I'm out of control....and I like it!

*Note* If you're one of those who thinks pedals suck, then stop here and go back reading another post!

I play in a three piece band. Being the only guitar player I like to have lots of different sounds at my disposal when I need/want them. I like pedals. I'm not Eric Johnson and I can't hear the signal output of pedal X when it's not turned on, so that's really not an issue with me. "Yes but how transparent is it??" ha!
My guitar sounds great with or without them as does my amp. When I record, I usually just use a pedal or two for effect, but normally I just mic my amp and go. That being said....

It all started with this:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-3/122891/1stPedalboard.jpg
Very usable set-up. I did a lot of gigs with this board...


...but I had some different pedals I wanted to try so it evolved into this on the same board:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-3/122891/2ndPedalboard.jpg
This is the set-up I've been using live for the past several months. About 3 months ago, I went back to using my Boss CS-2 insted of the Ibanez CP-835...

Well, I've started using a Sex Drive pedal and really love it! I also have a fantastic sounding Flex Drive pedal w/ LPB-1 Boost that I've used for some recordings, but couldn't get to fit onto my board. Also power was becoming an issue. My Boss TU-2 worked great at powering most of my pedals, but the MXR stuff has those headphone jack adapters that I didn't have; my Ibanez CS-505 Chorus is 18 volts; and the Boss can only power up to 7 pedals. I was using batteries in 2 of them and two different wall warts - 1 for the Boss and 1 for the Ibanez 18vt. Something had to be done! I bought a Dunlop DC-10 Brick. Man this is a great power supply! Not only will it power 7 - 9volt pedals, it also will power 3 - 18volt pedals!

Now came the issue of making them fit and be once and for all done with the pedal madness. Well my pedalboard was too small. Off to Sam Ash... I got a new board (on sale) that was 4 inches bigger all around. After some velcroing and hair pulling I fired it up and it's sounding great! Finally! And ONE thing to plug in. It's also very very quite. I don't have any additional hum issues that I didn't have before using a single coil guitar.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-3/122891/TDPsizeboard.JPG

Johnny Isaacs

I have an Electar PBX-1000 powered pedalboard with the following pedals on it:

-->BOSS CS-2 Compressor-Sustainer
-->BOSS SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer (for cool monophonic synth sounds during solos, or for polyphonic envelope filtering; may be replaced by a DOD Vibrothang)
-->BOSS PH-3 Phase Shifter
-->BOSS OD-3 Over Drive (for boost)
-->BOSS OD-3 Over Drive (for mild crunch)
-->BOSS PS-5 Super Shifter (for lowering pitch one octave--very stable, even with chords; great for a baritone guitar or a six-string bass sound.)
-->BOSS PS-5 Super Shifter (for vibrato, pitch bending, doubling, etc.)
-->BOSS TU-2 Tuner
-->BOSS DD-6 Digital Delay (for "reverse" guitar)
-->BOSS DD-6 Digital Delay (for holding/looping)
-->BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay (for straight, light delay--about 500ms)
-->BOSS BF-3 Flanger
-->BOSS PN-2 Tremolo/Pan
-->BOSS CE-3 Chorus

=>Which stereos out into a Korg G4 rotating speaker (Leslie) simulator
=>Which stereos out into an Alesis Microverb
=>Which stereos out into two silverface, master volume Twin Reverbs.

I'll have to post pics of my set up one day; I might do it for this thread--it'll give me practice with my new digital camera. If you've ever seen Vince Gill's pedalboard, that's a lot like what mine looks like.

Like you, Johnny, I don't get too carried away with things like polarity, signal degradation, or other Johnsonian hypersensitive aural phobias. My set up is remarkably quiet--little, if any, noise or hiss--and my signal is strong and clear. My Teles sound like Teles and my Strat sounds like a Strat, whether I have no pedals on--or all of them on (which, of course, is a rare event).

