Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

The pedal thing


Dave Bryce

Recommended Posts

Here"s what happens when a synth weenie/studio geek designs a guitar pedal board mainly for the purposes of figuring out how the building blocks of guitar sound work and how to combine them. :duck:

 

WXyCRyJ.jpg

 

Routing for the bottom row goes thusly:

Dyna-Comp -> RAT -> Phase 90 -> FAB Chorus -> Cry Baby -> (up to the) Tube Screamer -> (back down to the) Reflecting Pool (delay/reverb).

 

That line then goes up to the Donner Path Seeker output selector in the left corner. It's first out feeds the the D"armond volume pedal, then the other Donner box under the first one (A/B input, which switches between the bottom row of pedals orâ¦heh...my Hammond A100"s 1/4' output) then goes to to the top row of pedals (Iridium amp modeler -> TC Stereo chorus/Pitch Mod/Flanger -> Blue Sky reverb).

 

Still with me? Almost done... :freak::D

 

The Path Seeker"s other output feeds the (amazingly cool) Leslie preamp pedal all the way to the right. I can choose to hear either the main stereo out from the top row, the Leslie 145...or both. The Output Selector has individual volume and phase controls as well to dial smooth switching/combining.

 

The stereo main out path feeds a stereo PA. The Leslie sits in between the PA speakers.

 

To my journeyman"s ear, this does not sound bad at all.

 

It gives me a ton of different tones and optionsâ¦but I"d love to hear comments from from any of y'all who are willing to help school a brotherâ¦

 

â¦and yes, I know the cables are a mess. Once I"m sure about the layout, I"ll clean it up. I swear... :idk:

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 19
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

I like that DeArmond. The company were pioneers. I have been on Josh Scott to do a video on the history of DeArmond pedals. They did many of the earliest effects and they were creative.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Dave Bryce - That looks like a fun rig, and you've got all the major Food Groups covered. I don't recall ever seeing a T.C. SCF in that chrome finish before? Very striking!

 

Couple of thought - Short cables with R/A plugs are your friends, when assembling and cabling a pedalboard. I see you've got a few on the lower rung, between the Dyna-Comp-RAT-Phase 90, with nice flat plug heads. I also suggest using cable tie anchors under the board, to really tighten everything up. Neatness counts.

 

Even though you're pretty much out of room there, I'd strongly recommend either a Boss pedal (any Boss pedal will do) or a good old MXR Micro Amp at the very front of your signal chain as a Buffer. The Micro Amp also doubles as a Buffer/Booster; one of my favorite 'secret weapon' pedals. A Boss Tuner pedal will also serve as a buffer, and having a Tuner right underfoot is never a bad idea. Bob Bradshaw used to mount Boss Tuners into his custom pedalboards as Buffers, until he designed a Buffer box of his own.

 

Feel free to PM me - I currently have 5 Pedaltrain pedalboards, running different configurations of FX and/or Controllers & Switches, and I have another used PT1 in a HSC on the way. I definitely suffer from a form of OCD - Obsessive Cabling Disorder - but there are worse things. I'm not an EE or anything, just a long-time pedal geek; I've been playing with little noise boxes since 1973, and I'm not nearly done yet.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Dave Bryce - That looks like a fun rig, and you've got all the major Food Groups covered. I don't recall ever seeing a T.C. SCF in that chrome finish before? Very striking!

It's an Anniversary edition.

 

Couple of thought - Short cables with R/A plugs are your friends, when assembling and cabling a pedalboard. I see you've got a few on the lower rung, between the Dyna-Comp-RAT-Phase 90, with nice flat plug heads. I also suggest using cable tie anchors under the board, to really tighten everything up. Neatness counts.

 

Even though you're pretty much out of room there, I'd strongly recommend either a Boss pedal (any Boss pedal will do) or a good old MXR Micro Amp at the very front of your signal chain as a Buffer. The Micro Amp also doubles as a Buffer/Booster; one of my favorite 'secret weapon' pedals. A Boss Tuner pedal will also serve as a buffer, and having a Tuner right underfoot is never a bad idea. Bob Bradshaw used to mount Boss Tuners into his custom pedalboards as Buffers, until he designed a Buffer box of his own.

 

Feel free to PM me - I currently have 5 Pedaltrain pedalboards, running different configurations of FX and/or Controllers & Switches, and I have another used PT1 in a HSC on the way. I definitely suffer from a form of OCD - Obsessive Cabling Disorder - but there are worse things. I'm not an EE or anything, just a long-time pedal geek; I've been playing with little noise boxes since 1973, and I'm not nearly done yet.

Thank you, Winston! I've been thinking of the tuner - been using the Fender and D'Addario headstock ones, but I kinda want the pedal.

 

Will definitely clean the cables up. I have a few three footers in there out of necessity, but most of them are the really short ones. I have a power block tucked under the board as well.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peterson Tuners. Especially if you may ever venture into pedal steel. I think you have a lap steel. Peterson has all the offsets programmed in for various instruments. Put a steel in perfect machine pitch it sounds like a piano in perfect machine pitch ... like ass.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hugely agree with CEB above about Peterson tuners, they make the best ones.

