How Do You Use Your Effects?

Post by **Doog** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:02 pm

The current Casa Bonita setup is tuner > Boss PS5 > EHX MicroPOG > MBM Box Of Rock>RAT > EHX StereoMemory Man or Vesta Fire MDX delay.

The Box Of Rock is pretty much always on, providing some nice "tubey" grit to solidstate amps, but is placed before the RAT so it doesn't effect the sound too much when both are on. Micro POG is set to a "dry and octave down" sound with the PS-5 used for a switchable one/two octave up, Whammy effects and other stuff.

I don't currently use the delay for much more than glitchy stutters or slapback echoes, but since the SMMWH has instant backwards playback with the momentary footswitch, I'm thinking of having some fun forward-reverse riff action; the drums playing the exact same beat but reversed too. Should be neeeeeeeat.

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:32 pm

Dwarfcraft Shiva-
MBM Salty Elephant-
Artec "Analog" Delay-
MXR Phase 90-
EHX Pulsar-
Zoom 506 II Bass(use it as a tuner/reverb)
+EHX Little Big Muff.

I do not have any definite "setup" since I just try different combinations and settings. Used to have a Wah, but sold it since I did not have much use for it. Would like to have a OD and a good reverb and flanger and...

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:17 pm

drive drive drive and fuzz.

a spot of delay on one or two songs, no modulation or nuffin. a lot of guitarists rely on effects far too much.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 5:59 pm

Bass: [tuner] > Original Bass CryBaby > Boss CEB-3 > Boss ODB-3 > EHX Bassballs (russian) > Amp

I use the Wah for an intro and for a solo. Chorus is used to color some lines over clean sections, usually when we have only one guitar going. OD is used sparingly, but during choruses when I need some extra power or if I want to make it obvious we're in a different part of the song. Bassballs is used almost exclusively for when I solo (it's more like I take a lead), but I'd like to try to work it into some regular sections. I use the OD + Wah in tandem for a solo, trying to get Geezer Butler's sound from the "Bassically" intro to N.I.B.

Guitar: Vox Wah > Russian Big Muff (black) > MBM Saltbooster > Dano EQ > Amp

The Wah I use for shitty solos and for RATM stuff. The Muff is my dirt, and I love it. Smoother than the NYC, it still gives me the crunch I need, especially when I hit the Saltbooster. The Saltbooster is used to push my sound a little further for solos and for little riffs where I'll tap it on only for the duration of the riff and make a "two guitars" effects. It works best when I'm playing a chord and it's still ringing a bit when I hit the pedal/play the lick.
The Danophobe I use to boost my mids and to a lesser extent, my highs. My amp needs it, and the Muff tends to suck out my highs.

I should mention that I don't play guitar live or in a band. Cause I kinda suck.

Rayjaysonic · Post by **Rayjaysonic** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:24 pm

In Front of Amp:
Vox Classic Wah (good for cleans) - Jet Wah (good for distortion) - EHX Soul Preacher (great with a Telly) - DanElectro Drive V1 (to be replaced with a Fulltone OCD when cash allows) - Boss DS1 (another pedal I would like to replace when I have some spare notes) - Big Muff with Tone Wicker

FX Loop:
EHX Memory Man - EHX Holy Grail Plus - EHX Worm V1 (wish it was the V2 due to the noise the V1 kicks out) - EHX Russian Small Stone Phaser

Most of the time I just have fun. My pedal board is kind of for experimenting with sounds, which is why I like EHX gear as you can push their FX into some strange places. The front of amp stuff speaks for itself, just some drives and a Wah, with a little bit of Soul thrown in for good measure. The looped FX kind of give me a load of spaced out stuff for texture and fattening up my sound.

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:50 pm

EB Volume Pedal>Turbo RAT>MBM Dual Drive OCD/Catlinbread thingy!>Boss TR-2>EHX Holy Grail>EHX Memory Toy>Boss DD-5>EHX SMMH

I've started to tone down the delay effects a little now. When I first started out with the band I'm with now, I used to rely on it a bit too much and I'd cover a lot of my parts up. Now I'm using more drive and distortion with a nice bit of reverb. The more newer songs in our set have started to be more riff based, rather than atmospheric, which things like the volume pedal were ideal for.

I really should probably start to intergrate the same sounds into each song but I tend to use different delays for different songs. I barely use the Volume Pedal now as we've stopped playing the one song that I used it in the most. The Turbo RAT has kind of been played off the board by the dual drive but still find certain parts of our songs are better suited to it.

I guess the more confident I'm becoming the less I really need to rely on covering my parts up with delay or loads of noise!

I do still think I'll keep what I have as I always feel like I might use them for new ideas. It's better to have a bigger option of choices available to me. It's all personal preference though

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:53 pm

Plus, I still think I've got an ambient/post rock album within me so I'll keep the delay for then!

