Starter pedals?
- Thread starter DaleVO
- Start date
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
My next OD/Distortion pedal may very well be the ReezaFRATZzitz, by Emma Electronics in Denmark.
A bit pricey, but what is attractive about it to me it is the unique design approach, with the addition of a Bias control.
So your tone options take on another dimension. The video demos also sound pretty good.
There is a new version II, that has separate Low and High tone controls instead of just a Tone knob like the first version (though some people say they sound the same). I also think they changed/improved the buffered bypass circuit...which they claim is better than a true bypass, as it aids your signal instead of just passing it through.
Plus the new graphics look better.
A bit pricey, but what is attractive about it to me it is the unique design approach, with the addition of a Bias control.
So your tone options take on another dimension. The video demos also sound pretty good.
There is a new version II, that has separate Low and High tone controls instead of just a Tone knob like the first version (though some people say they sound the same). I also think they changed/improved the buffered bypass circuit...which they claim is better than a true bypass, as it aids your signal instead of just passing it through.
Plus the new graphics look better.
Armistice
Son of Yoda
A good overdrive, a good delay and a reverb will get you to a lot of places.
I read above you might be getting a small tube amp - good move - and if it has a reverb you might wonder whether you needed a pedal - depends on what you're playing - I get a bit bored with amp spring reverbs, nice to have some other flavours. YMMV, as they say.
I read above you might be getting a small tube amp - good move - and if it has a reverb you might wonder whether you needed a pedal - depends on what you're playing - I get a bit bored with amp spring reverbs, nice to have some other flavours. YMMV, as they say.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
I have to agree.
Sure...it's nice to have a row of pedals for every occasion....but you only need a few to cover most stuff.
I always get a kick out of the guys who have like 20 pedals on the floor at bar gigs. I'm sure there is redundant stuff, but like how many flavors of an effect do you really need to do a gig. You would have to be in one of those "note-for-note" cover bands, with a wide repertoire to need that much variety.
I gigged in a couple of bands for years...all I had was a comp/sustain pedal and a wah/dist pedal...and those I only broke out for a couple of tunes. The rest was just guitar and amp, and there was reverb on the amp.
I don't think I could go that naked these days...I would need like you said, am OD, delay and decent reverb, something more subtle and variable than just a spring reverb.
Nola
Well-known member
I agree with Greg, but really it depends on style of music. For what I play reverb and delay make little sense and would not sound right unless I suddenly start playing U2 songs. I bought an old fender amp and made sure to get the one without reverb but with the best tremolo ever.
My essential pedals that I'd recommend to anyone who plays rock: Fuzz, Wah, Flanger (that can do chorus and phasing), Tremolo (I get this from my amp using just a footswitch). So just 3 pedals and 1 footswitch.
On a side note, I thought the Death by Audio Apocalypse looked awesome with the octave fuzz but haven't tried it, and I heard their build quality stinks. I really like all their pedal ideas, but that one stands out.
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Yup. For what I play, delay and reverb are completely unnecessary. Hard fast hard rocking punk idiocy has no time or space for more time and space. Delays and reverbs are mostly just messy at my speed and volume levels.
But....I am thinking of getting a mostly instrumental surf-punk-a-billy thing going, so then delay and reverb will be par for the course. It's damn hard to beat a nice analog delay and/or a spring reverb.
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miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
For guitars, I'll use reverbs mostly for guitar leads...while the rhythm tracks tend to be dry or at most, just a hint of some short reverb.
Delay...I don't really use on my recorded tracks hardly ever...but I like playing/jamming with a delay & reverb, so that the delay is almost not there, like just enough to create a shadow of the original note, and then I blend that in with a touch of reverb. Otherwise, delay might get used in special cases on the occasional recorded track...but not very often.
I think lead guitar tracks benefit from FX like reverb and other time-based stuff...not so much rhythm tracks....and yeah, it depends on the material. I don't really have specific mindset..I mean, I take it song by song, and they all vary. I don't do all my stuff very dry or very wet, but I do see that lots of people have strong feelings about that, and it's often one or the other with most songs...which makes sense if most of the songs are in a similar style/genre...etc.