So, if it's good enough for you, Johnny--and you're a fine musician and a genuine scholar of, among other genres, very traditional country music--then it's good enough for me. :wink:

Joel

same thing here 8)

http://www.noiz.gr/albums/My-Gear/ZHMIAA_Gagarin_sp_Feta0005.jpg

I have been using all these pedals for years (I "feed" them with a SINGLE VS One-Spot) with absolutely no noise and signal loss,I simply run the whole mess in the front of my amps (the ED1 compressor on the lower tie on the far left has been exchanged with a killer Nick Greer clean boost since January..)

man...i remember my 1st attempt at a board in the '70's.....Tychobrahe pedalflanger, lots of E-H units (still have my Small Stone) mxr and way too much noise!
fx weren't always compatible.....no one knew or even cared about buffering and mismatched in/out impedances etc....
things have come a LONG way since then !

looks like a great set up you've got there.....
i've since scaled waaay back....i'm using a comp(bypassed for "live" only used when the red light's on) a Morely std wah, into a simple splitter....one side goes through a Digitech x series phase shifter, an old flanger and into my '63 Princeton, the other goes straight to my new Blues Jr.
i get a nice warm spread, tastefully subtle swirl (i hate the whoosh of phasers/flangers !! ) clarity and bite when i need it.....
i also have 3 "multi effect" units, a Korg Ax1000, an older Digitech RP7 Valve and a newer Gnx 4.....but i only use them when i'm recording later at night when i can't crank any amps....thing have indeed come a long way !
mebbe i should rethink things and use one for stage.....
but i like it just the way it is!

Hey Joel,
It' safe to say you like Boss pedals, huh?

Hey Johnny! nice set up. and if it works for you their is nothin' wrong with that. I've seen some guys with big boards like that do wonderful things.

I keep mine real simple because i am not too coordinated with my feet while rockin' about. TU2-->69 Fuzz-->MXR Micro-AMp-->DigiDelay

MY QUESTION: is how do you engage the boxes at the op. looks like a Zakk Wylde box is the hardest. Without bumping the controls of a pedal below it or hitting the switch of another. Thats always baffled me. As I sure could never do it.

anyhow congrats.

Hey Joel,
It' safe to say you like Boss pedals, huh?

Not really.




...





:P :lol: Just kidding, of course. I've always had a love and fascination for BOSS pedals, and I guess I always will.

Joel

same thing here 8)

http://www.noiz.gr/albums/My-Gear/ZHMIAA_Gagarin_sp_Feta0005.jpg

I have been using all these pedals for years (I "feed" them with a SINGLE VS One-Spot) with absolutely no noise and signal loss,I simply run the whole mess in the front of my amps (the ED1 compressor on the lower tie on the far left has been exchanged with a killer Nick Greer clean boost since January..)

Ah, my good friend, Nick--the man who turned me on to the Hosa 1/4" male to 1/4" male effects pedal coupler, which allowed me to cram 14 BOSS pedals onto my Electar PBX-1000 pedalboard. Thanks, Nick! :wink:

Joel

Not to highjack the thread, but how's that Vibrothang?

Not to highjack the thread, but how's that Vibrothang?

You know, I'm actually able to get pretty much what I wanted out of it if I turn the phasing down and turn the vibrato up. I like the rhythmic, yet light bending of entire chords, partials, and notes. Kind of like the old BOSS VB-2 Vibrato pedal.

Now, then--if Actionman has received my money--I hope he doesn't think I'm stiffing him. :shock: :wink:

Joel

"Now, then--if Actionman has received my money--I hope he doesn't think I'm stiffing him."

No dough yet, but snailmail from there to here could be 5-6days sometimes. No worries brother!

Glad to hear the ol' VibroThang is wiggling the way you like it!


We now return you to your regularly scheduled programing

Hey Johnny Isaacs,
Something kinda dawned on me today .. thats not you in your avatar pic, is it? I've been seeing that pic for a while now and always assumed it was a pic of you and that you were an "older gentleman"!. I'm not too much into country music, so I'm assuming that everyone else knows who it is. So, come on ... clue me in ... who is it? :shock:

bagpipe - The guy in the pic is Roy Nichols! Best known as Merle Haggard's lead guitarist for many years.
http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/Roy%20on%20Instrumental%20Album%20crop.jpg

I'm 29. Here's me...... (I'm not Crazy Cooter Davenport)

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-3/122891/MeCooter.JPG

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-3/122891/Me.jpg

halouis - How do I not miss and hit the wrong pedal? I miss all the time! There's been many times that I'll go to hit my TS-9 or 10 and hit the tuner and mute myself! I've got the balance down pretty good now AND I wear pointy boots!

