Pedal geeks i need u (help jjjusten make decisions about awesome pedals for his store)

All of that is true and right and good, but particularly in a gigging situation I want to go to the right sound with one stomp and not too much thought, but dynamics-responsive pedals tend to require thought and adjustment. Fine for recording, not so much for a club stage when I'm also worrying about my drums, the set list, loading in, drinking, is the mandolin tuned, is the previous band off the stage yet, did I bring extra batteries, etc.

Case in point: I like Blues Driver dirt fine, but if I put it after the boost, then that means my dirty lead tone will be more distorted than the dirty rhythm tone (because it's being driven harder, as is right and good). Which is antithetical to the goal of a clean boost.

have you tried using a compressor to even out your dynamics? i've just started using an xotic sp compressor and it does a great job of smoothing out my shitty rhythm playing and even shittier leads when i'm using dirt pedals.

In that case, I guess it goes to show that I don't play out at all. It's just me and my guitar in my bedroom.

So I got the Echoplex today and I was able to play around with it for about an hour before I had to be to work. I was really impressed with the tape delay effect. It really makes for some strange and interesting echo sounds. It doesn't have the ambient wash that the Carbon Copy does, so it's a unique addition to my palette.

I have had lots of pedals that seem to require a lot of signal to Bring the Weird (Q-Tron for example).

I have this issue with some of mine: the slow gear pedal, for one, and some of the settings on the line 6 synth emulator pedal. Putting the basic Boss Overdrive pedal ahead of them solves the problem. Dunno if that would solve your dynamics issue ... turn on OD for the "needy pedals" then turn it off for the regular ones?

I can do that but it requires multiple stomps to get the desired sound. Let us say I am playing a clean rhythm part most of the song, but then wish to play a solo with (say) envelope filter. I have to hit the boost then the effect, then play the solo, and then remember to turn both off before going back to the normal bit, and that is suboptimal on stage. Also the boost level for helping a needy pedal may be different from the boost required to simply give me the same tone only louder. Strong preference for one stomp per sound here.

You could get a switching unit and run those two pedals in an effects loop of their own. You leave them on and then one stomp on the switcher. If you don't need those in any other configuration, there are simple little 1 loop switchers for like $40.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OC1L

Thanks, that would certainly work for the needy envelope filters/ring mods etc. (he said, as his dreams of a compact and simple 6-pedal rig drifted ever further into the misty distance).

Or only buy pedals that have their own volume/gain controls.

That was the first thing I though of, but then the Q-Tron has that. Unless it was the Q-Tron Micro? But beyond that, I agree that sometimes pedals just work better in tandem with others. And getting all my pedals to make the sounds I want at unity gain is one of my least favorite parts of changing my set up.

After getting a whole ep's worth of ideas & sounds out of the Ibanez Echo Shifter (the slider especially), any other suggestions for pedals that could do interesting things to samples & synths?

boss metal zone

i wonder if the earthquaker arpanoid would be cool with synth or just redundant

Earthquaker makes, like, really specific pedals, don't they? Like they do some really cool, fun stuff, but I can't ever imagine having an Earthquaker pedal on for an entire song.

They have some really crazy ones but they have more versatile / musical pedals in their range too.

I'd be looking at stuff like the Caroline Meteore or some of the alexander effects stuff Jordan.

Do you still live in WI? this could finally be your excuse to come hang and play pedals at my shop for hours.

So, my setup has gone through some pretty big changes over the past couple of weeks — in part, prompted by this very topic. Sorry in advance for long posting.

After I received my Echoplex Delay, I found that it didn't have the sustaining quality that I love so much about the Carbon Copy —it literally just echoes without any sort of resonant wash— so I went and picked up the Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb with the hope that combining it with the Echoplex would give me some of what I was looking for in that regard. I had been anticipating the Echoplex Delay for a very long time after Jim Dunlop teased it with the disappointing Echoplex Preamp boost pedal some years back. The Echoplex Delay is almost like an analog sound with a digital delay delivery. The echoes it produces are clearly defined and perfectly natural sounding, but the more you play around with the Sustain and Volume knobs, the more weird and unique the echoes become (and, in the case of increasing the Volume past a certain point, the first two or three echoes actually become louder than the initial signal). In addition, it has the "Age" mode, which is much like the "Mod" mode on the Carbon Copy. Where the "Mod" mode on the Carbon Copy creates a slightly wavering pitch in the trails of echoing, the "Age" mode actually manages to replicate the "squeaky tape" deterioration sound of the original Echoplex units from the 70's (this can make for some truly strange manipulations). Its delay time is also a good bit longer than the Carbon Copy, maxing out at 750 milliseconds, where the Carbon Copy taps out at 600 milliseconds. Overall, it's a totally great and unique delay pedal, which absolutely met my expectations and is a very valuable addition to my pedal chain. Here's what it looked like at that point:
http://i.imgur.com/r1ZpTZB.jpg
(From left to right: Boss RC-1 Loop Station, MXR M300 Reverb, Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb, Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay, MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay, MXR M234 Analog Chorus, Boss BD-2W Waza Craft Blues Driver Overdrive and finally, Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner)

So, after playing this setup for a while, I came to the realization that my tone was just becoming muddled and incoherent. This was partially due to the Kustom KBA20 amp I was using. Previously, I had always played through my stereo, by plugging into the mic input on my Vestax mixer. When I moved to southern California last year, this would not work out any longer, so the Kustom amp was given to me by a sympathetic friend. It sufficed and I always played it with the thought in the back of my mind that it was essentially just a practice amp and I would probably get frustrated with it and want to upgrade eventually.

