Help me get the most out of my meager pedals.

[T.O.Bass]

Well, as it turns out, money doesn't grow on trees, and selling my kidneys didn't seem very appealing, so as a result, I had to make a decision. New bass, rig, or pedals?

Well, I went with new bass and new rig. The new rig is great and the new bass (a custom 6) should be finished and in my hands anytime now (this weekend I hope). This left me, of course, with the same old craptacular pedals I have had and never used for the past several years.

I recenly scrounged up a hundred bucks and bought myself an EHX Bass Big Muff, and it was my first informed pedal purchase - exactly what I wanted. I took it home, loved it and said "what the heck, let's get the other pedals out and see what we can do!"

Yeah, that adventerous spirit lasted about 5 minutes before I tossed them back into the nether reigons of my bedroom.

So can anyone offer advice on how to get the most out of these antagonizing little boxes?

Here's my setup:

Fender Custom Shop Jazz 4 string
Vadim 6 string (by the weekend I hope)

GK1001RB-II

GK115RBH
GK410RBH

and the pedals:

EHX BBM (just purchased)
Boss TU-2
Boss ODB-3 (the only one I use with my band)
Boss PH-3
Boss SYB-5


Yes, I know, those boss pedals and as useful as a square wheel, but is there ANYTHING I can do to get a good sound out of them given my current setup? What order should I put them in besides "tuner first"?? Should I use the effects loop on the 1001RB-II? Argh!

Help rekindle my faith in pedals!

[Deluge Of Sound]

What kind of question is this?

Here's what you do; you put them in whatever order you fancy, turn them all on and twist some knobs until you get something that you think sounds good.

Then you go back with each pedal and individually turn them on, and twist all the knobs until you get something that sounds good.

Don't use your effects loop, and you don't have to put the tuner first, (I know Thunderscreech puts his tuner last so he can cut off his two muffs at the step of one button, for example)

And if you can't get a good sound out of this process, light a jib or have a few beers or whatever and try again.

[stflbn]

Don't underestimate the boss pedals.

Learn each pedal individually. Learn what the controls do and how to get a sound out of it that you prefer, or a few sounds, then move on to the next pedal all by itself.

Once you get acquainted with each pedal then start combining them one by one to get accustomed to how they work together. The order you have them in often has a great effect in how they sound also, so trial and error on order also is needed to find 'your preference.

If you're not willing to take the time as mentioned to learn each pedal individually you'll always just be turning knobs and making half arsed noises with them.


.

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

What kind of question is this?

Here's what you do; you put them in whatever order you fancy, turn them all on and twist some knobs until you get something that you think sounds good.

I have been doing this for years... Every time I think I have a good sound with one, I try to combine it with another, and it's back to square one, I just get frustrated and it all sounds terrible. I think I am doomed to hate anything beyond a distortion when it comes through my own rig

[stflbn]

I'd say you need to go a lot slower then to avoid the frustration. And use more subtle sounds rather than cranking everything especially when learning them.

Personally I like very few effects combined with distortion.

[vegas532]

Boss ODB-3 :
Level: 1 o'clock
Bass: 1 o'clock
Treble: 11 o'clock
Blend: 11 o'clock
Gain: 11 o'clock

Melvins in a box!!

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by T.O.Bass

I have been doing this for years... Every time I think I have a good sound with one, I try to combine it with another, and it's back to square one, I just get frustrated and it all sounds terrible. I think I am doomed to hate anything beyond a distortion when it comes through my own rig

I suggest you refer ( or is that reefer... ) to the second part of my post. Catch a fire, and maybe you'll hear something different.

That said, a lot of times settings that sound great on their own don't necessarily sound good when mixed and matched. The opposite is also true.

But you also need to know what kind of sound you want to get out of your board before you turn on any of your pedals, and then you need to approach it like a chef. You need to add ingredients that you know are going to work well together, and that only comes with spending a lot of time with your board and each pedal within.

[Thunderscreech]

How many of the above pedals are you actually planning on using? If you use the ODB-3, and like it, then I'd suggest you stick with that and the BBM if they're the only two you really like. Maybe the phaser (so you can do the bass part of Stranglehold in style ), but other than that, you really don't NEED anything else.

Tuner aren't effects per se, but they are pedals, and thus fall into the realm of effects.

[Deluge Of Sound]

And you don't NEED your βΘИΞКЯŲŜĦÏИĞ® rig, I suppose...

[Thunderscreech]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

And you don't NEED your βΘИΞКЯŲŜĦÏИĞ® rig, I suppose...

that's different. Totally different.

