Effects Bay

I was thinking it was a little while since I posed a question to the community, so I thought I’d ask a simple one. Not sure if you guys are like me, and wonder what others are using. I mainly like to do this just to open eyes on new brands, styles, etc. Maybe I’ve heard of something, and then when I see others using it, it might motivate me to personally give it a shot. Or just finding something you never heard of.  Exploring can really help one grow. So today I thought I’d ask what picks people are using. What brands, and what gauge. Wow, the answers sure came in. To contribute myself, I use the .88mm Dunlop Tortex (greenies). Please feel free to continue the discussion below by commenting to this post!

Twitter:

benzakonium @effectsbay I’m using Dunlop Ultex .60 for Acoustic, .73 for Rhythm and 1.0 for Lead and heavy riffing. Awesome tone from these picks
Mayhem208 @effectsbay Pickboy Edge Carbon Nylon .88 and 1.00mm
MMisanthropy @effectsbay Dunlop 1MM Nylons
AndrewElmore @effectsbay Picks… Fender Meds, Dunlop Tortex heavys, Dunlop 73 and 88s (held sideways like the Edge) and Dunlop Big Stubby 3mm’s
CorydooM @effectsbay dunlop .88 nylons 4 lyfe
ferbass @effectsbay erinieball medium. What would you use for bass?
rodseney @effectsbay Jim Dunlop nylon .88 gauge.
worshiprocker @effectsbay. Jim dunlop nylon .73 gauge
RockMetalfan666 RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge Dunlop jazz 3 .93 I think
arruniel I use Dunlop Nylon .60 (med. grey). And you? @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge #guitar
theevanmiller @effectsbay i use the Dunlop jazz III picks(the black ones since they are a little thicker).
MojoCaster RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge.»» my finger nails. No picks needed here
pelossus @effectsbay dunlop tortexes, the only way to play. the purple ones [the thickest they come!] thinking of moving to the black jazz 3’s.
nogoodguitarpkr RT @300guitars RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge.»» Pro Plec 1.5mm triangle (mando) and Martin .96mm (guitar)
aloomens @effectsbay Standard Fender shape picks, but made from Agate. I guess you could say extra, super, ultra heavy?
TeeAreBee @effectsbay Fender or Dunlop picks. Medium gauge (dont know the number)
AxeStaticFitz @effectsbay Dunlop nylons. Ranging from .46- .88 depending on what i’m playing. Best. Pick. Ever. love your site, btw!
Alexchapel @effectsbay Dunlop Standard Tortex .88
tsworthin @effectsbay Fender Abalone Mediums or Thins, depending on my mood.
landosaurusrex I just went to the Dunlop Gator Grip .060’s…the orange ones. Still expierementing though RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using?
davmac Jim Dunlop 0.60 Orange. RT @effectsbay What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge
dustinfuerst @effectsbay Dunlop U.S.A. .58mm. They wear fast but I love ‘em.
ryansguitars @effectsbay I use the red Dunlop Jazz IIIs. Love ‘em!
JacobyDave @300guitars @effectsbay ” What picks are you guys using?” Dunlop Ultex 1mm are my go-to. Just got a National medium thumb pick, too.
kstraine Fender Medium Celluloids RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge
rickshort21 JIM DUNLOP NYLON .88 CONSIDERING PUNCHING A HOLE IN CENTER RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge
300guitars RT @effectsbay: What picks are you guys using? Brand and gauge.»» Clayton Jazz 1.52mm & V-picks small 1.5mm.
CJBadge @effectsbay Dunlop Ultex Standard 0.73
GreggSantee @effectsbay Dunlop .73mm
markgrundhoefer @effectsbay I use the Dunlop Nylon .73mm. I like using the different edges because of the raised lettering. It makes for some neat textures.
fadyperdana @effectsbay Planet Waves Joe Satriani Signature
Milaneus @effectsbay A .88mm Dunlop Tortex, and a .60mm Snarling Dogs Brain.
VanDyckBrownNL @effectsbay big stubby 3mm, i think it’s from jim dunlop.
mojosarmy @effectsbay my pick of picks: Fender heavy celluloid for bass, medium standard tortex for guitar
clydetweets @effectsbay I use Medium Pointed V-Picks (electric and acoustic). My old preference for acoustic was Dunlop Nylon Standard .60 or .73.
SDMFNoah @effectsbay Jim Dunlop 1 .mm
D_Kurt_Green @effectsbay my fav is Snarling Dogs Brain picks. In .73mm and .88mm.
_LeoFerreira @effectsbay I don´t have a favourite brand. But I prefer a 1.0mm up to 1.5mm and smooth. And it also can´t be soft.
SvNDeaTh @effectsbay Dunlop Gator grip 0.96
longhair43228 @effectsbay Fender med.
tonytooke @effectsbay I’m using picato picks .60mm
erockpgh @effectsbay Adamas graphite picks 2mm
dannfeltrin @effectsbay Dunlop Tortex, the green one! I think the gauge is aprox. 0.88mm
PeterBerki @effectsbay I’m picking with Dunlop jazz 3
22frets @effectsbay been using my fingers a lot more lately, but when I use a pick it’s green tortex.

