Pedal fetish.....................

lucylespian · March 2007

I have never really been very interested in pedals, but I'm thinking about developing a habit.

I'm keen for any descriptipons anyone can give me about nay pedals they have, what they use em for, what amps they are matched with, what tones you get. For example, I have no idea what a Small Clone, BIg Muff or OCD does. The names are funky but effectively disguise the purpose.
I think I'm gonna start with a rotosphere, cos I at least know what that does, and after listening to Black at Benroya this morning, I think i really have to have one.

I will probably run these thorugh the the Lonestar, which is a lot like a Bassman, I think.

armanHammer · March 2007

Well, what sounds do you want?

lucylespian · March 2007

FUnky sounds, I dunno. OD/distortion probably, but other stuff as well, probably less fussed on tremolo/chorus etc.
I tend towardf a lack of subtlely generally.
My H&K has massive distortion channels which I use liberally.

I like Frusciante's tone from Stadium Arcadium for example, and JAck White is great. I can get that wet crunchy sugary tone on the Triamp esp from teh Gretsch on the bridge, but woulnd't know what knid of pedal to get it from.

I just interested in everything really. Not a lot of shops near me where I can try stuff out.

Pearl Jam and toast · March 2007

my pedals:

Boss Comp.
Boss DD-6 digital delay
H20 chorus/analog delay (and i want to sell it if anyone's interested..)
Greedtone - handmade AMAZING fuzz/dist./Od pedal
Tubescreamer
Crybaby
MXR phase 90
Fender Blender (broken :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( )

Ebow - which is practically a pedal if you ask me.

And I'm in the market for more

Talk about a hell of a fetish.. I love every minute of it.

seanw1010 · March 2007

od/dist-
ibanez ts-9
chorus:
voodoo analog chorus, or, if you doont want to spend as much $$, boss super chorus
phaser/other
mxr phase 90
dunlop rotovibe
kicasss crazy-
mxr blue box-this thing sounds awsome. it fuzzes it up and raises it 2 octaves

seanw1010 · March 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

my pedals:

Boss Comp.
Boss DD-6 digital delay
H20 chorus/analog delay (and i want to sell it if anyone's interested..)
Greedtone - handmade AMAZING fuzz/dist./Od pedal
Tubescreamer
Crybaby
MXR phase 90
Fender Blender (broken :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( )

Ebow - which is practically a pedal if you ask me.

And I'm in the market for more

Talk about a hell of a fetish.. I love every minute of it.

how much you want for the chorus?

Pearl Jam and toast · March 2007

seanw1010 wrote:

how much you want for the chorus?

I bought it new last christmas (05) for about 200 (taken good care of it too) but the price has dropped since the brand has been around a little longer..

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Visual-Sound-H2O-Liquid-Chorus-Echo?sku=151685

It's a chorus AND analog delay in one unit btw, not just a chorus.

Seeing as how MF is selling them for 169.99 new now, I think a fair price would be in the ballpark of $100 ish.

PM me if you're still interested (or anyone).

edit: price hasn't dropped, MF is just discounting them more.

seanw1010 · March 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

I bought it new last christmas (05) for about 200 (taken good care of it too) but the price has dropped since the brand has been around a little longer..

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Visual-Sound-H2O-Liquid-Chorus-Echo?sku=151685

It's a chorus AND analog delay in one unit btw, not just a chorus.

Seeing as how MF is selling them for 169.99 new now, I think a fair price would be in the ballpark of $100 ish.

PM me if you're still interested (or anyone).

edit: price hasn't dropped, MF is just discounting them more.

i may be interested. right now im negotiating a deal for a super chorus in the gear page, but am not sure if that is the "nicest" sounding chorus out there

Pearl Jam and toast · March 2007

The chorus and delay are both pretty nice on the H20. I'm not selling it because I don't like it (afterall I've been playing it for a year and a half

), just the usual rotation that comes hand in hand with a pedal fetish.

lucylespian · March 2007

No, not lists, I want details of how these things perform, and what they do, like a review.

who's_pearljam? · March 2007

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/effectsman.html

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/effects-explained.html

^There's something to add to the confusion!

