Ideas for my chain?

[Rampdog]

I remember a thread in here a while back but can't recall what you guys recommended. I have a Classic 30...My amp input goes to a pedal board, first pedal is a sustain, second is chorus, third is tube screamer, fourth is delay then my Strat. My tuner is plugged into my effects send keeping it out of the chain. Any ideas on a better setup? I know...I'm sounding lazy but I think you guys said something about delay at the beginning of the chain?

Thanks...

[Gruupi]

I never liked the chorus or delay before the distortion. Because these effects get amplified by the gain of the distortion if you have the distortion off, the other effects are to weak. Or vice versa, if you set them to sound good clean, then when you kick in the distortion the chorus and delay will be to strong.

[Rampdog]

So you suggest putting the tube screamer first with the delay last?

[alfonso]

Originally posted by Rampdog:

So you suggest putting the tube screamer first with the delay last?

Yes

[Xplorer]

Guitar-> screamer-> sustain-> chorus-> delay-> Amp

[Guitar55]

^

|

 

sounds good to me

[fantasticsound]

Of course, you can put just about any effect anywhere. I'm not a fan of delay effects before distortion, but Eric Johnson's had some minor success playing this way.

 

The most variable part of your chain, IMO, are the delay and chorus. Although I tend to put chorus before delay, as in Xplorer's setup, I like the ability to put them parallel, too. So the chorus sound is not delayed or vice versa. Having the dry, uneffected sound with chorus/delay repeats makes a wonderful effect. This is, of course, easier to accomplish with rackmount multi-effects designed to internally re-route the effects order.

 

I assume sustain Xplorer is referring to a compressor pedal. This is also variable pre or post distortion/overdrive depending on the nature of the distortion you want. For a smooth, high gain distortion it's best to compress first. For sustain of a low to mid gain distortion it's best as he put it, post distortion/overdrive pedal.

[Rampdog]

Thanks ya'll... It's set up now as tube screamer, sustain/compression, chorus, delay....

I'll work with it some more to get a better sound. I knew there was something about the delay should be at the end.... And sorry Neil...I don't have the rack mount... Maybe Mrs. Rampdog will buy me one for Christmas...

PS...Neil , thanks again for the A/B switch. I owe ya one...

[picker]

You definitely want the compressor in line before the delay. If not, the delay's repeats are boosted so they don't fade out. I like the sound much better with distortion before delay and chorus, and it always seems to sound best to me is the delay is last in line.

Another thing you might want to try is moving the delay based devices(chorus, delay, flange, etc) into the effects loop with your tuner(put the tuner in line before the effects; you don't have to wrry about the chorus being on when you kick in the tuner that way). You always end up with a quieter signal that way, because you are not preamplying the noise those effects generate, and they all generate some. And, the guitar's signal doesn't have to go through as many boxes, so it's a tad bit less messed-with when it hits the amp.

An effects loop is a very cool thing. Don't let it go to waste.