[bacehead]

the boss tuner has buffers on the input and bypass output it changes your signal from high to low impedence. So it will react differently in the chain depending on if the other pedal is buffered or not. some od's/distortion devices will not operate properly with a low impedence signal. fuzz faces for example are best being first in the chain as they tend to become gated after a buffered circuit. Your boss pedals are more than likely all buffered even when bypassed it passes through the buffer unless it is a "true bypass" pedal. Try each effect with the tu-2 in front of and behind to find out if it effects it badly then arrange your pedals. combining pedals is not always the best way to use or find new sounds come pedals like the synth your have are better alone IMO..


hopes this helps some

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by vegas532

Boss ODB-3 :
Level: 1 o'clock
Bass: 1 o'clock
Treble: 11 o'clock
Blend: 11 o'clock
Gain: 11 o'clock

Melvins in a box!!

Thanks! I'll give it shot!

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

I suggest you refer ( or is that reefer... ) to the second part of my post. Catch a fire, and maybe you'll hear something different.

Hehe, well, I had to give up on that a few years ago, though I can certainly sit down with the peds and a bottle of gin and see what happens

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by bacehead

the boss tuner has buffers on the input and bypass output it changes your signal from high to low impedence. So it will react differently in the chain depending on if the other pedal is buffered or not. some od's/distortion devices will not operate properly with a low impedence signal. fuzz faces for example are best being first in the chain as they tend to become gated after a buffered circuit. Your boss pedals are more than likely all buffered even when bypassed it passes through the buffer unless it is a "true bypass" pedal. Try each effect with the tu-2 in front of and behind to find out if it effects it badly then arrange your pedals. combining pedals is not always the best way to use or find new sounds come pedals like the synth your have are better alone IMO..


hopes this helps some

Yes, thank you, anything helps, at this point. I'll be the first to admit I'm all thumbs when it comes to effects.

Interesting point about the TU-2. I always put it in the beginning of the chain because... well... Everyone else I played with did the same thing! I'm already planning a night at the rehearsal space with me, a few drinks, and a few hours alone with the pedals.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by T.O.Bass

I'm already planning a night at the rehearsal space with me, a few drinks, and a few hours alone with the pedals.

That's the spirit!

Just remember to go in with a pen and paper, so you can write down the settings when you go "holy hell, that sounds amazing!"

[stflbn]

Originally Posted by T.O.Bass

Yes, thank you, anything helps, at this point. I'll be the first to admit I'm all thumbs when it comes to effects.

Interesting point about the TU-2. I always put it in the beginning of the chain because... well... Everyone else I played with did the same thing! I'm already planning a night at the rehearsal space with me, a few drinks, and a few hours alone with the pedals.

I always keep my tuner on a separate chain via an A/B pedal or LS-2 Line selector. Or if that's not possible... last on my chain or sitting on top of my amp and not in my chain at all.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by stflbn

I always keep my tuner on a separate chain via an A/B pedal or LS-2 Line selector. Or if that's not possible... last on my chain or sitting on top of my amp and not in my chain at all.

Any reason for that?

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by Thunderscreech

How many of the above pedals are you actually planning on using? If you use the ODB-3, and like it, then I'd suggest you stick with that and the BBM if they're the only two you really like. Maybe the phaser (so you can do the bass part of Stranglehold in style ), but other than that, you really don't NEED anything else.

Tuner aren't effects per se, but they are pedals, and thus fall into the realm of effects.

I guess I can honestly say I'm not really planning on using any of them in a specific context at the moment, as my current band is only a couple months old and we are still fleshing out our sound and making decisions on what to use/what not to use. I guess I figured, well, since I HAVE the pedals, why not put them to use?

I do really like them all individually, when I'm practicing alone, but the second I bring them into a band context I find myself lost with them.

The phaser, I find, always gets lost in the mix. The SYB-5 has terrible tracking. The ODB-3, all I've ever used it for is massive death-chords for when the guitar solos (we're a three piece).

Then I combine them.. Urgh. Phaser after the distortion always sounds too ... robotic? electronic? synthetic? gross, anway. Before the distortion, I find it gets lost in the mix. Distortion after SYB is sweet for massive single notes with the octave down synth, but the tracking makes it more or less useless. I had a Qtron+ but gave up on it because of it's annoying volume peaks. Afterwards I treated it like a red-headed stepchild and now it has a broken switch and simply does not work.

I have bad experiences with pedals, it seems.

[MatticusMania]

Keep the level on your PH-3 low, there are some good usable sounds on it. Im trying to remember some of the good settings, but right now im drawing a blank, and dont have access to my pedals. I keep mine after my distortion, but well actually its a light overdrive, and it sounds great.

[jbybj]

Originally Posted by T.O.Bass

I have been doing this for years... Every time I think I have a good sound with one, I try to combine it with another, and it's back to square one, I just get frustrated and it all sounds terrible. I think I am doomed to hate anything beyond a distortion when it comes through my own rig

Why force it? Sell the pedals you don't use, play music, and don't worry that you only have one useful device. Consider yourself lucky..........
JBY