Effects Bay

Yesterday I was curious to find what others were wanting for pedals, so I had to ask.. and here was the response. Thanks everyone!

Twitter

WillFugate RT @effectsbay Community Question: What’s in position #1 for your pedal wish list?.. Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
AndrewElmore @effectsbay verbzilla! I’ll probly just buy it’s clone: Behringer RV600. I just love that shimmery Octo setting
PeterBerki @effectsbay completely honest, @cheeseblocks sCream Cheese
Fretrunner @effectsbay RE: Pedal #1 Lovepedal Les Lius Overdrive
pelossus @effectsbay probably the mxr carbon copy or the boss giga delay..gotta love the delays.
ctbalcerak @effectsbay digitech Timebender/moog phaser
markgrundhoefer @effectsbay the next pedal I want to pick up is the Subdecay Prometheus. So cool!
aloomens @effectsbay #1 on wish list would be an analog Delay w/tap tempo
AustinRemington @effectsbay an ernie ball volume.
Xquadra @effectsbay Fender Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz
RivetheadRasta @effectsbay The Boss RE-20 space echo pedal, I’ve always wanted a tape echo. This is as close as it gets.
JohnHaselden @effectsbay it’s got to the Pigtronix Echolution
SvNDeaTh @effectsbay a Dunlop Cry Baby
4ntwaan RT EHX Hog http://tinyurl.com/yf3g6e2 that’s for sure! @effectsbay: Community Question: What’s in position #1 for your pedal wish list?

Facebook

Jomar Findlay Electro-Harmonix Enigma.
Diego ? Ferri Univox Super-Fuzz
Kevin Kelsey MI Audio Crunch Box
Jeremy Hainline tie – Catalinbread Heliotrope or Catalinbread SFT. Was the WIIO, but mine’s on it’s way
T.J. Harris Custom Audio Electronics MC-404 wah pedal.
Kevin Ian Common four-way-tie: WMD Geiger Counter, EQD Ghost Echo, Devi Ever LP, or Moody Mushroom Echo… Either one of those would be fantastic right about now
Marijn Westerlaken Malekko B:assmaster is going to be the first new thing on my board
Andrew Elmore Verbzilla. But I’ll probly just buy it’s clone the Behringer RV600. After that it’s a three way tie between: Ernie Ball VPJR EHX Knockout EHX Big Muff (standard NY)
Mick Blowe Just had Paul Trombetta do some nifty mods on my Rat pedal, Checkitt! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oSDfhzAis0
Alexandre M. Störtregn EHX Cathedral
Andre Sachs a Mutron!

I have to say there are some sweet pedals in the line up above. As for me… I would love a T.Rex Replicator, but unfortunately, I think next line will be switches… b-o-r-i-n-g….

Popularity: 3%

I’m not sure if others go through this, but do you feel like you’re in a ‘rut’ when it comes to your pedal line? Not necessarily being in a rut by choosing to do so, but being in a rut of not really knowing what’s out there. If you don’t know what’s out there outside of your own pedal knowledge, it’s hard to think of what to get. That’s when it’s great to interact with other musicians. See what’s on the floor for those guys. Ask them why they have ‘this’, or if ‘that’ is any good, etc.

Hell, I’m reading and watching pedal reviews everyday, and I’m in a rut as well. That’s why yesterday on Twitter I asked the question “What’s your next pedal purchases? What are you saving up for?“. I thought it would be good to hear what others are wanting right now. Maybe that will point me to a new pedal direction, point me to a new sound possibility, or point me to a better replacement of a pedal. I have to say, the tweeps on Twitter have been super cool, so I thought I’d post some of the responses.

I’ll start with me though. I’ve been eyeballing a coupe of pedals pretty hard. I’d like to see myself owning the Electro-Harmonic Memory Boy or MXR Carbon Copy and I’ve also been looking at some of those ZVex pedals -  Fuzz Factory or maybe that Mastotron Fuzz.

Elcharroyyo @effectsbay my next pedal is a hardwire chorus… is awesome!
nickwilk @effectsbay RC-50 Loopstation
GuitarGear @effectsbay Keeley Compressor, Some of Death by Audio or a Soldano Super Charger
ziguratt @effectsbay my savings are for a Boss DD7.
El_Kmaron @effectsbay Boss Loop Station =) Or maybe a Line 6 DL4 “Green box” haha! Or maybe a Dunlop Octave Fuzz!
VergeofBliss @effectsbay Have a Skreddy Pig Mine Fuzz ordered, should arrive around November http://bit.ly/zjFs
AethWolf @effectsbay I want to get a delay pedal (maybe 2 of them and a stereo chorus pedal), but I’m not sure which delay would be best for me.
davefalconer @effectsbay a Barker ASSMASTER from Malekko Heavy Industry
fuzmeister @effectsbay EHX Micro Synth most likely!
adamkobylarz @effectsbay Zvex Ringtone and thinking about getting a AB switch to run two heads/two cabs. Not sure which one to get.
GreggSantee @effectsbay Echo Baby http://tinyurl.com/yfpsdvj OCD http://tinyurl.com/yfhxl59 maybe Replica http://tinyurl.com/yhxhkdw
shaundurkan @effectsbay Hardwire Digital Reverb and Deucetone Rat.
elegiaccycle @effectsbay i am saving for an eventide pitchfactor and a homebrew electronics paradrive… this is going to hurt.
RichieAquino @effectsbay Eventide timefactor. $400.00
andrewsnotatwit @effectsbay vox time machine
AntonOortmann @effectsbay I think that the EHX Memory Boy would be my next pedal to purchase!
inmemoryofthom @effectsbay I’m hoping to get a Fender Blender for christmas.
AndrewElmore @effectsbay i really want to buy the EHX Knockout and LPB-1 pedals like you wouldn’t believe!
silverfilter @effectsbay I want a foxrox octron!
sean_pierceCEO @effectsbay something from Pigtronix. Maybe
underwoodblog @effectsbay Eventide Modfactor and Eventide Pitchfactor would be my next purchase.

