Pedals that sound good with any guitar

Maybe I'm narrow minded, but I really like to have pedals that sound good with any guitar. It's easier for me these days since I just have two Teles, but they both have distinct voices. Some dirt pedals sound great with my American Tele, but not as good with my MIJ '69 Thinline RI. Right now everything on my board sounds good with both guitars.

What do you all think? Ever given it any thought?

Hmmm... I mostly play my telecaster, but I do throw my humbucker-loaded guitars into the fray on occasion. I've found that everything works well for the most part, minus my compressor. It is not set up for 'buckers, as they tend to slap the top of the threshold and get too rubbery. I also prefer my Phase 100 with single coils over humbuckers. Honestly, I prefer single coils over everything. If it doesn't sound good with the telecaster, it doesn't stay on the board no matter how good it might sound with humbuckers.

I guess if something sounds bad in any circumstance I don't use it. I've never really had problems matching pedals and guitars. Guitars and amps, on the other hand, I've had trouble with.

I've found that dirt pedals sound better with some guitars than with others, but haven't had as much trouble with modulation pedals in general.

When it comes to "dirt" pedals for one to "get along with many guitars" it has to either have a pretty Flat EQ (where when engaged, you still get your basic guitar>amp tone, assuming you like that tone, you should!:wink:) or have great Tonal range- maybe separate Bass and treble Also the relationship between the Drive/Gain control and the Level control is very flexible (wide range and gradual taper on the Gain control) to compensate for the difference in humbucker or hot pickups vs. single coils. For example some pedals have Level controls that will not work unless the Gain is turned UP just a little bit, but it that small increment is creating distortion with a single coil it is going to be down right saturated (even at a low rotation) with a Gibson. You (well, I) just can't use that. Need dynamic pedals too...I know this may be simplistic/generalizing but a pedal set to just clean boost a single coil, will overdrive a humbucker

3 great OD's (IMO) for any guitar: Blues Driver, Dano TOD V.1 or Barber LTD- they all have a lot of range in their own respective ways...

edit: I should mention that I'm an old fart playing old fart R&R, blues, country, surf..., so even my "dirty" is pretty "clean" :wink:

+1 on the Blues Driver pedal. After all the OD pedals I've gone through, this is still the baseline.

But, I've got a Catalinabread DLS coming, so this may change.

Barber 1/2 Gainer - turn the mids up for Tele/single-coils, turn it down for humbuckers...

imho, It could be a tall order to fill for an OD to cover any guitar. Like my Ts808 might sound good with some, then sound not so good on others.

Now a Sonic Stomp, which is not an OD, but it works wonders, and I havent found one yet that did not benefit from it. At least the kinda music I play.....

Fuzz Face! Sorry, but I just can't help it.

Fuzz Face! Sorry, but I just can't help it.

+1

Fuzz Face! Sorry, but I just can't help it.

I have got to get one of these someday- enough of always buying/trying out similarly sounding OD's! (but it's fun:wink:)

In my experience it's not just different guitars that you need to worry about. It's how any pedal will work with different amps.

My old TS9 used to sound great with my Bassman RI and DRRI but it doesn't sound so good with my 57 Twin. I think there too many mid range frequencies generated by the pedal and amp and they muddy up too much. This is also true of how the pedal works with different guitars and pickups.

Similarly, my Crowther Hotcake sounded better with the BMRI and DRRI than it does with the Twin (unless its set as a clean boost or in a very specific setting to give me a very mellow creamy OD tone that goes well with my Les Paul).

The only OD pedal I've ever had that seems to work equally well with any guitar is the Lovepedal Les Lius which always seems to give me exactly what I want to hear.

On the other hand, all of my modulation/time based effects have all worked well with any amp I've had.

This is exactly why we must all be on a constant search for the perfect pedal/amp/guitar combination and also why we will never achieve that - ever! But don't the gear manufacturers just love us for it???!!!!

My Devi Ever Ruby is a Tonebender style treble boost/fuzz that works great with everything. I usually set it pretty edgy, than back off on the guitar's volume knob a hair and I have a good thing going.

Pedal wise I've really been picky on my board to make sure everything works with my tele and SG. It all works a little different, but all in a good way to me. I'm sure if I put a different guitar in the mix my tone wouldn't be all that great, yet the board as it is works very well for what I do.

+1 on the Les Lius!

The Danelectro BLT slap echo is one pedal that I use with every guitar and amp I own-it makes everything sound cheap and trashy, just like I like it!
Dano Fish-n-Chips 7-band EQ goes with just about everything, too. It's a footswitchable boost, EQ, pickup booster, etc. all in one.........

TC Electronic Flashback delay. Awesome pedal with all my guitars. Toneprint feature is da bomb. Turn the delay and feedback knobs to zero on the Mod delay and you get TC's excellent trichorus, too.

The Danelectro BLT slap echo is one pedal that I use with every guitar and amp I own-it makes everything sound cheap and trashy, just like I like it!
Dano Fish-n-Chips 7-band EQ goes with just about everything, too. It's a footswitchable boost, EQ, pickup booster, etc. all in one.........

+1 on the Fish n Chips. It really does a lot!

My lm308-equipped Rat has sounded good with every guitar I've ever owned. Different sounds, but all good. :cool:

Bad Bob.

Durham Mucho Boosto,Fulltone Fatboost....

Barber 1/2 Gainer - turn the mids up for Tele/single-coils, turn it down for humbuckers...

BIG +1 !

I love my mxr custom script phase 90 with all of my axes.

With the stomp boxes I've got I find they work equally well with singles or buckers, just requires a little knob twisting on the dirt boxes.

I haven't put this into practice yet, but I think throwing a good EQ in the mix should allow for switching from single coils to buckers without having to tweak or avoid any pedals... should be able to set the pedals for singles and just kick in some EQ to pull the mud out of the buckers.... the Fish n Chips mentioned above might be just the thing for that.

Not sure it would work, but I don't see why it wouldn't.

Edit, just realized your thinline doesn't have buckers.... still the same thing should work.... dare I say........... a preset EQ for every guitar..... that's the ticket :grin:

Chorus, compresser, or a boost pedal will sound good with any guitar.

In my experience it's not just different guitars that you need to worry about. It's how any pedal will work with different amps.

My old TS9 used to sound great with my Bassman RI and DRRI but it doesn't sound so good with my 57 Twin. I think there too many mid range frequencies generated by the pedal and amp and they muddy up too much. This is also true of how the pedal works with different guitars and pickups.

Similarly, my Crowther Hotcake sounded better with the BMRI and DRRI than it does with the Twin (unless its set as a clean boost or in a very specific setting to give me a very mellow creamy OD tone that goes well with my Les Paul).

The only OD pedal I've ever had that seems to work equally well with any guitar is the Lovepedal Les Lius which always seems to give me exactly what I want to hear.

On the other hand, all of my modulation/time based effects have all worked well with any amp I've had.

This is exactly why we must all be on a constant search for the perfect pedal/amp/guitar combination and also why we will never achieve that - ever! But don't the gear manufacturers just love us for it???!!!!

I hear you! That's why I only have one amp! :lol:

barber LTD ... adds a bit of low gain dirt ... sounds good to my ears with any guitar/amp

rat

Maybe I'm narrow minded, but I really like to have pedals that sound good with any guitar like the Boss overdrive :mrgreen:

thats something that happen to me my pedals not reacting properly with all my guitars some sounds good with my tele and some sounds good with my Agile L.P. copy go figure they do react different....lool