Pedals that dont work out and why

[Jet Bycraft]

Nope.

End of the loop. I've started to find uses for it. It seems to be wonderful used with a rhythm designation. But again, it's more of an ambiance than a delay. Just not enough control of the variables to put it to exact use. That's what I hate about analog pedals. No deffinative control.

What type of amp are you using?

 

[dro]

I have yet to meet an overdrive/distortion pedal I actually LIKE...when used for distortion. Every one of them sounds bad to my ears when compared to the natural distortion of any of my favorite tube amps being run hard.

The closest I can get to it is to use a Tube Screamer as a clean boost to get more natural OD out of the amp they're driving.

Maybe stop buying your pedals at GC.
I played through many rackmount multi fx units for a long time.
When I built my studio, and needed to go analogue for tone quality.
I didn't want to sound like everyone who shops at GC, I did much research.
Found what I found.
Good luck to you.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I'm not buying pedals at GC. I'm not buying pedals, PERIOD. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever bought so much as a pack of strings from a GC. Sometimes I go to the local store, pick out a pedal and take it home to try it overnight, and if I like it I'll buy it the next day, but so far I've always brought them back and not bought them. Because....I didn't like them. I'm not 20 anymore. What worked for me back then doesn't work for me now. Today, my signal chain is generally a straight cable, a touch of delay, and a little EQ. The rest can be handled by picking the right amp and turning the knobs just so....

 

[79 2203]

I have yet to meet an overdrive/distortion pedal I actually LIKE...when used for distortion. Every one of them sounds bad to my ears when compared to the natural distortion of any of my favorite tube amps being run hard.

The closest I can get to it is to use a Tube Screamer as a clean boost to get more natural OD out of the amp they're driving.

Same for me. I went through a clean pedal platform rig period about 12 years ago where I tried dozens of boutique and classic OD/Dist pedals into multiple amps and nothing really gave me the sound and feel I was after. I kept what I thought were the best(Barber LTD SR and Direct Drive)and enjoy them for boosting my crunching vintage Marshalls, but no pedal can touch amp overdrive.

 

[Spyderg0d]

Back again gents. Last week I picked up a phase 95 and dd-8. So far I've found good use of the phase 95, but I probably could've just got a 45 and been in the same general demand of the pedal. But, I guess the extra options might eventually be used on recording although doubtful.

I haven't used the dd-8 for much yet besides the looper to figure out new music melodies. Surprisingly it doesn't kill any tone like I figured a digital pedal would do.

But for my magic post with pedals. I'm ordering a Laa smart switcher. Hopefully it won't take 3 months to show up from Italy. But in this information lies the truth. That I will be perfectly OK with having 10 or more pedals. Because they will all be in a box right by my amp while the foot controller is out where I am. No pedal board on stage makes me feel massively better about it all.

The worst thing I hate about pedals is having pedals to deal with. Just a button on stage is ideal.

 

[Spyderg0d]

What type of amp are you using?

2555.
I did try it before the amp. It was a much more pronounced effect. So much so I thoaght somthing was hooked up wrong. LOL

 

[tallcoolone]

Had a Boss Power Stack ST-2 for literally a few minutes.
Ordered it used, online from GC.
View attachment 118292
Might have a bad unit, but just unusable hiss at any volume other that max.
Tried it on a couple of amps, put it back in the box and drove it over to the local GC.
Swapped it for a 'Lil Rat.
That pedal worked fine, but just wasn't my style - it went back eventually on another trade.

I bought one of these too for like $35 on a GC blowout. Your review is spot on

 

[tallcoolone]

I hate talk boxes. To me they're just an annoying one trick pony.

And gross. Don’t forget gross

 

[tallcoolone]

Archer - too many mids
Secret Freq - cuts the low end too much
Black Secret - too fuzzy sounding
Fuzz Factory - too extreme of tones
Carbon Copy Deluxe - doesn’t have the warm tone of the original Carbon Copy
Regenerator - knobs and labels are too small to read on stage

This stuff is subjective indeed. I have 3 Archers I like em so much (Ikon, Rockaway and Clean) and I LOVE the SFreq for the exact reason you mention—cut that bass!

 

[tallcoolone]

This stuff is subjective indeed. I have 3 Archers I like em so much (Ikon, Rockaway and Clean) and I LOVE the SFreq for the exact reason you mention—cut that bass!

Apologies, I am thinking of the Secret Preamp by Chase Tone. Never tried the SFreq

 

[Spyderg0d]

Well. Another to add. I recently attempted to purchase an LAA custom smart switcher. I seen the add in guitar world, seen the commercial and teaser for it.
Turns out to be a scam. Initially it was supposed to be sent out last month, then some bs about supplier issues. Now they don't have the products listed on their reverb account and messages are turned off.
I would've expected guitar world magazine to not have scams listed in their magazine as advertisement. Lol
Good thing reverb has all the insurances and should cover the $1200 reimbursement.

 

[Cal Nevari]

Noise gates just blow for my style.

B

L

O

W

!!!!

Couldn’t agree more. Have never tried any expensive ones but all the ones I have tried destroyed the nuances of my playing.

 

[Cal Nevari]

I hate talk boxes. The other guitar player in my old band had one and used it all the time to the point where it annoyed the hell outta me. I was so glad when one day he went to use it and his pedal was broken. To this day I still can't stand them. To me they're just an annoying one trick pony.

