cover and expressing it by playing GameBoy in his car rather than help setup, a lead-singer on his cell phone fighting with his girlfriend, a drummer messing with the "Miller High Life" sign that was hard-wired into the places electrical system and somewhere along the way I need to get a sandwich, some water and a cup of coffee for myself to make it through the next 5 hours and 50 songs.
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guitarded
New member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
I'd say keep that away from the edge of the stage where a spilled beer could end it all in a puff of smoke
Seriously, I can hardly handle my midi pedal a wah and two overdrives... It is just too much of a distraction and for me the risk of hitting the wrong one by accident.
So my short answer is YES... Definitely excessive.
I'd say keep that away from the edge of the stage where a spilled beer could end it all in a puff of smoke
Seriously, I can hardly handle my midi pedal a wah and two overdrives... It is just too much of a distraction and for me the risk of hitting the wrong one by accident.
So my short answer is YES... Definitely excessive.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
First and foremost, I'm a guitar player, not a tap dancer, so in my opinion, yes that is excessive. Very much so.
Even at home I'd find myself fiddling more with the pedals than actually playing anything. So I keep it simple, one overdrive, maybe two. I just don't see the point in needing any more than that for reasons that Skarey already outlined. When playing out, the audience simply doesn't care. I've yet to have someone come up to me and say, "You really need a phaser on during the solo in You Really Got Me.".
As for guitars, I take 4; 3 electrics and 1 acoustic. One of the electrics is a SSS Strat. The other 2 are HH Strats voiced similarly - one with a Floyd, one without. At some point I'll most likely decide to only gig with 2 electrics because I'm sure it'll get old unloading all of them at 3 o'clock in the morning.
First and foremost, I'm a guitar player, not a tap dancer, so in my opinion, yes that is excessive. Very much so.
Even at home I'd find myself fiddling more with the pedals than actually playing anything. So I keep it simple, one overdrive, maybe two. I just don't see the point in needing any more than that for reasons that Skarey already outlined. When playing out, the audience simply doesn't care. I've yet to have someone come up to me and say, "You really need a phaser on during the solo in You Really Got Me.".
As for guitars, I take 4; 3 electrics and 1 acoustic. One of the electrics is a SSS Strat. The other 2 are HH Strats voiced similarly - one with a Floyd, one without. At some point I'll most likely decide to only gig with 2 electrics because I'm sure it'll get old unloading all of them at 3 o'clock in the morning.
The Golden Boy
Fleecy Sweaterologist
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Personally, for me, that's completely insane.
What I do realize is that some people hear effects more than I do. When Junior was learning to play "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" he was convinced you couldn't play the intro without a wah...
Personally, for me, that's completely insane.
What I do realize is that some people hear effects more than I do. When Junior was learning to play "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" he was convinced you couldn't play the intro without a wah...
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
when gigging a few years back i switched from a huge amp rig with multible heads, a 4x12, a pedalboard, and a gym bag full of cables... plus i'd take at least 3 guitars or more...
by the end i had scaled back to a 1x12 C30 amp, a few common Pedals, and 2 guitars at the most... most gigs i'd use the one guitar so i'd keep the other in my trunk... sometimes i needed the 2... one axe for Floyd Rose tricks, the other had Piezo's...
my pedalboard was a fair bit mind you... a A/B box used for switching to a tuner... a Cry Baby, a Boss Line Selector, Boss DS1, Danolectro Fab Tone, a TS10 Tube Screamer, a Boss Chorus.... plus the odd time a DOD delay but not often... I'd mostly run the amp clean and use my pedals for dirt, but i also liked using my amps overdrive tones so i kept the TS10 on there to really push it...
when gigging a few years back i switched from a huge amp rig with multible heads, a 4x12, a pedalboard, and a gym bag full of cables... plus i'd take at least 3 guitars or more...
by the end i had scaled back to a 1x12 C30 amp, a few common Pedals, and 2 guitars at the most... most gigs i'd use the one guitar so i'd keep the other in my trunk... sometimes i needed the 2... one axe for Floyd Rose tricks, the other had Piezo's...
my pedalboard was a fair bit mind you... a A/B box used for switching to a tuner... a Cry Baby, a Boss Line Selector, Boss DS1, Danolectro Fab Tone, a TS10 Tube Screamer, a Boss Chorus.... plus the odd time a DOD delay but not often... I'd mostly run the amp clean and use my pedals for dirt, but i also liked using my amps overdrive tones so i kept the TS10 on there to really push it...
