do you actually use all those knobs?Is flexibility a must?

[MattHahn]

....we want a bit more drive from our setup, a decent low-gain pedal, it has to sound good and natural, lets now think we have found the perfect overdrive pedal, this one has gain and output controls and sounds exactly like your guitar and amp combination just with the little bit of extra dirt that you dialed in.
You cannot switch between different clipping modes or dual, triple whatever footswitchable feature.

Why do we need extra controls and do you actually use them?Isnt it at most times a short test of all functions on a new pedal we come across and we settle for one sound?
I mean its intriguing to have fancy features but for what, if we want a clean boost we can buy one, eh?Compression anybody?

When you go out to shop for a pedal is it the maximum number of knobs or features that is leading your decision?
Does a ~good sounding pedal with lets say some funky dip switches appeals you more than a simple one knob pedal that, when really listening to it, sounds brilliant and leaves no wishes?

One example, i just had a Fulltone Distortion pro and an old Guyatone Zoom Box Dist. pedal in for repair.
I have checked both of them with at least 5 people independently listening, and to say the truth the Guyatone was noisier (before the check-up) but sounded a lot more dynamic, interesting and musically than the Distortion pro to everyone, independently!One guy actually had a big laugh on the Distpro.
There was no way to dial in the six potentiometers on this pedal to get a usable sound.(Tested with sf champ, 69 superlead and Engl combo, using a japanese standart strat).And this was not just my opinion.

Whats your experience?

[mattattack]

I would agree that on some pedals, it's complete overkill. Seems like pedals that try to do one thing, and one thing well generally rise to the top. I think pairing a boost with an overdrive is actually a nice feature, but when you get into four or five diode voicings, my experience has been there are one or two that work for you and the rest get ignored.

Modulation/delay pedals might be the exception - it's nice to have stuff to play around with on those.

[Lolaviola]

I will pay more money for less knobs. There I said it.
I really like big knobs, that can be twiddled, but no more than is absolutely necessary.
I don't like dual footswitches either, if the box is too small.
I do like the idea of multi FX in one box, =simpler the better. (see foxrox; carl martin)

In my experience pedals have "a sound" and you either dig it or you don't.

[funkycam]

I like "enough" knobs.
I have sent back pedals with trimmers & so forth.
Basically I want a pedal to be voiced a certain way & to have useful features.
Often times if a pedal does 1 thing well, that's enough. (eg a good tubescreamer) & a pedal that covers a lot of range often has an area of that range where it sounds best (eg OCD can be used as high gain drive or even as a clean treble booster but I think it sounds best in the light to mid gain part of it's range & middle part of it's tone setting)
My opinion after a lot of purchases & sales is that nothing is that flexible really & a 1 trick pony almost always does it's one trick better than the super flexible guys.
A good example for me is the Emma discumbobulator. It sounds great & has enough useable controls to get a couple different sounds.
It doesn't sound like every envelope filter ever & doesn't try to.
This compared to a qtron, which has way more controls & flexibility, but is actually less useful because it doesn't have 1 really good setting
YMMV

[vorvick]

My solution - put the knobs within reach.

Opening statement here:
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...d.php?t=214366

Prototype photos near bottom of page here:
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...=214366&page=3

I have the finished rig now with a couple NYC pedalboards, a keyboard stand, some additional effects, and a surprise or two. I plan to post photos this weekend.

V

[MattHahn]

thanks for your thoughts.
Everyday people come in the shop, give a brief look at the pedalboard and after the "and how much do i have to pay" question theres the ooh, could you make me one with a second switch that is doing.....without listening first.
Since the new FD2 "MOSFET" is the word, Mosfets tout le monde!

[konsole]

I like knobs. I really do, but not knobs that can't be used to impact the sound in a positive/new/interesting manner. One trick ponies are good for one trick - they won't get you something new, something that you've never heard before, with lots of knobs I like the idea that I've got something that I can create with!

[waveman]

Well in the case of the BBD, yeah I used the knobs to fine tune what I think I want, and yeah I keep it pretty much the same now, but somebody else may have it setup a completely different way. Without that flexibility then basically the pedal would be just another TS clone with some specific mods taylored to one a a small group of folks.

[carljoensson]

Hi,
I have a Teese RMC3 with a billion possible settings. Today, I would have preferred a wha with just one sound.

I want to play not tweak.

/C

[gitpicker]

I generally fall into the set-it-and-forget-it camp, but if it takes a bunch of knobs to get that one sound, it is worth it.

[Brett Valentine]

I like to have options. Flexibility isn't necessarily a bad thing. A bunch of options centered around a good basic sound might make a pedal fit with a wider range of amps/guitars. It might get me to just exactly the tone I'm looking for. Once there, set it and forget it.

Or I might just throw that one pedal in the gig bag and be able to get a wide range of sounds just by tweaking a few knobs.

Brett

[Rhino]

I can take 'em or leave 'em. I confess that I'm a set and forget kind of guy and unless something sound amiss, I tend not to tweak. The age-old saying applies here...knobs or not..."If it sounds good, is is good!"

[PaulC]

As a builder you have to take everything I say with a grain of spam, but I want tons of control myself. My goal is to have something that will work with a Strat/Les Paul/Gretsch/Marshall/Fender twin/Vox/...peavey...

It makes for a complicated pedal. When you make something really flexable it's setting itself up to be able to sound bad if you're not into tweaking knobs. But for myself I come from the school of the more controls the better. Sit me down in front of a 64 I/O SSL G series console and I'm in heaven. Plus big consoles just look really butch.

Later, PaulC
Heritage amps/Tim & timmy pedals

[derek_32999]

Originally Posted by PaulC

As a builder you have to take everything I say with a grain of spam, but I want tons of control myself. My goal is to have something that will work with a Strat/Les Paul/Gretsch/Marshall/Fender twin/Vox/...peavey...

It makes for a complicated pedal. When you make something really flexable it's setting itself up to be able to sound bad if you're not into tweaking knobs. But for myself I come from the school of the more controls the better. Sit me down in front of a 64 I/O SSL G series console and I'm in heaven. Plus big consoles just look really butch.

Later, PaulC
Heritage amps/Tim & timmy pedals

Agreed on all counts.

Also, If a one knobber does one thing well and costs as much or MORE than a 6 knobber that does many things well I am gonna choose the 6 knobber. Even if the 6 knobber costs the same. I dont have much room on the board/wallet for UNItaskers. I like to tweak anyways and don't spend much time doing it. I just write down the settings I like. Simple.

[yellowecho]

I think it really depends on the context/effect for me.
For instance, I don't see much of a reason for more than three knobs on an analog delay (time, #repeats, level) or on an overdrive (volume, tone, gain), but with things like tremolo, having (rate, shape, depth, volume) and a few switches really helps. Also, unless a phaser is a 12-stage, I don't see a reason for more than a single knob.
When dealing with amps, I love simple two-knobbers..but don't own any. Why? Versatility. Shaping the preamp prevents me from having to own 5 two-knobbers.
The more simple, the better.. but some wave forms require more love than others.

I learned this most when I delved into the synth world for a bit. It was more about the wave-form than it was the playing. Crazy..but fun.