I pretty much got by with regular stock pedals in my life and have been happy.
I've had some boutique stuff, but I think a lot of those are for people playing at low volumes in the bedroom.
If you've got all that room and turn up those tubes, you can make some great sounds with stock stuff.

I have a Ts-9 that was stock, but I DID have it modded by a guy in Pennsylvania, Vaughn's Mods. He put a couple of mini switches in it and you can use it as a clean boost, regular TS-9 and a little subtler boost. The other switch gives two varied bass boosts, too.
I'm happy with that one, but the stock TS-9's ones are great, too. THey aren't heavy metal, but more Stevie Ray style overdrive.

I also love my old Ibanez AD-9 pink analog reverb. That thing's like a tank and it's fun and has a great decay to my ears. I don't know how the new ones are but they look good. A delay is great to have. The Line 6 digital ones are cool, too and may have more options.

I've had a bunch of flangers and phasers, too. Great fun but I don't use them too much except that I do love my Eric Shannon Uniphaser. He's on this board as Telesonic and made them for a few of us.

I have his Overdrive which is outstanding,too. I use that a lot.
His compressor and the phaser are great.

I don't play out much anymore, but I do have a monthly gig at an art gallery. (I see you posted in last weeks) That was an amazing night.

I usually set up with an electric of some sort, into my TS-9 overdrive > the Shannon overdrive > the Shannon UniPhase > the AD-9 > an Akai Headrush that is awesome. I use the Akai for it's 22 second loop or it's tape delay sound,, > my Roland Loop Station, to my Deluxe Reverb and maybe A/B it to another Boogie amp.
I mainly play some music or sounds on the looper to play over and just sit there and experiment with noises and some songs maybe, and generally make "art gallery" music. haha,, everyone THINKS I know what I'm doing!

You're a boogie fan,,,, I loved my Mesa tube footpedals, too! They are great. I forget the name now, but I'll think of it right when I post this!

who's_pearljam? · March 2007

I knew I'd remember!

The V-Twin and the V1 Bottlerocket. They're floor overdrive stompers with 12ax7 tubes in them.

Awesome!

seanw1010 · March 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

The chorus and delay are both pretty nice on the H20. I'm not selling it because I don't like it (afterall I've been playing it for a year and a half ), just the usual rotation that comes hand in hand with a pedal fetish.

yes, i just sold my vox wah, not because i didnt like it, but i wanted some new pedals

with the h2o, i know it is known for being very full and rounded, but can you still get the teen spirit solo type bite with it?

Pearl Jam and toast · March 2007

my pedals:

Boss Comp.

Pretty good... a little noisy but it does it's job and I see no reason to get rid of it right now.

Boss DD-6 digital delay

Amazing. Perfect digital delay as far as I'm concerned.

H20 chorus/analog delay (and i want to sell it if anyone's interested..)

Very good pedal.. great analog delay and the chorus is even better. Nice simple controls.. good purchase.

Greedtone - handmade AMAZING fuzz/dist./Od pedal

Like I said - AMAZING. Perfect pedal. A few friends of mine described it as "a Marshall stack in a box" and that's pretty accurate.

Tubescreamer

Perfect as well... can do anything from adding a subtle warmth and drive to giving any sound a backbone of mids to rumbling distortion. I've got the turbo TS which is essentially the classic TS-9 with a mode switch that boosts the mids and distortion in 4 settings. Classic, higher, higher, highest. Very handy.

Crybaby

Great pedal all around..

MXR phase 90

Great pedal as well. I've read about this mod that people are doing to make it even better but haven't attempted yet. What I hear is that once this mod is done it's a perfect phase.

Fender Blender (broken :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( )

I LOVE this pedal. It's loud, disgusting, crazed, and did I mention disgusting? Loud ass octave fuzz. It's certainly not for everyone though. If you want something funky that models Frusciante and Jack White this may be something you'd be interested in..

