Give me an idea of how to organize my board

[DonaldDemon]

I am doing a big pedal changeout for my upcoming show opening for Robin Trower and I need some tips on how to order my effects.
I noticed there seems to be issues with fuzz and vibes particularly. Here is the order I have now but I think I may need to switch it around.

(TB= true bypass)

AF-9 (TB) à Keeley modded Vox wah (TB) à EB Mono Vol (TU-2 in tuner out) à RC Booster (TB) à HBE UFO Fuzz/Octave (TB) à POG (TB) à Sweet Sound Mojo Vibe (TB) à Boss PH-1r Phaser à EHX Small Clone (TB) à Amp (Splawn Pro Mod)


Effects loop has AD-9 à DE-7


I just got the Mojo Vibe in (love it!) and I am wondering where to put it in my chain. I have always put my vibe last but I also didn't use fuzz then. I have only tried it once since I got it and it didn't sound bad with the fuzz going into it but maybe it would be better before dirt?

I am also having trouble deciding where to put my AF-9 because it doesn't seem to react as well when it is later in the chain. I love the sound of this pedal but I hate the input senstivity, seem like it won't trigger unless it's first in line.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks.

[Mr. Kite]

Q: Is there a specific order my effects should go in?
A: Yes and no. There are some guidelines that can be followed to make sure odd things don't happen. There have been times when a compressor after a delay pedal or reverb unit has caused some bad (good?) effects, there have been brilliant moves to place effects in certain orders that break most rules, but below is a guideline I came up with and was published in Musician's Hotline Magazine. Nice things is it gives you a way, a phrase to memorize so that when you're on the road, you can get it right if you pick up a new effect.
Placing effects in a logical order will help! This list of effects order is just a general guideline. Some of the best and most unique guitar tones have been created by breaking the rules! You guys need a head start at good tone right?! A way to make life easy right?! I came up with a little phrase to help remember the order because even I forget. Ask yourself this when you wonder about effects order or placement: Which Chain Of Effect Pedals Makes Life Easy? All you have to do is remember this phase and which letter corresponds to which type of effect. Wah -> Which, Compressor -> Chain, Overdrive -> Of, EQ -> Effect, Pitch -> Pedals, Modulation -> Make, Level -> Life, Echo -> Easy. I like to see wah pedals and sometimes even phasers as the first effect after the guitar. We'll call these Wah effects (yes even the phaser). Wah pedals boost a frequency you sweep to with your foot and phasers cut or notch a frequency that is swept to electronically. Distortion pedals make interesting response changes to the boost or cut from these sweep pedals. Compressors typically go next although I like them after distortion pedals in many cases if the compressor is clean and transparent enough. Compression after distortion has two effects that I really like. First, the noise floor is lower because the noise from a compressor isn't being amplified and distorted by the overdrive pedal. Second, there appears to be more sustain. There is one draw back that some people notice and that is a darker, warmer tone. Some folks might prefer a more conventional, brighter tone. Next comes Overdrive or distortion. Equalizer pedals can go next. They are commonly used for a boost pedal if they can be turned on and off, or used to shape the tone of the distortion pedal. Pitch changing pedals, Vibrato for example; go next for the simple reason that many distortion pedals can't handle the many pitches at one time. Try strumming a complex chord with your distortion pedal on, say a C7#9#11. Modulation effects go next such as chorus and flanging go next. Level pedals that control the volume go next in many cases. This would include tremolo, volume pedals (great at this point in the effects chain because it cuts all the hiss going to your amp), noise gates and limiters. Since compression is a limiter in many cases and this is why it works post-distortion by the way. Echo effects go last. These include delay and reverb. A sample effects board might contain these effects: Guitar -> Wah, Compressor, Overdrive, EQ, Vibrato, Chorus, Tremolo, Volume Pedal, and Delay-> Amp.

My .02, consider the vibe like a phaser.

[61Ephramite]

I agree that wah type effects should go first. Personally, I have found the best results going from guitar to compressor followed by drive effects and then to amp. I run any effects that modulate or "move" the signal, including delays and reverbs, through the effects loop. At the end of my loop I have an Ernie Ball Volume pedal which acts as a Master volume for the tubes in my preamp. I can turn the amp's volumes up and regulate the overall volume with the pedal.

[Lolaviola]

I have best results by going thru my
Octave>Filter>phase>Fuzz>Delay

My advice to you:
(stand up and take it like a man)
You have too much stuff hooked up and you need to pare it down some. There I said it.

Lose the phaser and use the vibe, or vicky-verky.
Ditch the volume pedal.
Put the POG first.
Put the filter and wah next.
From there it should be relatively easy to figure out if the UFO or the Vibe should be next.
RC boost
Clone
You're done.

