Effects Bay

I’m a big fan of documentaries, specifically music related documentaries. Many times I’ve gotten sucked in to Ovation or the Doc Channel watching the history of music or musicians. I often think it’s inspiring as a musician to see other musicians work their magic almost effortlessly.  I also think it’s inspiring to see them as human as well, with their own problems and troubles.

A friend of mine sent me this YouTube clip thinking I would like it. And this is a understatement. I cannot wait for this movie to come out. It is called “It Might Get Loud” and it features three musicians (The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White). I thought it was great to take three totally different guitarists and get them into a room together.

I’m especially curious to hear what the Edge has to say about things, since he is the effects master!

Below is the trailer for the movie. Let me know what you think!

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It’s always remember to start with the best tone you can before pedals. Depending on how you use pedals (lead tones or creating textured tones for rhythm guitar) you could be using a wide variety of pedals. What I don’t like to see is people using pedals to ‘fix’ their tone. I understand from a budget point of view, pedals might be your only option. It’s a hard if you have a solid state amp and are searching for that quality Class A tone. You might get close with some emulators and modelers but in the end, the best way to get a Class A tone is to get a Class A amp. Likewise, I seen a guy trying to model a strat tone on his Les Paul. To me that just blows me away. I think picking up a strat might be a good option to get a quality strat tone. Again, budget is a factor, but if you want anything bad enough.. things will come your way automatically.

As for me, I like to start with good guitar, a good amp, and then build the tones with pedals where I’m trying to fill a tone gap. Usually this is specifically with lead tones. It’s hard to get the boost, thickness and gain with standard amp or footswitch, so your options are to beef/boost it up with pedals. Also if you’re looking for the delay/slap back for rhythm/lead you need to work it with a pedal. A friend of mine once mentioned to me (about delays), if you’re not playing well or if your tone is not-so-great, with delays, you get to hear it over and over and over again.  So start with the source, get the chops, get the gear and get the quality tone foundation to start with.

One thing I didn’t consider is the style of band you play in. Currently, I play in original bands, and have developed my style of playing and sound. I play this way, I sound this way, and that’s all there is to it. But let’s say you’re in a cover band and need to sound like 100 different guitar players… I can understand opting for a modeler of some sort. Usually, the best cover bands I see, the guy has a les paul and a strat and a couple of amps. Seems like that would cover your bases pretty easily.

I’m hoping there will be some discussion related to this post, I’m curious what others have to say about this. I’m really just describing my single point of view.

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Surfing around the internet tonight, I came across a cool site called BuildYourOwnClone.com. Now, I’d like to start off by saying that I’m pretty geeky, and really like geeky things. I have various computer and electronic projects in different states all around me. One of my interests have been to build my own plexi-clone amp or to build some cloned guitar effects. The problem, is that I really don’t know what I’m doing, and if you’re messing with amps… death can result. So pedals might be a better option for me.

This site is absolutely great. Here you can buy guitar effect pedal kits to build your own modeled after many popular brands of pedals. Now, the geeky side thinks it would be cool to morph or mod pedals, taking them to the next level. BYOC (Build Your Own Clone) has many kits to pick from and prices are quite affordable.

If you have a little geek/nerd in you and like guitar pedal effects like me, this place is perfect for ya!

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Free Shipping on thousands of products at Guitar Center.com. Guitar Center is one of my favorite places to pick up new electric guitars and guitar effects pedals.

They’re currently offering free shipping on thousands of items so be sure to take advantage of this offer while it lasts! They’re also offering to bean ANY advertised price. You can learn more by visiting Guitar Center’s website!

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I just got alerted to this sale going on at Guitar Center. Get $25 off purchases of $200 or more during the King of the Blues Savings Event at GuitarCenter.com! (coupon: KOTB, exp: 7/26). This offer is for July 24 to July 26, so you need to act pretty quick. Please use the coupon code KOTB at check out to receive the discount.

Happy shopping!

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I’ve played a few wahs over the years, starting with the classic Dunlop Cry Baby. A few years ago a fellow musician and friend of mine was looking for something more than what the cry baby could offer. We were both fans of Fulltone (Mark Fuller) pedals and heard great things about the Fulltone Clyde Wah (back then there was only one model, now there is the Standard and Deluxe).

