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Who uses a minimalist approach to effects?


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I know there are some who have tons of effects and can have all kinds of sounds, but for you guys out there who only use a very select few effects and use them sparingly (not really to change your sound but just to add to what is already there), what do you use?

I'm beginning to rethink my effects strategy, and now I'm leaning towards just a really good compressor and chorus pedal.

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I use very little effects. The only thing on my board right now is a TIM Overdrive pedal to goose the front end and a wah for the rare occasions that I take a solo. IMHO you don't need a chorus pedal if your amp has a good clean sound. Unfortunately, a lot of guitar players overlook the clean channel and focus on the overdrive side of the amp when they purchase an amp. I don't need a delay to fatten up my sound because my amp is already very fat sounding and rich. I tried using compression, but it really only added noise to the chain and didn't add enough to warrant using it.

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I wouldn't mind an overdrive if it didn't change my tone much...maybe just a clean boost for a little extra edge. I only use very small amounts of chorus on my clean channel just to add a little spaciousness. As far as compression, I've never used it, but it seems like it might be good to try. I've never tried delay, and my amp is already pretty fat sounding, plus the more I think about it, the more I can picture myself just fighting to set the delay time "just right".

Right now I'm looking at something kinda like an Analogman chorus and compressor, maybe a good wah (doubt I would use it much though), and maybe some kind of OD/clean booster.

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the only real FX are the wah and trem, the delay is one all the time as a reverbesqu EJ kinda thing, you can barely hear it and play any rythmic figure you like and it's wont bother you, analog of course :lol: I'm using 2 OD boxes, the maxon for bluesy tones, the Barber for Marshalleque stuff and both for lead or hard rock/metalish sounds, it's just like having a 3 channel amp. The trem is a somtimes addition, use it like a Creedance setting at the moment, w/ BBD I would have set for a chopping helicopter thang, the PN2 is a great pedal. Standard cheapest Dunlop Crybaby stock, used on funky backing part more than solo's these days, the tuner should be on every giggers board, I like the Boss tuner as well. It's funny cause I think of this as minimal and I'm sure it looks like mission control to some guys :D

site1030.jpg

ps using the Onespot AC adapter and LOVE it!

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I wouldn't mind an overdrive if it didn't change my tone much...maybe just a clean boost for a little extra edge.

Exactly...I have tried several pedals that accomplish this. The right OD is sometimes hard to find. This TIM pedal is very cool, and doesn't mess with my tone at all. The absolute clearest pedal for a boost would be the RC Boost. The thing I like about the TIM pedal is that it can be setup for a boost, and then has another boost to give it the over the top sound we sometimes need. This setup, with my Fargen Bordeauxs and the cab that Cajunboy made for me is just amazing sounding. Damn shame I suck...LOL!!

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I'm using 2 OD boxes

the tuner should be on every giggers board

for live stuff w/ a full band, i keep it simple;

1st in line is a guyatone tuner.

then 1 OD for mild dirt (maxon "od9", i think?);

& 1 "attack" pedal for our few tunes w/

metal riffs or crunch chords (line 6 ubermetal).

last i use a comp for a solo boost (as i solo clean sometimes),

i like the guyatone w/ the blend switch in.

PS- for acoustic duo gigs i use a

yamaha magic stomp multi fX

(w/ light OD & delay on my duotones mag pickups),

into our small PA.

i might use some of the "fun" magicstomp patches

(envelope filter, delay, phase) if needed in the studio,

or sometimes other amps/stompboxes...

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I fluctuate back and forth. My pedalboard is as loaded as it's ever been right now: Boss TU-2 -> MSD wah -> Pearl Octaver -> Tech 21 XXL -> Maxon Phaser -> Guyatone Delay -> MXR Microamp. But it wasn't too long ago when I was using just the wah, phaser and microamp.

Most of the time I can easily get by and be super happy with just the wah and the Microamp. In fact, I could probably get by with just the wah since my Kingsley has a boost footswitch.