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lpmarshall
New member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
I have a box full of pedals sitting in my basement that I probably need to unload. Some nice boutique pedals in there as well. How many of them do I use right now?
3. A wah, a tuner, and a Loooper pedal to take the tuner out of my signal path.
They are really fun to play around with around the house, but when I started gigging again, I realized a.) none of the songs we play need them b.) it is a lot more liberating to play the guitar and worry about the performance instead of doing the whole tapdance thing. Some people enjoy that stuff, more power to them.
When I used to play originals, I would try and write songs parts based on the pedals. Then one day, I realized how stupid that really is. And I never went back.
I have a box full of pedals sitting in my basement that I probably need to unload. Some nice boutique pedals in there as well. How many of them do I use right now?
3. A wah, a tuner, and a Loooper pedal to take the tuner out of my signal path.
They are really fun to play around with around the house, but when I started gigging again, I realized a.) none of the songs we play need them b.) it is a lot more liberating to play the guitar and worry about the performance instead of doing the whole tapdance thing. Some people enjoy that stuff, more power to them.
When I used to play originals, I would try and write songs parts based on the pedals. Then one day, I realized how stupid that really is. And I never went back.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Wait. Your tuner in a looper? What for? What brand is it? How many feet of cable do you use in total? If the tuner is a Boss TU-2, then you may want to reconsider that looper because the TU-2 has buffered bypass that actually helps push your signal down long cable runs.
Wait. Your tuner in a looper? What for? What brand is it? How many feet of cable do you use in total? If the tuner is a Boss TU-2, then you may want to reconsider that looper because the TU-2 has buffered bypass that actually helps push your signal down long cable runs.
stuey222
New member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
More power to ya. My writing can open up with a new sound from a pedal. Guess we're all different...
More power to ya. My writing can open up with a new sound from a pedal. Guess we're all different...
Reload in 5
Just Ultimate Slacker
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Is 18 pedals excessive ? Yes. I might even say it borders on stupidity. So, take the crunch box off and send it to me, cause I need it. See, 17 pedals is fine, maybe even awesome.
So to recap, drop to 17 pedals, which is pedal perfection, and send crunch box to me, as thanks.
I will PM you my address.
Is 18 pedals excessive ? Yes. I might even say it borders on stupidity. So, take the crunch box off and send it to me, cause I need it. See, 17 pedals is fine, maybe even awesome.
So to recap, drop to 17 pedals, which is pedal perfection, and send crunch box to me, as thanks.
I will PM you my address.
James Rock
New member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
It seems though that if u sold half those pedals you could buy almost two extra guitars (or one better guitar!) but if they are part of your guitar playing experience their is no problem. For me I don't NEED alot of pedals but want more I guess my ultimate pedalboard would be a good wah, a nice volume booster/buffer, a volume pedal, a couple of dirt pedals or maybe even three if I want a fuzz, an eq, a versatile phaser, a trem, delay and probably reverb then I wouldn't mind a flanger or chorus. And that is alot of pedals thats if I have no amps with drive channels or that can be cranked and that don't have reverb which is generally true at least for now. But for stuff I play I only need a wah a drive pedal (with a good eq otherwise serperate eq) and a tuner . The other guitarist in my band only uses a behringer acoustic simulator (although he got a zoom G1X or whatever they are called but I'm worried about the converters messing with the sound if he uses it??)
It seems though that if u sold half those pedals you could buy almost two extra guitars (or one better guitar!) but if they are part of your guitar playing experience their is no problem. For me I don't NEED alot of pedals but want more I guess my ultimate pedalboard would be a good wah, a nice volume booster/buffer, a volume pedal, a couple of dirt pedals or maybe even three if I want a fuzz, an eq, a versatile phaser, a trem, delay and probably reverb then I wouldn't mind a flanger or chorus. And that is alot of pedals thats if I have no amps with drive channels or that can be cranked and that don't have reverb which is generally true at least for now. But for stuff I play I only need a wah a drive pedal (with a good eq otherwise serperate eq) and a tuner . The other guitarist in my band only uses a behringer acoustic simulator (although he got a zoom G1X or whatever they are called but I'm worried about the converters messing with the sound if he uses it??)
