Pedal help please

[Peter Bond]

At risk of retreading familiar ground I thought I'd ask advice on the cheaper end of the pedal market like behringer, danelectro etc...

Currently I dont use any effects pedals at all, largely because of the fact that I dont own any, but am looking broaden my sound a little and was wondering whether its worth buying a couple of the cheaper pedals such as a delay/reverb and chorus or if its better to just save and buy a more expensive model?

Would the cheaper effects last or would I "outgrow" them if you see what I mean? I'm not in a position to be spending a lot of money at the moment so I thought it best to ask for some advice/opinions before just going out and binging on crap.

Thanks

Pete.

[Thom]

A couple of questions I have are:
What amp are you playing through? And do you use amp distortion?
What kind of music do you play? Are you in a band with a particular style?

The behringer pedals are pretty good and there are a number of guys on here who rate a couple of the delays.
If you can get hold of a second hand Dano Cool Cat series pedal then these are all really really good - especially the Transparent Overdrive, Drive and Fuzz.

Personally if I wanted to put together a small cheap pedalboard I would pick up the following:
Dano Cool Cat TOD
Nano Small Stone
One of the Behringer delays (dependent on whether you want digital or analogue sounds).

[Peter Bond]

Thanks for the reply. I'm mostly playing a fender tele or a mustang through my Deville 212 but I also have a little trace elliot vellocette. At the moment ive been playing mostly what you would consider indie/rock stuff like pixies, xtc, smiths stuff but I also play some jazz. I know that a lot of people dont like the amp drive on the fender hot rods but it doesnt seem that bad to me.

Not too sure of the benefits of either digital or anologue for the delay really so I wouldnt know which to get.

[Dave]

Its a pretty subjective thing realy but there are quite a few of the cheap Behinger and Dano pedals that are well respected by many members on the forum. The only reason to outgrow something is if you find something you like better in terms of what it does for you - the price is rarely an indicator of such and don't get fooled otherwise. I have what was a cheapish pedal from the 80's (an Arion Stero Analogue Delay) which is highly regarded to this day by many despite its cheap origin.

I'd say jump in feet first with a basic selection of the cheap types to get an idea if you actually have a use for, and enjoy using, things like Chorus/Distortion/Overdrive/Whatever. The cheap stuff means you get to try these types out and start getting your ear experienced to what they do and they compare to other simlilar pedals.

For Overdrive I can say for sure that a Dano Cool Cat Transparent overdrive is a good buy and I know the dano Peach Fuzz is a favourite of Fran and some others here - their are far more experienced members here than I who will hopefully give you some cool tips for the best cheap Chorus, Distortion, Fuzz etc

Useful threads for more research below and don't forget to check out demos on youtube.

List of Behringer pedals and what they copy:

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... =behringer

Scan of Behringer catalogue:

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... =behringer

Highly thought-of Behringer pedals:

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... =behringer

Depending on your own views you may be interested to know that many now will only buy second hand Dano pedals due to the link to anti-gay marriage funding from the head Honcho of Danelectro. The politics should not detract that they make some great pedals which can be found at reasonable prices secondhand on ebay. If you contribute to the forum in a worthwhile manner (read the rules!) then you eventually get access to our classifieds where you will no doubt be able to get some ethical second hand Dano and maybe start trading the pedals you already got for different ones to try out. This way you start to expand your experience loads and make friends too.

[Peter Bond]

Ah thanks. I hadnt noticed the scan of the catalogue. I will have a read through then maybe get down to the shops and have a test drive of a couple.

[kim]

outgrow ? nah, if a pedal gives you a sound you like why should the brand matter ? been playing for about 10 years and there's been a mix of behringer, fulltone, mxr, ehx, sansamp on my board over the years, at first i was acting a bit of a snob thinking fuck no behringer guess what the behringers stick, they're plastic but they can handle abuse well, if they give you a sound you love just ignore the name on the pedal, that they're cheaper is a nice extra if you like them. all depends what you're after, if you like the sound of a diamond delay more than that of a behringer delay bad luck for your wallet. haha. it's not good taste vs bad taste but just different taste, forget about the built quality, behringers are hard to destroy. and if it happens easier decision to replace than a pricey or rare pedal.

[Dave]

Ah thanks. I hadnt noticed the scan of the catalogue. I will have a read through then maybe get down to the shops and have a test drive of a couple.