I don't even use OD/distortion pedal often for recorded guitar tracks....but for some strange reason, I've get a pile of them, and I keep buying more.
Every once in awhile though, one of the OD pedal saves the day when I can't find the tone I want.
Delay...I don't really use on my recorded tracks hardly ever...but I like playing/jamming with a delay & reverb, so that the delay is almost not there, like just enough to create a shadow of the original note, and then I blend that in with a touch of reverb. Otherwise, delay might get used in special cases on the occasional recorded track...but not very often.
I think lead guitar tracks benefit from FX like reverb and other time-based stuff...not so much rhythm tracks....and yeah, it depends on the material. I don't really have specific mindset..I mean, I take it song by song, and they all vary. I don't do all my stuff very dry or very wet, but I do see that lots of people have strong feelings about that, and it's often one or the other with most songs...which makes sense if most of the songs are in a similar style/genre...etc.
I don't even use OD/distortion pedal often for recorded guitar tracks....but for some strange reason, I've get a pile of them, and I keep buying more.
Every once in awhile though, one of the OD pedal saves the day when I can't find the tone I want.
Tadpui
Well-known member
I think than an overdrive pedal is a great starting point for a first pedal. It's one of those instant gratification kinds of effects...not much intellectualizing needed in order to get useful returns out of it. Just knobs to make it louder, make it dirtier, and make it brighter/darker. And it can make a huge difference in the character of your guitar/amp setup. It's basically an extra channel for your amp.
But holy cow there are a ton of OD pedals out there today! Just sifting through them, trying to figure out which one is for you can be exhausting. Add to that the average online user review of everything is "Amazing!!! 5 stars!!!", and it becomes tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. I'd suggest going to a local shop, plugging in to several pedals, and see for yourself what you like.
But holy cow there are a ton of OD pedals out there today! Just sifting through them, trying to figure out which one is for you can be exhausting. Add to that the average online user review of everything is "Amazing!!! 5 stars!!!", and it becomes tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. I'd suggest going to a local shop, plugging in to several pedals, and see for yourself what you like.
DaleVO
Poor Farm Productions
Guys,
This thread conversation is exactly what I was hoping for, getting suggestions from experienced players about your preferences. I want to take a minimalist approach and seek a few pedals, learn them well, then see what else I feel I need to add.
Keep sharing your knowledge... I am getting smarter.
Have a great evening,
Dale
This thread conversation is exactly what I was hoping for, getting suggestions from experienced players about your preferences. I want to take a minimalist approach and seek a few pedals, learn them well, then see what else I feel I need to add.
Keep sharing your knowledge... I am getting smarter.
Have a great evening,
Dale
I'm gonna suggest you stay away from "distortion pedals" and just stick with overdrive pedals. Overdrive pedals have some gain in them, but they're more about pushing a tube amp harder. Distortion pedals use hard clipping and IMO don't really do anything good for an amp that's already breaking up on it's own.
JDOD
therecordingrebels.com
DaleVO,
There's not a great deal of point in buying a shit load of cheap overdrive/distortion pedals to run them into a shit amp. There's actually quite a few low cost tube amps around now that are ideal for just jamming at home and home recording.
Something like this:
https://new.andertons.co.uk/p/2261006000/guitar-amp-heads/fender-bassbreaker-007-guitar-amp-head
Would probably really suit you and its only the price of 2 or 3 good quality pedals.
What's your Bugera cab like? What speakers are in it?
You could get a half decent overdrive to sit in front of this (something like a Boss SD1) and you'd have a lot of tonal options without breaking the bank. In fact, the amp and an SD1 would probably be under 300 quid - don't know what that is in $$.
If you are gonna get an amp though don't buy too many pedals to go with it, get used to the amp first and work out what you need.
There's not a great deal of point in buying a shit load of cheap overdrive/distortion pedals to run them into a shit amp. There's actually quite a few low cost tube amps around now that are ideal for just jamming at home and home recording.