I live by KISS principle. If you must have a volume pedal, know that they are notorious for cutting down the "feel" of your expensive guitar thru your expensive amp.

My filter always wants to "hear" the full strength of my Teles, but is more forgiving w/ my Les Paul. Be aware. And good luck out there.

[DonaldDemon]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kite

Q: Is there a specific order my effects should go in? *snip*

My .02, consider the vibe like a phaser.

I have read this from Keeley's site before. I understand the general rule but was looking for something more specific to what I am running. Thanks though

[DonaldDemon]

Originally Posted by 61Ephramite

I agree that wah type effects should go first. Personally, I have found the best results going from guitar to compressor followed by drive effects and then to amp. I run any effects that modulate or "move" the signal, including delays and reverbs, through the effects loop. At the end of my loop I have an Ernie Ball Volume pedal which acts as a Master volume for the tubes in my preamp. I can turn the amp's volumes up and regulate the overall volume with the pedal.

I don't like my modulation effects in the loop, I prefer the sound when they are in front (except tremolo). My EB vol is first because I use that as a rhythm/lead control.

[DonaldDemon]

Originally Posted by Lolaviola

I have best results by going thru my
Octave>Filter>phase>Fuzz>Delay

My advice to you:
(stand up and take it like a man)
You have too much stuff hooked up and you need to pare it down some. There I said it.

Lose the phaser and use the vibe, or vicky-verky.
Ditch the volume pedal.
Put the POG first.
Put the filter and wah next.
From there it should be relatively easy to figure out if the UFO or the Vibe should be next.
RC boost
Clone
You're done.

I live by KISS principle. If you must have a volume pedal, know that they are notorious for cutting down the "feel" of your expensive guitar thru your expensive amp.

My filter always wants to "hear" the full strength of my Teles, but is more forgiving w/ my Les Paul. Be aware. And good luck out there.

Thanks but I really do need most of that stuff. My amp doesn't have a rhythm/lead channel so I use the volume pedal for that. I know it "dampens" the tone a little bit but I have no problem with that. I still like my tone.

The phaser, while similar to the vibe, is set up for a slow sweep and has a very different effect than the vibe so I need that fro a few songs. I will probably lose the Small Clone though, it's not used enough to justify it.

Why do you say POG first and OD/boost last though? Any reasons for that?

[Lolaviola]

Originally Posted by DonaldDemon

Why do you say POG first and OD/boost last though? Any reasons for that?

I was assuming you want the "classic" sound of low octave/filter here.
I realize the POG does more than that one sound, but I run an Octron and it's always first. The basic tone gets created here, and then that tone goes to the filtering. It just sounds wrong to me the other way. It is just as sensitive to input as the filter.
If you are doing your own thing tho, that's cool.

As far as the OD/boost, I always like to be able to make myself louder and I think you could theoretically use a boost last instead of the volume pedal. I think it is very important to "be heard" and you should never rely on a sounddude to turn you up (larf.) The other theory is that fuzz into an overdriive will give you the tone of a cranking stack at a lower volume by "softening the edges" a bit.

[DonaldDemon]

Originally Posted by Lolaviola

I was assuming you want the "classic" sound of low octave/filter here.
I realize the POG does more than that one sound, but I run an Octron and it's always first. The basic tone gets created here, and then that tone goes to the filtering. It just sounds wrong to me the other way. It is just as sensitive to input as the filter.
If you are doing your own thing tho, that's cool.

As far as the OD/boost, I always like to be able to make myself louder and I think you could theoretically use a boost last instead of the volume pedal. I think it is very important to "be heard" and you should never rely on a sounddude to turn you up (larf.) The other theory is that fuzz into an overdriive will give you the tone of a cranking stack at a lower volume by "softening the edges" a bit.

Cool, I use the POG for an organ kind of sound and I actually like hitting it with fuzz to make it synth-like so that's why I put it later in the chain. The OPG is not really input sensative at all and tracks perfectly no matter where it is, that's why it's one of my favorites!

I hear you about not relying on the sound guy. If anything I fool him by starting off with my volume 3/4 of the way up because I know he will ask me to turn down. I could try using the boost for just leads and ditching the volume. The thing I like about the volume is that I can get so many different tones by where I set the pedal. I will have to try fuzz into boost though. Thanks.

[DonaldDemon]

Ok, here is what I ended up after my reorganization last night. I may take the PH-1r out at the end and put the TU-2 there instead. It's a bit tight getting the efx loop return jack in between my POG and DE-7 though. This damn board has been consistently short by inches! I desperatly need to build a new one.