Distractions on pedal board.

[pete692]

Do any of you guys find that you have too many good od's/distortions on your pedalboard and they sit there looking at you, and you use them just to be using them. For years I've always had at least 2 modded TS's, but recently I've been using a Pro-analog Power Driver and an OCD V4 and the TS's never see any action. But I feel naked if I go out without them, so I try to use them even though my new combination sounds much better. I mean, how many shades of OD does somebody need? Forgive my rambling.

[drod2045]

I do think too much dirt would be a distraction. Its not that theyre all not different - but in a band context - they can be very similar. To a live audience, theyre all the same.

I have 1 fuzz, a med-high gain marshall pedal, a lower gain ts/dumble sound and a boost for solos. Mix and match to get the tone Iwant - volume knob is very important

Thats my take on it :)

[pete692]

I do think too much dirt would be a distraction. Its not that theyre all not different - but in a band context - they can be very similar. To a live audience, theyre all the same.

I have 1 fuzz, a med-high gain marshall pedal, a lower gain ts/dumble sound and a boost for solos. Mix and match to get the tone Iwant - volume knob is very important

Thats my take on it :)
It's finding the perfect output levels to drive the signal on all these pedals that gives me a headache.

[the_steve]

I have found a solution to the problem. Right now my board goes wah-comprossor-vibe-TIM-catalyst... all of those are on the bottom row.

Above the active pedal row I have all of my unused distortions just velcroed there unplugged. Your sound stays simple, but your ego feels so much better knowing that at any time you can swap in 4 different kinds of fuzz (even though no one can tell the difference between them). Another plus, you can fit like 1/3 more pedals on a row if they don't have cables in them.

[johann]

I have a TS9 keeley modded, a Vintage Rat, a Bixonic Expandora, a Subdecay F-Bomb Fuzz, and a Catalinbread Serrano Picoso boost; and I rarely use the F-Bomb and Expandora, I found myself using the Rat for heavy dist, and the ts9 for od, both at the same time for kinda fuzzy sound, and the serrano for.. well, boosting the signal LOL.

But, I don't know why I don't take the F-bomb and expandora off my pedalboard, maybe I think I'll be missing them.

A couple of months ago I took my Boss NS2 off the board, and my sound took another dimension, really, my Rat sounds better, I have more sustain, and there are a lot of more dynamics, I'm using my guitar volume knob a lot more, so I can go from a good dist on my rat to a screamin' dist with just the vol knob.