So pretend this is your rig

[vbjamin]

OK, this is your rig and you want a couple tweeks. You play out a lot and play a rocknblues style with a sick saxman who does most of the pretties. You have a coupleTeles a Les Paul and Maz18 2x10,BadCat Cub or both depending on the room size. Your pedalboard is the only thing you would change but only because you have some xmas cash to yourself for 1 or 2 cool pieces. Your board currently has a modded Crybaby,Ibanez DE-7, old Yamaha analoge chorus, Zinky True Grit, TU-2 and MXR micro amp,in that order.
What are your 2 upgrades?
You run your amps clean and use od flavors a lot,but not a lot of heavier distortion, you use the chorus and wah moreso than delay.
Go nuts!

[nashvillesteve]

Deluxe Memory Man in stereo and a Hotcake Bluesberry. Or grab a Hellbilly from the Emporium (there was one for $150 the other day)... You need a fuzz, maybe a RetroMan Sybil or a Sunface...

[Shakermaker]

I'll second the analog delay suggestion. I don't think it can be beat for blues/rock. I have a DM-2, love it - could have a look round and see if you can find a bargain on one. If not maybe an AD-9...

Fuzz is a good idea too, I've been on the look out for one recently, but to be honest I'm happy enough using my BD-2 for a fuzz sound at the moment...

Good luck mate,
Mike.

[BBQLS1]

Sell the pedals and get another amp to compliment the Maz.










Hey you asked.

[r9player]

Nice Delay .. if you want more boost/OD I'd add a Gaspedal CARB
else a Comp.

[sanhozay]

I use a Maz 18 and dig the following OD pedals with it:

Tim
Hotcake Bluesberry
Frantone Brooklyn

Swamp Thang Tremolo would serve you well, also {I think}.

[vbjamin]

Thanks guys, I never even considered fuzz, maybe I will audition some. Analog delay is definitly something I have had in mind, just gotta wait for the right deal. Overall I am happy with the od tones I have available, maybe a nice boost though. Zvex, Luxury Drive or Caitlinbread prolly

[elchato]

clean boost like a SHO or a super chili picoso

[waxnsteel]

I'd try ditching the pedalboard, and cranking the amp/working the volume knob for at least one gig. Not cause I'm that kind of player, but because it sounds like a situation where that could work.

[Ben C.]

Personally, I'd swap the Zinky for a Box of Rock (the Zinky is brighter and grittier though) and ditch the TU-2 for a Strobostomp.

-Ben

[Lolaviola]

If something is working for you, don't change it.

[vbjamin]

Its all working, but things can allways be better. I just recabled and that was an improvement. althought the old cables "worked". I play without the board now and again. I allways end up missing a few effects as especially my wah.

[GearOnTheBrain]

I would say to add....

-a good trem
-a good boost like a keeley or maybe a red snapper
-maybe a leslie sim like the boss rt20

Luke

[JB]

Upgrade your wah. Get somethin Like a Teese Picture wah.

[Lolaviola]

Just get another wah.
Make a small portable board that runs on batteries to grab and go when you don't want gear on the brain. The best for blues is to put away any and all distractions to listening for phrase and feel.

[Chuck Snider]

Go to a Sam Ash or CG and try the V848 Clyde McCoy Wah -Wah from Vox.. It's surprisigly good.. has True Bypass , no volume drop, built well, not too pricey, but not as cheap as a crybaby .. I like mine better than the fancy ones I used to own.. You can always take it back if it doesn't work for you...
Fuzz is always nice to try out and incorporate into a song ,KR or Retroman units are first rate.....

[johnh]

What about a really nice chorus - like an Analogman one? Especially one with dual settings so you can get a Leslie type swirl and a nice retro slow swirl as well?

[Mr. dB]

I'd throw away the chorus first of all. Maybe add a germanium fuzz like a Fuzzface clone.

[Mr. dB]

Go to a Sam Ash or CG and try the V848 Clyde McCoy Wah -Wah from Vox.. It's surprisigly good.. has True Bypass , no volume drop, built well, not too pricey, but not as cheap as a crybaby .. I like mine better than the fancy ones I used to own.. You can always take it back if it doesn't work for you...
Fuzz is always nice to try out and incorporate into a song ,KR or Retroman units are first rate.....