Facebook:

Travis Gauthier Fender Medium
Dave Novak Dunlop Tortex .88 and .60
Brian Steven Mejía Dunlop .73mm
Trys Mudford Jazz 111’s
Zack Dowell Dunlop Tortex .60mm
Kevin Ian Common dunlop tortez 2.0 mm, or dunlop big
Randall Brown A pearloid medium gauge that I found on the stage at a gig.
Leo Back dunlop tortex-asst. gauges
Ron Hostetter fender mediums. cheap.
Tom Worthington Fender Abalone Mediums or Thins, depending on my mood.
Josh Kampa Clayton Acetal Rounded Triangles .80MM. Bass player.
Christopher Badgley Dunlop Ultex Strandards 0.73
Half Blind Frank i just gave up on picks entirely – been fingerpickin. even on the electric. before that i was using Fender Mediums.
Manuel McNelly Dunlop Tortex .88mm and Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5mm
Rich Werden dunlop tortex 2.0mm or Wegen Gypsy pix for the acoustic swing gigs.
Michael Jason Sammut Dunlop Ultex .73
Todd Sinclair I love my Dava picks. They are variable in gauge depending on how you hold them and have a great rubber grip. Only pick I don’t drop while playing.
T.J. Harris Dunlop Ultex Sharp 1.14mm – I love the material and the extra-pointy shape. I wish I could find the Ultex Jazz IIIs in stores, though.
Nikolaos Triantafillou V-picks, ultr-lite large for acoustic and the screamer for electric

Thanks everyone!

Popularity: 9%

I figured I haven’t asked a ‘community question’ in a while, so yesterday I asked the following question to Twitter and Facebook – “What amp(s) do you play through?“. I like asking these questions to see what people are using out there. Here were the responses:

Twitter

paylor1970 @effectsbay Marshall JVM 410H for live gigs. Just a small Crate for practicing at home.
Guitarblogstar @effectsbay Laney A3012 series 2 valave amp ..its delicious
GiantGentle @effectsbay ah… That’s a secret!
esmasqueunjulio 1974 Fender Twin Reverb
michaeljantz @effectsbay Fender Blues Deluxe!
palavarela @effectsbay ‘76 Marshall Super Lead modded by Dave Friedman and Bogner Ecstasy 101B
ERiCtheBuLL @effectsbay Line 6 Spider 3 HD150 through a matching Mk2 4×12 cab.
meneermeijer Blackstar HT5-S totally rules.
palmheroes @effectsbay Epiphone Valve Jr.
Goosoniqueworx @effectsbay Fender Bassman 135 (modded) and Swart Space Tone
SuspendedStudio @effectsbay epiphone valve jr
sbos @effectsbay Chris Custrom Christal – Handmade fender champion-like head
jasonsaurus @effectsbay the chosen amps: http://www.myspace.com/musicworkscharlotte
AndrewElmore @effectsbay i play through a Fender Frontman 212 Reverb, but I would love to one day get a hold of a Super or Deluxe
AustinRemington @effectsbay i play through a vintage Rivera Knucklehead 55. I love that amp oh so much.
dnamusicrocks @effectsbay Line 6 spider II …an old one
TeeAreBee @effectsbay a Raven RG200, a Line 6 Spider III 15 Watt, and a Crate Blue Voodoo head into a Peavey Cab.
PeterBerki @effectsbay I like orange, but they’re too expensive. Carvin X100b for me. 600 made in usa tube
aS_hayashi @effectsbay Marshall 1987X! Would play through a 1959 but it’s too heavy for my to lug around to gigs in my small car.
markgrundhoefer @effectsbay Carvin MTS3212.
ajp71555 @effectsbay Vox AC15CC1 & Peavey Valve King Royal 8
joelcyu @effectsbay blues jr. !
chunter16 @effectsbay Raw signal to desk or PA.
ariasjose @effectsbay none, I just plug a XLR from the table to my Line 6 X3 Live… and for practice I just use headphones!

