Guitar Effects

[Shagg]

I'm interested in buying some kind of guitar effects pedal or board, but not sure what brand is reliable. I'm currently wanting a Wah-Wah pedal; I searched eBay for some cheap ones and there are several different kinds. What kind of Wah-Wah pedal brands are good and moderately priced?

[Android]

I am quite partial to my Morley Wah. http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/AndroidBaggins/morleywvo-1.jpg
It's a pretty good pedal because it doubles as a volume pedal if you press the switch. I've played several other wahs like crybaby, but they just don't do the trick.

[Shagg]

I check Worley out on YouTube, and it easily beats Crybaby, but I'm really interested in a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah since I can have three distinctive sounds, specifically Jimi's. :hmm:

http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/thumbs/fulltone-clyde-deluxe-wah%20s.jpg

[InTransit]

Oh! I have a Crybaby Wah. I love it, but then I use it simply to sound like I'm playing pornstar music. The rest of my pedals are all Behringer crap, which are okay for at-home playing but I wouldn't buy their stuff again. They're so flimsy and cheap.

[cabhats]

The rest of my pedals are all Behringer crap, which are okay for at-home playing but I wouldn't buy their stuff again. They're so flimsy and cheap.
I didn't think they were that bad. I have a distortion stomp box and it goes alright. To be fair though they are made entirely out of plastic.

I'm also looking for a wah, and possibly a delay pedal 'cause I'd rather have a bunch of pedals than a multi effects unit. They're overrated.

And To answer your question about brands, I've heard good things from lots of people about line-6, and boss multi effects units. My friend has a well used boss unit that still performs. And I mean really well used.

[Kenneh]

I have a Korg AX5G Multieffects Pedal, I guess it works ok since its my first pedal and I haven't used any other pedals at all except for the ones at my band rehearsal. It has a built in expression pedal, set for 3 things, volume, wah-wah, and effects parameter. I'd say its pretty good, after all it has about 16 different types of distortion to choose from (with options on each) a large collection of pre effects, chorus, and delay to choose from, with memory too so you don't have to dial in the effects again to get the sound you want.

But I guess stompboxes and regular wahwahs have better sound quality than this digital shit.

[Pelican Man]

For stompboxes, either go to a secondhand shop and get a cheapo one, as they'll get the job done, or go Boss. I spent $200 on a Boss tuner pedal, and I don't regret it one bit. So easy to use and reliable. Being a bass player, I don't need any effects, but Boss are top of the line for them.

[ElPresidenteMike]

While I don't play guitar, I do play bass and I've got a Line 6 PodXT. Its pretty damn nice and I'd recommend getting Line 6 pods for anyone wanting to get effects.

My pod can do virtually everything I can think of. Assuming I can't think of it, I can hook it up the computer and download things off the internet.

...and yes, its a pretty good wah pedal too.

[TheHighwaySong]

To me Behringer stuff doesn't look bad, but I haven't tried any of their products out myself. I was thinking of purchasing an amp of theirs, but despite online reviews, alot of friends advised me against it. I ran into this (http://behringer.com/TPK988/?lang=ENG) when I saw an ad for it on the last issue of Bass Player magazine.

Anyone think it's worth it?

[ElPresidenteMike]

To me Behringer stuff doesn't look bad, but I haven't tried any of their products out myself. I was thinking of purchasing an amp of theirs, but despite online reviews, alot of friends advised me against it. I ran into this (http://behringer.com/TPK988/?lang=ENG) when I saw an ad for it on the last issue of Bass Player magazine.

Anyone think it's worth it?

Behringer is usually cheaply priced and well, you get what you pay for. If you're wanting a new amp, I suggest saving up for an Ampeg.

[InTransit]

To me Behringer stuff doesn't look bad, but I haven't tried any of their products out myself. I was thinking of purchasing an amp of theirs, but despite online reviews, alot of friends advised me against it. I ran into this (http://behringer.com/TPK988/?lang=ENG) when I saw an ad for it on the last issue of Bass Player magazine.