I wasn't linking it to be picky, but just because I figure it will be useful to you. To be honest the search function is a bit hit and miss so you can expect to miss stuff. I know I do!

[johnnyseven]

Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Drive and Drive are pretty awesome. I have had a ProCo Rat on my pedal board for at least 2 years and I have no plans to take it off so i'd recommend one of those as well, they're not super cheap but if you can find one 2nd hand you may get a bargain. I would avoid the Boss DS1, i've had a copule and i didn't like the sound even when modified.

Re modulation I really like the EHX Small Clone chorus but have heard that the nano version isn't so good, check ebay for cheap ones. Old Ibanez L series pedals are worth a look, I bought a CCL Dual Chorus (chorus and flanger) for £25 from Gumtree in the UK recently and it is awesome - best chorus I have heard. The Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe sounds really good in the demos I have seen and heard, i'm tempted to get one but have no space on my pedal board so doubt i'd use it much.

Re Behringer, the old singer in my band bought their green flanger and it sounded bloody awful so I don't recommend that. He also bought a distortion, not sure which one but it was pink, and that sounded pretty bad as well.

The best thing to do is go to your local guitar store and try a few out to see if you like them. If you can't do that Google for reviews of any pedals you're interested in and see if you can find any YouTube vids, I always find these to be a great help when researching pedals i'm looking to buy over the internet.

I wouldn't worry about buying cheap pedals, my pedal collection started from a collection of a few cheap pedals which I have subsequently sold and bought more expensive ones over the years. If you get bored of something or decide you don't like it, sell it on and use the cash to fund a more expensive pedal. My tip is to buy 2nd hand if you can, that way you don't lose money when you sell them on.

[Dave]

Found some more threads for that might give you some cool leads on the good stuffs:

Cheap legends
http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... 84&start=0

Dano stuffs:
http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... 83&start=0
http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtop ... dary+pedal

[nomorebridge]

This is my opinion so you are welcome to ignore but I would say this, listen to a fuck load of pedals. play a fuck load and buy the ones you like best, whatever the price just save a bit.

I say this because when I first started buying pedals I did this but rather than by the ones I liked I got cheaper ones thinking it would end there and I'd be happy but it didn't, I spent a lot of money on 'close' pedals but it only seemed to fuel the fire and I ended up getting the ones I wanted in the first place so ended up spending over double. Also the new pedal market is a bit of a rip of I find especially if you're not sure if you really want something

So if you REALLY want something, get it, other opinions may vary.

[dumb donnie]

This is my opinion so you are welcome to ignore but I would say this, listen to a fuck load of pedals. play a fuck load and buy the ones you like best, whatever the price just save a bit.

I say this because when I first started buying pedals I did this but rather than by the ones I liked I got cheaper ones thinking it would end there and I'd be happy but it didn't, I spent a lot of money on 'close' pedals but it only seemed to fuel the fire and I ended up getting the ones I wanted in the first place so ended up spending over double. Also the new pedal market is a bit of a rip of I find especially if you're not sure if you really want something

So if you REALLY want something, get it, other opinions may vary.

I'm going to have to agree. I started out buying whatever was cheap and available and didn't end up keeping any of them. If I could do it all over again I would go to any guitar stores I could find and just play a bunch of stuff to get an idea of what I liked and didn't like. Then I would hit the internet and find some deals. It is essential to BUY USED! Let someone else take the hit.

[mickie08]

He is specifically asking for cheap pedals to broaden his tone and learn about them. Telliong him to save money for better stuff (when he specifies he has limited cash he can spend on pedals) is not helping.

As long as you buy pedals at a decent price used, you can sell them for little to no loss on them down the road. Also, the chance of getting stuck with a pedal or selling it at a loss is much greater with an expensive pedals. This guy is not sure exactly what type of effects he even wants, yet alone specific brands, etc. So buying a few secondhand behringer or dano pedals for $10-20 each and messing around to see what sounds he is looking for makes perfect sense. Then as he grows into using pedals more, he can decide if the pedals are good enough for him or if he wnats to sell/upgrade.

[analogsystem]

Totally. just go for used! Soundtank and tonelock era Ibanez, behringer, dano, dod, and even boss pedals can all be found cheaply. Don't spend too much and have fun!
The high price boutique pedals should come MUCH later (when or IF) you've mastered and exhausted the cheapies.

You can find tons of totally usable pedals for $30 used.