Facebook

Jahn Xavier It’s all about portability for me. I use a Fender Blues Jr & a Blues Deluxe, depending on the desired tone or size of the venue – both have been heavily modded/rebuilt by Ben Fargen at Fargen Amplification. Also replaced the first 12AX7 in the Jr with a 12AY7, which got rid of that “boxy” sound they can have (as well as that notorious Fender ‘volume jump’”. ALso have Celestion G12H30 speakers in both.
John Elliott I have a Roost Session Master which is like a Marshall copy also with two 12 inch Celestion speakers. Mmmm changing the valves – I have 12AX7s- I might give that a try
Marcelo Donati I use a Behringer V-ampire, but I really want a Fender Stage 112 SE!
Tom Spencer Matchless Lightning 15 Reverb. Yes.
Russ Benoit Just traded in my Crate V50 today for a Fender Frontman 25r. I was sad to see the tubage go, but with 2 small kids I *never* got to play the amp at a decent volume, so away it went.
David Brown Fryette SigX and a TruTone 2×12 loaded with Celestion Blues.
Mike Jackson 1st gen fender cyber-twin. You reminded me to look for a repair place (rotory knobs went iffy) and found one down the street from the office! Nice!
Bill Thompson Two Fender 59 Bassman Reissues,… (((STEREO)))!
Dave Jones Fender 1994 tweed Blues Deluxe and a more recent tweed Blues Junior with Jensen speaker. About to drop a Weber 12F150 into the BDx V1 replaced with a 12AY7 in the BJr and a 5751 in the BDx. Otherwise running Tungsol 12AX7 and 6L6/5881 and JJ EL84 respectively for the amps. Yeah I’m into tubes right now Oh & a volume box in the FX loop to tame that crazy volume on the Blues Deluxe
Frank Levine Fender Blues Deluxe RI. My practice amp is a Kustom Tube 12.
Lionel Oberto JVM 205H
Justin Vigeant Peavey Classic 50 410 & Fender Blues Jr… looking to upgrade to a Dr Z Maz 18 possibly in the upcoming year.
Garrett Haynes Deluxe Reverb Reissue
Anne-Marie Perry Roland Jazz Chorus 120
Ronald Neely II Markbass Little Mark II LE
Kevin Kelsey Peavey Classic 50 410 and a Fender Blues Jr.
T.J. Harris Randall RM50 with Top Boost module (adding a Plexi module soon)
Ron Hostetter Old Fender Stage combo. Love it.
Bryan Aspey Tech 21 Trademark 60
Andrew Johnson Selmer treble n bass sv50 head into old 4×12 cab…

Please feel free to continue the discussion by posting a comment below!

Popularity: 10%

Today, I asked the question “Question: Distortion before Wah or Distortion after Wah. Let the discussion begin!”. This was sparked by reading the ProGuitarShop.com blog entry titled “A Guide to Guitar Effects Placement“. This was a pretty interesting read and further down the article you see mention of Jimi Hendrix that went against popular convention by putting his wah infront of his distortion. It’s classically said to put the wah after the distortion, so I was curious what others do.

