Was da kine pedal brah?

[Mick]

I think it's time to start experimenting with effects for my Fender Twin amp. I'm new to pedals so I would appreciate some advice on what is good/better/best.

I'm not interested in any modulation effects just yet. I want to start with good overdrive and distortion pedals, a good tuner, and possibly a wah. No doubt I'll want more later so the board should support a decent number of pedals.

I'd also appreciate advice on how to set this up with my amp and power it all. For instance, which pedals (if any) should be in the amp's effect loop. should I run a single power strip for the whole board (common ground) or separate power strips for the effects loop and input pedals (separate grounds)? Or would a power supply be the way to go?

This is what I've come up with so far. What do you think? If you have opinions on any item(s), please share. If you think there's a better choice for an item, let's hear it. Is there something missing? What is it?

(Note: prices are all from Guitar Center)

Road Runner Effects Pedalboard (Silver Large) $99.99 (not for gigging - just want something to keep it all neat)

Ibanez TS808 Vintage Tube Screamer Reissue $179.99 (considering a duhvoodooman ZYS or building a BYOC Overdrive2)

Boss ML-2 Metal Core Distortion Pedal $99.00

MXR M-135 Smart Gate Pedal $119.99

Dunlop DB-01 Dimebag Crybaby From Hell $149.99

Boss TU-2 Chromatic Stompbox Tuner $99.99

Monster Cable Monster Rock Instrument Cable
Angled-Angled (8 Inches) 4 @ $24.95 ea. $99.80

------------------------------------------------------

Subtotal: $848.75

So you say da kine pedal, eh brah?

 

[markb]

1. None of those pedals should be used in a loop. Gain pedals and wahs go before the amp. Audition the Metal Core first, they can sound very harsh.

2. I'd wait to try things out before buying a noise gate. Unless you're stacking lots of drives and experiencing excessive noise problems you probably don't need it. A loop box from www.loop-master.com might be a better use of that money. Their pedal board patch bay can save expensive wear and tear on your stompbox jacks too.

3. Monster Cable products are overpriced for their performance. You could buy cheaper interconnects as capacitance is not such an issue in a short cable. Oxygen free copper is meaningless in guitar terms due to the high input impedances in guitar amps. Beware the sales talk but don't buy junk. It's a fine line ... as Nigel Tufnell famously remarked.

4. As far as power supplies go, you get what you pay for. If you want the best buy a Voodoo Labs or T Rex unit. Having said that, something like a Visual Sound OneSpot could work very well with a small board like that.

 

[Kazz]

Monster cables no matter what application are way over priced. If you are seriously considering 179.99 for a TS808...then by all means take the money you would have spent on the Monster cables and put it with that money and get Duh Voodoo Man's ZYS....

 

[hubberjub]

I'll second Mark's comment. I run a board with 10-12 pedals and have no real issues with noise.

 

[Spudman]

Ibanez TS808 Vintage Tube Screamer Reissue $179.99 (considering a duhvoodooman ZYS or building a BYOC Overdrive2)

Boss ML-2 Metal Core Distortion Pedal $99.00

MXR M-135 Smart Gate Pedal $119.99

Dunlop DB-01 Dimebag Crybaby From Hell $149.99

Boss TU-2 Chromatic Stompbox Tuner $99.99

Monster Cable Monster Rock Instrument Cable
Angled-Angled (8 Inches) 4 @ $24.95 ea. $99.80

------------------------------------------------------

Subtotal: $848.75

So you say da kine pedal, eh brah?

For $499 you can have all that and more with the Line 6 M13. Then $65 for a Crybaby wah and you'll have plenty to keep you happy for many years to come. I personally wouldn't blow that much on cables though. There are plenty of other good alternatives that cost less.

 

[Mick]

1. None of those pedals should be used in a loop. Gain pedals and wahs go before the amp. Audition the Metal Core first, they can sound very harsh.

So what goes in the effects loop? Just modulation effects?
Also, can you suggest a better metal pedal than the Boss ML-2?

2. I'd wait to try things out before buying a noise gate. Unless you're stacking lots of drives and experiencing excessive noise problems you probably don't need it. A loop box from www.loop-master.com might be a better use of that money. Their pedal board patch bay can save expensive wear and tear on your stompbox jacks too.

Check.

3. Monster Cable products are overpriced for their performance. You could buy cheaper interconnects as capacitance is not such an issue in a short cable. Oxygen free copper is meaningless in guitar terms due to the high input impedances in guitar amps. Beware the sales talk but don't buy junk. It's a fine line ... as Nigel Tufnell famously remarked.

Yes, Monster Cables are overpriced, but I've never had any problem with the performance of any Monster product. That's more than I can say for some other electronics manufacturers. Plus, if I ever do have a problem, they have a lifetime warranty.

4. As far as power supplies go, you get what you pay for. If you want the best buy a Voodoo Labs or T Rex unit. Having said that, something like a Visual Sound OneSpot could work very well with a small board like that.

The OneSpot looks interesting. I didn't know you could daisy chain multiple pedals on a single power adapter like that. Thanks!

 

[Mick]

Monster cables no matter what application are way over priced. If you are seriously considering 179.99 for a TS808...then by all means take the money you would have spent on the Monster cables and put it with that money and get Duh Voodoo Man's ZYS....

I'm leaning towards building a BYOC Overdrive2 kit. It looks like fun and I already have the right soldering iron.

 

[Mick]

I'll second Mark's comment. I run a board with 10-12 pedals and have no real issues with noise.

Thanks!

Do you have any opinions on the other pedals I listed, or maybe the Road Runner board?

 

[Mick]

For $499 you can have all that and more with the Line 6 M13. Then $65 for a Crybaby wah and you'll have plenty to keep you happy for many years to come. I personally wouldn't blow that much on cables though. There are plenty of other good alternatives that cost less.

The M13 is all digital, isn't it?

 

[markb]

Gain pedals go before the amp to drive the input.
If you have a loop you can put your time based effects (modulations, delays) in there.

If you're using the pedals as your sole source of dirt, you can just chain the mods or delays after the gain pedals. This is a lot neater and easier to use than running a cable to your board, one to the amp, one back to the board off the loop and another back to the amp again (see, that's even messy to type let alone set up ). One cable in and one out is much easier to deal with live. It also guards against hum and phase problems which more complex setups can be prone to and is easier to debug (especially in a gig situation) if things aren't going right.

If however you use the amp's distortion channel, mods and delays will sound better in the loop.

I don't really have a recommended metal pedal. A RAT or a Guv'nor has always been enough drive for me. Remember that your high gain pedal can be used in conjunction with your overdrive. Zakk Wylde famously used a Boss SD-1 into his Marshall's high gain channel for solo boosts.

OneSpots are great for small rigs and they do a good range of adapter cables for odd jacks and reverse polarity. You can get a package with the daisychain and an assortment at a good price. Good support too, Bob Weil has always been very quick on answering questions IME. I've also heard stories of him shippng out replacement pots and switches for pedals free of charge when the pedal wasn't even under warranty.

 

[ragnarpk]

there's nothing wrong with the ML2 for metal, he was just telling you to test it out first. you should. it sounds hawt.

 

[Mick]

there's nothing wrong with the ML2 for metal, he was just telling you to test it out first. you should. it sounds hawt.

I think I'll just buy one. Thanks for the input!