"Step On It!" the stompbox thread

[Mikeymac]

So ... what stompboxes are you using with your Larrivee electrics? We've discussed amps a little, but they're part of this equation/discussion as well. Description of the styles of music you use your pedals for is helpful, and also, "what's the gig?" - IOW, are you playing "out"in a band situation, a worship team (what size room or audience in both cases) or playing mostly at home (alone) or in a "garage band" setting (with other players).

I just bought a new pedal today (therefore the motivation to start this thread!): a Wampler "The Paisley Drive" pedal. I a/b'd it with Wampler's Plexi Drive pedal, which I really liked when I was checking out the Vox AC15C amp a couple weeks ago. But since the Paisley was only $20 more than the Plexi, I knew I had to try both.

I can't give you a "gig" review of The Paisley Drive yet, but I plugged it into an amp just like mine in the store (a Carr Rambler 210) and used two of my guitars; so that's as good as it gets. The Paisley has enough more than the Plexi to be worth $4-050 more, but for $20 more, it was a no brainer.  Sounds very transparent, and sounds like a driven tube amp, which includes that low end you often lose with a Tube Screamer type pedal (unless it has a bass control on it). The Paisley has a useful 3-position "MidContour" control that gives lots of tonal options (basically three levels of mids, from Tele-country punch to more of a scooped "smiley face" rhythm thing). When I was checking out the Paisley, the salesman also put a good compressor pedal in front of it to show me how it responds with that as well - I may be digging out my old Ibanez compressor and adding it to my rig for more variety!

My main OD pedal up to now had been my Fulltone Full Drive 2; we'll see if it stays in my worship rig or goes home for practicing. A great pedal for two levels of overdrive (or clean boost), but it does have some tonal/eq limitations compared to some new pedals being made these days. It's been my main drive pedal for around 4 years though!

At home I practice with a rare pedal that I don't see around much - a Zoom PD-01 boost/overdrive pedal. This gets plugged into a Gibson Goldtone GA15-RV - best little amp I've ever heard! The PD-01 does blues/rock levels of drive, and has both treble and bass controls on it, so you can either make it mid-heavy, or get closer to that pushed amp tone I mentioned above.

My other two pedals that are always in the line-up are my Boss Tuner and a Boss RV-3 (I think) Reverb/Delay pedal, which only gets used for a few song intros for delay (delay and reverb disappear so quickly in a live band context; in a live room, they're hardly necessary).

Next? (I'm headed downstairs to play with my new Paisley Drive! See ya!)

[unclrob]

Thru the years I have tryed just about every type of pedal out there.I use a Boss OD2 and overdrive and a volumn pedal now and then and thats about it.The OD give's me all I need,It works a nice step up from rythym to lead and I can get a nice overdrive/distortion thing going.

[LeftyBlake]

My board consists of the following: Guitar -> Crybaby -> custom made compression -> Visual Sound Open Road OD -> MXR Distortion+ -> EHX Pulsar -> Peavey Classic 50 or Epiphone Valve Jr. I've also got an EB Volume pedal, but the pot went out on it so it doesn't do anything anymore. I need to get that fixed...

I play a Strat with Texas Specials (which I'll soon be replacing with new pickups) and a Tele with a humbucker in the neck. Sometimes I play my resonator with a Tele pickup through the board too.

I mainly play at home, but I jam with friends on occasion too. And I play mostly rock. Some drop D chugging, grunge, blues.

[Dru Edwards]

I find the Boss TU-2 tuner is amazing. Not just for tuning but also as a mute option. I also love my MXR Micro Amp for volume boosts for my solos, which goes into the amp's effects loop (electric gear).  And my Nova Repeater is great for delay. I have other pedals on my board too (tube screamer, od, ) but those are my favorites.

[PM33AUD]

Oh boy...  I've got a few more on the way but here's my current rig sofar.  I've tried a ton of stuff... whatever's on here are definite 'keepers...'  For awhile I was using GuitarRig, which worked fine but going to the computer all the time was counterproductive and kinda a PIA so I'm back to pedals. 




In the bottom left is the 'mastermind' of it all... A Gordius LG2.  This controller is by far, the best MIDI footcontroller one can buy.  Now I've gone stompbox I had to figure out a way to get the flexibility back that GuitarRIg had so I built this:



Some of the pedals are MIDI controllable and for those that are not, I will use the above controller to add MIDI programmability to analog or digital stompboxes.  That was why I loved GuitarRig... PATCHES!  Ultimate flexibiliity live.  Tone wasn't 100% there and tweaking was cumbersome... Anyways... that's my pedal setup.

Phil

[unclrob]

I forgot I have a GR30 that I use all the time.

[PM33AUD]

What are you guys using compressors for?  I never found them useful on clean and for higher gain they kinda don't do anything but boost noise.  I'm curious to see how you're using them and why.

