Guitar Effect Pedalphile Thread

[tbone_ 14413]

Also what pickup system does he have in his Taylor?

My 810 had the original expression system, which is well known to suck ass. I verified this by trying it through every pa/Di box combo I could find.

Switched the pick up out to a K&K. Much much better.

Point is, if he has the old expression system, won’t matter what you use.

[Chad Fuck 18096]

39 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

Also what pickup system does he have in his Taylor?

My 810 had the original expression system, which is well known to suck ass. I verified this by trying it through every pa/Di box combo I could find.

Switched the pick up out to a K&K. Much much better.

Point is, if he has the old expression system, won’t matter what you use.

That's a good question for which I don't have an answer.  And I am absolutely certain he doesn't.  

How would I make this determination?  What are the distinguishing characteristics besides suckage?

 

[Buzzrock 15118]

Also what pickup system does he have in his Taylor?

My 810 had the original expression system, which is well known to suck ass. I verified this by trying it through every pa/Di box combo I could find.

Switched the pick up out to a K&K. Much much better.

Point is, if he has the old expression system, won’t matter what you use.

What years did the Taylors have the suckass expression systems? I was not aware. Then again I need to sell my Taylor so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

[tbone_ 14413]

Lots of discussion on the internet, especially acoustic guitar forum about the original expressions. I’m not sure the years, but if you have the newer one you will be able to tell by the bridge. I’ll post some pics of my newer one later.

Also you can plug it in and if you can’t get it to stop quacking like a ducks ass then you’ll know.

[tbone_ 14413]

If your bridge has these little screw looking things in it, then you have the expression 2, which is the one you want

 

 

If it looks like this, then you have the original shitty one

 

 

The pickup systems are actually designed completely differently. Taylor will upgrade the old one to the new ones for like $500 but you have to send your guitar to them and it takes a couple of months. In lieu of that I went with a K&K which is great.

 

I learned all this because I found the only Taylor certified tech in Phoenix, at a really cool store called Acoustic Vibes in Tempe.

 

I had been trying to find a good amp/pa for my 810. The guitar plays and sounds like butter unplugged but everything I tried plugging it into sounded like total ass, including the $3k Bose system. Finally figured it out after online research and then my repair guy confirmed it.

 

My 316 with the newer system sounds great though.

 

Hope that helps.

 

[tbone_ 14413]

Also fwiw, my 810 is circa 2003 or 2004. The 316 is a 2016 I think.

[tbone_ 14413]

Also the Acoustic Guitar Forum mafia swears by these things

 

 

I don’t love mine so if your guy wants to try it out I’d send it to you. If he likes it buy it. If not send it back. It’s brand new.

[tbone_ 14413]

Oh and just because...

[tbone_ 14413]

[Chad Fuck 18096]

That is first rate info.

I’m afraid the Red Eye May be too pricey. Aren’t those around $200 new?

[tbone_ 14413]

Yea I paid $199

 

I’d offer the surly discount if you are interested though. I’m not using it because my tc helicon play acoustic sounds better through that turbo sound personal pa you see in the pic. But I bet the red eye does better through a real house pa.

[Buzzrock 15118]

Those Bose systems are cool, I’ve played acoustic through one before. 

[Chad Fuck 18096]

On 12/8/2018 at 8:24 AM, tbone_ said:

Yea I paid $199

 

I’d offer the surly discount if you are interested though. I’m not using it because my tc helicon play acoustic sounds better through that turbo sound personal pa you see in the pic. But I bet the red eye does better through a real house pa.

I've offered it up to the money lady (singers wife), we'll see what she says.  I have no idea what her Christmas budget is.  Or if said singer is going to get pissed at me for angling for him to get a pedal for Christmas rather than whatever else he wanted.  Still, he needs it whether he knows it or not.  

 

[Deej 77677]

A good read...

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/28190-fifty-years-of-filth-the-story-of-the-mighty-tone-bender-fuzz

[Grandioso 2592]

Here's a bunch of DI boxes.

https://houston.craigslist.org/msg/d/assorted-direct-boxes-di-box/6772619394.html

[Grandioso 2592]

Since EHX came out with the new "Grand Canyon," people have been unloading their regular "Canyons" like mad on Reverb. I highly recommend. Even new, at $140 or so the thing is a great deal. This market glut ought to push down the price of used ones to dirt cheap territory.