As you can see the response was quite diverse. Lots of things to explore. I would really like to continue the discussion here as well, if you didn’t see it on Twitter, etc. Please feel free to comment below about what pedal you’ve been eye-balling lately

Popularity: 5%

Hold on… whoa.  Okay, I’m what you call a closet electronics nerd, maybe not-so-much in the closet, but I LOVE to tinker with electronics. The only problem… is that I don’t know what I’m doing. Sure, I know what capacitors, transistors, resistors, LEDs and diodes do and ‘basically’ what they are, but I don’t have the knowledge to go outside the ‘kit’ or the instructions. I also hit walls when things don’t work as they should. But, I do love it, and want to learn more about electronics in general. I think it might be a distant dream of mine to design a pedal or two (or possibly an amp — but I’m afraid to die).

I mentioned the Build Your Own Clone site a few months ago in a post and that totally interested me for sure. I just came across this book at Amazon, which is equally as cool. The book is titled “How to Modify Guitar Pedals: A complete how-to package for the electronics newbie on how to modify guitar and bass effects pedals” and it’s about mod’ing existing pedals. This could be great for opportunity for my broken or under used pedals laying around.

Here is the description from Amazon:

This package will teach you exactly how to modify and custom tailor each of your effects pedals to your needs and tastes. No experience needed! Includes: * Complete details on how to modify OVER 80 DIFFERENT EFFECT PEDALS! * Basic Definitions and Concepts of effect pedals, their circuitry, and mods * “Walkthroughs” of various circuits – what all those parts do, and what you can change it to * Detailed close-up pictures of the pedal’s circuit boards showing where the parts are located * Where to get parts and what kind to get * Download videos included: how to modify effects, how to solder/desolder * All About Components, the different types, and what they do in guitar pedals * How to read and understand schematics * Installing Pots and Switches to control mods * Installing a Pot in place of a Resistor (add your own bass/ mids/ treble controls!) * True Bypass Box Diagram * Most pedals have several different modifications that can be performed, all included!

So, let me hear from the electronic music nerds out there. Any of you building pedals or modifying them?

Popularity: 7%

So this morning, while drinking my morning cup o’  Joe, I was cruising around Amazon, and stumbled across the book titled “Guitar Effects Pedals the Practical Handbook“. Below is the official description of the book.

Starting with the dawn of effects building and continuing to the present day, this detailed compendium investigates effects pedals and how they can supercharge a guitarist’s sound. Experienced player Dave Hunter offers insight from the top builders and tips on how to get the most from each pedal. The author also dissects chains used by top guitarists in creating memorable recordings. The accompanying CD features standard as well as unusual sounds from a wide range of pedals, and classic combinations used by the guitar greats.

I do not personally own any books about guitar effects (though, I do have  a few on my wish list) but this caught my eye for several reasons.

Number one, I have a friend that is ‘fairly’ new to guitar playing is and is VERY interested in guitar effects, basically what they’re capable and what kind of options effects can provide him. I’m thinking this might be a good guide to help him understand the gist of what’s out there. (I still say the foundation starts with a good guitar and a good amp)

Number two, I personally think it’s interesting that the ‘quest for tone’ and finding that ‘unique voice’ is a desire had by every guitarist, while also the ability ‘clone’ others (ie: aquire the Hendrix tone, etc) is also there. I also think it’s interesting, I’m very guilty of this, to be stuck in a settings rut. Having pedals, and thinking it only sounds good when the knobs are set to X, Y and Z. Our ear is trained to hear what we like.. and what we’re use to. The application, the band, the guitar and the particular song can provide opportunities for absolutely crazy settings, but if you’re not willing to learn what your pedals are capable of (good or bad) how can you dip your toe in that particular pool?

Personally, when I see other guitarists and see their gear, I always pay attention to their settings (if I have the same pedal) just to see what they like and how they use it in their song. Is it a lead boost, do they use it as a rhythm fattener? Do they have the pre-wah or post-wah?

How well do you know your pedals?

Popularity: 2%

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!

Popularity: 3%