Why so many pedals?

[garytelecastor]

I thought we had settled this.
What is this....the 500th thread on whether or not to "pedal"?
I use a compressor, a tuner, a tremolo, 2 distortion units and a delay.

Brent Mason on the other hand, (the #1 session player in Nashville):




I would think if all you ever needed was to plug directly into your amp and forget the rest, he would certainly be one that would know that and do it. And yet.....

[GraspnAtStrings]

I'd like to chime in (seems I've been chiming all over the forum today-just one of those moods I guess). I agree with the sentiment that you should just go with whatever works for you and the music you are playing. For some that involves no pedals and others need a buffet table of stomp boxes. But being a music novice, I'm confused about the nature of the pedals vs no pedals debate or the many pedals vs a handful of pedals debate. Are amps and guitars really any more pure in sound once you factor in all the circuits and magnets and tubes?
Isn't the fixation on Brand A vs Brand B or vintage/boutique vs. new/off the shelf just as much of a potential crutch? It seems that the only real difference is that some of the electronics happen to be in separate little boxes rather than just one big box. They are all instrument- guitar, amp, and effect pedal alike- as someone stated earlier. If you want to be truly pure then play an acoustic (like Bob Dylan's detractors demanded) or just nail a string to a piece of wood like Jack White does in the trailer to that movie.

[flatout9]

I like effects like any body else but I find that I end up using them as a distraction from working on something. I'm not a psychologist but I do have a degree in it so that makes me super proficient in diagnosing your problems. Currently I have a TS a keely compressor and Boss DD-5 through a Maz 18. Holy Heck; I really prefer just plugging straight into the Z. Depending on what I'm doing, which isn't much, I'm not sure the compression is even necessary. I think the amps doing that. I do like to have access to a few more inches of gain via the TS. But I'm currently looking at a ZEN DRIVE. Anybody have a few pennies to add to the persuasion pot?

[czech-one-2]

Honestly I dont really care what anybody else is or isnt using,and i've never bought a piece of gear cause artist A-list is using it........or not.
But I do enjoy hearing peoples opinions.
However, I use solid state [Roland/Peavey] amplification for its zero breakup at gig volumes and unlimited clean headroom,so in my case ALOT of my tone IS pedals.Plugging straight in isnt an option for me and those like me who are not ashamed of going tube-less. How are you going to cop a Nile Rogers strat tone with a 6v6 or tweed amp that is breaking up at 9 o'clock?As far as I know, there is no 'clean tone' pedal to make your marshall sound like your going direct! So pedal dirt + CLEAN amp works for me,covers all the bases.
Then theres the fact that effects can directly effect the WAY you play and can inspire you to take off in a different direction entirely.For example, if I solo with my mxr envelope filter into a ts9,that filter is going to lead me in a different direction and may even dictate to my brain and fingers where to go next,or how long to linger on that note etc. pretty cool for a pint sized box!
dlouhý živý pedalí ! [long live pedals!]

[franchelB]

I'm guessing that some guitar players want the convenience of a multi effect capability but without the sterile sound of a multi effect pedal.
Though there are some multi-effect boards available out there, it seems that one has to be a rocket-scientist to be able to program the presets...

or maayyybbbbeeeee...that there are some guitar players who are too lazy to bend down and twist some knobs on their pedals, probably thinking it's uncool to do that....

[Tim Bowen]

Yeah, the best bet is to use only what you need and nothing else. Currently, my gigs and material require a wah, a tuner, a noise suppressor, a compressor, a low gain overdrive, a boost, two analog delays, a digital modulation delay, and a trem. My preference is to sit around the house and bang away on acoustic instruments. I figure that if I've gotta plug in, I need to get paid. I've been gigging regularly since the 70's, so I'd like to think that by this point, I've got at least somewhat of a handle on what tools of the trade are necessary for the job at hand, which by the way are constantly changing.

[jakatone]

it´s like cocaine....you get hooked, very hooked

[SackvilleDan]

Originally Posted by jakatone

it´s like cocaine....you get hooked, very hooked

Amen to that, from a fellow pedal junky... 30+ currently, with 12 on the board!

[hannigan]

Originally Posted by jakatone

it´s like cocaine....you get hooked, very hooked

Yeah yeah but I could stop any time I wanted.

[redstringuitar]

I just love those little metal boxes of circuitry...they have to enhance my tone though, not make me sound like someone else...and I have to specifically need that pedal, no passengers on my board...not enough real estate!

[nosuch]

Originally Posted by hannigan

Yeah yeah but I could stop any time I wanted.

and you don't need to worry about the police either.

the police uses lots of pedals, too.

[Tim Bowen]

I rarely encounter professional working guitarists (that aren't working with a symphony orchestra) that don't have a few stomps conveniently placed at their feet. I know that my gigging life would be utter hell without them. I tend to record straight into amps as often as I can, but gigging without stomps, to me, is unthinkable. I don't care to work harder than I have to. The whole point of gear is to make one's job easier, not complicate it. I've split bills with quite a few professional guitarists. Buddy Miller utilizes stomps. Brad Paisley utilizes stomps.

I personally don't care who's using what. If I do a gig and can't quite find the sound that I was looking for, then I care about it. That's pretty much it.