Why great cables with ?

[AllAboutTone]

I am serious about my guitar tone, hey im ALLABOUTTONE...lol
Anyways i use monster cables with my start/ Fender super sonic amp, i rarely use a pedal except a wah wah because the wiring concept in most all pedals suck, why strive for your best tone and signal path when a pedal can suck the living crap out of the tone, and yes im talking about the pedal being off not on. The purpose in posting this thread came from another topic on a thread. Again why use monster cables and monster patch cables when pedals are so lame ? Maybe they should make monster pedals....Again they are few pedals out there that do not take away tone and signal.

[IntenseJim]

True bypass pedals will not suck your tone if you don't have too many.
You can use loopers, too.

Why add more shit to the stew: good cables and tone-sucking pedals should be better than crap cables and tone-sucking pedals.

I use Klotz cables. I did my own shootout and I heard the difference. Not huge but enough for me to buy them.

[AllAboutTone]

Originally Posted by IntenseJim

True bypass pedals will not suck your tone if you don't have too many.
You can use loopers, too.

Why add more shit to the stew: good cables and tone-sucking pedals should be better than crap cables and tone-sucking pedals.

I use Klotz cables. I did my own shootout and I heard the difference. Not huge but enough for me to buy them.

I never used no more than 2 pedals at most, and all cables and patch are monster, i depend on my amp preamp gain to stay right on target, i can add most any Boss pedal and just let in run thru the pedal (off) and it takes away some of my edge, i would say about 10 percent, on the other hand most wah wah's do not take away anything. Also the larger cast iron Danelectro pedals maintain there power.

[IntenseJim]

Boss pedals have a buffer known to be meh.

Nowadays many wah pedals are true bypass. This has changed in the past several years. Years ago you'd plug into a wah and Hellen Keller would roll over in her grave at the tone suck.

[popvulture]

Boutique pedal companies really started pushing the true bypass route several years ago (and rightly so), and I think there are therefore tons of great choices out there for pedals that won't mess up your tone. I've used as many as 8 before without problem.

I like Fulltone cables. Not too expensive, sound great. Also George L's, especially for interconnects.

PS I imagine a "Monster Pedal" being something like "genuine über clarity with virgin gold plated ins and outs - an effect so transparent, you can't even hear it."

[3waytie4last]

If your playing live it's slightly more complicated, but you can get something like a Radial Loopbone (Tonebone Bassbone - introduction) or similar to keep your signal clean without pedals on, then turn them on when you want them. Put a volume or EQ pedal in the loops if you need to raise the level to match your straight-through signal.

If your just recording or playing at home, just minimize the number of pedals used at any one time, and most importantly, buy good pedals! There's a lot of crap out there that many people justify using just because it's all they can afford.

I've been collecting vintage pedals for a while now and I really like the way some of them color/suck tone when I'm looking for a particular sound. For example, a Mutron III can do some nice things to your tone as it bleeds through even though it is "off".

I think pedal makers, much like quality micro-brewers, have their own "breath" or after-taste. I've always hated the very literal breath that all Boss pedals have. It's like they put a digital asthmatic in every pedal. There is so much better out there. Look at modern boutique pedals like Keeley, Analogman or tons more that are way better than anything Boss produces.

Best yet, buy some vintage pedals. You'll find that they are a good investment and will make you money years down the road. Plus, they sound great and most boutique makers are trying to reproduce what the vintage pedals sound like in the first place. Buy the real thing if you can afford it. Compared to the price of many boutique things, the original, vintage pedals aren't that much more expensive.

If I want to eliminate all tone suck, I go guitar straight into amp. I use pedals when I want a particular colored sound.

[IntenseJim]

Do not buy pedals as an investment. They are speculative, at best, and you will not make money. You might not lose a lot but ...........

[robbie_rekless]

i know this is a late post but if you must use pedals only use true bypass and more importantly the only good (pro-sumer) level cable is mogami (yes, you can easly notice). This applys to short runs only. Anything longer should be balanced

[BOWIE]

As a side note, choosing your cable can also effect your tone. For me, the cable between the guitar and the 1st pedal is always the most critical. I usually go with Van De Hull or EA Lyric for the best harmonic richness. If I want something thinner and brighter, it's George L or Bill Lawrence. And, if I want to roll the top off a bit and get a little grainy, I'll use a Canare or Mogami. Never liked Monster cables on anything.

[cjmask]

Originally Posted by AllAboutTone

I am serious about my guitar tone, hey im ALLABOUTTONE...lol
Anyways i use monster cables with my start/ Fender super sonic amp, i rarely use a pedal except a wah wah because the wiring concept in most all pedals suck, why strive for your best tone and signal path when a pedal can suck the living crap out of the tone, and yes im talking about the pedal being off not on. The purpose in posting this thread came from another topic on a thread. Again why use monster cables and monster patch cables when pedals are so lame ? Maybe they should make monster pedals....Again they are few pedals out there that do not take away tone and signal.

I am a little speechless by some of the things you have said.

Originally Posted by AllAboutTone

I rarely use a pedal except a wah wah because the wiring concept in most all pedals suck

This is a huge assumption on 'most all pedals', granted you have mentioned Boss pedals and a wah wah, which I would assume would be the ol cry baby(which DOES suck a lot of tone away)

As previously mentioned, check out True Bypass pedals. Many pedal companies have true bypass as a standard feature. Even the new Cheapo Dan Electro Cool Cat series pedals come equiped with them.

Also you should forget about monster cables.

The last thing I want to add is that 'tone' is relative. Part of Eddie Van Halen's sound was the average pedals he used.

[BOWIE]

Originally Posted by cjmask

The last thing I want to add is that 'tone' is relative. Part of Eddie Van Halen's sound was the average pedals he used.

Agreed on that point. The "tone sucking" is the sacrifice you make for the effect. In recording, it shouldn't matter as you have the option of recording your clean parts w/o the pedal. I'm one of the biggest tone freaks around here but pedals don't bug me. I just select the ones that give what I want and if I need a clean tone, I go straight in to the amp. If it's live, I run through pedals and never think twice about it because nonody is going to hear the difference (but me).

IMO, Gilmour has had the best guitar tones of all time. Yet, he used a ton of "tone-sucking", non-true bypas pedals. Hell, the Roland Space Echo is one of the most notorious tone suckers of all time but the tone it imparts is just part of the sound.