Fender_Punk
BerriesAndCreamologist
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Milsart, WOW!! 18 effects. The most I ever used was a wah, volume, dirt box, chorus. Then I dropped down to just a wah and volume+boost (both Dunlops) and both are in need of repair, but I love going without pedals and just plugging in direct that I don't really feel like taking them in. I probably eventually will and add them back to my rig, but I can't really see myself uses more than those two. My band is ska/punk and I play rhythm, I don't need a lot of effects.
If you can use that many effects and find a use for all of them, then like EP said, more power to you. There's some wise words floating around here though about buffers, a TB loop strip and a noise supressor. As well, for your pedal board, have you thought about a second level for the back half. That way you can put the pedals on top looking pretty with the 3 DC bricks and power bar underneath. You definitely don't wanna be running all those on batteries.
Milsart, WOW!! 18 effects. The most I ever used was a wah, volume, dirt box, chorus. Then I dropped down to just a wah and volume+boost (both Dunlops) and both are in need of repair, but I love going without pedals and just plugging in direct that I don't really feel like taking them in. I probably eventually will and add them back to my rig, but I can't really see myself uses more than those two. My band is ska/punk and I play rhythm, I don't need a lot of effects.
If you can use that many effects and find a use for all of them, then like EP said, more power to you. There's some wise words floating around here though about buffers, a TB loop strip and a noise supressor. As well, for your pedal board, have you thought about a second level for the back half. That way you can put the pedals on top looking pretty with the 3 DC bricks and power bar underneath. You definitely don't wanna be running all those on batteries.
cake55
New member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
18 effects wooh i have about 24 various pedals
ive bought over the years. youll find your tone will
suck with having so much linked up unless you get a big
looper for your pedals as mentioned in the thread above
ive cut mines down to 5 pedals live that icludes a wah sum
delay pedals and boss SD-1.i even took my 81 dyna comp
out the chain cause it sucked tone. but everyone is
different and sum dont mind the tap dancing
sometimes less is more
BB :kabong:
18 effects wooh
i have about 24 various pedals ive bought over the years. youll find your tone will
suck with having so much linked up unless you get a big
looper for your pedals as mentioned in the thread above
ive cut mines down to 5 pedals live that icludes a wah sum
delay pedals and boss SD-1.i even took my 81 dyna comp
out the chain cause it sucked tone. but everyone is
different and sum dont mind the tap dancing
sometimes less is more
BB :kabong:
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Thanks for all the insights and viewpoints so far, appreciate everyones take on the matter.
As I've had time, I've been trying to spend a bit of time with each pedal and really make sure its really a "must have" for me and what I typically play. Always a fun thing to do in addition to finding some new sounds in old pedals and maybe realizing some new pedals aren't that great after all.
As I've gone through things heres where I'm at
Compressor - this one is a must have I'd say. Clean chords, fingerpicking, squashed funk playing, singing Gilmouresque leads, you need a compressor
Wah - this one is pretty much a no brainer I'd say as even alot of guys who don't like pedals run at least a wah. A wah is just the single most expressive effect you can have so its a keeper
Octave - This one is a little more hit or miss I'll admit. Just an octave up effect maybe not worth it if you use it for just one song or solo. Mines the Octron though so I've got an octave up and down to play with. Pricey but I think I get enough use out of it to keep it. Clean octave down thick bassy goodness. Screaming Jimi octave up effects. Industrial ring modded synth like tones. Its got enough tricks up its sleeve for me
Sparkle Drive aka OD pedal - Everyone needs a nice OD pedal, I guess unless you play just metal etc, but if you want a nice warm breakup for some bluesy stuff or even just a nice lead boost, an OD is the classic choice. Sparkle Drive excels because you can mix in some clean and we all know from Keith and countless others how good that sounds, so it stays
Crunch Box aka Distortion pedal - Frankly an OD just won't always cut it when you really want to rock out. You need something that really has tons of gain on tap and while I'm not a big metalhead anymore, I still enjoy some classic metal from my youth. Some might say you could roll the CB gain back and use it as an OD but I disagree. So I think both an OD and Distortion are required, dont you ?
