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Are You A Pedal Junkie?


Curtis P

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do you just squirm at the thought of someone owning more pedals then you?

do you go out and buy pedals just to see if it will "jive" with your massive collection already?

I personally, dont find a need for more then 3 pedals, i own 2 right now, a regular distortion, and a super horrible multi effects (which will soon be gone since i am getting an EQ soon)

So, are you a pedal junkie?

Curtis

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No, I hate pedals and all the cables and noise that go with them! If I didn't already have about 20 of them, I would stop using them altogether. There are a very few multi-effect pedals out ther but they never have the ability to do everything at once that I want. Here comes the ridicule part. Feel free to ridicule! I have 2 J-stations that I keep different programs on to use for different type events. I know they are crude old dinasours but they work for me. Still have to carry a RAT distortion unit for playing at a lower volume, like a small bar or barmitzva. While the question is up, what is a good multi-pedal that can do 4 or 5 effects at once with no problems? AND do a good job at all of them? And you don't need to spend 15 minutes reading the programs list to call a new one up?

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i have one pedal. A digitech metal zone, and even that id give up for a nice distortion rack effect or amp head. Don't get me wrong it is a very nice pedal but i'm a tube man. I got the reverb i need on my fender.

The only pedals i would consider buying right now is an overdrive (fender deville overdrive is terrible), an octaver, digitech synth wah, and a digitech whammy, but they'd all be for fun unless i go on to play with a RATM cover band lol.

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I love a wise use of pedals.

Pedals are to the guitarist what spices are to the cook...

A bit of fx is great, just like a bit of good spicing is great...

If you really overdo, both are crap.

Both change the natural taste/tone and can be used to hide flaws...

Myself, I've got no money to buy pedals, but I love to try them. I own a Korg AX100g right now and am quite happy with it. Not that I play much in public, though.

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I love a wise use of pedals.

Pedals are to the guitarist what spices are to the cook...

A bit of fx is great, just like a bit of good spicing is great...

If you really overdo, both are crap.

Both change the natural taste/tone and can be used to hide flaws...

Couldn't have said it better.. I'm kinda **** about my tone, though, so I'm fully aware that most pedals tend to affect your tone quite a bit.. With that in mind, I try to use as few pedals as possible at one time.. However, I like to be able to full out some additional 'spice' as it were from time to time, hence my overly heavy bag of pedals.. It's all a balance.. I can't stand multi-effects boards, though.. Find the sound very 'canned'..

One pedal that's almost always in my loop is the Barber Electronics Direct Drive.. Absolutely sweet overdrive plus true by-pass.. :D

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I use four pedals, a heavily modded boss overdrive, chorus, delay, and reverb (I use the amps reverb if it has it)

And thats prety much it.

I almost always play with a little reverb and a little delay (just enough too where you can here it if you really try)

I use just a touch of chours on clean tones too make it more mellow, and I use my overdrive when I wan't a nice tweed kind of tone.

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I think i might be... depends how you look at it...

If im doing a simple gig where stupid amounts of distortion are needed.. i just take my MT-2 and my amp n im away!

If im playing a more respectable type gig lol i take my Zoom 3030... i beleive there discontinued now but not sure.. either way IMO it handles effects really well (you can have 7 running at once) its only flaw is it only has Bank UP no bank down meaning you miss your channel... youve got a lot of tapping to do

~~ Slain Angel ~~

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I'm still sort of hooked on my Rockman X100. I know , its old technology but I have to say, I've never heard a better distortion/chorus combo yet. Also, the unit has been modified with a footswitch to cycle thru the 4 channels. I also have a crybaby wah, but rarely use it, unless I"ve had a few beers and am revisiting Voodoo Child. :D

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Ugh. GUITAR>TRS Splitter Cable to:

A. MXR DynaComp>Rocktron Austin Gold>Bixonic Expandora>Rocktron Deep Blue Chorus>Rocktron Hush Pedal>Ernie Ball VIP Jr>Fender HotRod Deluxe>PA

B. Fishman Model G Preamp>PA

I'm still not satisfied. I'm thinking about ditching a couple of things, but not the Expandora, and not the Deep Blue. I like the Austin Gold, but it's too big. The DynaComp is cool, but a little too squishy. And I need a Baggs Para DI to mount on the pedalboard and replace the Fishman.

