I need help choosing some pedals

[So Derpy]

Ok so this winter break, I'm gonna be doing a major upgrade to my rig and I need some suggestions cause I'm clueless when it comes to how effects work and using them to get a tone I want. The amp I have right now is a Peavey Vyper 30 Watt and it's fine and all, it was a good beginner amp, but I never got into trying to find a tone I like, mostly because I didn't understand anything about it, so I just stuck with using the same settings that a friend set up for two'ish years. Anywho, now I really want to get a better tone. I've tried messing with the settings on the Vyper, but it really all sounds muddy and awful, no matter what I do (cause its cheap obviously) so I decided its time to update.

After doing some looking around on this site, I decided I'm gonna buy the 6505+, since most people claim its the best, especially at its price. Although, before I chose this, I was looking at buying a half stack of either the Randall RX120RH and RX412 or Line 6 Spider IV HD150 150W 4x12. I was leaning towards the Spider, so I had already settled on a budget of $750, but luckily I found a thread on this board talking about those two exact amps. Most were saying that the Spider sucks and people were talking about using the randal half stack to play at venues and gigs. I just want something for my bedroom to play around with, probably do some recording at home, but never a live show or anything. So that's what got me to settle on the 6505+ and I was really pleased to see that it was cheaper too. So since I was so set on spending $750 I decided to buy some pedals with it and here's where the stupid background stuff ends.


I want to buy all the pedals used for the sake of being able to buy 3 or 4 of them. I need help because I really dont fully understand what most pedals do. Like, I watch videos on youtube and stuff explaining them, but they always demo it with a blues, hard rock, 80's metal tone. I'm going for a more modern, djenty sound and so I don't know how what they are explaining would apply to that kind of tone. Plus I don't understand the technical terms. I've already decided on buying the Boss NS-2 and OD808 (everyone I see has this pedal but why? dont most amps already come with overdrive?). Should I buy an EQ pedal? Phaser? Delay? Reverb? Wah??? What pedals do yall recommend so I can have a versatile tone, both clean and distorted?

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

An overdrive in front of the amp set with the drive way down/off, tone wherever you like, and volume high/cranked will cut some extreme highs and low low end from your guitar signal and boost a bit of midrange for a tighter, more aggressive sound. The circuitry is different from just using an EQ for the same effect since it's intended to add some grit/clipping rather than a "clean" boost like an EQ or dedicated clean boost. And of course a noise suppressor cuts out the excess hum and feedback from your guitar's signal when you're not playing.

I'm currently helping a friend of mine is set up a similar rig to what you described. He's already got a 6505+ 112 combo, and he wanted 3-4 pedals for a minimal yet fairly versatile rig. In my humble opinion, the 4 most critical pedals to get for metal of any kind are a tuner (TU-2), noise suppressor (NS-2 or Decimator), overdrive (OD-808), and a delay in the FX loop of the amp (I'd go with a DD-20 or Memory Boy Deluxe). I wouldn't worry about an EQ pedal unless you were wanting to use it to shape the sound a bit more for a solo boost or similar.

With those pedals, you'll be able to get tight rhythm tones, searing lead tones wet with delay, and good cleans also with delay. The cleans on the 6505 and 6505+ aren't stellar, but adding a delay and rolling back your guitar's volume helps a good bit.

 

[So Derpy]

In my humble opinion, the 4 most critical pedals to get for metal of any kind are a tuner (TU-2), noise suppressor (NS-2 or Decimator), overdrive (OD-808), and a delay in the FX loop of the amp (I'd go with a DD-20 or Memory Boy Deluxe).

How much more accurate are pedal tuners than to clip on tuners like the one I have right now?

 

[Omura]

How much more accurate are pedal tuners than to clip on tuners like the one I have right now?

I have NS micro clip on tuners on all my guitars, and a TC polytune mini.
I wondered how accurate the ns Micro tuners were, so I tuned all my guitars up with them, and my bass too. And all of them tuned up perfectly with the NS micro. only the low A on my Bass was out by enough to register as not perfect on the polytune, but audibly it wasn't anything to worry about.

Pedal tuners are great, but not essential, especially as you don't play live.
I understand that headstock tuners aren't ideal live, but in your bedroom they are perfect imo.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

How much more accurate are pedal tuners than to clip on tuners like the one I have right now?

The biggest difference is how much better a pedal picks up low low notes.

I'll agree that a pedal tuner may not be that crucial since you aren't playing out live, so if you're still limiting yourself to 3 or 4 pedals you could swap out the tuner from my first post with a reverb or chorus or anything else you think you would use for your playing.

 

[decreebass]

I would also put out a warning to not buy any specialty effects. You sound like a meat & potatoes tone kinda guy, so you're probably never going to use phaser, flanger, MAYBE chorus on some cleans, and you probably don't need any boutiqu distortions.