Twitter Responses:

DMFNoah @effectsbay Distortion before Wah for me anyway
The_Original_1 @effectsbay Distortion b4 wah. Nothin like pinch harmonics through a wah wah.
Petroguy @effectsbay Wah first, fo sho.
mouzik @effectsbay after…of course
PaulGrahamRaven @effectsbay Distortion BEFORE wah, no question. Worked for Swervedriver, works for me. YMMV.
dhyaltoan @effectsbay guitar into wah into amp
markgrundhoefer @effectsbay I second that! Distortion before Wah even though the Great One would say otherwise.
innerlightmusic @effectsbay I haven’t tried before in a while, remember i didn’t like it too much. But I’m sure it has it’s place somehwere
SourceAudioFX @effectsbay im going to have to go with before Wah for $500
CorydooM @effectsbay I was always told overdrive first! Boost the signal before it is sent to any effect…
Muzik4Machines @effectsbay really depends on the tone you look for, i put my FZ2 before wha and my ds1 after for example
The_Riz @effectsbay: Completely different sound profiles – Do you want an all-encompassing EW Sweep? then it goes after. I tend to put mine before..
tbjanis @effectsbay distortion after wah. I find it less harsh & easier to find that honky, nasal tone in the ‘middle’
GarethDEdwards @effectsbay distortion before wah. The distortion creates a good wide frequency spread and gives the wah something to filter
PeterBerki @effectsbay Distortion Before Wah. If it’s noticeable with echo effects, chances are it’s going to be noticeable with any effects.
patodruida @effectsbay What’s there to discuss? Just bring 2 Wah pedals!
Custompbox Depends. If distortion is too “hot” might be hard to control. RT @effectsbay: Question: Distortion before Wah or Distortion after Wah.
dogonaut @effectsbay distortion BEFORE. Distortion is part of the guitar sound – the wah is a bit sensualness to get the rhythm a-pumping!
El_Kmaron @effectsbay AFTER. For me at least.
jomarwarble @effectsbay AFTER. if you add the distortion before wah it just sounds… crappy.

Facebook Responses:

Trey Bliss Before Wah for me
Mario Di Sandro i stopped using Wah, but i had it before Distortion, but i believe Hendrix put it after Distortion, so…
Brandon Bishop two totally different sounds, both are totally useful. I’d always go back and forth and could never really decide which i liked best
Greg Cooper after wah for me, right now.

Please feel free to continue the discussion by commenting below!

Popularity: 12%

So, over the last few months, I’ve been having a blast with this site. I started this site (actually years ago and did absolutely nothing with it), but recently revamped it to be a blog since I’ve been itching to have a stomp box centric site for a while now.

Since I re-started the site, the response has been fantastic, and it’s been fun meeting great people through the site and via Twitter. Site visitors are increasing on a daily basis, and my idea of creating a community of guitar effect nerds seems to be developing. But, I feel like we can do much more.. and if you can help spread the word, that would be greatly appreciated. I’m hoping that we can get more user contributed posts (reviews and Pedal Line Friday submissions, plus more), and the only way to generate the this is by gaining a healthy visitor base to the site. I’m also brainstorming a few contest give-aways too in the near future, so keep posted for that!

What I’m asking for you, is to spread the word via social networking.

Twitter
If you haven’t already or know of someone on Twitter that would be interested guitar effects, please recommend @EffectsBay

Facebook
I just recently created a Facebook page for EffectsBay. We needs some fans! Become a Fan at Facebook!

Tumblr
Like Facebook, I recently created a Tumblr page for EffectsBay. Tumblr is still real new to me, but I can see why this is gaining popularity. Follow EffectsBay on Tumblr.

YouTube
I do have a YouTube channel set up, and will be posting more videos in the near future. Currently, I only have the Swollen Pickle review there now, but I have some big plans.

GuitarWorld News Blips
I have a Guitar World blog page that takes feeds from the site. If you have a GuitarWorld.com account, please vote up some of the posts!

What else can you do to help?

- If you have a guitar related blog/site, please add a link for EffectsBay.com! If you do, let me know and I’d be more than happy to link back to your site. Just let me know.

- If you like a post, let people know about it! You can ReTweet the post on Twitter, or share it with the options at the bottom of every post (Stumble, Facebook, etc).

- Subscribe to the RSS feed, and get site updates in your email!

I want to thank everyone that’s contacted me via Twitter, Facebook, email as well as the people that have submitted content or commented on the site. It has been a pleasure meeting all of you and I’m looking forward to where this site can go in the future!

hank

Popularity: 9%