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Guitar Pedalboards!
Source Audio Blog
Guitar Pedalboards!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Posted in:
Question: What is the cheapest, easiest and most cost-effective way of drastically adding sonic color and variation to your guitar sounds (ok, other than practicing!) - that's right - adding a new pedal to your pedalboard.
Apparently I am not the only one who thinks the same - look at this thread - it's up to over 500 pages, and is the biggest thread on The Gear Page, a fantastic web resource for guitarists.
Well, tell me another way to redically change your tone for less than $200 - which will get you one of our new Soundblox pedals and leave you change for a few dinners at your favorite Thai restaurant. Not only that, with The Soundblox Distortion unit, you're going to use sounds that you have not gotten before - from slight to raging gain, octave effects and synth sounds, if you want them.
My rig used to be this: Les Paul Custom or Tom Anderson Tele--> Keeley Compressor --Hot Hand Wah--> Ernie Ball VP Junior (Boss TU-2 in Tuner Out) --> Vox 848 Clyde McCoy Reissue Wah --> Keeley TS9 --> Timmy --> Barber Small Fry --> Keeley RAT --> Line 6 MM4 --> Line 6 DL4 (w/expression pedal) --> Verbzilla -->Mesa Boogie Mark III simil Class into a 4-12 Mesa cab. I am going to add a Soundblox into the mix, as it is fantastic into a clean channel, which makes a 2 channel amp a 3-channel killer.
And that's the beauty of pedals - you can design not only your own pedalboard physically, but make your own custom sounds as well.
How much are the new guitars and amps that you want? And let's not even venture into the idea of vintage guitars and amps. That McCarty Rosewood I fancy is 3 grand, that Mojave Peacemaker is the same. Would those change your playing as much as a new pedal in your arsenal?
I remember an interview with Steve Hackett of Genesis that I read in the 70's, where he said in essence that a pedal is absolutely as important as a guitar or amp - I know, he played a '57 Goldtop Les Paul, but if he didn't have his fuzz units, those great solos from "Selling England by the Pound" would not exist. He even ran 2 overdrive units together, for extra nuance.
And, let's not forget the main reason to constantly change our sounds in the first place - to CHALLENGE ourselves and make new music!!!!!!!!