I have a friend who has been going boutique wah nuts. His wah du jour developed a hum so I loaned him a standard Cry Baby from the Lost & Found Department where I work (live music venue) and he called back "Man, this is the BEST WAH I HAVE EVER PLAYED!!! What did you do to it?" He said he's never found another wah as "vomity" as this one.

[Mr. Kite]

I'm trying new things with my maz jr(new amp) and I really like the sound of a ts808 with the overdrive and tone barely turned up but with the vloume at 2:00 or so. Sounds good to me.

[funkycam]

If your wah is not hard bypass I would get it hard bypassed & I would get 1 od boost. OCD is real versatile, can be used as a boost, treble boost, subtle dirty rhythm, fuzzy bassy lead.
I would dump the rest unless you REALLY need a delay for a song. I am not a fan of chorus (that is purely personal)
Something worth trying; get a really short high quality cable (eg 4 ft long george L) & play for a while, like a 1/2hr.
Then plug your normal cable lengths & pedals in (turned off) & listen to the loss of tone quality.
Even with high quality cables & hard bypass pedals, the signal degradation is shocking...
Hth :)
Cam

[wgs1230]

What are your 2 upgrades?

Question: in dual-amp situations, what do you use to split your signal? The delay? The chorus? Impedance-splitting can be a problem.

1st priority: making sure the through-signal (all effects bypassed) is as clear and strong a possible.

2nd priority: arranging the effects for the best sound.

So...
a modded Crybaby: so long as the mods include true-bypass, you're ok. If not, it's a must.

Ibanez DE-7: first, it's too early in the chain- think about it, echo is the last thing that would happen to the sound "in nature." Also, not true bypass, and digital pedals almost always diminish the bypassed sound ime. Unless there's a specific setting which only a multi-mode digital circuit can do (eg, reverse delay), there are a number of other options out there. I've had an Ibanez AD9 for 20+, though the SIB Echodrive is an all-time favorite. If you're going to keep this, consider a bypass loop.

old Yamaha analoge chorus: also probably too early in the chain, as all pedal modulators are derived from the sound of either the Leslie or tape flanging, either of which typically comes late/last in the signal process. I've held onto a simple MXR Phase 45 (2-stage phasing, no delay component to the circuit) instead of a conventional chorus pedal, it's closer to the sound of a single-element rotary speaker. This one's not true-bypass, either; I can't remember these Yamaha boxes well enough to say if that's a problem, but I'd test it to find out.

Zinky True Grit: there are so many options here and I haven't tried this one.
Bruce Zinky's no slouch with amps, so I'm inclined to trust him. That said, finding an OD which mates well with Vox-style power sections isn't always easy and I don't believe those amps are BZ's forte.

TU-2: gigged it, it'll do.

MXR micro amp: gigged several of the old ones (pre-Dunlop, pre-LED). They vary alot depending on component quality and the Dunlops rarely measure up to the originals. There are a number of really good discrete FET-based boosters out there now (and as many threads on this board to match), and if you've ever been inclined to pick up a soldering iron, a simple Stratoblaster circuit is a great starter project which sounds fantastic if you use decent parts.

Other things that might be missing:
1. Better cables.
2. A quality power supply.
3. A true-bypass loop box.
4. A quality compressor for the Teles can really help them cut through for clean solos/riffs.

Hth.

[vbjamin]

Question: in dual-amp situations, what do you use to split your signal? The delay? The chorus? Impedance-splitting can be a problem.

1st priority: making sure the through-signal (all effects bypassed) is as clear and strong a possible.

2nd priority: arranging the effects for the best sound.

So...
a modded Crybaby: so long as the mods include true-bypass, you're ok. If not, it's a must.

Ibanez DE-7: first, it's too early in the chain- think about it, echo is the last thing that would happen to the sound "in nature." Also, not true bypass, and digital pedals almost always diminish the bypassed sound ime. Unless there's a specific setting which only a multi-mode digital circuit can do (eg, reverse delay), there are a number of other options out there. I've had an Ibanez AD9 for 20+, though the SIB Echodrive is an all-time favorite. If you're going to keep this, consider a bypass loop.

old Yamaha analoge chorus: also probably too early in the chain, as all pedal modulators are derived from the sound of either the Leslie or tape flanging, either of which typically comes late/last in the signal process. I've held onto a simple MXR Phase 45 (2-stage phasing, no delay component to the circuit) instead of a conventional chorus pedal, it's closer to the sound of a single-element rotary speaker. This one's not true-bypass, either; I can't remember these Yamaha boxes well enough to say if that's a problem, but I'd test it to find out.