While the question is up, what is a good multi-pedal that can do 4 or 5 effects at once with no problems? AND do a good job at all of them? And you don't need to spend 15 minutes reading the programs list to call a new one up?

I have a Digitech RP50 that is easy to program and sounds good, but it's just got

up and down pedals. You have to have all your combinations preprogrammed. Other than that, it's great.

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Okay...I'll confess....

Yeah I've got all kinds of boxes...

Every couple of years I'd try to pedal board my favorites but alway's had trouble with it.

For My sound...I seem to be getting cleaner and cleaner as I get older...go figure, it's almost country now!!!

The only thing that I really, really need and have on permanently is my trusty old ibanez AD100 Analog Delay at about 300ms purring softly in the background echoing everything. I find it much more effective and less muddy than reverb. I might slam on the deep reverb from my Roland Amp for some kind of surf glissando, or something.

In my more active playing days (think Police and Pretenders era '80's) I used a EH Clone Theory and Memory man...still a classic combo for jangly chorus, etc (little noisy).

Nowday's it's my delay and some gentle vibrato arm and the combo makes it's own neat manual chorus effect as a result (echo and pitch shifting)...sounds a lot less seasick than a chorus. I've got a TC Electronics chorus though that's quite subtle.

I quite like a wha (cry baby clone)...Oh and my DD3 is nice too for longer delays...

For distortion I've got a few things...Boss Turbo Distorion or simple Boss Overdrive pedal. I haven't used it in a while, but I used to use a volume pedal (Roland/Boss hall effect silver thing...very good) with a 20db boost. Gave a better control of volume (especially while singing) and could slam the amp for lead sounds without the now-I'm-on/now-I'm-off type effect.

How about a Boss Octave for simulating bass lines when I didn't have a bass...or a tychobraye pedalflanger in heavy steel casing and cedar case that promises (a-hem) acoustic sounds but, in reality, does do the best swirly leslie and jet whoosh you've ever heard. Ok...phasers, I've got 'em...(string 'em together for that Steely Dan, Green Earing's sound)...auto-wha, no problem. How about a classic two transistor genuine Fuzz sound...no op-amps please...or a sonic enhancer to get back the sparkle...or an MXR micro amp...

Yep...my two year old uses them as building blocks more than I'll be playing through them...

But a little subtle delay...that's my necessity...and you've got to admit that compared to a lot of the new canned multi-effects, you can't beat them on tone!

pete

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Ugh. GUITAR>TRS Splitter Cable to:

A. MXR DynaComp>Rocktron Austin Gold>Bixonic Expandora>Rocktron Deep Blue Chorus>Rocktron Hush Pedal>Ernie Ball VIP Jr>Fender HotRod Deluxe>PA

B. Fishman Model G Preamp>PA

I'm still not satisfied. I'm thinking about ditching a couple of things, but not the Expandora, and not the Deep Blue. I like the Austin Gold, but it's too big. The DynaComp is cool, but a little too squishy. And I need a Baggs Para DI to mount on the pedalboard and replace the Fishman.

While the question is up, what is a good multi-pedal that can do 4 or 5 effects at once with no problems? AND do a good job at all of them? And you don't need to spend 15 minutes reading the programs list to call a new one up?

I have a Digitech RP50 that is easy to program and sounds good, but it's just got

up and down pedals. You have to have all your combinations preprogrammed. Other than that, it's great.

yea, my super horrible effects pedal is the RP 50 LOL

Curtis

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I've only got 2 pedals at the moment...I had to sell a bunch because of poverty...

plus I wanted to simplify my setup...

I've got a H&K Tube Rotosphere that I run stereo into two Fender amps...and a Mutron IV Envelope Filter...

I need to get a nice distortion/overdrive pedal 'cos I sold my Dual Rat rack mount...

I think I'll go for one of those G2D pedals, but I'm not sure which one...

I've still got my Boss SE70 multi effects, too..which is a great box...

but I'm trying to keep my setup as simple and non-digital as possible now...

