Question - Order of effects???

[Phil in Az]

I'm not sure which forum to post this in so i'm doing here seeing how it seems like the most logical one.

Ok, i have a question regarding the order you should put your effects in. I am a pedal guy. I like having all my effects pedals on the floor where i can easily get to them in live situations.

My setup is as follows:

Tuner--->Morley Wah--->DS-1--->BD-2--->Sparkle Drive--->GE-7--->tremlo pedal--->Morley Volume pedal--->DD-3--->Chorus---AMP

My question is my eq (GE-7) placed properly? Is there a better spot for it in the chain?

thanks in advance for any input, phil.

[ez_willis]

There's more than you'll probably care to read about here.

[Phil in Az]

sweet, thanks!

[tarnationsauce2]

This is the signal chain I have always found to be primo!
(but of course, results may vary... everybody has different taste)

Distortion(s)/Overdrive -> Phaser/Chorus/Delay/Reverb -> EQ -> Wah -> Comp/Gate -> vol

You can play with the location of the FX (like Phaser/Verb). If the FX is before the Distortion/OD they will be more extreme, yet very colored by the distortion.
The distortion acts like a deep compressor that will make verb last longer, delay to delay longer, and chorus more extreme etc. But you also have more chance for noise! Anything placed before distortion will possibly cause more noise (sepecially a wah) or poorly built, cheap pedal.
Any EQ/ Wah I like at the end of the signal chain. That way you have control of the overall sound. Otherwise you will only have control of what's before the EQ. The wah should be at the end to cut down on noise, and that way the wah has the fullest sweep possible and is not colored by the pedal(s) after it.
Then finally is the compressor/gate. Just a teeny bit of compression to keep the big transients down. And a gate to cut hiss/noise. And finally the volume pedal and amp.
Traditionally, though, the distortion/OD would be at the end of the signal chain (built into the amp). You may be using amp distortion along with your pedals. I would still set it up how I explained.

But when all is said and done, there really is no right or wrong to do it. What matters most is the tone you get is the tone you like.

[Phil in Az]

Originally Posted by tarnationsauce2

Distortion(s)/Overdrive -> Phaser/Chorus/Delay/Reverb -> EQ -> Wah -> Comp/Gate -> vol

ok, so i rearranged my pedals to this setup and wow, the wah is WAY more pronounced. my only complaint is that when the DS-1 is in full dist mode, the wah (morley bad horsie 2) completly cuts off the distortion and it's it's a clean wah tone you hear, until i disengage it, the the distortion comes back.

has this been your experience?

oh, as for the comp/gate, can you recommend one please. what do you think of the Boss CS-3 Compresstion/Sustainer?

[tourettes5139]

Check out this article as well. Probably along the same lines as the other articles, but he has a handy way to remember it, too.

Oh, for a compressor, I would recommend Keeley's compressor. The guitarist in my recently split up band had one, and it was awesome. It is expensive, though, but worth it, IMO.

[Phil in Az]

wow, what a site. it's gonna take me days to get thru that.


i LOVE the simplicity of that pedal. $219 tho? yikes!! small price to pay for a solid peice of gear tho.

thanks man, phil

[tarnationsauce2]

Originally Posted by Phil in Az

ok, so i rearranged my pedals to this setup and wow, the wah is WAY more pronounced. my only complaint is that when the DS-1 is in full dist mode, the wah (morley bad horsie 2) completly cuts off the distortion and it's it's a clean wah tone you hear, until i disengage it, the the distortion comes back.

has this been your experience?

oh, as for the comp/gate, can you recommend one please. what do you think of the Boss CS-3 Compresstion/Sustainer?

I'm not sure about that. Seems strange. Is the DS1 a distortion pedal? If it's before the wah, the wah should not remove the distortion. Unless the wah's extreme EQ curve makes you percieve that as a clean tone.
As you said, the wah will be more pronounced since it's effecting the entire end signal, and it's not hindered by the distortion and other pedals. But sometimes that's the desired effect.
I think wah at the end is best for extreme, loud metal type solos.