Axis Fuzz - OD and distortion is fine and good but its not fuzz, and fuzz is cool. If you want to play Jimi you've got to have some fuzz, and I like to jam like Jimi. Axis is as good as it gets for a BOG fuzz tones and I've got to say thats probably my ultimate guitar tone on record. Great tones inspire better playing and this is one heck of a tone.
Muff Fuzz - Two fuzz ? Yep because nothing but a Muff (or a muff clone) is a Big Muff. Its a distinct and classic sound. Thick, thick, thick singing sustain and wall of sound fuzz tones. You want to play some heavy stoner rock sludgly riffs or pumpkins style wall of fuzz ? You need a muff. Luckily its a nice cheap pedal.
Univibe - Like the octave is it used all the time ? Nope, its a speciality effect but its another classic sound. From the first time I heard a vibe, I just loved that kick in the gut throb. Machine Gun without the vibe just wouldn't cut it. Isabella without the vibe ? nope. Its a luxury item I'll admit but one I know I'd sure miss as soon as it was gone. Lets think of it this way, dispite the cost of this things and the many months of waiting to get one the fact the so many people still love this effect says something.
Chorus - chorus, depending on how you feel about the 80's you might love it or hate it with a passion. I love it, and I loved the 80's both then and now. Overused yes but it still sounds darn good to my ears. Marshall crunch is overused as well and I'm not sick of that yet, and I'm not sick of lush clean chorus. Added bonus is the vibrato mode which is just a blast for dong some rotarty speaker stuff, CCR etc.
cont.....
Thanks for all the insights and viewpoints so far, appreciate everyones take on the matter.
As I've had time, I've been trying to spend a bit of time with each pedal and really make sure its really a "must have" for me and what I typically play. Always a fun thing to do in addition to finding some new sounds in old pedals and maybe realizing some new pedals aren't that great after all.
As I've gone through things heres where I'm at
Compressor - this one is a must have I'd say. Clean chords, fingerpicking, squashed funk playing, singing Gilmouresque leads, you need a compressor
Wah - this one is pretty much a no brainer I'd say as even alot of guys who don't like pedals run at least a wah. A wah is just the single most expressive effect you can have so its a keeper
Octave - This one is a little more hit or miss I'll admit. Just an octave up effect maybe not worth it if you use it for just one song or solo. Mines the Octron though so I've got an octave up and down to play with. Pricey but I think I get enough use out of it to keep it. Clean octave down thick bassy goodness. Screaming Jimi octave up effects. Industrial ring modded synth like tones. Its got enough tricks up its sleeve for me
Sparkle Drive aka OD pedal - Everyone needs a nice OD pedal, I guess unless you play just metal etc, but if you want a nice warm breakup for some bluesy stuff or even just a nice lead boost, an OD is the classic choice. Sparkle Drive excels because you can mix in some clean and we all know from Keith and countless others how good that sounds, so it stays
Crunch Box aka Distortion pedal - Frankly an OD just won't always cut it when you really want to rock out. You need something that really has tons of gain on tap and while I'm not a big metalhead anymore, I still enjoy some classic metal from my youth. Some might say you could roll the CB gain back and use it as an OD but I disagree. So I think both an OD and Distortion are required, dont you ?
Axis Fuzz - OD and distortion is fine and good but its not fuzz, and fuzz is cool. If you want to play Jimi you've got to have some fuzz, and I like to jam like Jimi. Axis is as good as it gets for a BOG fuzz tones and I've got to say thats probably my ultimate guitar tone on record. Great tones inspire better playing and this is one heck of a tone.
Muff Fuzz - Two fuzz ? Yep because nothing but a Muff (or a muff clone) is a Big Muff. Its a distinct and classic sound. Thick, thick, thick singing sustain and wall of sound fuzz tones. You want to play some heavy stoner rock sludgly riffs or pumpkins style wall of fuzz ? You need a muff. Luckily its a nice cheap pedal.