I remember the day he got it, we were both blown away by the depth of the sweep and the quality of the tone from this pedal. The range is fantastic and the design is extremely comfortable to use (both for turning the effect on as well as controlling the sweep). Shortly after, I picked up my Fulltone Clyde Wah and absolutely love it. Once draw back, if you’re a wah machine on guitar, some of the pieces do wear out. Granted, you have to be putting some SERIOUS miles on it. As for me, I’ve not had any problems, but my friend had to get it serviced twice over 10 years.. not too bad. And he can’t play guitar without putting his foot on it, so he definitely uses it often and puts it through it’s paces.

Fulltone pedals are high quality, so if you’re not willing to shell out some dollars for high quality hand crafted effects, this is not the place for you. As for me, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend money on any Fulltone pedal. They’re damn good, and worth every cent. The Fulltone Clyde Wah pedal usually costs around $240 – $260 dollars.

You can find some great deals on eBay. Let PedalNerd.com help you find awesome deals on Fulltone Clyde Wahs.

If you’re looking for new Fulltone Clyde Wahs, check out these deals:

1. Fulltone Clyde Standard Wah Pedal at Musician’s Friend
2. Fulltone Clyde Standard Wah Pedal at American Musical Supply
3. Fulltone Clyde Standard Wah Pedal at Amazon

Fulltone Clyde is a great Wah pedal, and if you’re looking for that extra something from a wah, this could be the one!

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Today, I wanted to talk about a great classic phase pedal by MXR, called the MXR M-107 Phase 100. This is the big brother to the MXR M-101 Phase 90 pedal and is a great addition to any guitar effects line up.

The MXR Phase 100 is fantastically constructed with a heavy-duty chassis that you would come to expect from classic MXR pedals. Two controls are available (Intensity and Speed) with a simple footswitch for controlling the effect on and off. The Intensity knob allows you to select from 4 preset ’shapes’ of phasing. The speed knob is a adjusts the speed of the phase.

With this pedal you can get some great sounds, from total sci fi to nicely beefed up guitar tone for stoner riffs. I’ve personally owned my Phase 100 for over 10 years without a single problem. It’s a great durable / classic pedal.

Prices usually fall around $100 to $130

If you’re looking for MXR Phase 100 on eBay, check out Pedal Nerd

You can check out new MXR M-107 Phase 100 at these locations:

1. MXR M-107 Phase 100 at Musician’s Friend
2. MXR M-107 Phase 100 at Guitar Center
3. MXR M-107 Phase 100 at Amazon

If you have any personal thoughts about this pedal, please don’t hesitate to comment!

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Get more gear for your dollar with Instant Rebates worth up to $110 on over 1,000 top brands and 20,000 products when you order online at Musician’s Friend. Your savings on qualifying brands will be reflected on your Secure Checkout page after you enter your private coupon code: MINE.

1. Enter coupon code MINE in the Coupon Box on the Secure Checkout page to receive your Instant Rebate.
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This is a great deal and at one of my favorite places to pickup musical gear. Need a new Fulltone pedal? How about MXR? This is your chance! Go to Musician’s Friend now!

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I’m excited to announce the re-birth of EffectsBay.com! I created this blog to talk about some of the things I LOVE talking about, and that’s guitar effects pedals.

As a musician (guitarist), I really enjoy playing with new effects to get some of the tones I’m looking for. Along with playing various effects, I really enjoy talking with other musicians about their set ups. Nothing like a bunch of guitar nerds standing around another guitarist setup talking about deals on their pedals, their love of the tone or issues they’re facing regarding a particular pedal or set up.

EffectsBay will be more than pedal talk, I’m hoping that I’ll be getting into some guitar and amp/cab set ups as well.  I also wanted to create a platform to announce deals. Since I’m affiliated with some great companies like Musician’s Friend, Guitar Center and Woodwind and Brasswind, I’ll be posting coupons and specials as they’re presented to me.

Please subscribe to the blog and follow me on Twitter to stay up to date with what’s going on!

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