Pedals or Effects processor

[masterblaster]

I've been debating on what would be better to get, a good effects processor or just pedals.

The pedals I am looking at are:
Digitech Whammy
Dime Wah
EVH Flanger or phase(haven't decided yet)
Boss Digital Reverb or Digitech Reverb
KFK 10 band EQ
Cusack Screamer v2/Maxon od 808/T-rex Angelo OD(depends on amp)
a Chorus pedal of some sort
MXR Carbon Copy
ISP Decimator

To power everything I was thinking of a Vodoo labs pedal power.


So, all of that would cost a fair amount and I have no idea if I will ever want other pedals, but it would be nice to have one effects processor, that could possibly be cheaper than buying most of these(I know some of these probably can't be found on an fx processor. The Axe Fx Ultra looks awesome and it seems to be the go to, but at the momment I don't have the cash for one, so I was thinking a g major from TC. Since I haven't bought any of these yet, what would your recommendations be, either for different pedals that might work better than what's listed or for fx system over the pedal idea or maybe something else that I have overlooked?

 

[troyguitar]

Especially since the DigiTech Whammy is on your list, I personally would cheap out and try the DigiTech RP500 and see how that goes. The TC and the Fractal both are recommended very highly though, if you know you want to spend the money.

 

[Ishan]

I have the G Major, it does most of what you need (never tried the whammy tho, I have a WH-4 for that) and it's cheap used. So you could buy one and save for an AxeFX

 

[adadglgmut]

processors are nice because you can pull up presets and their easy to use.
but i think seperate pedals sound SOOOOO much better, as long as they are good ones!
the carbon copy and decimator sound better than most programmed settings in a processor imo...

 

[rahul_mukerji]

In my use, I found that you really have to play and tweak the hell out of a processor to get a good tone out of it. Most tones are very sterile and digital sounding. Of course, there are people who get awesome tones out of their XT Live, but it hasn't happened to me.

My pedals seems to give my tone a little more warmth and meat. I can't get any meat from my processor. How can I have any pudding if I can't get my meat ?????

+1 on the Decimator. Its a great Gate. Very effective.
+1 on the MXR Carbon Copy. I love the delay from this pedal.
+1 on the MXR EVH Phaser. I combine this with my Carbon Copy (I put the Phaser after the Copy) and it really gives a great lush psychedelic sound for my bands tunes. Its a great combination if you play such stuff. Just a whole bunch of delayed signals getting phased.
I use a Dunlop Wah which was great till it started going scratchy on me. I gotta use a new pot (cleaning did not rid me of the sound much).

Haven't used any of the others, except Flanger. I tried the EVH flanger and after 20 mins of playing with it I wasn't convinced. I did try some other flanger with similar results.

My last advice is, dont buy all the pedals in the world just because you can. Choose selectively on what to buy. Also, if there is a need for lots of pedals and effects, you're better off spending a tad more and buying a good system like the Axe FX / TC Electronics stuff. They sound really good and meaty right out of the box. Dont go for the GNX or POD stuff if you can help it.

Hope that helps.

 

[Bobby]

I personally would cheap out and try the DigiTech RP500

What he said.

 

[Variant]

Honestly, after playing guitar for a many a year now, I've found that unless you're a minimalist some combination of both is necessary. Some stuff, is probably only going to work for you / sound right in pedal form, other things will benefit greatly by having them contained withing the flexibility of a processor. I'm not going to give specific recommendations as different things work for different people, so some exploration on your own part is due. Another thing to look at with processors, aside from the sounds/quality/vibe, is the routing options as that makes integrating the rest of your stuff into the chain easier. Also, I agree with tweaking of processors... it's just something you have to do to match levels, effects settings, etc. to get a good sound. Honestly you'd be doing the same with a 10-piece pedaltrain as well, especially if you start doing the same splits, sidechains, etc. that processors can do, so yeah.

 

[yingmin]

This but also consider the RP1000 it's loads better because you can turn off cab sims and shit like that. It's more rig friendly in my opinion. I'm currently borrowing one from somebody.

You can do that with the RP500, too.

 

[Bobby]

You can do that with the RP500, too.

Shit I was thinking 350 model. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Leuchty]

I have had countless Multi-FX and have never been satisfied. There is always something missing.

Effects are things guitarists collect.

 

[yingmin]

Maybe I'm just not that discriminating about the effects I use, but I would much rather have a good processor than pedals. I love the flexibility and control you get with a processor, and integration is a large part of why I went rack in the first place. I really couldn't tell you the difference between the delays of a DD7 or a Carbon Copy, or between a Boss Phaser and an MXR Phase 90. I could see running a couple pedals for really specialized sounds, but for the meat-and-potatoes effects, give me a processor any day.