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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2014 6:11:46 GMT -7
I'll be as brief as possible.
I've owned at least 100 pedals (mostly "boutique" or high end), and have found myself with a collection of pedals that would likely resemble a beginner's rig. Strangely, I am as happy as a clam. I know who I am regarding pedals, and what works best for me. I will never diss high end pedals. Heck, I've owned most of them and think they do great things. For me, I get bogged down when I can tweak for days....it doesn't make me better. I wish that I was one of those people that are truly creative with pedals and it brings out things in them that wouldn't otherwise happen with "simple" pedals.
Anyhow, I bet I'm not the only one here that keeps it simple AND/OR loves Boss pedals!
I've always thought their delay and reverb pedals sounded good. I have owned the DD-20, RV-5, and TU-2 for years. My watershed moment was trying a "cheap" Boss Overdrive (OD-3). I bought it like new for $25-30 off of Craigslist, and was shocked at how much I liked it. Boss's overdrives have such a bad reputation. After trying that one, I found a Super Overdrive (SD-1) to try. I tried both the MIJ and MIT versions, and noticed some difference but not enough to distinguish in a band context for sure. After those two, I just went full bore and decided to read up on everything and have tracked down several more pedals.
Here are the pedals I've ended up with: Boss TU-2: Older tuner. Still works fine. Boss DD-20: Fantastic delay. The best thing I've done is add a large knob to the 'level' that I control with my foot to fade in and out. Boss FZ-3: All analog fuzz pedal from 90's. Sounds great! Boss CE-2: Analog chorus. Still a classic for good reason. Boss OD-3: Very good sounding medium gain overdrive. A TON of volume and gain on tap. Boss SD-1: Fun for the TS style sounds with a bit more edge. Great booster for hot amps! Boss DS-1: I will admit that I like the older one's better (MIJ or early MIT). Fun pedal when used modestly! Boss BD-2: Great low gain OD / boost pedal. I know some people mod theirs, but I'm fine with mine stock. Boss DD-7: Great digital delay sounds with analog and modulate modes as well. Boss TR-2: Excellent and simple tremolo. Boss RV-5: Solid reverb pedal. Does a few sounds very well (modulate / hall), weaker on a few others (spring). Boss BF-2: Older analog flanger. Makes crazy sounds. Found mine for cheap.
I also have a Behringer UV300 pedal. It is a clone of the Boss VB-2 (vibrato). Sounds amazing and only cost $25 new from B&H photo / video.
I suppose the common denominators are that Boss pedals are easy to use, reliable and can be found very cheaply if you look long and hard. the only two pedals that I've purchased new were the TU-2 (above 10 years ago) and the DD-20 (about 4 years ago).
Also, I never use all of these pedals at once. Typically, I use one or two overdrives (OD-3 / SD-1), a modulation (trem, chorus, flanger, etc.), delay (DD-20) and sometimes reverb (RV-5). I guess that puts me between 4-6 pedals at most. Easy to manage during a gig.
Does anyone else out there keep it simple and appreciate the "lesser" pedals? It's just one approach to music, but it seems to work best for me. Wish I had a better grasp of pedals, but I am nearly always playing "straight in" at home and limit myself to a few required sounds for gigs. Another thing that has happened is that I've learned to get more out of my guitar/amps!! I use all of the amp I can (cranked as much as possible), and use the guitar to take me where I need to go. Overdrive pedals all sound great when the amp is hot. Seems like they have less impact when the amp is being driven hard. Seems like this approach to the guitar/amp has helped me to not rely on pedals as much as well.
Here I am (about a year later since I've gone nearly all Boss), and have zero G.A.S. for pedals. Before this I was usually in search of something just about once a month. Feels good to be "home."
Pardon the lengthy read. Rock on!
jordan
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Post by BritInvasion on Aug 22, 2014 6:38:00 GMT -7
I use a Boss TU-3 tuner , which is great IMHO. I also have a Boss Multi-Overtone pedal for wilder stuff. I like their stuff , extremely reliable and they have a ton to choose from. Back in the day there weren't really many pedals to choose from (mid-60's/ very early 70's). I had stuff like an EchoPlex , then a WEM/Guild Copycat echo, always a Vox Wah and some type of fuzz ( Fuzz Face , Mosrite Fuzz-Rite). Then for a long time the only effect I used was some reverb. After I joined this forum I got on the stomp box merry-go-round for a good while ( thanks , Mark N). I've pared down to the TU-3 , Xotic AC and RC , Basic Audio Gnarly Fuzz , Carbon Copy Delay and the above mentioned Multi-Overtone. Pretty happy with things right now. Although I'm interested in that crazy organ pedal that Electro-Harmonix just came out with.
