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Three Pedals...

King Harvest

King Harvest

May 13, 2022
230
512
#1
I like all of these pedals, and they each do different things, but somehow I feel like I shouldn't need them all. My urge to simplify is eating at me.
  • Broughton Fliptop
  • Origin DCX Bass
  • Tech 21 Q-Strip
I'm just a hobbyist who plays at home. I don't use an amp; I just run direct to monitors or headphones.

I don't use a lot of effects or pedals, but I do have a few just to tone shape a little bit. (I know I could use plugins, but I just prefer physical devices.)

Just curious, what do you guys think of these pedals? Is it unwise to try to eliminate one?
 
#4
King Harvest said:
  • Broughton Fliptop
  • Origin DCX Bass
  • Tech 21 Q-Strip
I'm just a hobbyist who plays at home. I don't use an amp; I just run direct to monitors or headphones.

I don't use a lot of effects or pedals, but I do have a few just to tone shape a little bit. (I know I could use plugins, but I just prefer physical devices.)

Just curious, what do you guys think of these pedals? Is it unwise to try to eliminate one?
Click to expand...

A well catered selection. The Fliptop has many fans. I tried it and did not like it at all, but that's my personal preference.
The DCX is a great pedal to add some subtle dirt, or just some bling to your signal to make it sound more ... more. It is extremely dynamic and overall a great device for its versatility. It can get you a sparkly top end the Fliptop can not.
The Q\Strip is your Swiss Army Knife when it comes to marrying the tone you create with the other two pedals to your listening device. You get a powerful, mixing console like EQ that is very transparent, filtering options and balanced output.

I can't see any redundancy here and would keep it as is.

Actually, I'd go with @Killing Floor and add a compressor, some modulation and a simple synth chain (second compressor, octave, fuzz, chorus and envelope filter). And a larger pedal board and a larger power supply. And a tuner.
 
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#5
If you enjoy all, keep all. If you don't enjoy all, prune accordingly, to taste. The prime directive of a hobby is your personal enjoyment. That said, turn them all off periodically to decide if they're beneficial to your ears.
 
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#7
Since you aren't using an amp, pedals seem like a great option for your setup. I play ampless at church and I recently downsized to 4 pedals on my board...wireless - compressor - overdrive - preamp. These are my core pedals, and I have never been happier with my tone. Since I don't have an amp, I need to shape my tone with my pedal board. Downsizing is fine, BUT I wouldn't want to lose that core tone. I was pretty specific about what I took off...I only used chorus on one song this year. I haven't used the octave since I got the Moog synth. My wireless has a tuner built in, so I don't need 2. The second drive stage, I might miss. But it was so subtle and pedalboards only come in so many sizes. I wouldn't let the urge to simplify win over a tone that I'm happy with.
 
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#9
butterfingers1 said:
The first two I would like to have. However I have the SolidGoldFX BetaV which I think covers both very well: the Ampeg B15 tone but can also be very bright and modern/agressive.

You have the drive/overdrive. A compressor is what you’re missing.
Click to expand...
I did recently purchase a compressor. I feel like I am building a chain that resembles the JHS Punchline— compressor, drive, amp sim, EQ. I was tempted to buy that pedal, but I thought there's no way I will like each of the "sections" as much as I would like individually-sourced pedals (even though the individual pedals will likely end up being more expensive and more convoluted with cabling and power supply).

Since I am sort of a set-it-and-forget-it guy and not a knob twiddler, it seems wild that I would need 14-18 knobs just to practice, but here we are, haha.
 
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#10
I typically like simple designs. My preamp is just treble and bass, and it sounds amazing. However, my compressor has 6 knobs. It took me a while to find the right setting, but now that I have it, it's basically set and forget. It might be overwhelming at first, but once everything is dialed in, I don't do a whole lot of knob twisting. Just minor tweaks here and there.
 
#11
King Harvest said:
I like all of these pedals, and they each do different things, but somehow I feel like I shouldn't need them all. My urge to simplify is eating at me.
  • Broughton Fliptop
  • Origin DCX Bass
  • Tech 21 Q-Strip
I'm just a hobbyist who plays at home. I don't use an amp; I just run direct to monitors or headphones.

I don't use a lot of effects or pedals, but I do have a few just to tone shape a little bit. (I know I could use plugins, but I just prefer physical devices.)

Just curious, what do you guys think of these pedals? Is it unwise to try to eliminate one?
Click to expand...
Of the three, in your scenario, I'd consider the Fliptop.
 
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#12
The Fliptop has a Baxandall/James tonestack. That’s a different type of circuit that can do some things with the EQ curve that the other two can’t. So there’s no redundancy if you decide to keep that pedal.

The Q-Strip is an extremely capable and good sounding preamp that has just about every feature you could possibly need for live use or recording. Although I own a half dozen or so other preamps, I’d definitely keep my Q-Strip since it handles so many things all by itself.

I don’t have any experience with the Origin DCX so I’ll leave any opinions or suggestions about that pedal to more qualified TB members.
 
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