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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Nov 23, 2020 21:44:20 GMT -7
I wonder how many good pedals I've written off over the years because I didn't know how to set the amp, pedal and guitar volume up right. The Anologman fuzz I had last year finally helped me see the beauty in backing down on the guitar volume, setting the amp almost to break up, and then dialing the pedal with a decent about of gain. Life changing.
I finally pulled the trigger on a Klone. I went with the J. Rockett, straight up Archer. I had a Lovepedal Kalamazoo that I didn't like at all and didn't realize it was a klone. Honestly I've tried most of Sean's overdrives and never kept one. I wonder if it was that I wasn't using them right. If I like the Archer considering keeping an eye out for a Kalamazoo to A/B. Oh the list of things that I thought were hype and would like to have on the board for a test run again.
Any pedal that you didn't get, but suspected later that you moved it on due to user error?
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Post by adam on Nov 24, 2020 5:36:54 GMT -7
For me, it alway seems to boil down to the combination of guitar-pedal-amp-speaker. Like the archer, it doesn't really work for me, but if I set it a certain way into a certain amp running a sound I normally don't like, with a certain guitar and cab, it's glorious. So if I don't like a pedal when I buy it, I usually find down the line it works perfectly in some combination of things you might not expect.
One thing that never seems to work for me is higher gain distortion pedals. They just never sound or feel or work like an amp to me, except for maybe the revival drive, but that is still really persnickety, and it's over $500. Fuzz's are kind of the same kind of thing, they never work for me unless you kind of dial in the composite tone of the amp and the fuzz, but then the amp sound without the fuzz doesn't work. That's probably why a guy like Eric Johnson uses 3 amps (4 really if you consider one sound is the 2 Twins) and the effect chain is specific to that combination. I think even recently the twins chassis were put in head boxes and run into a stereo 4x12, which of course has different speakers than his other 4x12's used with the Marshalls.
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Post by zpilot on Nov 24, 2020 5:47:37 GMT -7
Most OD pedals have certain amps they work well with and some they don't. I finally figured out that it is because of the amount compression that was designed into the pedal. Typically a pedal with a lot of compression won't play well with an amp with a tube rectifier that is turned up to the point where it is compressing or what is referred to as sag. Whereas an amp that does not sag much might need that pedal's compression. Amps like a Twin Reverb or a Marshall Super Lead. That is one of the reasons I am liking my ODR-C so much. You can dial in the amount of compression you need. I used to have an Xotic AC Comp that had a 3-position switch to tweak the compression. I really did not figure out how useful that was until I after I sold it. And yes, the guitar makes a big difference too. I have had pedals that worked well with humbuckers that did not like single coils at all. The JHS AT comes to mind.
It even comes down to which pickup I use. I use a different pedal depending on whether I am on the bridge or neck pickup. I have my amp dialed in to sound best with the bridge pickups on my Tele's and Strat. When I switch to the neck pickup I usually kick in an EQ pedal when playing clean or a dirt pedal dedicated to just that pickup.
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Post by ME on Nov 24, 2020 7:00:20 GMT -7
Yes, horses for courses. Guitar and amp plus what tone you’re going for make all the difference. Pedals tried in store don’t alway sound as good at home. Tones you love at home can suck live. There are tones I love, but will never use except for home fun. They call me “100 Pedal Mike” and yes, I have a problem. ME
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Post by detuned on Nov 24, 2020 9:47:35 GMT -7
Oh my, that's literally dozens of ODs for me. Periodically, I look back at all the Direct Drives, Full Drives, Zen Drives, KoTs... the list goes on, but you get the point. - many drives pedals I didn't understand, and think of all the money I could've saved by thinking more clearly.
Recently, I got a Collings I-35 because it was different from my usual assortment of strats and other single coils, and I was frustrated when I plugged it in and turned on my dirt pedals. But, for once in my lie, I started messing with the volume and tone controls, and I *think* I'm getting it. Only took 57 years!
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Nov 24, 2020 9:52:29 GMT -7
Most OD pedals have certain amps they work well with and some they don't. I finally figured out that it is because of the amount compression that was designed into the pedal. Typically a pedal with a lot of compression won't play well with an amp with a tube rectifier that is turned up to the point where it is compressing or what is referred to as sag. Whereas an amp that does not sag much might need that pedal's compression. Amps like a Twin Reverb or a Marshall Super Lead. That is one of the reasons I am liking my ODR-C so much. You can dial in the amount of compression you need. I used to have an Xotic AC Comp that had a 3-position switch to tweak the compression. I really did not figure out how useful that was until I after I sold it. And yes, the guitar makes a big difference too. I have had pedals that worked well with humbuckers that did not like single coils at all. The JHS AT comes to mind. It even comes down to which pickup I use. I use a different pedal depending on whether I am on the bridge or neck pickup. I have my amp dialed in to sound best with the bridge pickups on my Tele's and Strat. When I switch to the neck pickup I usually kick in an EQ pedal when playing clean or a dirt pedal dedicated to just that pickup. 100% on the pickups. That's pretty much why I sold every humbucker guitar I've had, including some nice ones. I'm really just a single coil guy. I would rather beef things up with a pedal than switch guitars anyway. I'm sure that has been some of my issue with the majority of Lovepedal pedals I didn't bond with, and probably even the Keeley drives that I've never liked.
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Post by LT on Nov 24, 2020 11:29:05 GMT -7
I sold 2 KOT's before I finally "got" how to set it for my needs. But you're right, I've bought/sold then re-bought some to adnauseum.
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Post by John E. on Dec 16, 2020 15:35:00 GMT -7
I know for a fact that I've written off/sold tons of really good pedals just cause either 1: I didn't know how to properly use it. 2: I didn't know how it actually was supposed to sound (like watching a demo of it and not understanding what it was actually doing). 3: I didn't know how to set my amp/wrong type of amp.
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Dec 16, 2020 17:07:46 GMT -7
I didn't like a lot of pedals (or speakers) until I clipped that damn "bright cap" out of the Vibrato channel of my Deluxe Reverb. After that, pedals finally sounded like they were working with my guitar and the front-end of my amp, instead of just some tinny, buzzy things whose harsh tone I couldn't dial out.
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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 16, 2020 18:43:11 GMT -7
I think this is the reason that I'm not a pedal guy. I was always reluctant to adjust my amp. Add in the fact that I never really learned how to set pedals, and this is what you get. Maybe I should learn "Simple Man" one of these days.
I do have to add, I really like it when I hear folks using pedals and getting 'that sound'. It's pretty cool.
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Post by loucardguitar (Johnathan) on Dec 17, 2020 18:40:39 GMT -7
In all honesty I really haven't met many drive pedals that I don't like, to some extent. I can usually get at least one good sound out of most any drive pedal. That being said, there are pedals that I like better than others. That's what determines what goes on my board(s). I don't like getting rid of pedals though, because there will be one day where I would be "I wish I could get THAT tone." Ha! I do agree though that certain pedals like amps set in different ways though.
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Post by djcakadave on Dec 18, 2020 7:17:13 GMT -7
I got rid of almost everything on my pedalboard........it's tuner wa and volume! I can get everything I need "Thanks Doc" with my guitars and Doc's amps
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