Anyway, back to the FRV-1. Talk about a fun pedal. Granted, it only does one very specific thing, but that thing is great. It's got that springy squelch, really wet reverb sound down perfectly. The Mixer knob just increases how "big" the reverb gets (if that makes sense), while the Tone knob increases or decreases the clarity of the guitar's dry signal. The really fun one, and where the trouble began, is the Dwell knob. This one increases the "depth" of the reverb wetness. It's where the squelchy sound that I like so much would come from. However, even in the pedal's most conservative settings, I found that it was similar to all the other problems I previously had with Boss pedals: it would just kind of suck the life and character out of my tone. It was quite a bit more responsive, as far as dynamics and how hard or soft I was playing, than the RV-3 (which, I now realize, isn't a hard thing to accomplish, as the RV-3 had basically no responsiveness). But at the more extreme settings that I preferred to use, the FRV-1 would just turn my tone to mush. And, when combining it with other pedals, forget about it. Even just combining it with the Echoplex —which is what I intended it for all along— just seemed to make an unintelligible, murky, ultimately unpleasant ambient trail that just drowned everything else out by just being overbearing (and this was regardless of my pedal ordering; no matter where I put the FRV-1, it would just hijack and commandeer my tone). And, even before all of that, just playing through the FRV-1 by itself really did alter the natural tone of my guitar, regardless of which pickups I was playing through or the settings I was using on the pedal. It's like, in addition to the reverb, it was a mid-booster. And I've never liked that range. When I was into making hip hop beats, I would always EQ my samples to have as few mids as possible, while still being recognizable. The FRV-1, while being the best Boss reverb pedal I've heard, still presented the same issues I've encountered with Boss pedals in the past.

But, before I arrived at that realization full stop, I decided enough was enough and that it was finally time to deal with my amplifier situation. I knew I wanted a tube amp, but not something crazy big and loud and full of extra features and on board effects that I don't care about. Volume, bass and treble knobs were all I was after. After all, I play in my bedroom, by myself, for myself; no reason to go overboard. So, after milling around at Guitar Center for over an hour, reading specs and looking up amp reviews online on my phone, I just decided to go with the name that I know and which has left an impression on me since I saw Archy Marshall play one three years ago:
http://i.imgur.com/z7cn6FK.jpg

Granted, he plays an AC30 and this is only an AC4, but the idea remains the same: Vox amp = warm, tubey clarity. I got it home and warmed up and it literally took me five minutes of trying to reconcile the FRV-1's domineering nature before I realized that it sounded exactly the way I wanted without the FRV-1. Besides, I recently got the MXR M300 Reverb, and while I liked the idea of having multiple reverbs, it did so much more than the FRV-1, without compromising my tone so significantly (and, furthermore, it has a built-in "Spring" setting that will give me that wet, squelchy surf-inspired reverb if I ever want it). So, I decided to take advantage of Guitar Center's 45 day return policy and get something else. Namely, not a Boss pedal.

Going backwards for a bit: there was a time when I played, all the time, with a generous bit of Chorus. It fulfilled my needs to be as bright and jangly as possible. First, I used the TC Electronic Corona Mini Chorus (as seen here — look how far to the right the Depth and FX Level knobs are turned!). If I was playing, it was on. I started to get away from this about a year ago after I had toiled away with the Corona and the TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger to the point of frustration. Here's where I was at a year ago.

Unhappy in the long term with the two TC Electronic pedals, I decided to trade them in and start fresh. This is when I got the MXR M234 Analog Chorus. It's a much more subtle chorus pedal than most of its peers. And it has a lot more knobs, so you can dial in a really nuanced chorus tone. At this time, I had not yet arrived at my general distaste for Boss pedals, so I went with their PH-3 Phase Shifter to try and get some more colors in my sound. Having played on it for about six or eight months, I can say with absolutely no disrespect intended that it's a very silly pedal. It does make a very wet, resonating phasing effect while using any of the numbered settings on the Stage knob (which all have differences I'm sure, but which you can't really distinguish between them when combining with other pedals or instruments). The "Rise", "Fall" and "Step" modes on the Stage knob are all very fun to play with —the "Step" mode in particular generating some really psychedelic sounds— I just can't imagine a practical use for any of them. I certainly never used them in any serious context. The tap tempo mode was a cool feature, but very hard to master and I eventually just gave up on it altogether. Also, the PH-3 is a very expensive pedal for just a single effect stomp box. I was very "meh" on Boss pedals by the time I decided to trade it (and the RV-3) in a couple weeks ago.

I still wanted something to make my tone more weird, or even psychedelic at times, so when I was ultimately disappointed with the FRV-1, I decided to look into tremolo effects, or something similar. I've really become a convert and big fan of Jim Dunlop and MXR products, so I was really looking to get another one of their pedals. Kind of in a rush, as I have contracted a head cold and was not feeling in the shopping mood, I decided to switch the FRV-1 for the MXR M68 Uni-Vibe. Although it is advertised as a chorus and vibrato effect, after using it for just a day, I can honestly say that label is severely limiting. With the Depth and Level knobs, it nearly emulates a tremolo sound at the right settings and when you enter "Vibe" mode, this becomes even more distinct. Plus, the LED indicator light pulses to match the rate at which you've set the Speed knob. I normally don't set the Speed knobs very high on chorus and flange pedals, so this is kind of a negligible feature for me, but still an undeniably cool one. I'm still very much in the honeymoon phase with it at this point, but I really can't see it becoming a decision that I regret.

So, after all of that, here's a close up of my pedal chain now:
http://i.imgur.com/m4EQURC.jpg
(From left to right: Boss RC-1 Loop Station, MXR M300 Reverb, MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay, Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay, MXR M234 Analog Chorus, MXR M68 Uni-Vibe, Boss BD-2W Waza Craft Blues Driver Overdrive and finally, Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner)

Playing a Fender Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster into a Vox AC3. We'll see where this takes me.

