My Pedalboard

[bikegerm]

Just added a new piece to my pedalboard. I run it through the effects loop on my Vox. Guitar is a ASAT Classic w/Seymour Duncan 52 Alnico's. Pedal order:

1. Boss tuner input
2. Vox amp input
3. Vox FX out to: Eventide Pitchfactor
4. Morley Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah
5. Analog Man Mini Chorus
6. Analog Man ARDX20 Analog Delay
7. Analog Man King of Tone (w/high gain right side)
8. Wampler EGO Compressor
9. Vox FX return

Randy

[Boogie Bill]

That's a nice board.

For myself, I would not run my Compressor, Wah and Overdrive through the efx loop, but directly into the front of the amp. I do run my time-based efx and pitch shifter through the efx loops of my Mesa amps.

But if it works for you, there's no reason to change.

Good luck!

Bill

[bikegerm]

SO.... I like that idea. I'll try it. What order would you suggest for the tuner/wah/overdrive/compressor before the amp's input ?

Randy

[Fumble fingers]

Hey Randy , nice board set up .... what kind of board are you using ??..... I been looking at the PT 3 and PT Pro but not ready to pull the trigger yet .... my current set up is too full to get my wah in there

[john o]

agree with boogie bill. i run wah>tuner>compressor>overdrive>phaser in front of the amp, and flange/chorus/reverb/delays in the effects loop.

[bikegerm]

It's a PT2 board with a Modtone Power Plant power supply. John, is your wah before your tuner because it's off your board ?

Randy

[john o]

Yup, it sits next to the board. I only use the wah on a couple of tunes, so I'll leave it out of the chain til I need it.

[Boogie Bill]

I run my DOD FX 10 preamp, Boss CS-3 Compressor, TU-3 Tuner, Overdrive, an old Thomas Organ Wah, CE-3 Chorus, PH-1r Phasor. I put the preamp and the compressor before the tuner; seems to make it more stable that way. A very slight, always-on boost is what I get from the FX-10, and the Compressor just adds a very slight amount of compression.I don't use the OD very much, since I get most of my distortion from my Mesa amps. I currently have an old Real Tube 901 on there, but I am experimenting with some other things at the moment--specifically looking for something to give me a more Marshall-y tone. This way I can have either wah into amp distortion or distortion pedal into wah. I'm also looking at the E-H Satisfaction Fuzz.

I am currently using a Rocktron Short-Timer delay and a Boss PS-6 Harmonizer in the efx loop. I am making some changes there too. I have Boss DD-20, Line 6, Echo Park, BBE Two-Timer, and a couple of DD-3s sitting around, and I'm thinking I should go back to using two delays. Got to figure out what might work best.

And I only use the Harmonizer for two songs--but it really MAKES those songs.

My pedal board is an older Furman, I think it is the SPB-6.

Bill

[Fumble fingers]

That's a nice board.

For myself, I would not run my Compressor, Wah and Overdrive through the efx loop, but directly into the front of the amp. I do run my time-based efx and pitch shifter through the efx loops of my Mesa amps.

But if it works for you, there's no reason to change.

Good luck!

Bill

so you run your time-based effects through the efx loop .... then run Compressor , Wah and OD straight in ??..... I been running mine all in front .... I guess that's not the right way ?? .... I didn't know you could run them at the same time , I thought you had to pick one or the other

[bikegerm]

I just changed things up a little on the order. Moved the Wampler EGO compressor before the amp's input. I'm digging this... It may "bend" the rules but I like the KOT better in the fx loop than before the amp's input.

Revised Pedal order:
1. Boss tuner input
2. Wampler EGO Compressor
3. Vox amp input
3. Vox FX out to: Eventide Pitchfactor
4. Morley Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah
5. Analog Man Mini Chorus
6. Analog Man ARDX20 Analog Delay
7. Analog Man King of Tone (w/high gain right side)
8. Vox FX return

Randy

[Fumble fingers]

I'm digging this thread and it was good timing !! .... this Music stuff is overwhelming sometimes

[Boogie Bill]

so you run your time-based effects through the efx loop .... then run Compressor , Wah and OD straight in ??..... I been running mine all in front .... I guess that's not the right way ?? .... I didn't know you could run them at the same time , I thought you had to pick one or the other

Yep, that's how I do it.