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Post by zpilot on Aug 22, 2014 9:58:20 GMT -7
I'm glad someone started this thread. I used a lot of Boss stuff back in the '80's and 90's and it served me well. I've moved up to mostly 'boutique' pedals but I could go back to Boss pedals, no problem. I never had one fail and I banged them around at hundreds of gigs with no pedal board. Take a look at touring pro and top studio guitarists' pedal boards and you might be surprised to see how much Boss stuff is on there.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2014 10:18:47 GMT -7
I've had a few, TU-2 tuner, Blues Driver, Metal Zone(cool eq) Dm 3 delay and a few more.
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Post by Paul (TRANE) on Aug 22, 2014 10:57:45 GMT -7
I own many pedals. I use my Vox wah and a sonic research tuner. I also have a Beano Boost that I have used once or twice. I love it when signal chains are simple.
Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards
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Post by Brimstone on Aug 22, 2014 15:21:06 GMT -7
The Blues Driver is very reliable. I have an old chorus that I sometimes dig out and set the knobs in opposition to get a Leslie speaker effect.
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Post by jbrad on Aug 23, 2014 9:04:20 GMT -7
My go to/must have in order of use:
Marshall ED-1 compressor Boss SD-1 Boss TU-2
With these 3 pedals I can get what I have to have with about any amp to sound like "me". This is my grab and go rig. I like to have the following but can survive without them.
Gtrwrks 19sixty3 boost Wampler Pinnacle Boss BD-2 with Keeley mod Carbon Copy delay
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Post by LT on Aug 24, 2014 9:27:26 GMT -7
I've had, and currently have, several Boss pedals….some modded, some not.
I kinda liken 'em to Shure SM58s……yeah there may be 'better' mic choices out there, but virtually every major act out there depends on 'em and for good reason. They just work.
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Post by Christopher on Aug 24, 2014 12:23:07 GMT -7
I'm not a fan of Boss pedals but am a firm believer in less is more when it comes to guitar gear and signal chains. Currently for the working band I'm in I carry a Timmy, SL drive, Ep boost and Polytune mini on a PT nano. That covers the bases for me. I honestly don't feel that many patrons of the bars/clubs we play give a rat's @$$ whether I have delay or 'verb on nevermind that I play a "boutique" amp. They're there to throwdown and let go of the week's challenges and have a good time while doing it. For my own music in my trio I use the EP and SL for hairier tones when I can't open up my amp to get similar results or for the jazz and blues thing I just go guitar cable amp.
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Aug 24, 2014 18:25:07 GMT -7
Cool thread, fevzay. Like many others, I favor the "simpler is better" approach; at times I've even ditched some pedals that had lots of switches & options for one (or even two) simpler ones. As for Boss, I currently have:
TU-2 Chromatic Tuner Keeley BD-2 Blues Driver PHAT Mod OD-3 Over Drive Analog Man DS-1/Pro Distortion (*in transit, just ordered on Thursday) RC-3 Loop Station FS-5L and FS-6 footswitches
...and have owned many, many others in the past. Yes, some of the Bosses are 'better' after being modded, but they deserve some credit for being pretty good to begin with. And you know what, none of the Bosses are true-bypass but their buffers are pretty darn good.
