Essential Pedals

artvandulet

I've been a guitar straight into the amp kinda player for ages. An overdrive pedal at most. Mainly because I just played blues and Im more of an acoustic player.
Starting to experiment a bit lately.
What is your setup? What pedals are essential besides some kind of drive/dist and maybe a tuner? Compressor? Eq? Chorus? Verb?

With so many pedals on the market I'm not sure where to start.
Lets for argument sake,say I was in a covers band just playing typical covers band stuff. What pedals would I need to cover myself?

Cheers.

-=al=-

Wah is essential for everyone really

Other than that a nice overdrive, maybe delay/chorus are pretty handy to have, reverb of course if there is none on the amp and thats about it for essentials


for me personally id add on a compressor to that and its almost my seteup bar a few fun effects

rcaz

-=al=- wrote: »

Wah is essential for everyone really

I've never felt I've needed wah. Very one dimensional effect.

I'd start with delay. You can do so much with a good delay pedal.

But I don't think there are any particular 'essential' pedals. A pedal board is a system, if you take something out, or put something in, you have to totally reconsider the system and how to work it. I've arrived at my current pedal board after three years of experimenting, and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm happy with this one. Eventually I know I'll start working on it again, but at the moment, it works for me.

I go tuner > envelope filter > pitch shifter > distortion > phaser > ring modulator > digital delay. It splits into stereo at that delay. The right output goes to a battery powered 1/2 watt amp that I use for feedback. The left output goes into an analogue delay, and then another digital delay, into my main amp.

The feedback amp is relatively new, and I'm still working out the kinks. But if you took away one of my pedals, I'd have to reconsider everything.

I used to run three distortions and only two delays, then two of each, now I'm pretty happy with one distortion and three delays.

Demeyes

I think a nice Delay is pretty essential. It's used loads in the studio so having it can let you recreate a lot and it can transform a good lead tone into an awesome one. A tuner pedal is probably one of the best purchases you can make. I like a bit of chorus on some cleans but I wouldn't go so far as to call it necessary. I think with a nice delay you won't need a reverb. A good pedal to get is some kind of booster, great for getting a little kick for solo's but I think on a nice big pedal board it should be separate from your OD.
Wah is one of those things I don't really like all that much, unless it's for some funky chordal playing. I've had a Wah for years and plugged it in only a handful of times but it's one of those things you'd need to get to see if you like it or not, and if you do covers you'll probably need one eventually.
Depending on your music taste you can get some less used effects like a Whammy, Octaver, Looper or Tremolo. They can seem expensive because you get limited use from them but they can be that thing to make or break a riff.

artvandulet

Cheers.
What about compression or noise suppresors?
Do you even use these? Or is getting something like a decent delay much more important? Have been debating just going for a Pod XTlive or something instead.
Not sure if this is simpler and better than getting individual pedals.

-Chris-

If you've never used pedals before, I'd actually consider looking at a second hand multi-effects pedal/board. It's hard to know if you're a flanger or phaser kind of player, and even "simple" effects like wah can be very adjustable (sweep & Q, as well as different "voices").

It's the cheapest way to play with "everything" and figure out what you like.

Paolo_M

artvandulet wrote: »

Cheers.
What about compression or noise suppresors?
Do you even use these? Or is getting something like a decent delay much more important? Have been debating just going for a Pod XTlive or something instead.
Not sure if this is simpler and better than getting individual pedals.

I haven't found a pedal compressor that worked well.
If your rig isn't too noisy then a gate is not really worth your while.
You should be able to get even a 5150 on the red channel down to acceptable levels without a gate.
Unless you play super, sludgy high gain the need of a noise gate simply indicates a problem in your rig or power supply.

I use a wah, tuner, OD, delay and EQ.
If was only allowed one it would be the EQ. The MXR 10 band is cool.
Used in a good FX Loop it can totally transform your amps tone, ior give over a 10-15dB solo boost, or some cool filtering effects depending on how you set it.
It can switch my amp from lush to spanky Fender clean and from crunchy, mid heavy boosted Marshall tones to more Mesa Mark series tone at the flick of a switch.
If my amp only had a clean channel it would be the OD obviously.