So not even a day has passed and I have parted ways with my last tone-altering Boss pedal. I was playing fairly loud this morning, trying to push my new amp into warm distortion when I realized I liked the way it responded to my guitar all the way up with the master and gain knobs at about three o'clock. I could achieve the same thing with the Blues Driver on lower settings, but I had the same problem as before: it just turned my overall sound into an amorphous blob of mush. I never noticed it with the Kustom amp because, honestly, that thing turned everything to mush regardless of whether or not I was using the Blues Driver. But, with a decent amp, it became very apparent that the Blues Driver was not doing something I desired. So, ever since I got rid of the Phase Shifter, I've felt like a phaser was an effect I could really have some use for, but that the PH-3 was just not the right fit. Upon seeing a TC Electronic Helix Phaser in the used pedal case at Guitar Center, I decided that that was as good a sign as any that I should give the Phaser and TC another shot. After playing on it for a couple hours this afternoon, I am cautiously optimistic about it. Still not sold on the whole Toneprint thing (why would you want to just copy someone else without putting anything of your own into it?). It does have the very cool ability to switch between "Vintage" and "Smooth" modes, so it's almost like two really basic, but good, phasers in one stompbox. Lik I said, still have reservations about TC stuff, but for now, it does what I want with some possibilities for more exploration.

I like some of the bubbly burbly effects on the PH-3 (Step especially), but I agree they aren't very musically useful. Haven't tried the Helix. Glad it is working for you, Austin.

Personally I like the Phase 90 for just adding a touch of weird. When I want burbly I have a few different options in the flanger / ring mod / envelope filter / auto wah category. As noted I usually put the AW-3 Dynamic Wah in there, but it is a compromise choice. At various times that slot has been occupied instead by a Q-Tron, Fab Flange, or green DOD Envelope Filter (440 maybe? I sold it years ago because it was way too needy).

I'd be looking at stuff like the Caroline Meteore or some of the alexander effects stuff Jordan.

Do you still live in WI? this could finally be your excuse to come hang and play pedals at my shop for hours.

i do, where is your store again?

thanks for the recommendations everybody.

I'm in lovely and talented West Saint Paul. Mapquest link on here www.eclipsemusic.org

Huh. That did not work. Www.eclipsemusic.org

k that's what i thought. i'll be in the cities a couple times this fall for gigs, will try to come by! especially if i can try pedals through a keyboard, not a guitar.

he let me try pedals with my theremin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gja9wBkz6U

A lot like that only I suck

Anyone can bring anything that vaguely resembles an instrument into my shop, and I will plug it into pedals with you until it is either beautiful or terrifying or hopefully both.

*grabs bagpipes, gets on flight to minnesota*

wanna mic my otamatone and run it through pedals

I just picked up an Otamatone Deluxe so I could do that. It's a lot of fun.

You guys act like I'm kidding.

So, another day, another change in my pedal rig. But, honestly, I think I'm actually there this time. I finally broke down and got a multiple isolated output power supply, which did away with all the One Spots I was using to power my pedals, and subsequently, also got rid of a huge amount of hum in my overall sound. While I was at Guitar Center, I couldn't stay away from the pedal case, so I saw an open box discounted Fulltone Supa Trem tremolo unit and decided to go for it. When I got it home, I found it was a faulty unit, as the only knob that did anything was the volume knob (which provided a pretty substantial boost, but that's not what I bought it for). So, when I took it back, I almost caved and just got the Boss TR-2 tremolo pedal, but thought twice and decided to get another TC Electronic pedal; this time the Viscous Vibe. I really love how dirty the Uni-Vibe sounds in chorus mode, but definitely leaves something to be desired in the diversity department, so I thought maybe a second vibe pedal would give me a little more range in that department. First, the bad: despite having a volume knob, even when it's turned all the way up, the Viscous Vibe really lowers the overall signal you send into it. And I really don't understand or like how the "Speed" knob is so much bigger than the other knobs. In my opinion, the most important knob on the unit is the "Intensity" one and it's tiny. Personal preference, maybe. Whatever. Other than that, the overall "vibe" of the pedal gets a lot deeper than the Uni-Vibe if you dial up the "Intensity" knob. But, even at its most extreme settings, it just has an overall less harsh sound than the Uni-Vibe, really giving off a much more mellow ebbing and flowing. I've decided to keep both for now, because the two combined with some delay and reverb really makes for some wonderful, dreamy sounds.

So, the more I used the two vibe pedals in unison, the more I noticed that it was making the kind of sounds I was hoping to get from the Helix Phaser all along. Yesterday it occurred to me that I hadn't even turned the Helix on in two days. So, I decided to get back into it and play around with settings. That's when I noticed that, when dialed into more extreme settings, there was a very noticeable high pitch oscillating sound that was totally intrusive. This, coupled with the basic obsolescence of the pedal in my new rig, encouraged me to take the Helix back today. I saw the Earthquaker Devices pedal the Depths in their used case last time I was there, but I think I got it confused with their other octopus-decorated Tentacle unit, assumed it was a fuzz pedal (and therefore, not for me) and ignored it. I looked it up on my phone while I was there, discovered that not only was I indeed mistaken, but that this was quite possibly the one I was really looking for. Got it home and was immediately impressed with the palette of the device. While combining it with the Viscous Vibe and/or the Uni-Vibe is overkill, it has enough singularity to it where it's able to get to a mellower, more aqueous tone that neither other of the "vibe" pedals can quite achieve. And, especially at more conservative settings, combined with the MXR Analog Chorus, it creates such a warm, jangly tone the likes of which I've been aspiring for since I purchased a Squier Telecaster five years ago.