From the above, I currently have the TU-2, Keeley BD-2, and OD-3 in a little BCB-30 wall-powered pedalboard for quick & easy stuff. But the Analog Man DS-1 (I've had a Keeley DS-1 in the past) is gonna replace the OD-3 on that board for a little greater versatility; the OD-3 will then get a fresh 9V and become my stand-alone all-around overdrive for "whatever." The OD-3, un-modded, is that good, folks.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2014 5:04:35 GMT -7
Thanks for all of the replies so far guys! One thing that jumped out at me over the past few years is just how many pros use Boss / non-boutique pedals. I'm not saying that Boss is the only way to go. It just surprised me because I used to freak out about the true bypass stuff. After seeing David Grissom's gear interview (older video with Lance Keltner), I was astounded that someone with crazy good tone just doesn't even bother thinking about that kind of thing. To summarize, "all that I care about is the sound coming from through the speaker." Since then, I've seen even more testimony's like that. Real musicians aren't often gear geeks. I aspire to be a player first. I've got a long way to go. It dawned on me that I'd rather be known for someone that can make "cheaper" stuff sound great, than someone who has great stuff but sounds mediocre (this was me for several years!). Of course, Z's are not included in the "cheaper" stuff category. My philosophy is to buy all of the amp I can get (Dr. Z). Second most expensive would be the guitar (likely an American Fender), then pedals (off the shelf). I digress. One thing many of us seem to have in common is a short signal path. Keeping things short and sweet has its advantages. Speaking for myself again (and I bet many of you), it allows you to PLAY guitar rather than be working on a ton of sounds. I digress again. Looks like a handful of you guys like some of the modded overdrive/distortion pedals (SD1, BD2, DS1, etc.). I've only played a modded DS-1 (not sure who it was, but I've wanted to try Analogman's version). I'd also like to try the SD-1 to get the more traditional Tube Screamer sounds with the symmetrical clipping option. I know Boss pedals are a mixed bag...I think everyone knows that having put out more than a HUNDRED pedals over 25-30 years that they've had some winners and some losers. I'm not trying to get everyone to buy Boss stuff. Quite the opposite....keep selling them cheap (to me!!)! I do challenge y'all to try some of their stuff if you see it cheap though. You could pick up a used OD-3 for $30-40 (or cheaper) on Craigslist / eBay, and sell it later if you didn't like it. I bet you'd be surprised though! Admittedly, a handful of the "keepers" are older pedals. The old CE-2 chorus is a classic. As is the BF-2 (analog flanger)...crazy sounds abound! The FZ-3 surprised me. Fuzz pedals aren't a huge part of my sound, but I put a fuzz pedal on once a month or so. The older FZ-3 is the simplest (all analog) fuzz Boss has ever made. Sounds excellent. As stated, the older SD-1 (NEC chip) rips. Among the more recent stuff, I'm a big fan of the relatively new TR-2 tremolo. No longer has the volume drop issue. The DD-7 is amazing for simple delay sounds, but can do just about everything (sans presets). Hence the DD-20. The DD-20 speaks for itself. It's far from being fancy, and I've started threads in some forums wondering when in the world they're finally going to replace it with some upgrades. However, it does the job well and is easy to use and dead reliable. RV-5 is another staple, and I'm not an "always on" reverb user. I use it as an effect in some songs. Among the newest offerings, I've loved some and wasn't impressed with the others. The Multi-Overtone (MO-2) is amazing. The Power Stack is a TON of fun. Again, in a gig....no one will able to discern how you're making your Z sound like a stack of Marshall's. Haha. Also, the loopers (RC-2, RC-3) are impressive. Seems as though it's one of the niches.
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Sept 2, 2014 18:51:50 GMT -7
With my Boss OD-3 now standing on its own (no longer on the BCB-30 pedalboard) I decided to A/B it against the venerable OCD v1.4. You know what? They're practically the same pedal, especially with the OCD in HP-mode. If any of y'all have these 2 pedals, you really need to compare them like this.
Yes, there are refined differences.. yes, the OCD's got a more useful range of the knobs.. etc. But you know what? I bet I can set 'em up so that you couldn't tell a difference 80% of the time. That's pretty darned good, especially considering that the OD-3 is half the price of the OCD. (And I haven't researched it fully yet, but I'm willing to bet Boss actually had theirs on the market first.) I'll say it again: the OD-3, un-modded, is that good, folks.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 19:03:08 GMT -7
With my Boss OD-3 now standing on its own (no longer on the BCB-30 pedalboard) I decided to A/B it against the venerable OCD v1.4. You know what? They're practically the same pedal, especially with the OCD in HP-mode. If any of y'all have these 2 pedals, you really need to compare them like this. Yes, there are refined differences.. yes, the OCD's got a more useful range of the knobs.. etc. But you know what? I bet I can set 'em up so that you couldn't tell a difference 80% of the time. That's pretty darned good, especially considering that the OD-3 is half the price of the OCD. (And I haven't researched it fully yet, but I'm willing to bet Boss actually had theirs on the market first.) I'll say it again: the OD-3, un-modded, is that good, folks. +10000 Cool observation, Mark! My OD-3 was $30. I've had all of the "nice" pedals out there, but BOSS just does the job for me. No GAS for pedals these days. I didn't have a problem affording the better pedals. They just weren't much / if any better. I guess everything has a learning curve. I've spent some time tweaking my pedals to work best for me.
