In praise of your 'clean' effects

[dlew919]

Yes, we all have dozens of overdrives, and yes, we always use the Hm-2 when forced to choose.

But what effects do we use to enhance our clean tones?

Chorus? Delay? Reverb? Vibrato? Tremolo? Octave?

Go on, share your favourites?

 

[EXPLRGAB]

COMP-CUT ON FULLTONE FD II; RC BOOSTER

 

[Wooly Fox]

Compressor if I need it, see below video which I imagine inspired this thread.

 

[ross1shark]

The TC Electronic Spark Boost (the full sized version with toggle) is one of my favorite enhancers for cleans, as is an early version BearFoot Pale Green Compressor (three knob BJFE). I love them with driven tones too, but both the Spark and PGC add some especially magic sauce to cleans.

 

[SixStringSlinger]

It all sounds good, but I particularly like John Frusciante-style compression (more of a studio thing than a "guitar effect"), chorus/vibe sounds (particularly when things get a little wobbly) and Edge-ish delay (...delay...dedelay...dedelaylay...delaylay).

 

[stormsedge]

Reverb, delay, tremelo, and chorus in that order. I have a couple of different versions.

 

[Bluego1]

The underrated Way Huges are on my clean board. Saffron Squeeze compressor and Blue Hippo chorus/vibe. The Hippo is a transformative pedal. The vibe mode is a complete game changer. It also absolutely excels in tracking fuzz, so I’ve got the merry Christmas civil war muff on there for poops and giggles. The Joyo delay is really good. Has a thing called galaxy mode which is a must-hear. The Boss reverb pedal has a shimmer mode that earns it a place on the board over a couple other reverbs I’ve got.

 

[ChicknPickn]

May I suggest that the best clean tone comes from a solid-state amp with nothing between it and the guitar? I cheat a little, though - - my 1979 Kustom Lead I has a spring reverb box, which has not been matched by any pedal I have.

 

[Durtdog]

I use a Boss Chorus pedal to dial up a pretty decent Leslie effect.

 

[Telecaster88]

I play 100% clean at this stage and go Dyna Comp Deluxe to MXR Analog Chorus to Carbon Copy Deluxe to Topanga to Boss TR-2 Tremolo.

The Comp is always on, the Chorus and delay are usually on (set very low and mild); the trem I use judiciously for flavor.

I recently got a TC Spark Boost and am curious to hear how it will work for my purposes. Since I play clean and quiet, the Dyna Comp is my secret sauce... It provides sparkle and punch. First time I plugged it in I finally heard the guitar sound I'd heard on all my favorite records. It's the one pedal I'd keep if I could only keep one.

 

[twangjeff]

Most of the effects that I would add to a clean sound are ones that would be naturally occurring anyway. Like compression, and reverb.

 

[Old Smokey]

Great clean tone? All I really need is reverb (Flint or Surfybear).

 

[Willie Johnson]

T-Rex boost/reverb; just a More Everything pedal. Boss '59 Bassman pedal is set clean for different amp voicing/eq change/presence.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I generally play around the edge of break up. If I were playing strictly cleans, I would use a high headroom amp, and a compressor (or as I call it, my “OD for cleans” to add some compression/sustain.

Then add delay, reverb, trem to taste.

 

[JL_LI]

I play clean, mostly finger style. I don’t think of an equalizer as an effect. It’s what I use for tone shaping on all of my electric guitars. A delay pedal is an effect. I prefer it to reverb. It doesn’t blunt attack and it lets a note carry, like sustain only better. The delay layers a repeat over the input signal allowing a subtle interference to occur because fretting pressure is never perfectly even. This allows notes to move in space. The delay also decays a little faster at high frequencies bringing the timbre of wound and unwound strings closer together. And it’s a real effect. I turn it off when emulating an acoustic guitar with an electric.

 

[Ben Harmless]

Trem, but that's easy.

My other fave is detune. I was lucky enough to score a Boss PS-3 at a reasonable price, and the dual detune on that thing is everything they say it is. I've tried the others - Digitech Luxe, Boss PS-6, etc. None are both dual (capable of up and down detune) AND continuously adjustable. The result is that they're always too extreme, and I can't get subtle enough effects. For the life of me, I don't know why Boss doesn't put the algorithm in a new pedal. Hell, they could sell a pedal that JUST DOES THAT if they tried.

 

[cowboyfan1969]

Flashback delay set up for a U2 song plus a couple other ones. A Yellow Fall delay for solos.

 

[schmee]

OD, edge of grit clean OD, Tremelo, Chorus, Slap Back

 

[darkwaters]

 

[howardlo]

Yes, we all have dozens of overdrives, and yes, we always use the Hm-2 when forced to choose.


Not exactly true. Been playing since 1957 and have never owned one OD pedal, nor do I ever play anything but clean. can’t stand the sound of OD or breakup.

Back in the very early 60’s I did buy a Gibson Maestro Fuzz Tone pedal (the first guitar pedal produced). Only ever used it for two songs, Satisfaction and The Ventures 2000 Pound Bee.