By running my time delay efx through the loop, now I can use the distortion channel of my amp (Mesas), and have distortion into Reverb and Delay, which is how things would occur in nature. Reverb and Delay into the amp's distortion sounds really unnatural, though some people do use it that way for effect. I don't like the sound of a clean input, followed by distorted delays.

Some guys also like to run their CLEAN BOOST pedal through the efx loop. I prefer to run my preamp into my amp, always on, and first in the chain. And many folks also like to use the Sonic Stomp (or a rack-mounted Sonic Maximizer) in the efx loop. I haven't tried mine yet, so I have no opinion on this, but there is a case to be made for using in the loop.

The Mesa amps have terrific efx loops, and on my Mark IV and V they are switchable in or out via the amp's footswitch. The Mark IV has an overall loop, OR t one that is assignable to any one of the channels. Pretty cool. While not as popular as the Series Loops on the Mark III, Mark IV and Mark V, the PARALLEL loop on my Maverick 212 and DC-3 112 combos is pretty cool, too. I can set the efx for full depth, and then blend in the amount I want through a control on the back panel. It's a different way of doing it, and takes a little bit of thought and different settings on the efxs, but it is very effective.

I use a Furman SPB-6 pedal board. This board has three AC outlets that are filtered and surge protected (max. 15 amps), like the Furman rack-mount AC distribution units. I have eight 9-volt DC outlets to power my pedals, and a very handy little stereo patch bay for connecting my effects. The way I have it wired now that I am using delays--I run my guitar cable into the first pedal, my DOD FX-10 preamp. The signal passes thru the pedals and the output from the last pedal in the chain, my Boss PH-1r Phasor go back into the INPUT of my amp.

The time-based EFX pedals are connected in series, already patched into the patch bay with short cables. I run these EFX in MONO, using just one side of the patch bay, but it would be easy to run stereo outs with this rig. Then I have two Road Hog 18'6" cables, kept in my pedal board's carry bag; one goes from the amp's EFX OUT to the patch bay's input and the other goes from the patch bay's output to the amp's EFX RETURN. The whole idea is to minimize set-up time and this has worked well for me.

So try your time efx in the loop of your amp. You'll need to use good cables, of course; and you can run a pair of 20' cables to and from the pedals and still keep them at your feet. Make sure the EFX OUT goes to the pedal's INPUT, and the pedal's OUTPUT goes back into the amp's EFX RETURN.

Let me know if I can help you in any way.

Bill

P.S. I think it's Dave Hunter who has written an excellent book about using effects, and the histories behind some of the great vintage pedals. Check out Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and grab a copy. Good reading, great reference, and a ton of necessary information.

Bill

[Boogie Bill]

Okay, here's another tip.

Before I found my Mesa amps, I used to have a Marshall JCM 800, model 4010--single channel, master volume, 50 watts, 112 combo. No reverb, no loop. Sounded great when cranked, as most Marshall's do--especially those third and fourth sets. I really like using it with a P-90 equipped Les Paul Special I had; I could run the channel gain up to about 7 and get a nice bluesy tone, and roll back the guitar volume just a bit for my clean tones, or slam it with my Real Tube 901 for Santana-like sustain. But I missed reverb. So I bought a reverb pedal--a good one, too, but it was totally unsatisfactory because the distortion from the amp was distorting the reverberation--and again sounding very unnatural.

So, I came up with an idea that worked beautifully.

My old big BiAmp mixer had channel inserts. So, we started micing the Marshall with an SM-57, and patched the reverb pedal into the channel's in and out. I still wanted to get my distortion from the amp, that Marshall sound. I liked running the amp fairly loud, so we didn't want or need to turn the amp down and then reinforce it with the PA. We simply maxed out the mix on the reverb pedal, and then the soundman could raise the slider just a touch to add the fully drenched signal to the mix. It didn't take much level to add a nice "stereo" reverb ( straight guitar amp + reverb in the PA) to get a nice ambient reverb effect, without the guitar needing to be dominant in the mix, and without it being "surf" reverb.

You could do this with many of the newer boards that already have built-in effects, and not need a separate reverb pedal. You will want to do this in situations where you have someone sitting at a board doing a front-of-house mix. And of course, you don't have to have a Marshall--you could do this with any small amp.

Bill

[Goat]

Thanks Bill. That last post just helped me out