Anyone think it's worth it?

Like I said in my last post, I would STRONGLY recommend not buying anything from Behringer. The couple of things I have had, have been super cheap, they feel super cheap, and they sound super cheap. I've actually stopped using those guitar pedals all together, even though I haven't replaced them yet, simply because playing my guitar straight to the amp, or with my cry-baby sounds so massively superior to playing with the Behringer pedals. It's like playing with really really good equipment and having this awesome sound, and then to put effects in just smear shit all over your song.

[docmartens]

I think I have a whole bunch of Boss pedals. First, get distortion. It will make the most difference. Then get chorus or sustain, those are also really good. Then delay, overdrive or phaser. These are kind of in steps. The third group is kind of specifically used, so you wouldn't get overdrive first, because you could essentially simulate it with distortion and gain.

I've never owned a board, but I've heard good things. It really depends on the music you're trying to get into. I know U2 uses delay more than most bands, for instance.

[Alcoholic]

Whoever mentioned Boss was dead-on. They do what they say they do, those pedals.
The multi-effects boards always give you mediocre verisons of each effect, but a few stand-outs are worth their weight. Korg is a good maker, usually pretty trustworthy, and Digitech is hit-or-miss.

One board I like from them is the Digitech RPX400r.....or some lettered denotation, I forget. Basically the special edition RPX 400. That had a few pretty decent effects, if you're good at levelling out your amp settings. It also had a built-in wah pedal that you could mess around with to control the height and depth of your wah dive, which is a BLAST. Plus side, it has a wah allocated to each effect on the board. Some are kinda ugly though, in all honesty. It also doubles as a volume swell by way of a toe-switch in the pedal itself. It's also a full-out processor that you can multi-track with, and has an on-board (albeit shitty) drum loop to play with for rythm. More like a glorified metronome, really. I think the RPX400 may have been discontinued, but it's a fun piece.

And yes, the Morley wah is pretty badass. I wish I had it to play around with still, but the Digitech board more than makes up for it. My only complaint about the Morley pedal is the dive range: not nearly broad enough.
I had a Crybaby too. Not bad, but I'd rather go with the Morley.

There was a Danelectro 3-phase wah pedal I had....now that was actually amazing. Looked like an old 1950's Plymouth or something, and was colored to look like leopard skin. If you can find it, grab it. I honestly regret not having that, though I got a Randy Roads V out of the deal!

[cabhats]

Korg is a good maker, usually pretty trustworthy
hmm really? My experience isn't too good with them. Even the Korg tuner doesn't really work that well, so much so that I learned to tune by ear pretty quickly. And although I just have one pedal from them it isn't really that great either.

Edit: Does anyone know much about Ibanez pedals? There's quite a few of them on a local auction site but I'm not too keen since I've never heard anything about them before.

[Android]

Some of the best effects I have ever come across are made by a company called Z-Vex effects based out of Minneapolis. They are all hand-made, hand-painted, and have some of the most uniquely awesome sounds.

I particularly enjoy their Wooly Mammoth bass distortion. I had been searching for a different kind of tone and found it in that pedal, it sounds absolutely amazing even when you run it through a guitar.

The pedals are a little more pricey than most, but they are worth every bit. Z-Vex also makes several other effects pedals and amps that are worth checking out.

http://www.zvex.com/effects.html

[cabhats]

I just bought me one of these (http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/PRODUCTS/EN/ME-50/index.html).
So far I'd say it sits on top of pretty much all the other multi-effects I've played through. Although the wah effect is a little shitty, but that might just be the fact that I've only just started using wah effects a bit, and don't really know what I'm doing.
The other effects are pretty comparable to stomp boxes and the like.
I would have bought a GT-10 or a GT-8 but I don't need that much stuff, and it was a little more than I would have paid for it.
The really great thing is that it doesn't have any amp-modeling effects. I hate those. It does have a few "tone modifiers" but I don't touch them.