Univibe - Like the octave is it used all the time ? Nope, its a speciality effect but its another classic sound. From the first time I heard a vibe, I just loved that kick in the gut throb. Machine Gun without the vibe just wouldn't cut it. Isabella without the vibe ? nope. Its a luxury item I'll admit but one I know I'd sure miss as soon as it was gone. Lets think of it this way, dispite the cost of this things and the many months of waiting to get one the fact the so many people still love this effect says something.
Chorus - chorus, depending on how you feel about the 80's you might love it or hate it with a passion. I love it, and I loved the 80's both then and now. Overused yes but it still sounds darn good to my ears. Marshall crunch is overused as well and I'm not sick of that yet, and I'm not sick of lush clean chorus. Added bonus is the vibrato mode which is just a blast for dong some rotarty speaker stuff, CCR etc.
cont.....
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
from part I
Phaser/Flanger - Heres an effect where you could really argue you only need one or the other, but I really have to disagree a bit. That lush organic flange of a Electric Mistress just can't be duplicated by anything else. Its a big pedal, takes up way to much space, but it just sounds so pleasing. I try to ditch this one but then plug it in and jam for 45 minutes and keep coming back to my mistress lol. Might try to lose one phaser though, still working on that aspect so I'll have to get back to you
Envelope Filter aka Qtron - Yep, yet another special effect that I only use a handful of times, but during those times, what else can funk it up like a qtron I ask you ? Nothing. This pedal is just all about fun and good times jamming. It makes this white boy feel downright funky and that makes me happy. Sometimes I think theres an effect you like just because you like it, this is one of those things and so it stays on the board.
Tremolo - I grew up with the classic amp trem's. I think its something every good amp should have, but they don't always so I add my own. Just adds so much to most any tone. Add some trem to the vibrato on the RE-! chorus and you've got those leslie tones nailed as well baby!
Reverb - Again, something all good amps should have and as much as I love me a nice spring tank, I'm just as happy with my Holy Grail. It lets me get those classic Fender verbs anytime and place. Add to that the classic bathtub reverbs, hall and plate and the ambience is just unreal. Its an effect that you might not miss until its gone but then is it ever sound dry. If you've only used those weak digital build in effects you've not heard reverb. Reverb is part of the tone and the HG does it right and for cheap. I've got a reverb tank just sitting around cuz the grail nails it and makes life easy. Great pedal
Delay - This is another one where its an uphill argument and often with myself but I'm honestly not a huge delay fan. I don't use it for much so two delays sounds pretty dumb I admit. Thing is the DMM just sounds so good. Theres a reason this thing has been around so long and its still so many peoples favorites. It can't do it all, and try as I might to ditch it for something more versatile, its another one of those pedals when you play it and it just sounds right, you end up wanting to keep it. EHX sure makes alot of those don't they ?
Then a second delay pedal ? Yep, because the RE-20 is just a blast. Everyone I've had play it so far has been blown away. It just nails the multi tap tape echo sound. Like Floyd ? Love RE-20. Simple as that. This thing is just so alive, its almost a bit of an instrument more than a effect. You can make entire songs out of delay lines. Versatile ? Not really. Right for most ? Probably not. Its a delay for those that like the classic jams. Its fun to play and while fun and practical don't always go together, it comes down to why are you playing in the first place ? for me its about fun, so a fun pedal makes perfect sense.
So there you go (or there I go as this was more an excerise for myself I just thought Id share)
Reason enough in my mind to keep everything on my board, excessive or not, everything gets used and everything has a roll nothing else can touch.
Could I go mfx and make life easy ? Sure. Would it sound the same ? Not even close. All my pedals are from years of playing everything under the sun. They aren't the final word for everyone, but are the final word for me. THey are what a given effect should sound like.
Maybe thats a bit why some people don't like that many effects ? Because they don't love everyone. If you've got a great chorus but crappy flange, then I wouldn't blame you for saying you don't like flangers. But when your flanger sounds like you feel it should in your head, when your wah sounds like you've always wanted etc etc, suddenly you got a more the better attitude with effects.