So, anyway, here we are currently:
http://i.imgur.com/Hbed7xy.jpg
From left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M300 Reverb
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay
MXR M68 Uni-Vibe
TC Electronic Viscous Vibe
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
And finally, Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

Maybe one day I'll learn to just trust my gut and stop wasting my time with these cookie cutter pedal companies. The Viscous Vibe's volume problem really started to bug me this morning when I was playing with its settings and it just kept coming up with random volume dropouts. Dialing the "Intensity" knob revealed that I most likely had a faulty unit, as it kept dropping the signal entirely only to come back at seeming random — sometimes when I was touching it, sometimes not. On top of that, when it was working properly, I would hit the bypass switch and the unit would stay on for another three to five seconds after the indicator LED went off. Maddening. And the louder I turned up my amp, the more "stock" its overall sound started to become to me. I needed to get rid of it. So, I decided I would give another phase shifter a go and went with a name I trust completely: MXR. Even though I could care less about anything Eddie Van Halen has done, I decided to go with the EVH90 model of the Phase 90 because it seemed too simple to pass up: one knob and one mode-switching button. In my more critical moments, I would say that was the main problem with the Boss PH-3 and the TC Electronic Helix: too many knobs, too many modes, too many extras added on to a sub-par initial effect. And, immediately upon engaging the Phase 90, I was sold on the subtle, warm and bubbling base effect. Even at its lowest setting, it creates a subtle, but pronounced phasing. The further you dial the knob to the right, the more intense it becomes. No volume knobs to mess with the dry signal and no sloppy ephemeral sounds when you dial up the intensity. The "Script" mode is easily the more attractive setting here, as it feels like a more unified and smoother interpretation of the base effect. If I have one complaint about the pedal, it's that the "Script" button does not light up when engaged (like the similarly styled "Mod" button does on the Carbon Copy). Oh well, that's a minor complaint, as the two sounds are pretty distinct from one another once you get to know the pedal.

So, here we are again:
http://i.imgur.com/qLRm8Jd.jpg
From left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M300 Reverb
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay
MXR M68 Uni-Vibe
MXR EVH90 Phase 90
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
And finally, hopefully for good this time, Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

With the Phase 90 in place and doing good work, I was able to plug in and record some songs I've been kicking around these last few months. So, after more than a year of frustration, pedal burnout, and enough personal issues to fill another thread (and, of course, the creative stagnation and writer's block that comes with all of that), I've finally updated my Bandcamp page with four new songs: https://austinato.bandcamp.com/album/2016-demos

Fair warning: many a moody jangle to be heard.

I cannot stop!

With all the recent changes and my renewed creative interest and personal satisfaction, I thought it would be a great time to expand my horizons further into the effect that I hold most esteemed: delay. Feeling like I already had two extremely well done and distinct-sounding delays with the Carbon Copy and the Echoplex, I wanted to get something out of the ordinary and maybe even niche. I decided to go with the always eye-catching Catalinbread because they make two very highly regarded with the Belle Epoch and the Echorec. It wasn't really a hard choice since I just got the Echoplex a little while back and the Belle Epoch is basically Catalinbread's version of the Echoplex: no need to duplicate that tape echo effect (at least not right now; I may end up getting the Belle Epoch anyway). So, the Echorec it was. Not knowing much about it going in, I had no idea what I was getting into. And, after playing on it for a few days, I can say honestly and accurately that this thing is absolutely fucking crazy. Besides making the most diverse and insane self-oscillating noises, its delay time maxes out at 1000 (!) milliseconds. The twelve different settings, especially when combined with my two other more conventional delays, pretty much sets me up for infinite amounts of echo varieties. The "Tone", "Mix" and "Swell" knobs are all much more diverse than similarly labeled knobs on other delay pedals and it even has a modulation control, which gets really warbly and strange at more intense settings (though you do have to open the pedal up to access this "knob"). My only complaint is that the numbered setting knob does not click and lock into each position. Instead, it rotates freely, so it's kind of hard to gauge where you move from one setting into another. Overall, though: fan-freakin'-tastic.

Here's where we're at:
http://i.imgur.com/bRqNQYG.jpg

I've definitely been there, swapping out pedal after pedal trying to get just the right sound. My pedalboard has been small and stable for a few months now. I've got a Team Awesome Fuzz Machine by Smallsound/Bigsound, which to my understanding is based on Fuzz Face circuit, but with lots of midrange control and a clean blend to help keep the low end for bass. And then I've just got two Earthquaker Devices - the Depths and the Hummingbird (v3). I've had both of these pedals before and sold them off in search of other sounds, but ended up regretting it. Although to be fair, the v1 Hummingbird was kind of a one-trick pony, even if it was a really cool trick.

Catalinbread's got some great stuff! I might want their Adineko delay someday. I'll never forget when jjjusten teased that he'd be stocking them at his store:

I'll give you a hint - felineprincedrumcashmoney

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Friday, February 1, 2013 11:14 AM (three years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

loved my catalinbread belle epoch, i wish i hadn't sold it :(

still got the talisman reverb tho, it's gorgeous

After playing on the Echorec for about a week, I was mostly using the first (and most basic) delay setting, while not really finding any use for the more complex modes. I decided that, while it was a really outstanding device, it was made with more advanced players in mind and I'm just not yet at that stage. So I returned it and swapped it out for the Belle Epoch. First, my main complaint about it (which is in two parts) A): if you open the pedal and put it into true bypass mode, the echos turn very tinny. Like, your first strum goes off without issue, but then each successive echo turns more trebly than the last until you're left with what essentially amounts to a soft click sound. By that point, the echo is very quiet, so if you're playing a lot of notes or chords through it, it's not noticeable, but if you're playing more sparse, it definitely is apparent. In buffered mode, this is not an issue at all, as every echo retains all of its fullness. So, in buffered mode it stays. Which would be fine if it weren't for B): it is a very hissy pedal. And, since it sounds better in buffered mode, this means it is always at least partially engaged, so there is always some hiss in my overall output. I tried messing with the preamp booster (also located inside the pedal), but the higher your turn it, the louder the hiss becomes (and it also starts to distort your echos if it is turned up far enough, which might appeal to some players, but not me). Otherwise, with five knobs, it is a much more nuanced pedal than the Echoplex. You can dial in some really unusual delay types, with all kinds of odd volume shifts. The effect of the "Mod" knob isn't very attractive, I have to say. I much prefer the natural warble of the Echoplex's "Age" mode to the Belle Epoch's somewhat goofy wooz modulations. The self-oscillation is pretty cool and much more intense than any other self-oscillating delay I've heard, but it gets very hissy very quickly, so you can't set the "Echo Sustain" knob very high without compromising a bit of clarity. Overall though, it's a wonderful and unique tape echo delay and I've already started to incorporate it into some old songs because of its fullness and warmth. It sounds especially great with the fully boosted Uni-Vibe in chorus mode right behind it in my pedal chain. However, the Uni-Vibe is also a very hissy pedal (especially when you turn the "Level" knob all the way up), so it does make for a very compromised output.