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:10 pm

EB VPJR - swells and fine tuning my guitar's volume since i tend to knock the volume knob on my guitar out of place and the taper isn't very forgiving.
OCD/DLS - basically using the DLS for a light amp breakup sound, the OCD for my main overdrive, it can be very bluesy or hard rock and roll which i like. Not been into the DLS' higher gain sounds
Regenerator - thickening up cleans occasionally, mainly to add emphasis to certain lines
Nova Delay - basic delays with 3-4 repeats, dynamic delays, slapback, long delays for swells, edge/u2 stuff, DMM esque 300ms heavy mod, reverse, and a LUSH chorus sound
Verbzilla - nice plate/room sounds on most of the time, heavier spacy reverbs for ambient stuff, OCTO

yeah

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 7:27 pm

Epiphone Casino/Fender (mexican) Stratocaster > Bluesbreaker > Danelectro Reverbking > (rarely) Danelectro echo > VOX valvetronix

thats my mysterious sound. But Im mostly a chord strummer, no good guitar player.. (I sing and play,eh)

I really love the 'plock' sound on the reverb king.. If I would get a pedal that just made that, I would be happy a 'plock-lock' pedal : D

suede · Post by **suede** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:36 pm

lately fender mustang, zvex fuzzfactory, mxr carbon copy, and fender deville...that's it...

kim · Post by **kim** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:41 pm

i kick them
sometimes some kick me, i like those the most

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:53 pm

stewart wrote:a lot of guitarists rely on effects far too much.

what an arsehole post, i don't even think i was pissed up on booze at the time.

kim · Post by **kim** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:46 pm

i've a split personality to that too really.. sometimes i'm just too lazy and just play an acoustic, no cables, no knobs, no bullshit. and it brings songs.
but other times i need electricity and effects and something amplified going nuts and i love it just the same. both things make me feel relieved and i don't think either is better, just different.
effects are fun especially when it's effects you have to 'tame' or struggle with, the unpredictable ones, i love that, it's another dimension to your playing i think. with an acoustic that interaction, for me personally, is just that i start singing, with an electric i don't feel like singing most of the time. so i usually use an acoustic to get some lyrics out of my head otherwise it's just pretty impossible.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:47 pm

eh, i use them here and there.
i usually run, acoustic 260/peavey studio 112--->boss me-70--->jaguar.

i mostly use it for reverb, fuzz, and tremolo here and there.
for a band i'm in i use delay on a couple songs, and octave on a few songs.

other than that i use it for fucking around, i dont play much guitar anymore for i'm primarily a drummer and lead singer now.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:56 pm

As my only pedals are a distortion/fuzz (rat or fuzz face) a footswitch for my amp's reverb and trem, I can't really offer any insight to how I use my pedals.

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:19 am

kim wrote:i've a split personality to that too really.. sometimes i'm just too lazy and just play an acoustic, no cables, no knobs, no bullshit. and it brings songs.
but other times i need electricity and effects and something amplified going nuts and i love it just the same. both things make me feel relieved and i don't think either is better, just different.
effects are fun especially when it's effects you have to 'tame' or struggle with, the unpredictable ones, i love that, it's another dimension to your playing i think. with an acoustic that interaction, for me personally, is just that i start singing, with an electric i don't feel like singing most of the time. so i usually use an acoustic to get some lyrics out of my head otherwise it's just pretty impossible.

Pretty much exactly how I feel.

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:27 am

TU2 > DD5 > Dano TOD > MBM OCD/DLS > TR2 > MXR Micro Chorus > Behringer RV600

Only really use OD & reverb, just finished recording the guitars for my bands CD & the only other effect was a bit of delay on one track...... hmm might break out some chorus for an overdub

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:12 am

wah is great for cutting through on a lead part. you don't have to go all nuts with the wah, just barely moving it or leaving it fixed will do.
flanger is also good for cutting through in this fashion (turn the 'depth' all the way down and the 'feedback' up and then use the 'manual' to adjust the peak frequency).

and yeah, I like messing around with that gilmour-esque heavy chorus and reverb lead stuff. also, that's billy duffy's sound. and john squire used a good amount of that as well.

I like 80s jangley bands, chorus and/or compressor can be great for that. and reverb.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:53 pm

My current pedalboard. I don't use the wah much, but I hate not having it just in case. My MBM fuzzface and Saltbooster/Saltbreaker combo pedals create my distortion/fuzz palette. The booster/breaker's order switch let me put the booster in front of the breaker or behind it depending on my needs. The fuzzface gives me the old school dirt. I might eventually add a MBM OCD and/or MBM Green Big Muff to round out my distortion pedals. I have not gotten on with the Polychorus, preferring my Small Clone Chorus. I like my modulation pedals to add a little flavor to a song and make it sound less flat. I like freezing the AutoWah and phaser on the Worm. I have been trying to get better using my DL4 pedal and simulate some U2 sounds (which is hard without the dotted eighth notes). I would love to try out one of Memory Boy pedals at some point, though I would not get rid of the DL4. I am finally getting some use out of my Wiggler and incorporating vibrato into my arpeggios. I had a short love affair with Reverb, but It hasn't lasted. Probably why I am also trying to move the Holy Stain. I don't think effects are a substitute for good playing, but they can definitely make your sound more interesting.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:55 am

Forgive the slight thread ressurection, but just back from hols...but thought this was interesting...so...
I guess for me it depends on what the band I have been in.
For years I had just a Wah and a Zoom 707 which was mostly off apart for some Phaser and Chorus on one song.
Then I got into pedals a whole lot more and in my last band I had a decent sized board where the other guitarist hardly had any so there was something always on on mine.
Couple of incarnations:

Now I have reverted to a much simplified set up, and to be honest like it much more - suits me better. So now I play through a clean amp with a couple of dirt pedals and a boost. I could have this as my set up really, but have got a Phaser and Delay too which make a brief appearance in one or two songs. Usually stick a Wah on the end too to help cover up my soloing errors lol.