[Celery Man 21077]

Are there any great sub $100 pedals y'all would recommend for a... young guy with a strat, a blues junior, and a ts-9?  Who likes Stevie but probably also likes other stuff?  Soon to be brother in law (who I gave a strat to last year when he was visiting and mentioned that he wanted an electric and was thinking about getting a strat and 15 minutes later I remembered that I had an extra strat literally underneath the bed he was going to sleep on in the guest room).  Birthday in early Jan and he's coming down on the 1st for a week, hoping to come up with a decent gift but my tastes are all strymon and shit and maybe there's some cool stuff that would be helpful and not break the bank for a dude like him.

[Deej 77677]

Replace his TS-9 with a Shaggy Screamer. They still making those?

[Grandioso 2592]

Definitely delay. It’s the most fun to tweak and experiment with. It also fills out the sound of a transistory little practice amp. Perfect for a kid.

The EHX canyon is $140 and has 10+ settings with secondary functions and a looper. Also see the EHX memory boy is only $90. Very similar to a carbon copy.

When I was first getting halfway good at guitar, I lived for my wah pedal. a regular old cry baby wah is $80.

Would also consider a high gain drive or fuzz as a foil to the tube screamer. A RAT2 is $70. Also there are like 10 big muff variants all under $100.



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[Grandioso 2592]

Replace his TS-9 with a Shaggy Screamer. They still making those?

Careful, the market is flooded with fakes.


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[Celery Man 21077]

I say kid, he's 22.  But yeah -  I was trying to remember what the good less... El Capistan type price range delays are.

[Grandioso 2592]

Oh, EHX also makes the Holy Stain which is $117 and does fuzz, reverb, trem, OD, pitch shifting. That’s badass.

Also re the capistan- Keeley makes a verb and trem combo also for like $150. I think it’s just called the verb o trem


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[tbone_ 14413]

Get him something gnarly like a TC Dark Matter dirt box. $50.

[Deej 77677]

Honestly, the pedal I use most is an EQ pedal. They are pretty handy. I have a Danolectro one that cost 30 bucks. Best 30 bucks I've spent.

[Buzzrock 15118]

Looper and wah for sure.

[DougO 5262]

A delay pedal is a good idea. But a nice clean boost will sweeten up that Blues Jr. I wish Santa would put an Xotic EP and an SL drive in my stocking.

[dcbc 14643]

3 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Are there any great sub $100 pedals y'all would recommend for a... young guy with a strat, a blues junior, and a ts-9?  Who likes Stevie but probably also likes other stuff?  Soon to be brother in law (who I gave a strat to last year when he was visiting and mentioned that he wanted an electric and was thinking about getting a strat and 15 minutes later I remembered that I had an extra strat literally underneath the bed he was going to sleep on in the guest room).  Birthday in early Jan and he's coming down on the 1st for a week, hoping to come up with a decent gift but my tastes are all strymon and shit and maybe there's some cool stuff that would be helpful and not break the bank for a dude like him.

An MXR Micro Amp after a TS9 is a nice boost.  I know there are newer things out there, but I always thought that was a killer boost when I bothered with a dedicated boost.

[Grandioso 2592]

 

[tbone_ 14413]

Is he doing a bong hit or yaking?

[tbone_ 14413]

[Grandioso 2592]

Whoever was looking for an acoustic DI/preamp, this is a good ass deal

https://reverb.com/item/17868764-ashdown-aa-woodsman-acoustic-guitar-preamp-di-pedal

[Celery Man 21077]

Ordered a used memory boy from Reverb for the brother in law coming to visit, hoping it gets delivered in the next 10 days

[Chad Fuck 18096]

23 hours ago, Grandioso said:

Whoever was looking for an acoustic DI/preamp, this is a good ass deal

https://reverb.com/item/17868764-ashdown-aa-woodsman-acoustic-guitar-preamp-di-pedal

That was me, but I was looking for a friend's wife.  Haven't heard whether she got him anything or not.  

[hullabelew 3730]

Are there any great sub $100 pedals y'all would recommend for a... young guy with a strat, a blues junior, and a ts-9?  Who likes Stevie but probably also likes other stuff?  Soon to be brother in law (who I gave a strat to last year when he was visiting and mentioned that he wanted an electric and was thinking about getting a strat and 15 minutes later I remembered that I had an extra strat literally underneath the bed he was going to sleep on in the guest room).  Birthday in early Jan and he's coming down on the 1st for a week, hoping to come up with a decent gift but my tastes are all strymon and shit and maybe there's some cool stuff that would be helpful and not break the bank for a dude like him.

Ditto Looper

[Grandioso 2592]

WHERE ARE ALL THE NAMM 2019 PREVIEWS!?! I need my fix dammit.