Finding myself with a now much noisier rig, I went to look into a noise gate pedal to hopefully balance some of that out. Decided to go with a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor. I got it home, fully read the manual on how to properly set up an effects loop into the pedal and got it all dialed in. I was really pleased when I initially engaged the pedal, as all my hissy signal was completely gone. However, I don't think I properly understood how exactly a noise gate works because as soon as I hit a chord, I was able to hear all of the static and hiss over my playing. Granted, as soon as I stopped playing, so went the static and hiss, but to my ears it was far more grating and intrusive to have this hiss coming and going along with my playing. So, I decided to take it back and just settled for a Boss TR-2 Tremolo unit. I did have a TR-2 many years ago when I bought my first Squier Telecaster, but at that point I was only into delay and reverb on my playing, so I didn't have much use for it. I know I was kind of slagging off Boss pedals earlier, but I only really have issue with the mere adequacy of their pedals. And, as far as a trem unit goes, I only really want adequate pedal, so I know I've kind of settled going back to the TR-2, but it does what I want it to do, so fair enough.

I couldn't stay away from Guitar Center on my day off, so I went in with the thought that if they had something interesting in the used case, I would take a chance. Finding myself using the Carbon Copy less and less, I thought it would wonderful if I could find another analog delay that I liked and stack it with the Carbon Copy (I find myself now stacking the Belle Epoch and the Echoplex most of the time). What I found was not one, but two Boss DD-7 Digital Delays in the used case at Guitar Center. Spent a few minutes looking it up on my phone and then asked if I could try it out, as I was very weary of a Boss delay pedal. After a few minutes playing around with it, I was immediately impressed with the "Analog" mode. The "Reverse" mode seemed fun as well, so I decided to go for it. As I get more finicky about what kind of delay sounds I like, I have found the idea of a tap tempo setting to be more and more attractive. The DD-7 has a built-in tap tempo mode and I was eager to try it out when I got home. I was also very intrigued by the "Long Mode" of the DD-7, which can be entered by plugging the in-going signal into port B and the outgoing signal into port A, which doubles the amount of delay time in all settings. So, get it home I did, only to find that the unit I had purchased had been very mistreated by its previous owner to the point that the poor thing had a glitch which would cause it to act like the operator had quickly fiddled the "D. Time" knob every twenty to fourty seconds. With the DD-7, you can enter tap tempo mode whenever you like, but as soon as the "D. Time" knob is adjusted, tap tempo mode is immediately exited. So, this meant that, the most attractive new feature for me was unusable. I returned it and purchased a new DD-7 in its place. Happy to say that it functions just fine and I'm having a lot of fun (not to mention saving a lot of time) not bending over to adjust knobs and simply dialing in my echos with my foot. So much so that I've now ordered the MXR Tap mini pedal to plug into the Echoplex to give me the same capability with that pedal.

So, here we are again, now with four delays:
http://i.imgur.com/wl3S9ud.jpg
From left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M300 Reverb
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay
Boss DD-7 Digital Delay
MXR M68 Uni-Vibe
Catalinbread Belle Epoch Tape Echo
MXR EVH90 Phase 90
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
Boss TR-2 Tremolo
And Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

this looks sweet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i3UzU-4PGc

Hologram Dream Sequence sequencer/arpeggiator/pitch shifter/etc

omg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx6aUDvzKUE

This looks cool:
http://www.jimdunlop.com/product/phase-95

Downsizing! That's the word I'm now interested in. After I got my MXR M199 Tap Tempo mini pedal, I was using the DD-7 and the Echoplex exclusively because I could adjust the level, number of echos and modulation after tuning up and then just tap in the delay times for every song, really simplifying everything. They sounded great when stacked as well, so that was just a bonus. In fact, I was so pleased with the DD-7 that I removed the Belle Epoch from my pedal chain entirely, which cut out a lot of hiss. So, as it was just sitting there, I also realized that the Carbon Copy was now being neglected as well, so I removed that one too. So impressed was I with the DD-7 that I started to look into Boss' more advanced delay pedals: the RE-20 Space Echo and the DD-500 Digital Delay. Upon research, I realized that the DD-500 was everything in the DD-7, plus a ton more modes and options. My Belle Epoch and DD-7 were still well within Guitar Center's 45 day return period, so I decided I would take them back and apply that to a DD-500. I also, for the sake of cleaning house, decided that my Carbon Copy had served me well for these past three or four years, but that I had simply grown out of it, and resigned to selling it to their used gear counter.

Get the DD-500 home and I'm just blown away at how customizable everything about it is. It allows for so much tweaking and dialing in of the base effects that you can literally get three or four distinct palettes from just one of the twelve main settings, setting me up for an indeterminate amount of fresh ideas for the foreseeable future.

Here's a quick rundown of all the modes. . .
Standard — Just what it says on the tin: Boss' modern basic digital delay. I haven't maxed out the delay time, so I'm unsure just how far it goes, but it definitely covers my needs.

Analog — The same faithful recreation that was found in the DD-7's "Analog" mode. It has three different "Stage" settings, which allow for longer delay times the higher you set it. Awesome.

Tape — This one does offer an emulation of the Echoplex, but I prefer the setting that emulates the RE-201 Space Echo, as the Echoplex setting doesn't compare with the Jim Dunlop pedal of the same name. Has the option to incorporate different permutations of the three tape heads. Excellent.