Something like this:
https://new.andertons.co.uk/p/2261006000/guitar-amp-heads/fender-bassbreaker-007-guitar-amp-head
Would probably really suit you and its only the price of 2 or 3 good quality pedals.
What's your Bugera cab like? What speakers are in it?
You could get a half decent overdrive to sit in front of this (something like a Boss SD1) and you'd have a lot of tonal options without breaking the bank. In fact, the amp and an SD1 would probably be under 300 quid - don't know what that is in $$.
If you are gonna get an amp though don't buy too many pedals to go with it, get used to the amp first and work out what you need.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
Yeah, but most of them are really just TubeScreamers. Maybe they used some fancy mojo nos components or hand wired it on turret board or made it true bypass, but it's still just a TS. The differences between most of them are about the same as turning a knob or two just a touch.
I personally can't stand the things. I keep trying from time to time because everybody seems to dig them for one thing or another, but there is almost never a time when a TS style OD actually gets me a tone I'm looking for. Most people seem to run them with the knobs most of the way down in order to get a bit of a boost without incurring quite so much of the tonal damage the pedal is capable of. At that point, though, why not just grab a clean boost, or even some EQ pedal with gain?
I've got a Boss HyperFuzz which actually might not be a bad suggestion if you really are grabbing a tube amp. I only ever use the clean boost, with just a touch of shaping from the EQ knobs, but it also has two pretty usable transistor based fuzz modes for when you want to get a little freaky. It's not some vintage fuzz face, but it's pretty versatile.
I've always been a Rat kinda guy myself. It is true that this style of circuit clips off the signal right around 1V, but that's like the peak of a loudish strum on most louder guitars, only the Rat can make most of the sustain that loud also, so if your amp was on the edge of breaking up before, it'll be working pretty hard now. But there is also the TurboRat thing, which gets about twice as loud. Either way, I never really thought the point of putting a distortion pedal into an already raging amp is to do anything good to the sound, but rather to make it all that much worse.
Tadpui
Well-known member
I like what a Tube Screamer does. They're not wildly popular and widely copied for no reason
They definitely have a specific sound, with rolled off lows and a midrange hump. It's not for everyone, but it suits my needs very well in front of a JCM800 for rock/hard rock stuff or in front a Deluxe Reverb for more blues/rock stuff. The inherent EQ of the pedal makes a good filter for other pedals in front of it as well. That's probably why it's common for people to use it as a "clean" boost: you get a nice jolt of midrange along with the boost.
They definitely have a specific sound, with rolled off lows and a midrange hump. It's not for everyone, but it suits my needs very well in front of a JCM800 for rock/hard rock stuff or in front a Deluxe Reverb for more blues/rock stuff. The inherent EQ of the pedal makes a good filter for other pedals in front of it as well. That's probably why it's common for people to use it as a "clean" boost: you get a nice jolt of midrange along with the boost.
Doesn't the amp have knobs?
No but seriously I understand all of the arguments. It makes sense. Some of my favorite tones from other people involve a TS. I just can't make it work for me.
But you like The Rat? Lol.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
At low gain setting the Rat does much the same mid-humped boost thing that the TS does. In fact, up to the point they start to clip, the two pedals are pretty similar. I don't often use for that, though. When I crank up the Rat it's for pretty specific reasons.
Like I said, I use the boost for most things. I'm not much for "switching channels" though. I don't very often want any kind of drastic change in my tone from section to section or even from song to song. I use my right hand to make changes to the amount if overdrive I'm getting, and to adjust overall tone. In fact I very often just turn the booster on and work from there.
Like I said, I use the boost for most things. I'm not much for "switching channels" though. I don't very often want any kind of drastic change in my tone from section to section or even from song to song. I use my right hand to make changes to the amount if overdrive I'm getting, and to adjust overall tone. In fact I very often just turn the booster on and work from there.
Lol. No they aren't. One is a mess of fuzzy clipped noise (The Rat) the other is a nice overdrive (Tube Screamer).
I'm with ya though on not using any of them very often. I let the guitar and amp just be what they are. I've gotten pretty keen on using the guitar's vol knob.
