I think I may have made a discovery...

Ninja_RebornNinja_Reborn Posts: 124Member
I've been using effects on an off for years and I finally got round to building a proper board.

And that proper board stays in it's case, while I plug into a cranked Tiny Terror.

I think I have come to the conclusion that after many years of obsessing and lusting after stomp boxes, I buy them, but never use them. Virtually every time I play now I use my Tiny Terror with the guitar straight in. My TH30 is seldom use as I have it set up for pedals in the loop, but can't be bothered to use them.

So having had this revelation I think I'm going to de-pedal my life, strip back to the simple pleasures of guitar, tuner, amp.

I have to say it's an incredibly liberating moment!

Comments

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    Hmm - simple can be good I agree - a lot of my gigs I do with just guitar into a clean amp, plus headstock tuner. But a few of them are now with pedal board, and I do get something out of that as well. You can have both, basically...
  • Ninja_RebornNinja_Reborn Posts: 124Member
    I think I just get to distracted by those little boxes of wonderment, I end up using practice time playing with them too much.

    Although I still think the right combination of chorus, flanger and analogue delay can sound amazing!
  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    I just love a band that works together - whatever the heck the guitarist is doing.

    Like someone here said once "Spending lots of money and hours of time on a minor tweak that no-one else notices"

    Don't you all get it ?

    It's not the effect that counts but that you care that it counts. It's your care that is the greatest effect there is.
  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    I just love a band that works together - whatever the heck the guitarist is doing.

    Like someone here said once "Spending lots of money and hours of time on a minor tweak that no-one else notices"

    Don't you all get it ?

    It's not the effect that counts but that you care that it counts. It's your care that is the greatest effect there is.

    I lack your wisdom, so will continue to use my effects sometimes ;) what can you do eh? But I do take care I promise, and will continue to do that as well... :)
  • Bob IsaacBob Isaac Posts: 81Member
    I have the ultimate in effects - my imagination. Pure magic!!!

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  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    Sorry. I wrote that last comment after a couple of beers.
  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    No worries KP, an element of truth to what you said, even if I didn't entirely agree. More just the way you said it :D
  • Screaming DaveScreaming Dave Posts: 799Member
    Heretics, all of you! Stomp boxes are things of beauty in themselves!
  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member
    So why do you stomp on them then !
  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    Americans stomp on them, we Brits press the pedal (with a foot).
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    Lester said:

    Americans stomp on them, we Brits press the pedal (with a foot).

    Or depress them, but that might only be on a Radiohead or Smiths cover tune....


    One of my favourite pedals is a volume pedal for Swells and tremolo effects. Love it. While I love going au naturelle I was be at a loss without a delay pedal.
  • ESBlondeESBlonde Posts: 980Member
    I like the old school guitar amp setup and get the clean/dirt from technique, but that can be rather limiting on the styles you can play and you need an suitable amp for different size venues to a degree.

    Because I cover quite a range of 'commercial' music I find the use of basic pedals rather useful into a good clean amp. The fine tuning thing often passes me by these days (in my yoof I spent hours tweaking each new pedal to explore ane understand thier potentiel). I tend to have one good/nice usable sound on each pedal and select them singularly or in combination as applicable. I do believe less is more as far as effects are concerned, it's the ability to go from a police flange sound to a slapback echo rock n' roll sound to a compressed funk chop to an EVH overdrive to a clapton overdrive in rapid succession that makes pedals so useful. Bending over between every song to adjust something is not required, your playing style does enough of that (there are exceptions to every rule).

    My pedal board is now nicely established in a large pupose built wooden case with a lift off top. My only consideration now is to reduce the size/weight of the thing.
  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    I agree with you ES that it's the ability to change instantly between very different sounds that is especially useful - no good if you have to be engaging in a mad tap dance, or reaching down to change settings. The pop/funk/soul covers band I'm now involved with has been working on a lot of '80s stuff recently, and it really does help to be able to nail certain guitar tones if you're trying to recreate the mood/feel of the original tracks. Sometimes I find myself emulating a part that was originally done on another instrument too, and again, the effects can help there.
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