Joel You're the man around these parts! Not me! Heck you even live in Nashville and a very beautiful town it is! I'm quite the Boss fan myself. I'm always on the look for the Boss DC-2 Dimension C Chorus pedal, the Vibrato, and the Tremolo/Pan pedal ~ with no luck! I've got a pretty good pic of Vince's board. I'm not sure how old it is, but you've got a lot of the same ones he's using. Where do you get those Hosa couplers?

Johnny Isaacs

Hey Johnny,

I think these are the coupler's Joel is talking about.
http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/CFS-107.html
I've found them before at Music123 website.
Also here,
http://www.geartree.com/Shop/Control/fp/search/hosa+coupler/sfv/29865/field/1/attpk_3720/15589/order/asc

I use both and haven't had any troubles to date (knock on wood)

P.S. Johnny, are you still in the USAF?

halouis - How do I not miss and hit the wrong pedal? I miss all the time! There's been many times that I'll go to hit my TS-9 or 10 and hit the tuner and mute myself! I've got the balance down pretty good now AND I wear pointy boots!

Hey the pointy boots will surely help. But it sounds like you got it practiced up nicely. after last nights rehearsal I've decided to pull my '69 fuzz off as I just don;t find it useful on my live setup. so my board will be back to its simple old self. TU2 -> Micro-Amp -> Digidelay.

BY the way. Real cool pixx you got there.

I always enjoy these kinds of threads, because they may me feel positively under equipped with the five or six pedals I have on my board. :twisted:

after last nights rehearsal I've decided to pull my '69 fuzz off as I just don;t find it useful on my live setup. so my board will be back to its simple old self. TU2 -> Micro-Amp -> Digidelay.

Is that going into a Marshall? If so, I've been coming to the same conclusion lately (although for the moment, the '69 is still there). By the time I have enough dirt from my JCM 800 that the '69 sounds really good, there's usually enough dirt from the amp that I don't need it. At cleaner amp levels, I'm not really a fan of dirt boxes these days.

yep. into the marshall. I can get it to sound really sweet, but i need to back the amps gain down a bit, and find a sweet spot on the 69. not too fuzzy and keep it from getting too midscooped. I Love the 69 pedal it could end up back on someday. But I just love simplicity. My main rhythm and lead tones come with the Micro-amp on. Cleaner tones on a few spots i turn the M-A off. Then in a few lead spots I'll hit the delay for for effect. But usually i just control everything with my vol knob.

Bender72 - Yep, I've been in the AF for 11 years now.

Johnny Isaacs

I'm always on the look for the Boss DC-2 Dimension C Chorus pedal, the Vibrato, and the Tremolo/Pan pedal ~ with no luck!

Johnny, I have two mint/near-mint PN-2 Tremolo/Pan pedals with original boxes, instructions, and store receipts; I'd be more than happy to horse trade one of 'em with you or just give you a lowball price on it. If you want to discuss it further, just shoot a PM or an e-mail to me. :wink:

I'm always on the lookout for the old discontinued BOSS classics, too; unfortunately, all of the old DC-2 pedals get snapped up by all the players here in town, right along with the VB-2 Vibrato, and PN-2 Tremolo/Pan, and especially the CS-2 Compressor Sustainer. If I see any of these available in a second-hand pedal case in town, I'll give you heads up on it.

Where do you get those Hosa couplers?

Hey Johnny, I think these are the coupler's (http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/CFS-107.html) Joel is talking about. I've found them before at Music123 website. Also here (http://www.geartree.com/Shop/Control/fp/search/hosa+coupler/sfv/29865/field/1/attpk_3720/15589/order/asc).

I use both and haven't had any troubles to date (knock on wood)

That's close, Bender. The specific Hosa couplers our own good Mr. Nick Fanis turned me on to are the dual-tipped, straight-lined GPP-296 couplers (http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/GPP-146_and_GPP-296.html). They're not the couplers with 90º-angled tips and 3" cords--those are the Hosa CFS-107.

Joel

Alrighty Joel - You get the kick ass award! Everyone, from this day forward Joel gets the kick ass award. If anyone asks you "Who kicks ass?" the answer is "Joel!" They can't be filed in on the secret of who he is or the background - just that he kicks ass!

I also think those Hosa cables/couplers are the way to go and that'll be (maybe) my last time dinkin' with my pedalboard. I'll look for some this weekend. San Antonio is a big ol' town and I *should* be able to pick some up.

Thanks everyone for their comments, pics, stories, and offers!

Johnny Isaacs