Ebow - which is practically a pedal if you ask me.

Love it. Hard to really describe what it sounds like, but I'm sure you know as a Pearl Jam fan. WELL worth the 80 dollars. One of my favorite toys

lucylespian · March 2007

So I'm thinkning a TS-9 is probably much like the OD channel on the Lonestar, so I don't know if I need more of that. Anyone got a T-Rex Mudhoney ??
The Mesa pedal you are thinking of might be a V-Twin. I think it's that or a bottel rocket. I was looking at getting a Triaxis pre-amp, but kinda cooled for a bit, bought a new guitar instead. Pedals just seem cheaper, so a chance to change stuff without breaking the bank.
I do have the H&K Replex, which with the 2 heads can do some spacy stuff if I like. I tend to make a LOT of noise with that when I play wiht it. Floyd's Run Like Hell for example if a bit of a blast.
I like crunch, a lot, alot alot !!

Pearl Jam and toast · March 2007

seanw1010 wrote:

yes, i just sold my vox wah, not because i didnt like it, but i wanted some new pedals
with the h2o, i know it is known for being very full and rounded, but can you still get the teen spirit solo type bite with it?

Actually I think it could work perfectly for that kind of thing.. the chorus is veryyy nice. I'll fuck with it tonight and get back to you.

seanw1010 · March 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

my pedals:

Ebow - which is practically a pedal if you ask me.

Love it. Hard to really describe what it sounds like, but I'm sure you know as a Pearl Jam fan. WELL worth the 80 dollars. One of my favorite toys

ebows kick ass! they are def. worth it!

lucylespian · March 2007

Sounds like Fender Blender might be interesting, I think I have seen re-issue versions of that. That and the Greedtone maybe
THanks guys

Pearl Jam and toast · March 2007

lucylespian wrote:

Sounds like Fender Blender might be interesting, I think I have seen re-issue versions of that. That and the Greedtone maybe
THanks guys

If you can contact the guy that makes it in Seattle (I emailed him,.. I believe there's a link on giventowail - or there used to be - or you could do a search on these forums) I'd say just go ahead and buy the Greedtone blind (or deaf as it may be). It's really phenomenal.

Definetly hear/play the Flender first though.

IDgotI · March 2007

I'm going to write a little about two pedals. Before I do please note I'm a pedal nut. I'm happy with my amp and guitars, and tone. So when it comes time to experiment I like to put something new on the floor and stomp on it. I think a lot of the magic from pedals comes from solid combinations. It's not just how any one particular pedal sounds, it's about the unique colors and interactions you can create by linking a few pedals together in a specific order. (The order can matter big time).

The process can create very distinctive sonic signatures if you are into it, so much so that the right pedal board can be like a secret recipee. I'm not looking to put my favorite secret recipee on the internet, but I am happy to talk about a couple of favorite ingreedients.

The Boss DM-3

Mike uses a DM-2. The DM-3 has basically the same bucket brigade analog chip. From what I've read these more or less sound the same... but since I don't actually have a DM-2 I can't swear.

Anyway this is an analog delay. I assume there's not much I need to write about delay. But the thing is... it's not just a delay... it's a sound. That is when you stomp on this thing, and pass your signal thru the pedal's circuit, it just reshapes your sound in an incredibly appealing way.

I was watching a video tape of a rehersal with my old band the other day. We were working on a riff, and the drummer asked me to "turn on the DM-3 I need to rock with that thing." And low in behold as soon as my younger self stomped on the pedal the sound of the guitar was transformed, not by a delay trail, because I had the delay setting very low, but by a quality I can only think to describe as mood lighting.

The tone of the guitar gets modified in a very moody way. Highs get rolled off a bit, the presence increases, and the decay of notes becomes mellower.