Phil

[Mikeymac]

I'm just using a cheap, old Soundtank (made by Ibanez) Compressor to boost the signal - for a little more volume on cleans, or to push the Paisley Drive just a bit harder. I've got it set up for as little "compression" as possible - just getting the punch and volume boost from it. You could do about the same thing with an eq pedal...

[wilblee]

Depending on the gig and/or the day I run through a Line 6 POD HD500 direct to the PA

or

Ernie Ball VP Jr. > Boss TU-2 (through VP Jr. tuner out)
                        > (through VP Jr. Main out) Visual Sound Route 66 > Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay > Fender Blues Jr (Texas Edition)
                                                                                                                                                > Fender Blues Deville
                                                                                                                                                > Mesa Lone Star Special

[Larrivee4me]

I'm still using the same pedals I bought in 1980.  When the motor on my Echoplex bit the dust, I replaced it with a Boss DM-2 analog delay.  It was the latest and greatest at the time and not having to deal with tape loops was a huge plus.   I chose the DOD OD-250 for that classic crunch tone.    Over the years I've tried several other distortion/overdrive pedals but I keep coming back to the OD-250.  These days  I use it mainly as a clean boost for leads or just to add a little more meat to the tone.  One of the things I like about it most is that it doesn't color or change the original tone very much.  Seems like a lot of other pedals push the mids, roll off the bass or create a nasal tone.  I still have an early Boss chorus pedal but I don't use it very often.  
Technically not pedals, but I love a touch of reverb and occasionally the tremolo on the old Princeton Reverb.

Of the pedal reviews I've seen lately, the Cmatmods Brownie and Signa Drive look very interesting. 

[LookingForLarri]

All the pedals I use now I make myself.  Building them is not that hard and is a great, although adictive, hobby.  After a little practice with full kits I moved into pcb only construction and then to veroboard.   Looking at retail prices for mass produced pedals ( much less the booo teeek ones )  just makes me 

There are numerous websites that sell full kits ( BYOC has great kits and support ).  www.buildyourownclone.com

It is really much easier than I thought and using a pedal you built yourself is very rewarding. Here are a couple of the ones I built, and use.  ( One gut shot )

[Mikeymac]

Those pedals are awesome! I've thougth about doing one, but haven't jumped in yet. I've built around 10 electric guitars (Warmoth parts, but I've done all the nuts, wiring and set-ups), so I'm not worried about the soldering, but as I'm getting older, I know I'll be wearing the "magnifiers" my wife bought me a few years ago for the whole progect!

How long did it take you to build some of those?

[Mr_LV19E]

I'm still using the same pedals I bought in 1980.  When the motor on my Echoplex bit the dust, I replaced it with a Boss DM-2 analog delay.  It was the latest and greatest at the time and not having to deal with tape loops was a huge plus.   I chose the DOD OD-250 for that classic crunch tone.    Over the years I've tried several other distortion/overdrive pedals but I keep coming back to the OD-250.  These days  I use it mainly as a clean boost for leads or just to add a little more meat to the tone.  One of the things I like about it most is that it doesn't color or change the original tone very much.  Seems like a lot of other pedals push the mids, roll off the bass or create a nasal tone.  I still have an early Boss chorus pedal but I don't use it very often.  
Technically not pedals, but I love a touch of reverb and occasionally the tremolo on the old Princeton Reverb.

Of the pedal reviews I've seen lately, the Cmatmods Brownie and Signa Drive look very interesting. 

Mark, do you still have the Echoplex?

[LookingForLarri]

Those pedals are awesome! I've thougth about doing one, but haven't jumped in yet. I've built around 10 electric guitars (Warmoth parts, but I've done all the nuts, wiring and set-ups), so I'm not worried about the soldering, but as I'm getting older, I know I'll be wearing the "magnifiers" my wife bought me a few years ago for the whole progect!

How long did it take you to build some of those?

Thank you.  I wear bifocals so I know what you mean.  The kits from BYOC are almost a paint by numbers type of thing and their forum offers outstadning support.   The kits are a great way to get started, but they do cost a little more.  Etching a board, sourcing parts, and then putting everything together is a little more involved but the learning curve is not that steep.   Everyone has to start somewhere and there is plenty of help for everything.   I say jump in and have fun.  I built my first one because I was "cheap".  Over the past 2 years I bet I have built 50 pedals.  I answer the "How many pedals do you need" question the same way I answer the "How many guitars do you need" question.

Finishing the enclosure actually takes the longest, but on average each pedal takes 4 - 5 hours to complete depending on complexity.   

[pabloX]

My setup is pretty simple:  fingers -- guitar -- Bad Monkey -- MXR analog delay -- 14 watts of creamy 6v6 tone.  Not much to affect my guitar's tone but me (this can be both good and bad).