In the meantime, this shit is cool AF. It's not much bigger than an accutronics reverb tank (which it basically contains inside it). The new version (beneath the video clip) is just small enough to fit on a Pedaltrain Classic Jr. (18"). But it would take up an entire row. 

This is the newer version, which does away with tolex nonsense and is just contained in a metal case like your average MXR, EHX, Wampler, Keeley, Earthquaker, Fulltone, etc. pedal. It's $100 cheaper.

I fucking hate a digital-processory fake ass computer sounding reverb. Catalinbread, ElectroHarmonix, and BOSS can fake it pretty well though. (Unfortunately BOSS discontinued the amazing Fender '63 Reverb pedal).  I would be interested in doing a side by side test of this thing, the Catalinbread Topanga, and a Fender reverb unit.

[Deej 77677]

Interesting. I've got a Sole-Mate reverb, which has a real tank. I love the fact I can give it a small kick and make it go crazy.

[tbone_ 14413]

Can someone help me set this thing? Using it on my acoustic.

So far it just seems to make things sound sort of muted. I’ve never had a compressor before so I have no idea what I’m doing.

[Grandioso 2592]

This is the full manual, which I don't think is included in the package. (It wasn't in mine).

http://www.wamplerpedals.com/support/download/send/3-current-lineup/50-manual-ego-compressor-2016

That muted effect is your acoustic's dynamic range getting compressed. (That's why MXR called their compressor, which was one of the first, the "Dyna Comp"). Try dialing back the attack and cranking up the sustain. That's unusual the compressor is giving you a "muted" effect. Usually, it's just the opposite and they make everything louder, especially compressors like the old Keeley that had no volume knob. Another tactic might be diming your volume knob or setting it really high, and then using the sustain knob to adjust your volume/output.

If you can't get to a happy place with the thing, call or e-mail Wampler. That outfit has gotten big and I would suspect king tone nerd Brian Wampler has a stable of nerds on hand to help customers. 

 

 

 

[tbone_ 14413]

Cool. Thanks.

[BoomMF 1401]

.

[Grandioso 2592]

New Mad Professor pedal. 

This is a lot like EHX did with the Canyon (delay) and Ocean's 11 (reverb), except this is a do-it-all modulation pedal.

Chorus 1: Sounds like a classic analog type chorus to me.

Chorus 2: I can't decide if this sounds like a Uni Vibe or a shimmery modern chorus. Would need to hear it slowed down.

Chorus 3: Sounds like a Uni Vibe 

And I guess the "dual choruses" blend 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 1 and 3.

Flanger 1: more classic

Flanger 2: more modern

Dual Flanger: I don't know but it sounds badass

Flanger Chorus: meh

Vibrato: Can't tell if I like because I only have like 2 vibrato sweet spots I use

The wet/dry tone knob is pretty sweet.

[hullabelew 3730]

Did we ever come to consensus on the best DI for the money. I have a 99 Taylor with the original Fishman pickups. The only time I tried to use it thru a PA into a DI, the pickups weren't working due to a loose wire.

[tbone_ 14413]

The acoustic guitar forums dudes love the red eye.

[hullabelew 3730]

I just talked with a former touring musician and he uses this Baggs. Probably because all of his acoustics are high dollar Gibsons and they match up.

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ParaDI--lr-baggs-para-di-acoustic-preamp-5-band-eq-and-direct-box

 

 

 

[hullabelew 3730]

TBone, you still have that Red Eye?

[tbone_ 14413]

I do.

Lots of love for baggs too.

[Grandioso 2592]

MOAR NAMM!!!!

Quote

Strymon has returned with its new Volante delay pedal.

Based on vintage tape delays, the Volante features magnetic drum echo, tape echo and reel-to-reel studio echo sounds, in addition to a looper and vintage spring reverb. The pedal also comes with four onboard delay playback heads, with individual feedback, panning and level controls.

With the Volante, users can dial in mechanically related speed fluctuations and playback head wear, and adjust the spacing between heads.

The Volante also features MIDI integration, up to eight onboard presets, stereo panning, footswitchable infinite repeats and expression input.

The Strymon Volante delay pedal will be available soon for $399.

 

[Grandioso 2592]

NAMM 2019: Red Witch’s Fuzz God III packs 64 fuzz combinations into one mini pedal. They aren't being too modest about it, e.g., calling it the "FUZZ GOD III." Also:

Quote

The Fuzz God III is the possibly the most versatile, compact and affordable Fuzz pedal ever made.

The first run of these pedals has been hand built by Ben Fulton. Hand numbered and signed too. There’s only 100 pieces available in this first offering and it's priced at a limited introductory offer of only $129.99.

Don't miss out. 

