Random Pedal Thoughts That Don’t Deserve Their Own Thread

[USMarine75]

Just thought I’d post (and encourage others to post) random thoughts about pedals they like or don’t like.

For me, I’m closing in on 200 overdrive pedals, many of which I’ve been revisiting now that I have some time. My goal is to try them with different amps and different guitars to see which rigs they might work well with or not. Please share with us if you have some similar experiences.

 

[budda]

i currently have a big muff and fuzzface to mess around with slamming the superlead. I could grab an off the shelf tonebender type but gonna commission photo booth sound design for it. If I had an Orange the treble boost design would be more intriguing but for now Im ok.

I havent really used my dd6 or jhs hall but keeping them for future me.

Will go between the SD-1 and OD808 as my colour prefence changes

Dirt is fun but im not looking to rabbit hole it.

Who else follows effects database?

 

[USMarine75]

So to start me off… the UAFX Lion. Its old school, 3 early Marshall Plexi in a box amps. A ‘68 Super Bass, a ‘68 Super Lead, and a ‘72? modded Plexi with variac (Brown Sound). You can add a built-in EP3 or Boss GE-10 to boost your tones, as well as an optional bright cap. There are 3 cabs and 3 more available when you register.

The pros first. This thing sounds legit. I haven’t tried in a mix but in the room it captures that loud speaker moving tone of a real cranked Marshall. Even though you normally would turn cab emulation off if playing through an amp, I find if you dial it in right it sounds amazing with those cabs engaged. I have around 30 MIAB pedals and this is the best for those early tones.

Just like the real thing, the second channel is wooly and the first is tighter. It is totally uncompressed so it will reveal every mistake and every missed pick attack lol.

On to the BIG NEGATIVE. I can’t get this thing to connect to the mandatory UA Connect desktop app. Without it you can’t do the mandatory updates. This thing is brand new and it already ships with outdated firmware. Because I can’t update I also can’t get the 3 free bonus cabs. I also can’t connect to the phone app until I’ve updated! Wtf. I’ve tried 10 different USB-C cables, including an expensive data cable I ordered. I tried different power supplies and different computers. On my Mac I get a connection error. On my Windows computer that app won’t even work lol. I contacted UA five days ago and they haven’t responded. And I’ve read online about others reporting the same issue. What a way to ruin an otherwise great product.

Future - fix this shit, because I’d love to see a second Marshall JCM800 based one with more modern tones. Like a Splawn Quickrod with 3 different versions of mods.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

For me, I’m closing in on 200 overdrive pedals, many of which I’ve been revisiting now that I have some time. My goal is to try them with different amps and different guitars to see which rigs they might work well with or not.

I fucking hate this lmao. The dirt rabbit hole makes me so mad. I went through a bunch of dirt pedals a few years back, nowhere near as many as you, but nothing ever topped a plain ol' RAT. EAE Longsword was a real standout, though.

I hated the "which dirt with which pickups in which guitar into which amp sounds best" game. I am much happier/more creative with a dirt chain that I know and like, a set of pickups I know work, and not trying to push the envelope. Different strokes....

Funnily enough, I purchased the second Fuzzrocious Rat King of my life during that time, which I adored when I was in a post rock band, and hated the second time around. My BBRI sounded way better to my ears, even though it had the "less desirable" OP07 chip. Less harsh, and worked much better as an OD. I've settled on the Life Pedal as the trve RAT, it sounds a little better than the BBRI but basically the same, and has a lot more tricks up its sleeve. I doubt I'll ever even try to replace it.

More recently, I picked up a cork-sniffing-ass AnalogMan SunFace in a trade and it sounds dope but I fucking hate that it only runs on batteries. IDGAF if the 9v jack "sucks tone." Fuck batteries. The Pharaoh still reigns supreme, though I eventually plan to upgrade it to a Coven.

 

[crushingpetal]

I'm still not happy with my bass toanz, but the darkglass X7 got me much closer. Why are bass toanz so hard?

I'm now thinking a good compressor in front is the solution to all my (and all life's) problems... Saw a Will Putney with a Cali76 and remembered that Nolly had a Cali76 in front. Gaaahhhh. Want to get the guitar version so it's more useful.

 

[crushingpetal]

For me, I’m closing in on 200 overdrive pedals

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.

 

[USMarine75]

I fucking hate this lmao. The dirt rabbit hole makes me so mad. I went through a bunch of dirt pedals a few years back, nowhere near as many as you, but nothing ever topped a plain ol' RAT. EAE Longsword was a real standout, though.

I hated the "which dirt with which pickups in which guitar into which amp sounds best" game. I am much happier/more creative with a dirt chain that I know and like, a set of pickups I know work, and not trying to push the envelope. Different strokes....