Absolutely a gimmick.

 

[Cal Nevari]

I have yet to meet an overdrive/distortion pedal I actually LIKE...when used for distortion. Every one of them sounds bad to my ears when compared to the natural distortion of any of my favorite tube amps being run hard.

The closest I can get to it is to use a Tube Screamer as a clean boost to get more natural OD out of the amp they're driving.

This post and several others make the same point, namely that it’s very difficult to find a distortion or overdrive pedal that makes a Marshall sound better than itself. Tried the Boss SD-1 and DN-2 with disappointing results. Eventually settled on the BD-2, which adds a pleasantly warm, overdriven tone, and the FB-2, which is a clean boost. Other than those two and a tuner, just have a chorus and delay on the board these days.

 

[Spyderg0d]

Well. Another to add. I recently attempted to purchase an LAA custom smart switcher. I seen the add in guitar world, seen the commercial and teaser for it.
Turns out to be a scam. Initially it was supposed to be sent out last month, then some bs about supplier issues. Now they don't have the products listed on their reverb account and messages are turned off.
I would've expected guitar world magazine to not have scams listed in their magazine as advertisement. Lol
Good thing reverb has all the insurances and should cover the $1200 reimbursement.

Update.. apprently they aren't a scam. Reverb just isn't very transparent with WHY or when issues arise with seller accounts, and they don't allow any other buyers to contact the seller in the meantime. Which is very very crazy if you ask me.

 

[Spyderg0d]

I love my mxr noise gate. It doesn't do everything, which is why it should be paired with a noise clamp. Gate stops the hum and tames most of the squeals, clamp keeps it from escaping from the limits you set on the gate. I have yet to get the clamp, but I do need it, setting my gate to a level that tames most of the hum and hiss but still keeps my nuances and my interactive responsive feeling I get from my guitar.

 

[PelliX]

BOSS RC-3:

Pro:
* I still have it and use it, it's really good at what it's meant to do.
* All you would expect from a typical BOSS pedal and USB.

Cons:
* Built in (and unmodifiable) drum loops are rather poor. No, *really* poor.
* Drum loop volume knob is hair trigger between 'off' and 'I can't hear anything else'

Solution: Added a resistor to the applicable leg of the pot. Now it's usable, though I'd never actually use those drum loops.



Electro Harmonix Octavia:

Pro:
* Looks good on paper

Cons:
* Fuzz is nasty. Sure, easy to say, but I mean it's worse than any other similar fuzz I've ever dealt with in a guitar signal chain. A can of bees would be musical compared to this. It reminds me of what happens when you drive a MOSFET totally beyond any reasonable expectation. When the fuzz is turned to zero, the rest of the pedal.. ehm, becomes usable.
* Loud pop when engaging/disengaging the bypass. Not the same as actually physically tapping the tip of your signal cable, but there is a distinct plop, generally when switching to bypass.
* Flipping between 9V and 24V also generates a fair pop which - without looking at the circuit - I can understand. It also does it in bypass though, so effectively there is no way to flip the switch 'live'.
* The signal input level has to be extremely low for the output not to turn into a bucket of mush - and I do mean bucket of mush, not just some hair on the tone but real indecipherable "mush". I have to dial the volume on my Strat (single coil, low output pickups) back to about 6 to accomplish this. A (single coil, standard) Tele needs even more rolling back.
* At any given setting, if the effect is "working" on the top two or three strings, hitting one of the lower two or three turns the entire output to mush again.
* As soon as the pedal is actually adding any kind octave effect it sounds as if there's a compressor engaged.

Solution: Sold it to someone who got on with it. Be gone, evil circuit.

 

[tallcoolone]

This post and several others make the same point, namely that it’s very difficult to find a distortion or overdrive pedal that makes a Marshall sound better than itself. Tried the Boss SD-1 and DN-2 with disappointing results. Eventually settled on the BD-2, which adds a pleasantly warm, overdriven tone, and the FB-2, which is a clean boost. Other than those two and a tuner, just have a chorus and delay on the board these days.

Nothing 'warm' about a good Marshall! IME, the best boxes in front of a Marshall accentuate what they do best--cut through the mix. Most of the time it's more of an EQ/boost than dirt that sounds best. Never had an OD in front of a Marshall with 'gain' above 10:00 and usually it's down around 8:00

 

[GustHFS]

Had a Boss Power Stack ST-2 for literally a few minutes.
Ordered it used, online from GC.
View attachment 118292
Might have a bad unit, but just unusable hiss at any volume other that max.
Tried it on a couple of amps, put it back in the box and drove it over to the local GC.
Swapped it for a 'Lil Rat.
That pedal worked fine, but just wasn't my style - it went back eventually on another trade.

I've had an ST-2 for a few years now. In fact, I've heard or read several reports about this same noise/hiss issue. This seems to be associated with some design flaw in several past batches of this pedal. Mine has always worked very well, I can even say that it is a misunderstood and underrated pedal, I get some incredible sounds with it.

Gust

 

[jmp45]

I have a Mesa V-Twin I really like but huge footprint. Saw a used Mesa Throttle Box at GC in a walk thru, thought maybe it might be close to the Twin and I could free up some real estate. It is not anything like the Twin so yeah, it didn't work out.

On the plus side picked up a Tonex. Profiled stuff is nuts.