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Post by wubberdubber on Sept 2, 2014 20:00:55 GMT -7
..."Anyhow, I bet I'm not the only one here that keeps it simple AND/OR loves Boss pedals!"
No, fevzay, you're not; My current...and has been the same for quite some time...working/gig pedalboard consists of a Boss BCB-60 stuffed with an OCD, Boss TU-2,OD-3,CH-1,TR-2,and a DD-3. I have a few older Boss pedals that still work fine and get thrown into the mix occasionally..an old DM-2 and SD-1,and a newer modded (by me) DS-1, but the other set-up serves me well for country gigs, rock gigs, blues, etc. Most of these were "deals"/used. In 40 years of playing, I don't recall ever having a Boss pedal crap out on me at a gig either.
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Post by Rik on Sept 3, 2014 5:11:51 GMT -7
TU2, a Dd20 that Eddie modded for me and a Digitech reverb, now I do have a KOT with these 3 so maybe throws the curve off a little. But I agree use what works. I have looked at some big boys ( joe Walsh for example)! And amazing how low end they are.
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Post by jesslm02 on Sept 3, 2014 5:28:18 GMT -7
Along with the DD-7, I have two DD-20 Giga Delays on different boards. I chose it over the Timeline because it does what I need it to and doesn't cost sn arm and leg. I have a TR-2 and several others. But in all of my boutique pedal buying I've never disliked BOSS.
I have even kicked around the idea of getting ME-80 just to have a lot of options in one box.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Proboards
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Post by Papa Juan (lanier816) on Sept 8, 2014 18:23:49 GMT -7
I've always had at least one Boss in my rig, they make solid, dependable and affordable pedals that can fit any style, period. They're like the Baskin Robins of pedals, there's like 100 of them and some of their discontinued models are highly sought after.
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Post by dixiechicken on Oct 6, 2014 7:14:54 GMT -7
DC here! In the 1980:es I had the boss grey plastic pedal board for many years with an Boss BF2 flanger on it. We used to play the Joe Jackson version of The Harder They Come" and I used the flanger for the intro chords in that one - you know the descending bassline: / E B/Eb / A/Ciss B / gizmo Cheers: Dixiechicken!
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Shae Vivant
New Member
Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.
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Post by Shae Vivant on Oct 6, 2014 15:55:43 GMT -7
Had a professional sound engineer fly down and help install new digital boards and (blah blah blah) anyway. Showed him my setup after he heard I played a Tele through a Maz38. First thing he said after looking in my rack system is "that boss pedal has to go". A seasoned guitar slinging sound veteran with years !YEARS! of experience over me... and those words came out. The shame. Anyway I've got boutique pedals and boss pedals it's all good! GUITAR AND AMP OR Effects in between I'm happy! Boss must be doing something right they are everywhere!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2014 7:16:16 GMT -7
Perception is a funny thing! That's like someone telling you "great tone! What amp/guitar/pedal is that?" Then you tell them it's something equivalent to being "off the shelf," and they nearly change their mind about it. Idiots! Lol!
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Post by rolinga75 on May 1, 2017 13:38:38 GMT -7
Hi guys. Late reply... I got a few very nice guitars, plenty of very nice (American hand made) pedals, and as amps go, a VOX AC15 (head) and a few Dr. Z amps (Ghia, route 66, Wreck). They usually sound either through a 2x12 Z with Greenbacks, or a 1x12 Z with a C. Gold or Cream AlNiCo.
The news (to me at least) is that since I use only reverb, delay, and chorus once in a while I get along pretty well with something as basic as the multi pedal Boss ME 80. I do do not hear a lot of tone loss, not a significant one at least; and less noise. The only thing I miss when using it is my RC booster, which is a great "improve your own guitar original tone even more" pedal in my opinion. The nice pedals do some magic when playing on my own, but with the band and all... ME80 does what I need 90%.
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