[Mustang Melx]

Totally. just go for used! Soundtank and tonelock era Ibanez, behringer, dano, dod, and even boss pedals can all be found cheaply. Don't spend too much and have fun!
The high price boutique pedals should come MUCH later (when or IF) you've mastered and exhausted the cheapies.

You can find tons of totally usable pedals for $30 used.

totally agree, there's hundreds of pedals on ebay and like someone else said if you pay no more than the going price you can sell it and get your money back easy enough if you decide you don't like it, buying new then selling for half the price is a mugs game.

[johnnyseven]

I agree with the 2 guys above, if this is your first venture into pedals get some cheap ones first to find what kind of effects you like and, more importantly, will actually use. Once you find something that works for you then you can start thinking about replacing your cheap pedals with more expensive or boutique pedals. However if you like the sound of your cheap pedals just keep hold of them and save a few quid.

It is very tempting, and i'm particularly guilty of this, to go out and buy pedals because you like the idea or the sound of them however once you get them and use them for bit you realise that you don't and probably won't ever find a use for them in the band you're in. If you buy new, boutique pedals this practice can end up being quite expensive.

[stubborntiny]

It is very tempting, and i'm particularly guilty of this, to go out and buy pedals because you like the idea or the sound of them however once you get them and use them for bit you realise that you don't and probably won't ever find a use for them in the band you're in. If you buy new, boutique pedals this practice can end up being quite expensive.

I largely agree with this, it's way too expensive to buy pedals in the hope they'll achieve the sound you have in your head. Been stung a couple of times like that! I personally wouldn't only buy cheap unless you're positive the purchase is an absolute bargain and will do the job you want, regardless of price. I find demo videos on here and the old interweb pretty useful for scoping out a pedal's potential... that and the geeky research phase is properly addictive!

edit: Meant to add, as with some of the above posts - your amp determines a whole lot of how a pedal will sound, I only realised how massively so recently!

[Fran]

If you play live, imo gain pedals at loud volume sound the same as the next. In context of course, like a £35 Overdrive and a £150 Overdrive. If you like the characteristics of your Tele i'd avoid most distortions, if you dont like it- buy a Big Muff.
For modulation and time i'd look at the classics like the DD-3 or CE-2, or the Behringer versions. Behringer and Dano are excellent qaulity btw.
Effects like Pitch Shift and Ring Mod are novelty effects, you'll use them intensely for a week then they will sit in cupboard. Its just nonsense.
Alternatively you can spend loads on FX and start posting on TGP, forget about playing and concentrate more on your gear

[dumb donnie]

He is specifically asking for cheap pedals to broaden his tone and learn about them. Telliong him to save money for better stuff (when he specifies he has limited cash he can spend on pedals) is not helping.

As long as you buy pedals at a decent price used, you can sell them for little to no loss on them down the road. Also, the chance of getting stuck with a pedal or selling it at a loss is much greater with an expensive pedals. This guy is not sure exactly what type of effects he even wants, yet alone specific brands, etc. So buying a few secondhand behringer or dano pedals for $10-20 each and messing around to see what sounds he is looking for makes perfect sense. Then as he grows into using pedals more, he can decide if the pedals are good enough for him or if he wnats to sell/upgrade.

I was suggesting that he try out various pedals at a guitar store if possible. I didn't mean that he should save without trying something first. If it turns out that he trys out a couple flangers at some store and decides that he loves that effect, in my experience it is better to do a little research and buy a nice one (used of course).

[lorez]

If you play live, imo gain pedals at loud volume sound the same as the next. In context of course, like a £35 Overdrive and a £150 Overdrive. If you like the characteristics of your Tele i'd avoid most distortions, if you dont like it- buy a Big Muff.
For modulation and time i'd look at the classics like the DD-3 or CE-2, or the Behringer versions. Behringer and Dano are excellent qaulity btw.
Effects like Pitch Shift and Ring Mod are novelty effects, you'll use them intensely for a week then they will sit in cupboard. Its just nonsense.
Alternatively you can spend loads on FX and start posting on TGP, forget about playing and concentrate more on your gear

OT, I'm notsure what was more nsfw with your sigs, this one or the big boob ladies?

But back on topic, I think you speak the truth here Fran. Most of the time most people need to get a bit of overdrive/distortion and then a bit of modulation. The good thing about the dano effects is that they hold there price if you buy them second hand. Try a few and see what fits. Also, take a look at what might of been used on the songs you take inspiration from the most see what effects friends have and whether you can borrow them for a few days and have a play with them