The Fuzz God III has 3 dials on the top surface for Fuzz, Volume and Sputter.

Inside it has a 6 way DIP switch.

The first 2 DIP switches control different gain arrays.

DIP switches 3 to 6 control different tonal structures.

This allows up 64 different gain and tone combinations.

Each DIP setting results in the Fuzz, Sputter and Volume dials reacting slightly differently…..

A pair of BC109 transistors (B and C) are found at the heart of this magnificent, all analog, true bypass Fuzz Deity.

Have we built the ultimate desert Island Fuzz?

Yes. Yes we have.

For only $129.99, this is worth taking a flyer on it.

I'm kind of familiar with Red Witch pedals, but this seems pretty different from the other stuff they've done. They got crazy with the dip switches. 

Edited January 11, 2019 by Grandioso

[Grandioso 2592]

NAMM tease

This looks freaking sweet. If I understand this correctly, Dunlop owns the Uni-Vibe brand/trademark but this company, who designed the original, still makes their own version. They just can't call it a "Uni-Vibe." Beware: this is going to be expensive AF.

 

[Grandioso 2592]

NAMM 2019: Earthquaker Devices "Swiss Things"

This looks awesome but I think I'd need about 15 hours or so to figure it out.

Quote

Swiss Things™ combines two true-bypass Flexi-Switch™ enabled effects loops, a Flexi-Switch™ AB-Y box with transformer isolation between outputs, a buffered tuner output, 20dB of clean boost with adjustable gain, an expression pedal output for volume control and a quiet, high headroom output buffer into a compact pedalboard-friendly signal routing junction box that lives at the top-right corner of your pedalboard and really ties your rig together without any signal loss.

This is what you can do with it:

Use as many pedals as you’d like without tone-suck

Quickly and easily bypass or engage all of your effects with one click

Use Flexi-Switch™ Technology with every pedal in your setup

Eliminate volume pedal tone-suck by using any expression pedal to control volume

Use multiple amps without phase issues, ground loops, or extra noise

Tidy up your rig, shorten cable runs, and reduce tone loss by keeping all inputs and outputs in one location

 

Here’s what the footswitches do:

1. Loop 1: Press this to engage Loop 1. It features Flexi-Switch™ Technology and is unbuffered for use with all distortion, overdrive, and fuzz pedals, or anything else that doesn’t like being buffered.

2. Loop 2: Press this to engage Loop 2. It also features Flexi-Switch™ Technology and is buffered for use with time-based effects (delay, reverb, modulation, etc.).

Note: when nothing is plugged into Loop 2, it functions as a mute.

3. Boost: press this to activate the boost. It is Flexi-Switch™ Technology enabled and provides up to 20dB of clean boost post-effects loops and is intended for use as an output booster.

4. A/B: selects between Output A and Output B.

Note: Output B is transformer-isolated and includes a Phase switch for use with pedals and/or amplifiers which invert phase.

5. Both: activates Output A and Output B at the same time and features Flexi-Switch™ Technology

Here’s what the input, output, send, return, and expression jacks are for:

6. Input: plug your instrument in here.

Note: If you have any “always-on” pedals (compressors, preamps, EQs, etc.) place them before Swiss Things’ input.

7. Loop 1 Send: Plug this into the input of the first pedal in the octave/overdrive/distortion/fuzz section of your board.

8. Loop 1 Return: Plug the output of the last pedal of the octave/overdrive/distortion/fuzz section into this jack.

9. Loop 2 Send: Plug this into the input of the first pedal in the modulation section of your board.

10. Loop 2 Return: Plug the output of the last pedal of your modulation section into this jack.

11. Tuner Output: Connect this to the input of your tuner.

Note: Tuner must be always turned on. If you bypass your tuner, you may experience ground loops or hum.

12. Volume EXP: Connect any expression pedal to this output to control volume.

Note: Most volume pedals create “tone-suck” by loading the signal down and have limited travel. This solves that problem with a buffered output and allows you to use any expression pedal with the same results. The expression jack is placed after the “dirt” effects loop (Loop 1) which allows you to change volume levels without affecting gain.

13. Output A: connect this to the input of your amplifier.

14. Output B: connect this to the input of a separate amplifier to use multiple amps and/or to play in stereo.

Note: To use Swiss Things with stereo effects, they should be placed after Outputs A & B and both outputs must be selected using the Both switch.

Note: Output B is transformer-isolated and includes a Phase switch for use with pedals and/or amplifiers which invert phase.

Note: To use stereo effects after Swiss Things, do not have the Phase switch engaged otherwise the L & R inputs of your stereo effects will be out of phase.