Vintage Digital — Probably the biggest surprise in the whole package for me. It offers three different variations of Boss and Roland's early 80's SDE-2000, SDE-3000 and DD-2 digital delay effects and all three of them are completely warm and full. Really almost worth it for the whole package for this one set of features.

Dual — I played with this one a little bit, but found it a little hard to grasp at this point. Will need to acquaint myself with it some more before I make an assessment.

Pattern — One of the most tweakable modes, it has a total of sixteen different positions to assign different placements in the echo to. It can create some really abstract echos, much like the Catalinbread Echorec, but lends itself much more to customization. You can get an absolutely huge sound out of it, in any case. Great for what it is, but will probably be used very conservatively, as it can become untamed pretty quickly.

Reverse — Another carryover from the DD-7, I had a tough time nailing down how exactly this one works on the DD-7 and I'm still not there yet with the DD-500. I assumed it would simply echo back what was played through it in reverse, but it doesn't quite do that. It's hard to explain what exactly is happening, but it echos back a sort of half-forward/half-reversed sound that isn't very nice. I will need to look further into the settings for this one, as maybe some tweaking will lead me into a better understanding.

SFX — A really fun sound that samples whatever is played through the pedal and plays it back at the user-defined rate. You can go from clean delays to warm 32-bit sounds into all out static white noise. I prefer the less harsh settings of course, as it can conjure tones not that unlike those from old Nintendo games.

Shimmer — Going on the name alone, I expected something entirely different, as this one makes mostly really disturbing sounds. What is does is alter the pitch of the echos in various user-defined ways. The factory preset setting was a total buzzkill when I first flipped over to this one, I have to say. But, the more I dialed it back into more conservative territory, the more I came to like it. It has a very naturally wavering modulation that can sound like an analog delay, but in a digital presentation. I can see a lot of potential for this one.

Filter — At more extreme settings, this one nearly emulates the "Step" mode from the PH-3 Phase Shifter. But, as a delay, it offers up a really nice combo of phaser sounds and modulating echos in one go. I prefer a less wild setting, with milder phasing, but enough bubbling modulation to get a more unique sort of delay (the kind of which I used to use multiple pedals to achieve, I might add).

Slow Attack — Maybe I'm not understanding things properly, but this does what I expected the "Reverse" mode to do. I play, and then it echos back what I played, backwards. You can set the rate at which your playing triggers the effect i.e. at less extreme settings softer picked playing goes through untouched, while more aggressively picked playing comes back in echos reversed. I played on it for all of about two minutes before I set it to the most sensitive setting, because why not utilize the effect to its full potential all the time?

Tera Echo — This is the one I was most eager to try out, as I've always been really intrigued by the idea of the Tera Echo pedal. And there was always some amount of mystery surrounding it. Was it a delay? No, not really. Was it a reverb? Not exactly. Was it a flanger or a chorus or a phaser? No, but it takes its cues from those types of effects. So, what the hell is it? The final answer is that it's a somewhat confounding mix of all those things, but with a little bit of smoke and mirrors. Is it a really paradigm-shifting, mind-blowing effect that will change your approach to playing altogether? Absolutely not even close. But, it is a strange little curiosity of an effect that will definitely quench my sporadic thirst for some spacey sounds. Ultimately, am I glad that I never shelled out the $150 for the TE-2 Tera Echo unit on its own? Without question. But, I can't really be mad its inclusion here, as it's almost like a bonus feature to the main pedal itself.

And, on top of all that, each mode allows for countless ways to tweak the effect. Everything from being able to assign the time signature of the notes in each echo, to full EQ'ing capabilities for your echos to more exorbitant and flashy abilities like changing the sound of the actual base effect (which then opens up another door entirely for what is essentially another mode) in at least half of the modes. There is room on the pedal's internal drive to save up to 200 different variations of these various tweaks, each new variation of which the pedal refers to as a "Patch." With the ability to switch between patches using the three foot switches and a dedicated tap tempo foot switch, it really does a significant amount of work for such a small and relatively inexpensive device. Literally no cons at this point. Very impressed.

After all that, I was loving the less hiss of my rig and wanted even less, so I decided to remove the Uni-Vibe for the time being, as I can basically dial in a similar tone combining the Depths and the Phase 90. And speaking of the Phase 90, it is on its way out, as I have already pre-ordered MXR's new Phase 95 (which I posted about above), which combines everything from my EVH Phase 90 with everything in the Phase 45 into device. So, as soon as I get that, my EVH Phase 90 will be obsolete. So, perhaps I'll trade the Uni-Vibe and the EVH Phase 90 back in for something different. Dunno, we'll see where things take me.

Here it is for now:
http://i.imgur.com/n2lztpl.jpg
From left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M300 Reverb
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay ——>MXR M199 Tap Tempo
Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
MXR EVH90 Phase 90
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
Boss TR-2 Tremolo
And Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

Finding myself increasingly impatient to replace the Uni-Vibe with a similar sound and simultaneously getting old frustrations with the TR-2 rushing back, I decided to make another trip to Guitar Center. The Uni-Vibe has a damn great sound, it's just so friggin' hissy. Trust me when I say that it hurt me more than a little bit to actually admit to being semi-disappointed with a pedal from my revered MXR. And, with the TR-2, maybe I'm crazy, but it felt like, no matter how mellow or intense the setting, it would drop the volume —as it was supposed to— but it would never rise back to the initial level, essentially lowering my overall signal whenever it was engaged. Threw in the Phase 90 because the Phase 95 is on its way and I had a bunch of store credit to use. So, use it up I did. I knew I still wanted a Uni-Vibe type effect and a tremolo in my pedal chain, but I have become very picky by this point, so I was hoping to continue my luck with the used gear case and come up with something off the mainstream brand radar. Granted, I do have the Depths and love it very much and that one is sort of like a Uni-Vibe, but it's got an, uhm, deeper sound. So, anyway. The Fulltone brand got my attention with its odd-shaped Deja Vibe. I was hesitant to go for one of their pedals after my bad experience with the open box Supa Trem, but when I asked to see the Deja Vibe, I saw that the box it came in was hand numbered and inspected — my kind of stuff. The used case was kind to me once again, as I picked out the Mini Trem from the Black Cat pedal company — not a name I'm familiar with, but a quick search on my phone returned overwhelmingly positive reviews. Couple that with the presence of "Tone" and "Boost" knobs and I knew I had found a keeper. Rounding out the day with another Fulltone pedal, this time the simple but totally useful 2B Booster.