Zinky True Grit: there are so many options here and I haven't tried this one.
Bruce Zinky's no slouch with amps, so I'm inclined to trust him. That said, finding an OD which mates well with Vox-style power sections isn't always easy and I don't believe those amps are BZ's forte.

TU-2: gigged it, it'll do.

MXR micro amp: gigged several of the old ones (pre-Dunlop, pre-LED). They vary alot depending on component quality and the Dunlops rarely measure up to the originals. There are a number of really good discrete FET-based boosters out there now (and as many threads on this board to match), and if you've ever been inclined to pick up a soldering iron, a simple Stratoblaster circuit is a great starter project which sounds fantastic if you use decent parts.

Other things that might be missing:
1. Better cables.
2. A quality power supply.
3. A true-bypass loop box.
4. A quality compressor for the Teles can really help them cut through for clean solos/riffs.

Hth.

Thanks, lots of great info and insight into stuff that I have been thinking about. The non TB PEDALS are a priority to replace although truly the Yamaha sounds great and does not suck up the tone like the Crybby. I will try moving the position of the pedals around. I did try an Aramat Organic compressor and while I liked some of the tones, it was allways off halfway through the first set of a gig. The True Grit I eally like and will kep. This pedal is a little monster with my BadCat Cub. The tone defines the term Chewy. It is a little noisey at idle but this doesn,t bother me. I use it twice as much as my Tonebone.
So far I am leaning toward a Bud Wah and a boost pedal or Ad-9. My cabling was just upgraded so it is what it is for now.
Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts/comments.

[Lolaviola]

The non TB PEDALS are a priority to replace although truly the Yamaha sounds great and does not suck up the tone like the Crybby.

Don't buy the hype...

If something is working don't fix it!


WGS1230 has some good info, +1

[zachman]

Don't buy the hype...

If something is working don't fix it!


WGS1230 has some good info, +1

+1

Here is a blip from Custom Audio Electronics (Bob Bradshaw's) website:

5. Why would I want a switching (loop) system over a traditional pedal board?
Pedal boards are fine if you just want a few pedals and your switching needs are basic. We build them all the time. But if you are truly serious about your tone, and you want many sound options available to you at any time (not to mention preset combinations and midi program change capability), a switching system is the way to go. No one said you have to turn on all the stuff at the same time! Besides, THERE IS NO CLEANER SIGNAL PATH FROM GUITAR TO AMP THAN WITH A SWITCHING SYSTEM, PERIOD. With a pedal board, even if every effect is bypassed, and you have "100% bypass" switches in all your effects (which is rare), you are still running through every pedal, and every cable and connection in the system. If something fails, good luck finding it. There is still a major capacitive buildup (which results in a severe loss of tone, mainly high end) because your signal must go through each cable and pedal. This is why signal buffers are so important. With a CAE switching system, troubleshooting is easy because you can bypass to get effects out of the signal path, and you can patch in between various places in the signal path, when you know what to look for. With a CAE custom switching system (we can't vouch for other manufacturers) the majority of the signal path is hard wired internally, and with a loop based system bypassing the effect bypasses the cables connecting the effect as well! This is impossible with a traditional pedal board.

[wgs1230]

A couple of quick replies:

Agreed, that true bypass isn't the be all, end all. Except with hard-switch wah pedals, they need it in all cases- nature of the circuit. The rest depend on the quality of their buffer circuitry. If the Yamaha chorus works for you, it's good. My experience with some older analog gear, particularly the wall-powered MXR & DOD mods & delays and many MuTron circuits, is that the buffer circuits weaken with time or use and allow the clock chip to be heard "ticking" in the bypassed signal. Circuits like that need to be isolated in a loop. And with digital boxes, you almost always hear a shift in treble eq (or phase) b/c the signal is always flowing through an ADA converter. Never heard one I liked.

So far I am leaning toward a Bud Wah and a boost pedal or Ad-9.

There've been a couple of threads this year about the RI Ibanez AD9 vs. the Maxon- someone opened them up side-by-side, and the verdict was that the Ibanez version uses cheaper parts than the originals and suffers from it, while the Maxon is a true clone. Just fyi.