Which Pedals Belong Where? Or Dont Belong Where?

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soundchaser59

Reluctant Commander
No, I'm not talking about Anatomy 101!

Git yer minds out of your DC Womanizers!

I'm just asking about using pedals with my 5.25 Express. I remember hearing a rumor that certain kinds of pedals (pedals that "pulse" the signal - whatever that means) should not be used in the fx loop (or in front of the power amp section).

So I'm wondering what kinds of pedals should never be used in the fx loop? What kinds of pedals should always be used in front of the amp, between the guitar and the input jack?? What kinds of pedals can always be best utilized in the fx loop?
 
Generally speaking, modulation and time based effects go in the loop. While the term 'pulse' or 'pulsing' is one I havn't heard, I think putting gain staging and envelope filter effects in front while keeping modulation/time in the fx loop should work okay. I

If you don't plan on using your amp's drive channel(s) and use pedals for your distortion, you can get away with modulation after your OD/Distortion boxes.
 
soundchaser59 said:
I'm just asking about using pedals with my 5.25 Express.
So I'm wondering what kinds of pedals should never be used in the fx loop? What kinds of pedals should always be used in front of the amp, between the guitar and the input jack?? What kinds of pedals can always be best utilized in the fx loop?
Click to expand...

Well, to say that "such and such type of pedal should never be used here or there" would be a bitter pill to swallow for the more adventurous amonst us. Some guys do things I would never try and have luck with it.

That said, here your list of gear, and where I think you should put it:

These go between the guitar and amp:BBE Boosta Grande (20db clean boost).
EHX Black Finger tube compressor.
Boss CS-3 compressor.
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.

These could go either place:
Boss Chorus and Phaser. (most guys would put this in the loop, or between the guitar and a very clean amp, which the Express 5:25 is not)
MXR 10 band EQ.

Additionally, if you ever get a delay or reverb pedal, it should always go after your distortion... so in the case of the Express, that means in the loop.

Peace!

~Shawn
 
eyema_believer said:
Well, to say that "such and such type of pedal should never be used here or there" would be a bitter pill to swallow for the more adventurous amonst us. Some guys do things I would never try and have luck with it.

That said, here your list of gear, and where I think you should put it:

These go between the guitar and amp:BBE Boosta Grande (20db clean boost).
EHX Black Finger tube compressor.
Boss CS-3 compressor.
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.

These could go either place:
Boss Chorus and Phaser. (most guys would put this in the loop, or between the guitar and a very clean amp, which the Express 5:25 is not)
MXR 10 band EQ.

Additionally, if you ever get a delay or reverb pedal, it should always go after your distortion... so in the case of the Express, that means in the loop.

Peace!

~Shawn
Click to expand...

Although, sometimes a delay+reverb before distortion sounds really good. You can get a really gritty spacy sound with a distorted hall reverb.
 
eyema_believer said:
Well, to say that "such and such type of pedal should never be used here or there" would be a bitter pill to swallow for the more adventurous amonst us. Some guys do things I would never try and have luck with it.
Click to expand...
See, his point proven: :rolleyes:
Grungeon said:
Although, sometimes a delay+reverb before distortion sounds really good. You can get a really gritty spacy sound with a distorted hall reverb.
Click to expand...
 
You are "supposed" to do anything, really. I run this signal chain into the front of my amp, no FX loop:

guitar -> TU-2 -> DS-1 -> DD-3 -> crybaby

It works.
 
I have tried a very fast delay up front before the other pedals just to phatten up or double the sound slightly, that seems to add something cool without being obvious or obnoxious. It sounds completely dry without it.
 
soundchaser59 said:
I have tried a very fast delay up front before the other pedals just to phatten up or double the sound slightly, that seems to add something cool without being obvious or obnoxious. It sounds completely dry without it.
Click to expand...

If it works for you, do it!
 
TelePaul said:
If it works for you, do it!
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums it up.

experiment around to see where you get the best results out of your effects in the chain.
bump1.gif
 
Hey SC, What ya playing around with pedals for when you just got a new high-end amp? Play it in pure and diddle round with the fx once its in the recorder - unless of course this is for "live" aural manipulation.

K.
 
As a starting point, I use the order that is put on an amp modeler pedal I got for xmas. Since I hate it and only use it as a noisegate, I won't name it in case some of you here use it, though some of you may figure it out by the effects order. I have found that when I abide by the order in which the modeler specifies for effects, things work out pretty well, though I rarely use anything more then an additional eq and noisegate.

Guitar
Wah
Compressor
Distortion Pedal (some people using amp distorton also use a pedal here to boost it)
Amplifier input
Amplifier gain stage
amplifier effects loop OUT
Equalizers
Noise Gates (I myself put this last, but hey, I don't use all this crap anyway)
Chorus/Delay
Reverb
amplifier effects loop IN

Again, this is just the way the modeler is setup. No hard rules here.

Two things I would never put in a loop though are distortion and compression. If you have found a way to put these two into your loop and sound good, props to you.

Otherwise these two always go prior to the preamp section.
 
K Road said:
Hey SC, What ya playing around with pedals for when you just got a new high-end amp? Play it in pure and diddle round with the fx once its in the recorder - unless of course this is for "live" aural manipulation.
K.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what it's for, K. I sold my little Vox practice amp, and I wil be using the Mesa on stage once a month. No built in fx on the Mesa, hence the pedals, but the sound quality of the little Vox was starting to grate on me after a few months of Mesa jammin! So I got rid of the Vox.
 
I didn't realize you were from the area...

HA!

What band are you in?
 
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