-> Pedal chain puzzle

[kensmith]

Okay so I have a Pedaltrain board coming my way (original size), and need to start thinking about fitting current setup on the board and routing.

Before I do that, I though I would put my signal chain out here for all of you tone experts to see if you have any suggestions:

Current Signal Chain:

Guitar>

Wah Dunlop Crybaby 535Q Wah
Comp Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer
OD2 Fulltone OCD
OD1 Boss Blues Driver
Chorus Visual Sound Liquid Chorus
Volume Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
*Tuner Boss TU-2 (tuner output from EBVol tuner out)
Tremelo Rocktron Pulse Tremelo
Delay Boss DD-6 Delay
Reverb Marshall Reflector Reverb

>Amp

Occasional use for practice/fun use only:
Looper Boss RC-3 w/ FS-6 footswitch
Vibe Dano Chicken Salad Vibe (pretty noisy when off so I don't leave in my chain)

Note: Guitar is Fender Strat with HSS config (2 Texas Special SCs and Seymore Duncan Pearly Gates bucker,also has Graphtech Ghost acoustic piezo saddles)
Amp is Fender Blues Junior w/Texas Heat speaker and Ruby Reverb tank

Thoughts/Recommendations?

 

[RDM]

I'd put the TU-2 dead last in the chain. Try it.

 

[kensmith]

I'd put the TU-2 dead last in the chain. Try it.

Are you suggesting putting the TU-2 inline? I have always thought that it is a tone-sucker and never put it in my chain. What is the reason that you suggest including it?

 

[RDM]

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/326247

Just trust me. Yes...put it in line. (I can see you tone snobs shaking your heads in disgust) It may work for you...it may not. When I did it....it was night and day. A HUGE HUGE HUGE difference. 100% noticable. I'm not some picky audiophile/tonesnob guy and I'm not talking a small difference.

You thought it's a tone sucker because there's so much discussion about it. The pedal has a great buffer and I bet your pedals will really open up when you make the move. Again....maybe not....but just try it.

 

[powermatt99]

Are you suggesting putting the TU-2 inline? I have always thought that it is a tone-sucker and never put it in my chain. What is the reason that you suggest including it?

Boss pedals have quite good buffers. Many people put them last to prevent line-loss in their sometimes long cable run to their amp. Secondly, adding the TU-2 to the tuner out of a volume pedal could theoretically lead to tone loss as well.

If you have time, experiment with it in different places in the chain.

 

[kstraine]

This may be just me, but I've found that I get a really cool 80's ballad sound (that's still cool right? haha) by putting the chorus before the dirt stuff. See what it does for you...

 

[MullisMan]

In my experience I've found that a lot of the Boss pedals have a great buffer, like the DD-20 for example. The tuner isn't any different, I run it on my board and when it was in-line in my signal chain I didn't notice an incredible difference. That being said, if you really want to eliminate it from your chain, just run it out from the volume pedal. Most volumes have a tuner out, and if it's anything like the Boss volume pedals, it takes it out of the signal chain.

 

[RDM]

To be honest, you might have issues with tone suck no matter where your TU-2 is placed. Since the EB Volume pedal is a passive volume pedal, in theroy, you'd need a good buffer both in front of the pedal and behind it to correct the "signal capacitance" that may be effected by a passive volume pedal.

However...to each his own, and you may not hear any loss. What works for some won't work for others.

I'd build your chain as is, and take out both the volume pedal and TU-2. Then, put in just the TU-2 at then end and hear how it sounds. If it's OK....add in the VP and examine what you hear. If you have tone suck with the VP back in-line you've at least narrowed the problems down.

But again....if it all sounded fine before you posted this thread.....then don't worry about it.

 

[guybrush]

Not getting into buffer/tone-maintenance questions, I think the order is good. Only thing I'd change - and that is less usual, I'm aware - is I'd put the tremolo last in the chain. I love chopping reverbed/delayed parts.

 

[kensmith]

after reading your other thread about putting TU-2 last....I will definately be trying that. I will also experiment with location of VolumePedal. I do notice differences and I like the VP before delay and reverb for swells..In fact I seem to like it up front too, but am willing to keep it in the middle and will try kstraine's suggestion of trying the Chorus in front of dirt and guybrush's idea of trem behind reverb and delay....never would have thought of that one.
thanks guys....keep the suggestions coming!

 

[kensmith]

okay, tried the TU-2 last and liked it better (at least through headphones....still need to try with amp and full tone).

any other suggestions on the order?
thx

 

[kstraine]

Putting the trem after the delay is a cool idea, I'll have to try that and see what kind of weird noises I can coax out of my axe!

 

[blood5150]

I'd put the TU-2 dead last in the chain. Try it.

But doesnt the EB volume pedal have a dedicated tuner out? My EB VPjr. volume pedal does.

Why wouldnt he just use that?

 

[kensmith]

But doesnt the EB volume pedal have a dedicated tuner out? My EB VPjr. volume pedal does.
Why wouldnt he just use that?

I think if you carefully read my original post, you will see that I was using the tuner out on my EB volume pedal (in order to keep it out of the chain for fear of tone suckage). I must admit that I like the tone BETTER with it in the path as the last pedal in my chain. As a side bonus I send the output to two different places (amp and mixer). Try it...you may like it too!