Help me build my PedalBoard !!!

[fastlanestoner]

Well if you don't want modulation I'd say a decent OD/boost for extra dirt. Alot of guys like the Maxon or a TS-style depending on their amp setup, which is even more critical. Other than that maybe a wah and a delay.

[tribedescribe]

Often the most essential effects for a live performer are subtle like a compressor, tuner and a lead booster. Tc electronics make great versions of these pedals for a good price. A wah pedal is a must also. I like true bypass wah pedals that do not suck your tone like the Dunlop GCB95F wah.

For rock you really need three sounds, clean, dirty and distorted. Your amp will provide your distorted sound so look for a dirt pedal. The Tc ts808 is standard for this dirty sound but I sold mine for a Red Snapper which I like better.

[jackov]

well, I think that a good overdrive or distortion is a must have, and if you play leads you could use a wah pedal, boost or an EQ pedal would be useful too, maybe a delay or reverb if you find it useful. maybe you'll need a compressor to eliminate unwanted noise. you should try as many pedals as you can and see which effects do you need.

[AbhinavBairathi]

Here's What i Have in mind to get
BOSS
TU-3 tuner
NS-2 noise suppresser
AC-3 for clean
LS-2 to switch between rhythm and lead
DD-7 for delay
BOGNER
red ecstasy pedal for lead
blue ecstasy pedal for rhythm
DUNLOP KH-95 (I'm a big Metallica fan too...)
Any replacement suggestion welcome

[jackov]

I think you shouldn't buy that much Boss pedals because they don't have true bypass, which means that when they are turned off they will degrade your sound. It will not be a problem if you have 1 or 2 pedals without true bypass but with 5 pedals sound quality can be ruined. I haven't tried Kirk Hammet wah, but I have crybaby GCB-95, it's actually the cheapest crybaby but it's very good. You could consider it too because KH-95 costs probably twice as much GCB-95 does, and you will be able to play metallica songs with any crybaby, gcb-95 will be just fine if it's your first wah.

[jackov]

Another thing, when you say you're gonna use ac-3 for clean, how do you plan to use it? If you use overdrive/distortion from an amplifier and turn on the ac-3 you will NOT get clean sound. Ac-3 can be used to make your clean electric guitar sound like an acoustic one. And LS-2 can't be used for switching between rhythm and lead. That pedal is used for things that are not even similar with your plan of how to use it. Don't buy LS-2 because you don't need it. Don't buy effects if you don't know what they're for.

[Craigocaster]

How much money are you willing to spend?
For me, money wasn't an option with my rig... I didn't want to sacrific potential tone for a deal on a lesser quality pedal. I focused on getting the essential pieces of my pedal board first, and saving up for the rest.

Mine looks like this:

Guitar (Telecaster) > BOSS TU-3 > Diamond Compressor > CryBaby Classic > Fulltone Fulldrive 2 > Big Muff > MXR Vintage Script Phase 90 > Demeter Tremulator > Clinch FX EP-PRE > MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay > Amp (Fender Hot Rod Deville)

This current setup sounds amazing. It's going to be changing slightly... I may swap out the Big Muff for a ZVEX fuzz, and I may add a ProCo RAT distortion.

Things I couldn't go without if I had to scale down my board:

Tuner (obviously)
Diamond Compressor (worth the $$, it's amazing)
Fulldrive 2 (great dirt pedal, comes with a boost. Worth the $$)
ClinchFX (it's like an 'always on' tone enhancer)

I'd start with those 4. Whenever possible, try to get true bypass pedals . I prefer the sound of Analog pedals vs Digital,but that's just preference.

[tribedescribe]

I have to question something. The Blackstar ht-5 is a series of amp that are only 5 watts. If you plan to play with a drummer this amp will not cut it. You need amp that is at least 25 or more tube watts. 80% of your tone will come from your amp alone. I always recommend guitarist spend more of their budget on a amp. The amp is really the heart of your tone system. I would personally look at a used mesa boogie amp like the mesa express. Other good used mesa amps for under $1200= Mark series, Nomad, Rectifier, They are reliable, take pedals like a champ, and offer excellent clean/lead sounds. I would cut the two bogner pedals and put it towards a proper amp. A cheap guitar through a good amp will always sound better than a high end guitar through a cheap amp.

Some Boss pedals are nice and they are reliable, but today there are far better choices for pedals. Having a few Boss pedals in the chain is o.k., but with several you are adding multiple buffers and your one will suffer. Below are some better alternatives.

TU-3 tuner
- Good tried and true pedal, but the Tc electronic polytune is true bypass.
NS-2 noise suppresser
- Check out the isp decimator, I have owned both and this ones much better!
AC-3 for clean
- I would cut this one out, its a gimmick pedal not needed unless you play country.
LS-2
- Your amp will provide a cheap footswitch. I would get a proper powered pedalboard look for a used skb
DD-7 for delay
- this is a nice pedal but I like the Tc Flashback much better.
DUNLOP KH-95
- looks good but I would look at a used true bypass dunlop and save some dough.

two word sum it up = Buy used

Look for a used mesa boogie express or mini rectifier.