So it'll be...Mutron > G2D > Rotosphere > Fender Super & Princeton Reverbs

Not really a metal setup but good for my blues style

Peace

Edited by mutronboy
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I have always hated multi-effects pedals. That is until last december when I got the best gift ever. My dad got me a Digitech GNX4. By far the best thing I have ever used. The closest thing you can possibly get to the sound of stand alone pedals and so many extra features I will never learn how to use them all. This thing actually made a squier sound good. That if nothing else made me a believer. So I guess you could call me a GNX4 junkie.

Edited by duo2
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I sold off all my pedals once I got into computer-based recording. I don't gig live, and when I record I don't mic an amp (most recording is done at night), so the cleaner the signal the better.

As an exception, I bought that Behringer GDI21 (A SansAmp GT2 ripoff) that I record through, as well, which is my only pedal that I currently own. I have a purple Boss flanger of some sort, but it's not mine so I didn't sell it off. Would have done, though. :D

Greg

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I've been using a digitech gnx3 for about a year now. It's actually a little overwhelming to me. I was going to ditch it for a 3 channel tube amp of some kind, try to simplify things a little. But, my church ( the only place I ever play live) is going to a in ear monitor system and all the guitars and bass are going direct into the PA. So I guess I'll have to spend some more time figuring out what I need and don't need in the gnx3. :D

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I have a Yamaha G100-210 jazz amp, always on the clean channel, reverb off. Mic'd live, mic & direct if I'm recording.

Boss tuner pedal, Crybaby wah, Morely volume pedal, Boss digital delay, and 15 year-old Digitech RP-1 (comp, dist, chorus, EQ, effects loop, delay, reverb, noise gate) which gives me a load of variety with distortions, reverbs & delays...and 125 memory banks set aside for the user. I very much like being able to dial in the precise milli-seconds of delay to match up & lock in tempos when playing off the echo (think old-school U2). Also cool stuff to be had when combining the two delays and playing arpeggios (think Police).

I see only three things on the horizon that I don't have at the moment, but will soon:

ZVex Super Duper - dual-in-line boost for lead work, although I may take a shot at building a DIY version; currently I just set the RP-1 to have two identical channels with different volumes, but I like the boost idea better.

Zvex Ooh Wah - I love this sound, no other pedal gives it.

Boss TR1 tremolo - it has that square-wave on-off volume effect that Tom Morello uses to great effect (no pun intended). I hope to try the cheaper Behringer version if it ever comes out.

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I never buy pedals... I build em'. I have 74 at last count... not going to name them individually, but if it's analog and sounds good I probably have one built and on my pedal board. I am actually going into business building them in the next month or so. I've been selling them by word of mouth for the past year, but my website is almost done now. I have designed 4 pedals of my own which sound amazing. I've spent the past year stocking my shop, creating decal artwork, and spreading the word. As of right now, George McConnell of Widespread Panic, the members of Vulpine, the members of Day Of Fire, Daniel Karlish, and a few other people I'm not sharing the names of yet will be using them. Whether you use pedals or not, keep your eyes open for Big Block Effects.

I'm combining my love of guitars and muscle cars. All of the pedals will be named after and resemble engine parts. I am focusing on the era when rock was truly rock (late 60s/early 70s). When the bands had talent, not Pro Tools... back in the days of Hendrix, Zepplin, Trower, the Stones, etc. If you play a PRS through a Mesa and wanna' sound like every other band on MTV, then my pedals are not for you. There will be quite a few stores selling them, but the majority will be sold on the website. I like the idea of DIY all the way... from concept to manufacturing to marketing to sales... No middle man sticking his hands in and no uneducated salespeople trying to explain why it does what it does. :~)

To answer the original question... yes, I get excited when I see a pedal I don't have... but only because I want the schematic.... I guess you could say I'm a schematic junkie! :~)

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dang, so close to an impulse buy today, bit i retracted and very calmly backed away

it was an MXR phase 90, and it sounded sooooooooo sweet through this Roland amp i was playing through!!

no more pedals for me, except an EQ

Curtis

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Lot's of people do distortions and stuff but have you got some ideas on delays...BTW...I like the car connection. Send some to Jeff Beck...he love's his hotrods, doesn't use many effects...but you never know

good luck

pete :D

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