It's a great delay, but the nature of the analog delay circuit and chip it passes your sound through colors the tone in a really amazing way. It's hard to describe. It's not like describing overdrive... or delay for that matter. It's more like a really lush eq setting. The DM-3 just changes your tone... AND offers a delay as well. But the sonic coloration it provides is really cool. Like a really mysterious and rich spotlight on your sound.

MXR Evelope Filter.

Another vintage pedal. Be sure you get one with the original circuit intact if you decide to buy. It's really easy to scoop out the guts of the old MXR pedals and replace with cheap knock off circuits. Again, as with the DM-3 what you are getting here is not just the effect... I mean there are plenty of envelope pedals out there... it's the sound of this specific circuit. Kind of the same theory as what I was writing about pedal chains. There's just something about the combination of certain resistors and diodes in a particular order in certain pedals that creates a unique "magic".

This is an old tan two knob pedal. You can get the funk happenning with this or go Jerry Garcia.

Basically what this does is it "pinches" the sound of your note. If you are already familiar with note envelopes it's pretty straight forward. Just in case anyone is reading who isn't familiar with a note envelope the theory is that a note has several components. Attack, Sustain, Release and Decay.

Attack- How quickly the note "Arrives" Pianos and Guitars have "fast" attack... Tubas and Violins can have slower attacks depending on how they are played.

Sustain... How long the note sustains. A guitar can sustain like crazy a drum or a triangle not so much.

Release.... How does the sound react when you "release" the note. A guitar note sounds very different if you release it by picking it, or if you dampen it, or if you let go of the fret board with your left hand after striking the string.

Decay... How long does the note take to fade out... Bass notes on a piano can linger, Violin notes too. High notes on a piano fade faster etc.

Anwyay the MXR has only two knobs... You set a "Cutoff value" meaning that when you play the string above a certain volume the filter kicks in and changes the way your notes attack sustain and decay, and then the other knob adjusts the character of the envelope mod.

To be honest I wrote all of this to give some idea of the concept of how it can modify the sound.... but in practice I just twist the knobs until my ears are happy.

This thing makes guitar notes cluck and bounce like a rubber band. It's not aggessive, but it's funky and da bomb for anyone looking to make a psychedelic soundtrack for 70's porno films. Works great with a wah.

Neither of these pedals are "Aggressive". They aren't good choices for the verses or choruses in metal... but the DM-3 can create an amazingly dark and lush landscape for a metal tune half time bridge. You can get 'Weld' era Neil Young meets TOOL note lingering sounds with this pedal.

The MXR is more chirpy ... it's for hippy psychedelia or 70s funk. It kind of makes your guitar sound like the keyboard in Stevie Wonder's "Superstition".

These are just two of my favorite things.

IDgotI · March 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

\

Ebow - which is practically a pedal if you ask me.

Love it. Hard to really describe what it sounds like, but I'm sure you know as a Pearl Jam fan. WELL worth the 80 dollars. One of my favorite toys

The ebow is the thing you can see Ed placing on his strings over the pickups at the start of any live performance of "World Wide Suicide".

It contains a battery, and basically creates a small magnetic field. When you place it on a metal string, over a pick up, it picks up the disruption of the pickups magnetic field by the vibrating string... and then just cycles it back... meaning it keeps the string vibrating after you strike the note.

The original pickup field disruption disrupts the ebow's field... but since the ebow's field is powered, it keeps on "recycling" the disruption unti you physcially stop the string or pull the ebow away.

Ok... that was long winded and geeky. In a nut shell... It creates >>> Sustain.

You can get the same sort of godly sustain you normally can only get from humbuckers and a stack playing at club clearing volumes at appartment listenning levels.

Sounds pretty ideal huh? The only drawback is that you need to keep the ebow seated *precisely* on one string at a time to get that great sustain... other wise you just get the sort of jerky stacotto sound Ed gets by pulling it across several strings on "WWS". The ebow takes some practice to master, and requires it's own technique. Whether or not it's worth it is up to you.

Me... I prefer to play with humbuckers through stacks at club clearing volumes :-)

Pedal fetish.....................

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