Funnily enough, I purchased the second Fuzzrocious Rat King of my life during that time, which I adored when I was in a post rock band, and hated the second time around. My BBRI sounded way better to my ears, even though it had the "less desirable" OP07 chip. Less harsh, and worked much better as an OD. I've settled on the Life Pedal as the trve RAT, it sounds a little better than the BBRI but basically the same, and has a lot more tricks up its sleeve. I doubt I'll ever even try to replace it.

More recently, I picked up a cork-sniffing-ass AnalogMan SunFace in a trade and it sounds dope but I fucking hate that it only runs on batteries. IDGAF if the 9v jack "sucks tone." Fuck batteries. The Pharaoh still reigns supreme, though I eventually plan to upgrade it to a Coven.

Yeah there’s def a point of diminishing returns. There’s prob at least 30 overdrive pedals alone that I want on my board lol. And that’s only the ones I own. And the worst part is that it changes daily.

 

[budda]

send em all to Cliff to be modelled

 

[High Plains Drifter]

I like my Boss MC and I don't care who knows it. I've hidden in shame for long enough now but I'm finally ready to hold my head high and admit that with the right tweaking, it works.

And since this thread encourages general thoughts on pedals... I've always steered away from the general consensus about "This pedal sucks but this pedal is the cat's balls". I never jived with my TS 808 nor my Rat, but tons of people think they're the absolute shit. And they may be.. for your style of music, the pickups in your guitar, your amp, your ears, etc... but I really feel that it's so objective as none of us have the exact same combination of other factors that ultimately play into what we get out of any particular pedal.

I dunno.. that's my unpopular opinion but I stand by it. Good pedals can sound like shit and shitty pedals can sound good.

 

[budda]

Im in the “Rat mid voicing isnt for me” camp.

 

[Jotun@]

So I’ve been really in to the benson delay recently. I got one about six weeks ago, and the thing sounds amazing. On top of that, it’s a really inspiring pedal to play, and one that keeps wasting a good deal of my time messing around with.
It’s got a ton of range on the first 50% of every knob, and then, anything above noon gets weird. Not all unusable, but limiting in use.
The menu is not my favorite; you have three options for tempo division and three for wave form. You can’t hear anything in the menu, you have to exit to audition these changes.
The tap tempo is awesome, very accurate in a way that I really haven’t seen before. I wish it had an expression jack and optional tap tempo/ramp jack, and the price point is high.
It also doesn’t allow you to save presets.
Plus to benson for the size of this; it is deceptively small.

 

[USMarine75]

Im in the “Rat mid voicing isnt for me” camp.

Try a Walrus Audio Iron Horse v2 or v3. That changed my mind.

 

[budda]

Try a Walrus Audio Iron Horse v2 or v3. That changed my mind.

I like the not liking rats and keeping my money though

 

[CanserDYI]

Man, I have to rethink things. I just went on this whole tangent in my head of "Jesus Christ 200 OD pedals? That must have cost a fortune." And then circled back to "oh well you know what, if they had an average of $200 bucks each, that's only like $4000 spent in pedals, so like less than one Klon centaur." And then I had to slap myself as no one needs to spend $4000 on overdrives.

And now I'm slapping myself again for even having that dumb of a statement come out of my mouth.

Edit: I'll see myself out seeing as ONE coors light makes me forget how to math.

 

[USMarine75]

Man, I have to rethink things. I just went on this whole tangent in my head of "Jesus Christ 200 OD pedals? That must have cost a fortune." And then circled back to "oh well you know what, if they had an average of $200 bucks each, that's only like $4000 spent in pedals, so like less than one Klon centaur." And then I had to slap myself as no one needs to spend $4000 on overdrives.

And now I'm slapping myself again for even having that dumb of a statement come out of my mouth.

Yeah I’m gonna have to ask you to check those maths…

 

[Jotun@]

40000….

 

[CanserDYI]

Oh shit yep, bad maths, that's insane

 

[USMarine75]

Tonight’s pedal was a Catalinbread modded Maxon OD808. Did you ever wonder what a Tubescreamer would sound like if it was more of a full range overdrive with less clean signal blended in? This is that pedal. Absolutely killer sounding overdrive.

Bonus Eventide H90 in the picture because the signal chain tonight was the overdrive into then Eventide Micropitch for 10/10 late 80’s rock tones.

 

[TheBlackBard]

The only two overdrive pedals that tend to stay on my board are a Boss SD-1 or a Walrus Iron Horse v3 going into my Rockerverb. Fuzz? Big Muff suits me just fine, especially pushed by either of the aforementioned pedals. I have a Wampler Delay/Reverb for effects and honestly, that's about it, other than my tuner.

 

[Rubbishplayer]

Best pedal I ever bought? Electro Harmonix Soul Food. Lovely clean OD for blues.

I'm not a huge pedal hoarder and see pedals as a tool, nothing more. But this one stands out from all the Boss, Ibby and other pedals I have as being one I've actually fallen in love with.