I would recommend:
-Before the amp-
1) Tuner: either the Polytune or Boss Tu-3 depending on if you need/want buffered or true bypass.
2) An overdrive (TS808, TS9, or any of the hundred million variations: Bad Monkey, SD OD 805, Maxon OD808, Chellee Odie, etc.)
3a) Anything you want - fuzz (might I recommend the Fuzz Face germanium or the Big Muff Pi), distortion, clean boost, wah, wammy, noise supressor - the options are literlly unlimited.
-in the amp's loop-
3b *if you didn't use pedal 3 before the amp*) Chorus
4) Delay; can't recommend the TC Flashback (or Flashback x4) highly enough. It's got a bunch of amazing quality delays as well as a looper.

You could even consolidate even further by getting the Zoom MS-70CDR as your only pedal in the loop. It has a ton of excellent quality choruses, delays, and reverbs - you can have presets, tap-tempo, up to 6 in a patch - and no tone suck!

For before the amp, I might even recommend the Germanium4 Big Muff Pi - it's got a sweet Muff fuzz AND a great overdrive in one pedal.

I've recently gone back to pedals instead of the multi-effects route; I bought a board that can barely hold 8 pedals so it FORCES me to think strategically when deciding my effects chain. right now it looks like this:

-Before the amp-
1) TC Electronic Spark Boost - ultra-versatil boost; can be just a clean boost, a fattener, an OD, an EQ - whatever I need it to be for whatever rig/guitar I'm using.
2) Chellee Odie overdrive - A very versatile and good sounding OD; everything from clean boost, to overdrive, to bordering on high-gain.
3) Fuzz Face Mini Germanium; you play this pedal as much as you do the music that you play through it. But it's a raw, sweet, musical fuzz.
4) Germanium4 Big Muff Pi - as stated above; good OD portion, great fuzz portion with voltage and bias control.

-in amp's loop-
5) Boss TU-3 - everyone needs a tuner in the rig - mine just comes in the loop.
6) Wampler Ego Compressor - levels out the amp from wide open crunch to clean - all based on guitar's volume knob.
7) TC Electronic John Petrucci Dreamscape - my favorite chorus pedal. Also has flager & vibrato but I never use those.
8) TC Electronic Flashback x4 - as stated above; looper, tap tempo, stereo out, great delays, toneprints... what's not to love?

Hope that sheds some light

 

[Albionic]

as budget constraints play a part here i'd like to recommend joyo pedals. Even the gear snobs on the tele forum i frequent (not so much now as i sold my tele) are impressed by them. Personally I'd limit myself to a chorus a delay and an overdrive. I'd also get a fuzz for some doom sounds but fuzz is not for everyone.

 

[decreebass]

as budget constraints play a part here i'd like to recommend joyo pedals. Even the gear snobs on the tele forum i frequent (not so much now as i sold my tele) are impressed by them. Personally I'd limit myself to a chorus a delay and an overdrive. I'd also get a fuzz for some doom sounds but fuzz is not for everyone.

Yep. Check out this comparison video:



And yes - fuzz is not for everyone lol - it's definitley an acquired taste and you do have to finesse your playing a bit more; you can't just go full-bore balls-out with it; it works best with one note solos or simple harmonies & funky/dirty riffs.

 

[Go To Bed Jessica]

I didn't quite understand from the OP what pedal budget we are talking here.. so excuse me if this is too expensive.

I would suggest seeing if you can pick up something like a TC Nova System. There seem to be a few going second hand now for really good prices (and no, I'm not selling one).

The include od/distortion, boost, compression, delay, modulation, and reverb. Several different types of each category are there and the vast majority of the effects sound really good (except the distortion which I don't think is intended for metal and sounds like crap to my ears). Having all of this stuff at your disposal will give you a chance to try HEAPS of different effects without spending a truckload of cash. You may move on later to individual pedals or you might not - there are plenty of dudes out there happily using multi effects systems.

I have a huge board of individual pedals which I've spent years building up with all of my favourite pedals - so obviously I'm picky about sounds. I was so blown away by the Nova System that it had me seriously questioning my crazy big board and wondering if I should consider ditching it.

There are other cool multis around now too. The newer Zoom G and MS series pedals sound amazing for the price and the Line6 HD series are all fantastic.

I used to be strongly anti multi fx pedals, but the newer units are genuinely pretty amazing compared to what was around a decade or so back.

 

[JeffKill]

I just want something for my bedroom to play around with, probably do some recording at home, but never a live show or anything. So that's what got me to settle on the 6505+ and I was really pleased to see that it was cheaper too.

How loud are you looking to play in your bedroom? If you're dead set on the 6505 + combo, I would pick up a power attenuator to go along with it. I know there's mixed reviews on that amp at bedroom volumes, but I had one for a short period of time and really didn't think it sounded good unless the volume was up pretty high.