[Shagg]

I went to Guitar Center to check their collection of wah's and the best rated were a Morley PDW-II Pro Series or a Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Signature Crybaby. I'm not super educated on wah's so which do you guys think is better?

[Android]

I'd go with the Morley, but it's up to you whether or not you want a wah+distortion (which that model of Morley is). I would go with a regular wah without distortion so you can add and adjust it as you need. The Hendrix wah is nice and all, but it's a reproduction of a 60's wah pedal. If you want the Hendrix sound, go for it but I would recommend something a little more up to date.

[lobster bisque anyone?]

If your still looking than I would suggest getting this.

http://www.myhrbraaten.no/images/weeping%20demon.jpg

[cabhats]

If your still looking than I would suggest getting this.


Are they really that good? I mean, an old guy at a music shop talked it up heaps, but every other thing he recommended sucks. Sure you can adjust it and all but what about quality? They're also a lil priceyish.

[alo81]

Hmm, well right now i'm not sure how well moneys holding up, but im considering either getting the Digitech Whammy Pedal or the Boss ME-50, Which would be a smarter choice, I'm just tryin to learn what effects i really like right now. I haven't tried the ME-50 yet but i love the sound of the Digitech Whammy

[Badass_Shit_Talking]

Well if you have money to burn you can buy the Line 6 PODxt Live! for $300 (off ebay). It comes with a Wah pedal, as well as 50 effects, 20 cabs, 30 heads and a junk load of other modeling dodads. It is the ultimate bang for your buck effects proccessor. I don't see to many wah pedal's kicking around for less tha 180 dollars, so if you got the extra cash, get it so you arn't spending more money in the future for other small pedals.

If your wanting "just" a really good whammy pedal, go for the Digitech Whammy pedal.

[Verdelet]

Hey TS.


I did at one point get myself a Morely Bad Horsey wah, but never found a use for it... It had an okay-ish sound but was built like a tank!

I don't have much knowledge on Wah's but the Ibanez wah is nice I must say but the best sounding one I've heard so far is the Vox V848 Clyde McCoy Wah Pedal... I heard demo clips online somewhere and really liked it!




I'd steer clear of Line6, I was a user of them at one point but grew tired of their "digital/sterile" sounding effects (my opinion) unles you run it through a decent tube amp..

Hopefully that helps!

[notafan]

I have a Digitech RP250 and it's trashy, but it works very well.

[InTransit]

This: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/grinace/fuzzfaktree.png

Just arrived yesterday. Zvex Fuzz Factory. It is sooooooooo much fun to play with because it just makes random noise. The pedal came with instructions and a disclaimer saying that the nobs are just named over what it kinda sounds like is changing, not over what it will change because it's just a noise maker. Soooo sweet and fun.

[Britney Spears]

Whatever pedals you may get, make sure you get one of those SKB or Furman pedal boards. You Velcro all of your pedals onto the board, and get short patch cables and run all the pedals together. I don't know if you guys are heavy effects users, but I have six or seven on my board (from a small compressor to a giant looper) and I can't imagine just carrying those in a backpack and lining them up on stage when you have tight timing.

[Android]

This: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/grinace/fuzzfaktree.png

Just arrived yesterday. Zvex Fuzz Factory. It is sooooooooo much fun to play with because it just makes random noise. The pedal came with instructions and a disclaimer saying that the nobs are just named over what it kinda sounds like is changing, not over what it will change because it's just a noise maker. Soooo sweet and fun.
I'm actually using the bass version of that pedal, The WoolY Mammoth. Z-Vex pedals are freaking amazing (though a little pricey). My bass fuzz sounds awesome on a guitar too.