 

And - You got a RAT! Now you can play the solos to White Wedding and Rebel Yell.

 

This is me flogging my 335 through a RAT into a Peavey amp decades ago. We were LOUD, I was lead guitar.

 

https://metapop.com/opossum-apocalypse/tracks/01-ain39t-no-more-cane/175395

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peterson Tuners. Especially if you may ever venture into pedal steel. I think you have a lap steel. Peterson has all the offsets programmed in for various instruments. Put a steel in perfect machine pitch it sounds like a piano in perfect machine pitch ... like ass.

I hugely agree with CEB above about Peterson tuners, they make the best ones.

Here, here! Hear, hear! I'll third that recommendation of Peterson tuners, in particular their StroboStomp tuner pedals.

 

I used an original version blue StroboStomp VS-S for yeeeaarrs, and then got a latest model StroboStomp HD. I am delighted with it. It is definitely more accurate than almost all other tuners- perhaps even more accurate than any others, period.

 

Initially tune your guitars with its EQU Equal Tempered preset, set their intonation with it as well, and then tune with its GTR "Sweetened" guitar preset ever after- your guitar will never have sounded better! Seriously.

 

And it large, vivid display is FINALLY one that is much improved for reading in daylight! You can assign various colors to the presets you use most. Lots of features, thoughtful useful bells 'n' whistles. HIGHLY recommended.

 

 

Winston is a font of knowledge, experience and advice here.

 

If you want to go with pre-made patch cables in various lengths, I can highly recommend EBS PG series Premium Gold Flat Patch Cable - Right Angle to Right Angle. They're very compact, great space-savers!

PCF-PG_group-1024x944.jpg

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a Digitech Luxe and loved it. I had an opportunity to add it into a trade/purchase for a Focusrite ISA One so it went away. It was precise and very quiet, an excellent circuit.

 

It's a detuner with both flat and sharp options and a blend/mix control. Slight detuning makes a guitar sound big, in stereo with one side detuned it sounds HUGE and 3d. The pedal does not have a modulator but the effect of detuning creates a natural modulation with speed being dependent on the degree of detuning. If you are close to the original pitch the modulation is very slow, if you are a bit farther sharp or flat the modulation speeds up accordingly.

 

Not doing the pedal thing anymore or I'd get another one. I do use detuning in my DAW all the time.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
A buddy pointed me at the Xotic folks yesterday (https://xotic.us/effects/). Bought their SP Compressor and their Robotalk 2 envelope filter. :thu:

 

dB

I've got an Xotic SL Drive Overdrive, myself, and I like it.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got the Xotic Robotalk pedal -- pretty cool; one of the few "gimmick" pedals that I actually like. Not sure if mine is a Rev 2 or not though. I just know it's enhanced from the original edition. Mine is called the Custom Shop Robotalk RI Envelope Filter & Random Arpeggiator Pedal.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for tuners, I still like Peterson the best and have owned nearly every rev they've ever made. I also have a mini version of the chord-based (not its only mode) Polytune from TC Electronic, and a high precision Korg tuner for my ukuleles. Those are the only three brands I trust for accuracy, and they're now all pretty close to each other in that regard but it used to be that only Peterson was very accurate.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Blend control on the compressor is way appealing to me - makes quick tweaks easier, IMO. I like having that on rack comps as well.

 

Apparently the SP comp likes more juice, and my power brick has an 18v out. I"ll be interested to see how much of a difference the extra headroom makes.

 

Mark, I ended up with the TC Polytune 3. The strobe mode is very cool.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Blend control on the compressor is way appealing to me - makes quick tweaks easier, IMO. I like having that on rack comps as well.

Agreed on blend controls on compressor--pedals; an optical-circuit type compressor with a blend-control is very useful for humbucker-equipped guitars.

 

 

Apparently the SP comp likes more juice, and my power brick has an 18v out. I"ll be interested to see how much of a difference the extra headroom makes.

WOW, only 5ma current draw on the Xotic SP Compressor- that's low! I think that you'll find an appreciable difference in running it on 18v. Most pedals that I've been able to safely run at voltages higher than 9vdc- such as 12v, 15v, 18v- gave me results that I appreciated and preferred over running them at 9v.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got the SP today, and love it to bits. Haven"t even really messed with the internal dip switch tweaks - the way it comes out of the box sounds amazing. Been using it with 9v at first - wanna try that first to see how much of a difference the double voltage makes."

 

I only just grazed the surface of the Robotalk - waaaay different sounding than my Moogerfooger LPF.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I've got an Xotic SL Drive Overdrive, myself, and I like it.

 

Do you run it at 9 or 18 volts?

I like to run it on 18v. I also got the Xotic 9v to 15v/18v adapter, but I have other 18v Power-Supplies. The SL Drive doesn't draw much current, and the Xothic adapter doesn't provide particularly high current- enough for the SL Drive, but maybe not enough for some other pedals.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...