So thats my $.02 in a world where no one values the penny
from part I
Phaser/Flanger - Heres an effect where you could really argue you only need one or the other, but I really have to disagree a bit. That lush organic flange of a Electric Mistress just can't be duplicated by anything else. Its a big pedal, takes up way to much space, but it just sounds so pleasing. I try to ditch this one but then plug it in and jam for 45 minutes and keep coming back to my mistress lol. Might try to lose one phaser though, still working on that aspect so I'll have to get back to you
Envelope Filter aka Qtron - Yep, yet another special effect that I only use a handful of times, but during those times, what else can funk it up like a qtron I ask you ? Nothing. This pedal is just all about fun and good times jamming. It makes this white boy feel downright funky and that makes me happy. Sometimes I think theres an effect you like just because you like it, this is one of those things and so it stays on the board.
Tremolo - I grew up with the classic amp trem's. I think its something every good amp should have, but they don't always so I add my own. Just adds so much to most any tone. Add some trem to the vibrato on the RE-! chorus and you've got those leslie tones nailed as well baby!
Reverb - Again, something all good amps should have and as much as I love me a nice spring tank, I'm just as happy with my Holy Grail. It lets me get those classic Fender verbs anytime and place. Add to that the classic bathtub reverbs, hall and plate and the ambience is just unreal. Its an effect that you might not miss until its gone but then is it ever sound dry. If you've only used those weak digital build in effects you've not heard reverb. Reverb is part of the tone and the HG does it right and for cheap. I've got a reverb tank just sitting around cuz the grail nails it and makes life easy. Great pedal
Delay - This is another one where its an uphill argument and often with myself but I'm honestly not a huge delay fan. I don't use it for much so two delays sounds pretty dumb I admit. Thing is the DMM just sounds so good. Theres a reason this thing has been around so long and its still so many peoples favorites. It can't do it all, and try as I might to ditch it for something more versatile, its another one of those pedals when you play it and it just sounds right, you end up wanting to keep it. EHX sure makes alot of those don't they ?
Then a second delay pedal ? Yep, because the RE-20 is just a blast. Everyone I've had play it so far has been blown away. It just nails the multi tap tape echo sound. Like Floyd ? Love RE-20. Simple as that. This thing is just so alive, its almost a bit of an instrument more than a effect. You can make entire songs out of delay lines. Versatile ? Not really. Right for most ? Probably not. Its a delay for those that like the classic jams. Its fun to play and while fun and practical don't always go together, it comes down to why are you playing in the first place ? for me its about fun, so a fun pedal makes perfect sense.
So there you go (or there I go as this was more an excerise for myself I just thought Id share)
Reason enough in my mind to keep everything on my board, excessive or not, everything gets used and everything has a roll nothing else can touch.
Could I go mfx and make life easy ? Sure. Would it sound the same ? Not even close. All my pedals are from years of playing everything under the sun. They aren't the final word for everyone, but are the final word for me. THey are what a given effect should sound like.
Maybe thats a bit why some people don't like that many effects ? Because they don't love everyone. If you've got a great chorus but crappy flange, then I wouldn't blame you for saying you don't like flangers. But when your flanger sounds like you feel it should in your head, when your wah sounds like you've always wanted etc etc, suddenly you got a more the better attitude with effects.
So thats my $.02 in a world where no one values the penny
lpmarshall
New member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
I use a Korg DT10. That way my signal is guitar -> wah > amp when the tuner is not engaged.
I use a Korg DT10. That way my signal is guitar -> wah > amp when the tuner is not engaged.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: So is 18 pedals excessive for a new board ?
Ok. I don't know what kind of bypass the DT10 has. My guess is it's not true bypass but that doesn't mean it's not buffered either. No way to really tell without opening it up and tracing it out (major PITA). Better safe you use that looper then. But, if you run a couple 18 foot cables, you might want to put a buffer after the wah, or even before.
Ok. I don't know what kind of bypass the DT10 has. My guess is it's not true bypass but that doesn't mean it's not buffered either. No way to really tell without opening it up and tracing it out (major PITA). Better safe you use that looper then. But, if you run a couple 18 foot cables, you might want to put a buffer after the wah, or even before.