The Deja Vibe is very nice. Not hissy at all, even when you turn the volume all the way (it does start to provide a slight boost after you turn past about three o'clock). You can really slow the speed of the effect down, which I like to do while turning the "Intensity" knob all the way up, making a really warm and slow burn of an effect. There are two switches on the unit: one to switch between Chorus mode and Vibrato mode and one to switch between Modern and Vintage tones (Vintage is better, duh). The vibrato mode is pretty intense and, just like with the Uni-Vibe, I don't really see myself using it that much. But the chorus mode is so luscious and nice. And not hissy one bit.

The Black Cat Mini Trem does not offer a wave control knob like the TR-2, but that's the only category where it loses to the TR-2. It has two foot switches: one to engage the effect and one which either doubles or cuts the rate of the effect in half. The "Boost" and "Tone" knobs are really powerful. The "Tone" knob is basically a treble control, which is very nice since the thing can get a little hissy and the "Boost" can actually push my amp into distortion at higher settings. The LED indicator pulses with the speed of the effect, allowing for quick adjustments in the middle of a song when you can't hear it precisely. Overall, it would be nice to be able to tame the unit's less than subtle wave from loud to quiet, but with the "Depth" knob at the right setting, it kind of works itself out.

And the 2B, which was purchased as a curiosity and which has totally impressed me. "But it's just a clean boost pedal" you say. That may be true, but the key word there is "clean." At the front of my pedal chain it provides a hearty, no-nonsense boost to my uneffected signal that really cleans everything up and sends it off to the rest of my effects nice and juiced up. No hiss, no hum, nothing here except pure and warm tonal clarity. There is a very small "Dynamics" knob in addition to the main knob, but as far as I can tell, it's a compressor of sorts, so I've messed with it a little, but I find that it does best when left turned all the way down.

http://i.imgur.com/jrbAlcI.jpg
From left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M300 Reverb
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay ——>MXR M199 Tap Tempo
Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
Fulltone MDV-1 Deja Vibe
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
Black Cat Mini Trem Tremolo
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
Full 2B Booster
And Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

First things first: I love my Telecaster. Truly, I do. All these pedal changes and searching for different tones may lead some to believe that it hasn't been the effects I've been trying out, but the guitar itself that's the problem. But I have never wavered in my affection for my Tele. Its dynamics and warmth are unmatched.

And yet.

I've been thinking about getting a second guitar for some time now. Ultimately, my goal was to get a Rickenbacker. But, forget that; they're simply not in my price range at this juncture. I went in circles for about an hour: should I go for one of those semi-hollow bodied Grestch beasts? Get a Tele Deluxe reissue? Just say, "Fuck it", go to the dark side and get a Strat? Or what about a cheaper Les Paul model?

Eventually (and perhaps, inevitably), I came back around to Fender and decided to get the next best single coil guitar I knew of: the Jazzmaster. It's a **long sigh**. . . it's a Squier. But still, even the Squiers these days are pretty friggin' nice and run upwards of $400. This one is kind of cheesy, as it's the J. Mascis "signature" model. Enh, whatever. Just give me those single coils. It's a very nice color scheme, being polished white with a flat gold pick guard. It sits very nicely next to my butterscotch blonde Tele. As I always do with a new guitar, I restrung it immediately upon getting it home. I used some D'Addario nickel wound 10/46s. Not my first choice (would have preferred something heavier and flat wound), but it's what I had on hand, so it will do for now. First impressions: it's a very bright guitar, although I imagine that's partly due to the strings. And wow, really easy to just pick up and play. I was able to go through several songs without much breaking in and/or familiarizing myself with the thing. I'd wager myself to be a very novice player and expected a learning curve as such, so that was a nice surprise.

Going backwards a bit, I was so used to driving down to Lake Forest and getting straight off the freeway to go to work everyday that it never occurred to me that there is indeed a Guitar Center directly kitty-corner from my job. So, after an early morning shift a few days ago, I popped in to check out their used gear and maybe find something cool. Nothing really to write home about in the used case (I'm pretty sure it was all overdrive, fuzz and distortion pedals). However, in the shelf next to the used stuff, there was open box and clearance items and something immediately caught my eye: there was a ZVex pedal in there! They're pretty visually enticing little units anyway, but they're totally a boutique company and how one ended up in this unlikely place in Guitar Center is a mystery. So, I rescued it. The pedal in question is the Vextron Distortron. Now, I know I've been pretty outspoken about my ideas on fuzz/OD/disto pedals, but I simply couldn't let this one slide. It was ~literally~ more than half off its MSRP. In the past, I've owned the MXR Prime Distortion and I wasn't completely wowed by it (and maybe that had to do with the fact that I was trying to use it with an acoustic). But that was kind of a misguided experience all around. This is completely different, because it's a really well made pedal (not that the Prime Distortion isn't; it's just a budget pedal and is only as good as such a thing can be). At this point, I've basically only been using it as another, more harsh boost right after the 2B. The "Subs" switch is completely great, altering the body of the sound (I like position 3 the best, as it really deepens the signal). The "Drive" knob is where the most power lies (well, that and the "Gain" switch), so I've learned to mostly back off that one. It's got a really engaging vibe to it overall and, if nothing else, I can definitely save it for a rainy day as trade bait.

