I really want to thank everyone for contributing this week—it‘s so nice. You all posted some nice amps yesterday and some great stories. I hope you read my follow-up posts. And I hope someone will step up and take over the LR next week…and the week after…and so on.
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If you’re like me, you probably have a few pedals on a pedal board—and drawer full of ones you don’t use.
There’s a couple of old MXR blue 10-band EQs; a Peavey Accelerator OD (which is terrific for slide work); several delays including a couple of DD-3s, a DD-20, an Echo Park, a Peavey digital reverb and a BBE Two-Timer; some nice modulation effects like my new Tremor, a Soul Vibe, a couple of old DOD chorus pedals and a new Hardwire chorus. I got several of the BBE OD/distortion offerings; a Sonic Stomp and a Boosta Grande; a couple of new wahs and probably 15 tuners around—not all of those are pedals. That drawer is pretty full!
I have a couple of Furman Pedal Boards—Miss Leslie got me one for Christmas years ago and I then found a used one for the pedals I use with my acoustic guitar. The Furman has surge protection built in for the three AC outlets, and very quiet 9V power supply for the pedals.
Here it is:
The signal chain is:
DOD FX10 Preamp. (Always on, just a slight boost)
Boss CS-3 Compressor. (Used more as a limiter than a sustainer.)
Boss TU-3 Tuner. (Was using a TU-2, got this for the brighter display.)
Real Tube 901 OD. (Uses a 12AX7 tube, mine’s actually loaded with a GT 12AUY.)
Original Thomas Organ Crybaby Wah
Boss CE-3 Chorus
Boss PH-1R Phasor. (I think this is the best of all the Boss Phasors.)
Then there is a Rocktron Short-Timer Delay and the Echo Park, which I patch into the effects loop of my amps.
This is an old pic and one thing changed: the Echo Park went into the drawer, replaced by a Boss Harmonizer pedal.
This is a working man’s pedal board. The wah is the only thing that I’d call vintage, and there’s nothing here that’s boutique or made from unobtainium. While I like having several pedals, my philosophy is to use them minimally. The Harmonizer I only use on two songs, and the phasor on four, and so on. The Real Tube hardly gets used at all—it’s more or less a backup in case I’m not using a Mesa amp. Like an artist, I want to use all the colors on my palette, without having any one color dominate.
It’s time for me to get out the board and do some preventative maintenance and cleaning, and settle down into making some decisions about some of the new pedals.
The Real Tube will probably be taken off. It actually sounds a lot like the Lead Channel of my Mesas, so it is redundant. I have a Carl Martin Plexi-Tone ready to take its place that will give me some Marshall tones. My concern is that the CMPT is a large pedal, and I may not have room for it. So there is a Green Screamer, Buckshot and a Crusher to try too. I’m intrigued by the Wampler Plexi-Drive which is smaller—except for the price tag. I’ll look and see if the Boosta Grande sounds better than my old DOD FX-10. That pedal has been my secret weapon for more than 30 years; giving it up will be hard.
I loved the power of the Echo Park—it offers a lot in a small package. But I don’t use long delays, as a rule—the Rocktron does everything I need, but it is BIG. Can I be happy with the Two-Timer or the DD-20, or perhaps a pair of delays like a DD-3 and something else? Two DD-3s?
Is it time to replace the tried-and-true PH-1r with say, an EVH Phase 90? Or put away the old Thomas Organ wah for a new Crybaby Classic? Should I keep the Boss chorus, which has a very different sound than the old DODs I have? Perhaps the versatility of the Hardwire chorus might fit my needs better. And with chorus and a phasor, can I find room for the Soul Vibe and the Tremor?
And do I really need the Sonic Stomp with the Mesa amps?
Decisions, decisions…I definitely have my work cut out for me. It’ll be fun, but it is still work doing the physical layout, routing the cables, and making sure that everything is compatible, that all the toys work well together.
And one of these days, I'll have to tell you about some of the pedals that I sold—or the ones that were stolen. For example, I’ve had TWO vintage Fender Blender Fuzz boxes—and both were stolen. Recently had a chance to buy another one—and passed on it. Ya’ think?
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So let’s talk pedals and boards today. Pick whatever topics interest you.
Do you have a board, or are you still lining them up on the floor? Or are you using and an all-in-one from Line 6, Boss, Digitech, etc.? Have you gone to Midi switching system? Perhaps you use a rack of processing gear, or use something like the AXE-FX II in the EFX loop of your amp?
How do you evaluate pedals before you buy? Do you read magazine or internet reviews? Watch 30 hours of YouTube videos? Play them in the store? Do you do a lot of research and buy carefully, or do you by impulsively and then quickly flip the ones you don’t like?
Do you do boutique, or stick with the major companies—Boss, MXR, EH, etc.?
When you get a pedal home, do you evaluate it by itself, or do you just place it in your chain?
And for you guys using G&L MFDs, or Z-Coils—do you ever find these pickups incompatible with your pedals?
So tell me what yer’ using and whatcha ain’t. Pics are welcome!
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Have a great Thursday; but get ready to pick your Super Bowl winner on Friday.
Bill (Go SEAHAWKS!!!)