Grolschevik

-Chris- wrote: »

If you've never used pedals before, I'd actually consider looking at a second hand multi-effects pedal/board. It's hard to know if you're a flanger or phaser kind of player, and even "simple" effects like wah can be very adjustable (sweep & Q, as well as different "voices").

It's the cheapest way to play with "everything" and figure out what you like.

I agree. I went from no pedals (except wah, of course) into a Peavey Studio Pro; then, later, to wah plus a Boss HM pedal into the same amp; to wah > Marshall GV2 > Korg A5 (an early, and actually quite good in its own way, multi-effect that I got second hand and without a manual) into a valve amp.

The Korg taught me that for some things I did, I needed compression, chorus, EQ, and delay. Also a flanger.

Bottom line is, the multi gave me an idea of what I used, and what I needed to use.

Then I went out and bought separates and got rid of the Korg. However: I still think I sounded better (listening to my older recordings) with the ****Ty old Korg. It had a damn fine compressor, delay, EQ and chorus. Plus its in-built noise suppressor was fantastic and unobtrusive.

So: buy a decent multi, then decide what you need, and either buy a better multi or go with individual pedals as you require.

Behind you Joey

Personally I just use multi-effects pedals because I'm relatively new to the effects scene. But I'd say overdrive, compressor, reverb, delay, wah and tuner.

electrogrimey

If we're talking essential, then just tuner, overdrive, and delay. I'm guessing your amp has a OD channel, so I'd start off with a delay. You can do so much with them it'll easily entertain you until you can afford the next one, and it'll probably give you the pedal bug too.

After that, overdrive, tuner, and wah, in that order. By then you'll probably have an idea of what sound you want, and can tailor the other pedals to that.

damonjewel

If you are mainly playing blues, I'd go for a wah. you dont have to dance on it but just setting it in certain positions give you nice tonal flavours. e.g I like to use the neck pickup on my strat with the wah almost down; it brings up some nice trebles.

A delay is always nice to fill out your sound, I personally set my delay to a short delay time giving a more reverb effect.

A distortion/overdrive pedal is a good buy but which one really depends on what you are looking for, and you should try out a few.

If you are looking at getting into all effects and trying them out and experimenting with them then a multi effects unit is the way to go. You should be able to pick up a cheap zoom\korg box on ebay to start you off

-Chris-

electrogrimey wrote: »

If we're talking essential, then just tuner, overdrive, and delay. I'm guessing your amp has a OD channel, so I'd start off with a delay. You can do so much with them it'll easily entertain you until you can afford the next one, and it'll probably give you the pedal bug too.

After that, overdrive, tuner, and wah, in that order. By then you'll probably have an idea of what sound you want, and can tailor the other pedals to that.

You'd buy a delay and an overdrive before you bought a tuner?

Tuner is pretty essential imho. Otherwise your delay'll just be repeating out of tune notes... .

electrogrimey

-Chris- wrote: »

You'd buy a delay and an overdrive before you bought a tuner?

Tuner is pretty essential imho. Otherwise your delay'll just be repeating out of tune notes... .

Well I mean you could just buy a €10 guitar tuner in the meantime, will do the same job.

Plus, delay on out of tune notes you can blag as experimental post rock

rcaz

-Chris- wrote: »

You'd buy a delay and an overdrive before you bought a tuner?

I think a tuner is essential if you play with a band. Without a band, you can get away without one.

KylieWyley

A delay pedal. Gives you a fuller sound and adds an extra dimension to the sonic possibilities.

I particularly like the Boss DD-20. Lots of options + a looper

KylieWyley

-Chris- wrote: »

If you've never used pedals before, I'd actually consider looking at a second hand multi-effects pedal/board. It's hard to know if you're a flanger or phaser kind of player, and even "simple" effects like wah can be very adjustable (sweep & Q, as well as different "voices").

It's the cheapest way to play with "everything" and figure out what you like.

I'll second that