[jackov]

he doesn't need 25 or more tube watts to play in a band. 15 would be enough. but 5 probably won't cut it.

[AbhinavBairathi]

Originally Posted by jackov

Another thing, when you say you're gonna use ac-3 for clean, how do you plan to use it? If you use overdrive/distortion from an amplifier and turn on the ac-3 you will NOT get clean sound. Ac-3 can be used to make your clean electric guitar sound like an acoustic one. And LS-2 can't be used for switching between rhythm and lead. That pedal is used for things that are not even similar with your plan of how to use it. Don't buy LS-2 because you don't need it. Don't buy effects if you don't know what they're for.

Here's how i plan to use 'em
(sorry for the quality though...)

I'll use the AC-3 to change directly to clean from distortion.
I'll switch between red and blue Bogner pedals for lead and rhythm channels respectively and there's no actual need of getting a True bypass mode in this setup

[jackov]

Have you read my post from the above? AC-3 is used to make your clean electric guitar sound like acoustic guitar. If you play with distortion on and turn on ac-3 you will not get clean sound. For clean sound just turn distortion off. You dont need ac-3.

[jackov]

and I also don't think your plan of conneccting pedals will be possible

[AbhinavBairathi]

the amp that AC-3 is connected is clean so simply pressing it turns off the distortion

[AbhinavBairathi]

it is...
Do some research on them and find out

[jackov]

Read this carefully. It would be best to connect it this way: guitar --- tuner --- wah --- distortion --- delay --- noise supressor --- amp. For solo you can just get a boost pedal or an EQ (which can also be used as boost). My point is you just have to play on clean chanel from the amp all the time. When you need distortion you put the distortion pedal on and when you need clean sound you simply turn the distortion pedal off. It's simple and probably the best solution. I play like that all the time.

[AbhinavBairathi]

What all pedals would you suggest me for this arrangement

[jackov]

Well, if you need tuner I think that tu-3 is good enough. I have boss metal zone distortion pedal and i'm very satisfied with it. You can also take a look at other boss distortions, maybe you'll find something that you like. It would be great if you could buy Marshall Shredmaster distortion. It's a great pedal but they don't make it anymore so you can only buy a used one if you find it. If you're interested in more expensive ones try Tech 21 Sansamp GT-2. It's a great pedal and you will be able to get a lot of good sounds from it. I don't know much about delays, but I guess Boss digital delay will be good enough. I wouldn't buy Kirk Hammet wah. You can play metallica's songs with any crybaby. I have gcb-95, it's not expensive and it's very good. However, if you have enough money to afford kirk hammet wah (which is more expensive than mine) you should take a look at Crybaby 535Q. It's a great wah that has knobs and controls on itself so you can adjust your wah sound whatever you like and you will be able to play anything you want. I would buy these pedals and then I would see if I need compressor. Maybe you won't need it. If you do, I think that MXR has good compressors and they're not too expensive. But probably NS-2 would be good enough too.

[Craigocaster]

Dear god, ....stay far away from the Metal Zone like it was the Black Plague.

If you are going for a metal or hard rock tone, you should use your amps distortion rather than pedal distortion. If you do a YouTube search for rig rundowns of any band you like, you will see what they are using. I can guarantee that nobody is using a Metal Zone.

In metal, you will seldom find bands using distortion from pedals. Get a 5150 or a JCM 800 head, Spend you money on that, and buy a cheap used cabinet for now, upgrade later. Use the lead channel on the head for your distortion. Metal bands will often use an Overdrive pedal to alter the existing amp distortion.

For example, Killswitch Engage (and countless other metal bands) use a Tube Screamer type pedal in front of their head (Killswitch uses a Maxon OD9), to add a bit of clarity and note definition to the chunky distortion.

The Boss EQ pedal is popular among metal bands to use as a boost pedal during solos, leads etc.

The Boss Noise Suppressor or ISP Decimator are great for getting rid of all that nasty hum during pauses in breakdowns.

Other than that, its all up to you what effects you use....delay reverb etc.

But, seriously, don't buy a Metal Zone lol

[jackov]

metal zone can be very useful if you know what you're doing. and I don't think he has enough money for 5150 or jcm800 and a cab.

[tribedescribe]

Your a little confused with the boss pedals, I have owned tons of pedals in the past including the ns-2 so read below.

#1 The boss ac-3 line output is not meant for a guitar amp its designed specifically for a line input of a mixer or acoustic guitar amp thats looking for a low impedance input i.e. peizo. Basically it will sound like dog doo into a amp. Now the ac-3 will toggle between the acoustic amp and distorted sound. But frankly if I was on a gig I would not want my only clean sound to be a cheap acoustic imitation.

