help me with my pedal board (please)

[Matthew Bryson]

I'm about to put together my first ever pedal board. I'm not sure what the "right" order is for the my signal chain and the effects I'm using. I've tried a search, and I did learn that experiment is the rule, but I'd like to have a general idea of what order these pedals should be in. I'm using:


Boss TU-2 Tuner
Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster
Behringer PB100 Preamp Booster
Boss ODB 3 Over Drive
Boss CEB-3 Chorus
Behringer DD100 Digital Delay

I currently have them in the order I've listed, but I want to see if anything looks out of place before I mount them to the board and wire it all up. What order should they go in?

What effects would you guys add to those listed above? I'm thinking I'd like to add an envelope filter or phaser, and maybe a compression pedal on down the road. Am I missing any "must have" bass effects?

Thanks for your tips and comments.

[dancehallclasher]

I'm no true bypass purist, but with all that Boss and Behringer on my board I'd DEFINITELY put it all in a TB loop.

[Matthew Bryson]

Originally Posted by dancehallclasher

I'm no true bypass purist, but with all that Boss and Behringer on my board I'd DEFINITELY put it all in a TB loop.

Okay, I'll bite - What in the world does that mean

I've been searching like crazy, but I'm so damn confused.

I'm not that into effects and this is my first ever pedal board.

I have been using these pedals for quite a while, they are just all layed out on the floor and I'm going to mount them to a board because we plan to start playing out.

I don't have any problems, that I know of, as it is.

What is this true bypass loop that you recomend? Where does it come from, what does it cost? What does it do for me?

[OhThePeacock]

Another signal chain thread?

Heres the looper anyways, http://www.loop-master.com/index.php...f2708f2d648ffc

The only other thing I would say is maybe put the chorus before the overdrive, if you dont like it then change it back.

[satchmo]

Effect pedals or units that do not have True Bypass (TB) tend to colour your tone. Behringer and Boss are notorious for colouring the tone, and not always in a pleasing way. A TB loop allows you to use the Behringer and Boss effects by plugging them into a "looper" which controls their status in the signal chain.

It essentially creates true bypass for effects that don't have one.

Here's an example (I don't support this brand, heck, never even tried it)

http://www.loop-master.com/product_i...82945431a6375c

[assboglin]

What he means is that the bypasses on your pedals may suck your tone. Compare the clean tone running through your pedals with the tone you get running straight into your amp and see if there's much of a difference.

You're order is pretty good. I prefer boosters and overdrives before modulations and those before the delays. The only thing I would change is to put your boosters after the ODB-3, so when you kick on the boost you're not hitting the ODB-3 harder but rather boosting the tone from the ODB-3, if you even use them together. Also, you might want to put the tuner at the end of the chain so it can better work as a kill switch, cutting off all noise from your guitar AND pedals, not that I'm assuming your pedals are noisy.

What do you use the two boosters for? I assume that you have two different uses and settings for the same circuit, but to me you can understand that it looks a bit redundant.

And I wouldn't say that there are any "must have" bass effects. It's really all about what you want to use.

[Matthew Bryson]

Originally Posted by assboglin

What he means is that the bypasses on your pedals may suck your tone.

That's okay, my tone already sucks without any pedals...

Originally Posted by assboglin

Compare the clean tone running through your pedals with the tone you get running straight into your amp and see if there's much of a difference.

Yeah, there's really not. Not that I've noticed. I'll double check that as I put together the pedal board, but I haven't heard anything. To me, it sounds like my bass and my amp.

Originally Posted by assboglin

What do you use the two boosters for? I assume that you have two different uses and settings for the same circuit, but to me you can understand that it looks a bit redundant.

My band plays a down tuned set and I use a different bass for that set. The signal is not as hot and I use a boost pedal to bring the signal up to the same level as my other bass, so that I don't have to mess with my amp when we do the guitar switch. That boost pedal is only used for that purpose. The second boost pedal is used as a lead boost for solos. Is there a better way to deal with two guitars with different levels?

BTW - I never use two pedals at the same time, I only use them as needed and I've never needed to combine two. The effects are all at the request of the band leader. (actually, he bought them all) We cover a song or two that had chorus or overdrive on the original recordings, I explained the two boost pedals, and the delay is something the band leader wants me to experiment with for some original song ideas we're working through, I've actually never used the delay but threw it in the chain hoping that having it handy will get me to play around with it a bit more.

I really don't use a lot of effects, and this is all being done for the good of the band not because I'm big time into bass effects, so the goal is to keep it as simple and as cheap as possible. I have been using these pedals for quite some time, and I haven't had any complaints, so I think I'll skip the true bypass until I can figure out why I would need it.

[assboglin]

A boost should do the trick for you. I would put the boost that equalizes the outputs of your guitars first in your chain, and your solo boost after the ODB-3, so to make your chain look like this:

Boost -> ODB-3 -> Boost (for solos) -> CEB-3 -> Delay -> Tuner.

That way the solo boost won't hit your ODB-3 too hard if you want to do a distorted solo and the tuner better acts as a kill switch.

[Matthew Bryson]

Originally Posted by assboglin

A boost should do the trick for you. I would put the boost that equalizes the outputs of your guitars first in your chain, and your solo boost after the ODB-3, so to make your chain look like this:

Boost -> ODB-3 -> Boost (for solos) -> CEB-3 -> Delay -> Tuner.

That way the solo boost won't hit your ODB-3 too hard if you want to do a distorted solo and the tuner better acts as a kill switch.

Thank you! That's the stuff I'm looking for, I'll give that a try. I think I said earlier that I use them all one at a time, but now that you mention it, I DO use a solo boost while the OD is on during one tune so your advice is spot on.

[dancehallclasher]

Originally Posted by Matthew Bryson

Yeah, there's really not. Not that I've noticed. I'll double check that as I put together the pedal board, but I haven't heard anything. To me, it sounds like my bass and my amp.

In that case, never mind, because I guarantee your audience won't notice!