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I use a Digitech RP3......that's simple!! lol

I know it has a ton of options, but I use a lil of them...

some chorus in my clean sound...Reverb in all of my sounds, Overdrive or a Distortion, a lil equalizer, Delay on my lead sound...and maybe a compressor in 1 or 2 sounds.

Oh and I use a Dunlop wah wah.

Minimal effects I would say:)

Jeroen

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I like the gain I get on my amp. I also like its clean, so that kills OD and chorus pedals. Right now, I'm thinking of getting a Boss Dynamic Wah (envelope filter) just for kicks and cool sounds. All I have at the moment is an Ibanez DE-7 Delay, which is soon to be upgraded to a Line 6 DL-4, an MXR Phase 90, and a Boss Super Phaser, which I might just get rid of.

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The only effect I use now is a Fulltone Fat Boost. I run a two channel set up - mild crunch and drive, with a volume boost for leads. The Fat Boost gives my mild crunch channel a bit more drive for leads, and my drive channel a real kick.

I would like to add a wah pedal if I can find one that doesn't color the sound (I have a 12 year old Vox wah that really affects the tone) and a delay for certain songs.

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I use my Peavey Ultra 60 1x12 either straight or with a Boss MT-2 pedal with the distortion on 0 and Drive all the way up for the Recto sounding stuff. I would rather just have a high gain head and do away with the pedal all together personally. Jack.

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my rig is always minimal, but that depends entirely on the gig.

for my more experimental stuff, i use fuzz - ring mod - trem - swirly stuff - loopers - vol. pedal +tuner - tape echo - amp(s) in roughly that order.

for my current r&b/soul thing, i am down to a small board with buffer - comp - OD - vol + tuner - amp with maybe a bit a swirl/trem/echo added somewhere.

BTW, anyone using long cords betwixt gtr/board or board/amp is advised to check out the Lovepedal mini-boost buffer (if he is still building them). sean has made a killer little problem solver here!

mike

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I've stripped down plenty over the past couple of years. At one point, my effects were housed in a PRS-sized hardshell converted into a pedalboard, and it took two power supplies and a couple of power strips to run everything on it. It was a miracle any signal actually reached my amp It weighed close to 50 pounds and there was so much crap underneath me I always looked like I was trying to put out little fires I was stomping so much.

Now I use a wah (Tech 21 Killer Wail) and an old lime green MIJ Boss Phaser that I can tweak a half-assed flanger out of when need be. I have an old Boss compressor and a Voodoo Labs Proctavia I pull out occasionally but they rarely leave the cable bag now.

My new Randall combo has some wicked and very touch-sensitive tones in it, so I've found I'm rarely hitting the wah or the phaser, usually only because I'm bored or feeling sorry for their loneliness :D

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I occasionally use a Tech 21 Double Drive for gain, and sometimes my Rotovibe to make Steve's and my guitars seperate a bit out front. I DO use my delay in the loop.

The gig determines the noise. Some gigs I use a bunch of stuff, some gigs I ignore the board.

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The only effect I consistantly use is compression, and a very light compression at that. My only stomp box is a Tech 21 CompTortion box, and I only use that if I'm playing through someone else's amp.

My Fender Cyber-Deluxe has lots of effects built in, but in general I just program compression into the preset, and on occasion a very slight amount of reverb or delay.

I keep a wah preset handy in case I get inspired, but don't use it much. On a couple of presets I have a chorus dialed in very low to add some stereo dimension without the swirl.

I'm tempted to get a rotary speaker simulator of some kind, but it's pretty low on my list.

-Jonathan

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I'm starting to get into some wackier stuff now (more guitar synth) but my main staples are pretty simple: reverb, a little delay, the occasional rotary sim.

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I can abuse rotary sim like crazy, I have a H&K rotoshpere that I'll use on every tune for 3 months and then quit using it for 3 months LOL

LOL I hear ya. I had just started to "get over it", then we took on a new bass player, and right off the bat he falls in love with the rotary on the old demos. Fire it back up! :D

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