#2 The Boss ns-2 will not bypass the pedals in the effects send to toggle them on/off. The boss pedals will still affect your tone regardless. It does have two modes of operation for the on/off switch. The normal mode just engages the noise suppression with the on/off switch, while the second mode keeps the noise suppression always on and mutes it the signal when you depress the on/off. The effects loops is there so the noise suppression only effects those pedals in the chain, even though it always stays on during a performance.

#3 Delay should not be placed in the ns-2 effects send/returns, it should be the last pedal before the amp.

#4 Yes a 15 watt amp can cut it for distortion, but for clean sounds a 15 watt amp has zero headroom and will breakup. Believe me I have owned many amps and my fender blues junior and mesa subway clean channels could never keep up and would fart out. My Rivera Clubster (which I miss dearly) could keep up up on a club rig.

Do yourself a favor and get a proper amp and use its distortion. As I stated it should be the heart of your system. Not a afterthought. The clean channel should be provide by your amp and not a acoustic sim pedal into a p.a. system. Your set up is way to complicated even for a veteran giging guitars.

[Craigocaster]

Originally Posted by jackov

metal zone can be very useful if you know what you're doing. and I don't think he has enough money for 5150 or jcm800 and a cab.

I didn't see a price limit posted...

He said he is looking to build a pedal board. So say, 7-8 pedals, power supply, Pedal Train board....he would be looking at a grand anyway.

I played in a gigging metal band for 3 years. And I've never ran into anyone that has used a Metal Zone - there's a reason for that. Could you get by with a Metal Zone? Probably. Doesn't mean you should.

If he is dead set on going the pedal distortion route, there are better options. The Metal Muff by Electro Harmonix is pretty legit. Even the ProCo RAT for hard rock.

[jackov]

Originally Posted by Craigocaster

I didn't see a price limit posted...

He said he is looking to build a pedal board. So say, 7-8 pedals, power supply, Pedal Train board....he would be looking at a grand anyway.

I played in a gigging metal band for 3 years. And I've never ran into anyone that has used a Metal Zone - there's a reason for that. Could you get by with a Metal Zone? Probably. Doesn't mean you should.

If he is dead set on going the pedal distortion route, there are better options. The Metal Muff by Electro Harmonix is pretty legit. Even the ProCo RAT for hard rock.

he wrote he's gonna get blackstar ht-5 amp that has 5 watts. you recomended him 100 watt heads and cabs. that's not in the same price range.
I didn't say metal zone is the best pedal but it's good and you can get a good sound out of it. I know you can because I did. but of course, it depends on other equipment you have.

[Craigocaster]

Originally Posted by jackov

he wrote he's gonna get blackstar ht-5 amp that has 5 watts. you recomended him 100 watt heads and cabs. that's not in the same price range.
I didn't say metal zone is the best pedal but it's good and you can get a good sound out of it. I know you can because I did. but of course, it depends on other equipment you have.

He listed like a grand worth of pedals that he is considering purchasing. I was just offering another option. He could get a used head and cab for the same price.

[jackov]

Originally Posted by Craigocaster

He listed like a grand worth of pedals that he is considering purchasing. I was just offering another option. He could get a used head and cab for the same price.

well, I guess maybe he could, but the question is also does he need a 100 watt tube head? if he thinks he's gonna be satisfied with 5 watt tube amp, I wouldn't recomend him that. but I think he would be most satisfied with amp that has 15 - 30 watts of tube power, because 5 watts is not enough for a band.

[AbhinavBairathi]

Ok about the price- My budget is about $2000 including the amp (sorry for not mentioning it earlier)
How's blackstar HT 20 for its price range
I'm gonna use my amp to practice in my college dorm and use line out while performing live

[jackov]

Originally Posted by AbhinavBairathi

Ok about the price- My budget is about $2000 including the amp (sorry for not mentioning it earlier)
How's blackstar HT 20 for its price range
I'm gonna use my amp to practice in my college dorm and use line out while performing live

I guess it's a 20 watt amp (because of the name). It should be enough for rehearsals and smaller gigs. I can't say anything else because I haven't played it or heard it.

[AbhinavBairathi]

Originally Posted by jackov

I guess it's a 20 watt amp (because of the name). It should be enough for rehearsals and smaller gigs. I can't say anything else because I haven't played it or heard it.

Any other amp you'd suggest me within $500

[jackov]

Originally Posted by AbhinavBairathi

Any over amp you'd suggest me within $500

I don't know what should I suggest to you, because I live in Croatia and our value is not american dollar and equipment is more expensive here so I really can't tell you something very useful if you just tell me what money you have. What do you want an amp to have or sound like or how much watts do you want? That would be more useful things to say and get an answer.

[AbhinavBairathi]

Originally Posted by jackov

I don't know what should I suggest to you, because I live in Croatia and our value is not american dollar and equipment is more expensive here so I really can't tell you something very useful if you just tell me what money you have. What do you want an amp to have or sound like or how much watts do you want? That would be more useful things to say and get an answer.

price range : 400-500$
genre : rock and metal
band : alter bridge, nickelback
purpose : record to computer via soud card
play in small gigs
line out during live