As much I dug the Black Cat Mini Trem, it was a really noisy pedal. And, especially after hearing what the 2B was capable of without any added hiss whatsoever, I am starting to have very little patience for noisy units. So, gone it is. No more trem for now.

And the wait is finally over, as I received my MXR M290 Phase 95 Mini in the mail today. Let me just get this out of the way right now: it kicks fucking ass. It's literally four of MXR's previous phase pedals in one box. And the price! $100!! Just absolute win. While I do miss the big knob on the EVH90, the sound of this thing and what it's capable of more than make up for it. I'd never played on the Phase 45 before, so that mellow monster of a tone is completely new and totally seducing to me. I can't help but think it's destined to become the standard by which all phasers are judged. Not much else to say, except that I really see no reason whatsoever to take it out of "Script" mode in any situation. Such a massive achievement for MXR.

So, here it all is:
http://i.imgur.com/KRRoDne.jpg
Back row from left to right:
Fender Telecaster
Fender Squier Jazzmaster
Vox AC4

Front row from left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M300 Reverb
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay ——>MXR M199 Tap Tempo
Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
MXR M290 Phase 95 Mini Phase
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
Fulltone MDV-1 Deja Vibe
MXR M234 Analog Chorus
ZVex Vextron Distortron Distortion
Fulltone 2B Booster
And Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

So, just a couple of quick updates and thoughts. . .

After not really finding a use for it, I decided to return the Deja Vibe, also with the realization that I don't think "vibe" pedals are really my thing.

(Especially after today's mishap, but we'll get to that)

I was so excited when Boss announced the Waza Craft version of the CE-2 chorus pedal, I ordered it right away. After playing on it for a matter of minutes two things became readily apparent: 1) The "Standard" mode is okay, but the real deal is the "CE-1" mode. So amazingly lush. And 2) I had finally found a Boss pedal that could usurp an MXR unit. As much as I love the MXR Analog Chorus, I have to admit that it is a little hissy if I dial the treble knob as high as I would like to have it. So, this meant I always went easy on the treble, despite wanting a little more. The CE-2w rectifies the situation, as it does away with tone controls and leaves a (by comparison) very small residual hiss in its tracks. It's such a wonderful pedal, I almost have to not use it most of the time because I feel like I'm spoiling myself. So great.

In the place of the Deja Vibe, I went for a wildcard in the used pedal case in the form of the Empress Effects Nebulus multi-effects modulation pedal. I was really excited to try new chorus types after the CE-2w came in and swept me off my feet. And hey, the Nebulus was also a vibe and flanger, all in one. There had to be something there worthwhile, right? Uhh, no. This thing is an overrated joke of a pedal. Everything about it is so unremarkable. From the bland, predictable chorus tones to the laughably bad flange, I forced myself to play on it for over an hour, looking for something that's just not there. Soon as I have another day off, it's getting returned.

Ditched the ZVex Distortron out of my pedal chain for now, but I'm holding on to it (and the MXR Analog Chorus) for what, I don't know. Just doesn't feel right to let them go just yet. I like the Distortron, it just made my tone a little too hot; not really into that sort of thing right now.

Also visited the Lake Forest Guitar Center again out of curiosity and found the Boss FBM-1 '59 Fender Bassman amp replicator pedal for $60. Pairs great with the Fulltone 2B and makes my jangles come out a little fuller than normal, so I'm happy with it. Certainly not a game-changer of a pedal, but I've definitely found a good home for it.

Also been messing around with the order of my effects. The modulation effects can get a little hissy, so putting them before the boosters magnified that. So, I've decided to put the boosters right in the middle of everything. Makes for a much cleaner end result. Pretty good rig at this point — I'm actually really happy with it.

http://i.imgur.com/7O2gbl1.jpg

From left to right:
Boss RC-1 Loop Station
MXR M290 Phase 95 Mini Phase
Earthquaker Devices The Depths
Boss CE-2w Waza Craft Chorus
Boss FBM-1 '59 Fender Bassman
Fulltone 2B Booster
MXR M300 Reverb
Jim Dunlop EP103 Echoplex Delay ——>MXR M199 Tap Tempo
Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
And Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner

You might want to play with the order of your pedals. If you don't have a loop, quite a few people go with having the delays & modulation more at the end of the signal path. Usually you want anything that is going to boost/distort the signal at the front. There is also something to be said in a long effects loop to having the tuner last in the chain to send a buffered signal to the amp.

It's not locked in stone or anything, I know I got a Maxon Chorus that if you put it towards the back of the chain it cuts some signal even as a true bypass pedal when off. I'll put it up front when I got it on my board.

These are nice too for amps without effects loop. It takes the effects totally out of the signal path when not engaged. You can also setup a couple effects pedals in a loop to be 'on', so when you turn on the loop on the Big Shot, it's like turning all three at once.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BigShotEFXv2

Deja Vibe is a tricky pedal to get the right sound. It's real cool when you find where it fits, but it can't take a ton of input without getting dark and mushy.

For those of you that don't follow my store on Facebook (weirdos), my impressionistic review of the Black Cat Monster K-Fuzz

"Ok, I know that this is going to sound like hyperbole, but it's not - the new Black Cat Pedals Monster K-Fuzz just arrived, and it is easily in my top 5 favorite chaotic nightmare brain cell exploding fuzzes OF ALL TIME. It's one of the most insane yet usable, ultra versatile toolkit pedals for those of us who like to go way outside of the lines, and I couldn't be more impressed. All of that is before I've even had a chance to plug in an expression pedal. Reminder: this is coming from a guy who has about 300 different fuzzes in stock at any time, and has heard (not bragging, this is my job) thousands of others.

No, it will not sound like a big muff, so don't even try. Maybe a big muff when your amp is on fire, and you are on fire, and you are trapped in a plummeting elevator. Yes, the elevator is also on fire. It's that good. In stock."

http://www.blackcatpedals.com/black-cat-monster-k-fuzz-stompbox/

glorious stuff jj

They might use some of it in an ad, I already gave them permission.