[Britney Spears]

Well that's because when making effects, the engineers don't necessarily take into mind what instrument is gonna be going through it. They usually just paint it a different way. If anything, it's a very mild change of wiring to handle the low frequencies of a bass. Otherwise, you can easily use guitar effects for bass, and vice versa.

I'm sure there are a few exceptions (all pedal companies are different), so don't nail me up on this.

[InTransit]

I'm actually using the bass version of that pedal, The WoolY Mammoth. Z-Vex pedals are freaking amazing (though a little pricey). My bass fuzz sounds awesome on a guitar too.

Yeah I wouldn't want to put a normal FF through a bass guitar because the sounds are just wayyyy too trebly and high pitched for it to sound any good. I'm thinking all you could get is some distorted bass sounds with a squealy squeal over the top.

But on the other hand yes a lot of bass pedals sound awesome through guitars. I was tossing up between a FF and a Big Muff (bass distortion fuzz) but got the FF because I can already get some heavy distortion through my current set up.

[Android]

But on the other hand yes a lot of bass pedals sound awesome through guitars. I was tossing up between a FF and a Big Muff (bass distortion fuzz) but got the FF because I can already get some heavy distortion through my current set up.

It was a good choice on your part. I love the Big Muff but it is just way too muddy for most guitar playing. Even on a bass it just doesn't have the punch of the Z-Vex pedals.

[Rendellious]

This: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/grinace/fuzzfaktree.png

Just arrived yesterday. Zvex Fuzz Factory. It is sooooooooo much fun to play with because it just makes random noise. The pedal came with instructions and a disclaimer saying that the nobs are just named over what it kinda sounds like is changing, not over what it will change because it's just a noise maker. Soooo sweet and fun.

Ahh i'm insanely jealous!
I'm currently looking at getting one of them, and probably a Hendrix wah, are the FF's worth it?

[Britney Spears]

Don't get the Hendrix. Just get a real wah. Vox makes spectacular wah pedals these days. Engineers usually put way too much effort into signature models to get one particular sound. Then you're locked into that sound.

[InTransit]

Ahh i'm insanely jealous!
I'm currently looking at getting one of them, and probably a Hendrix wah, are the FF's worth it?

If the only two pedals you're going to have is a wah and a FF then no it is DEFINITELY not worth it. For a start, it's more of a 'noise' pedal than a fuzz or distortion pedal. It's not useable in every situation just as a standard pedal, and is really only useful on leads because it muddies up any chords and just creates a really really noisy squealy mess otherwise. But having said that it's a lot of fun and you can get some awesome noises out of it. I'm sooo happy with that purchase. But you seriously do need an established set up and be reasonably competent at playing before you're going to want to buy one.

I'd suggest get a normal wah, I have a crybaby and I love it. And a standard distortion like a Boss or something. You'll find a lot more uses for that than a FF. I use both the FF & a distortion because you can't get any fluid chorusey sounds from a FF.

[Rendellious]

If the only two pedals you're going to have is a wah and a FF then no it is DEFINITELY not worth it. For a start, it's more of a 'noise' pedal than a fuzz or distortion pedal. It's not useable in every situation just as a standard pedal, and is really only useful on leads because it muddies up any chords and just creates a really really noisy squealy mess otherwise. But having said that it's a lot of fun and you can get some awesome noises out of it. I'm sooo happy with that purchase. But you seriously do need an established set up and be reasonably competent at playing before you're going to want to buy one.

I'd suggest get a normal wah, I have a crybaby and I love it. And a standard distortion like a Boss or something. You'll find a lot more uses for that than a FF. I use both the FF & a distortion because you can't get any fluid chorusey sounds from a FF.

Yeah i've already got a normal distortion pedal, and a chorus pedal at the moment, although they're only behringer ones and i'll probably look at upgrading them soon.
Thanks alot for the advice though

[InTransit]

Upgrade them first. Behringer's distortion and chorus pedals are shit and you definitely don't wanna put them in the mix with a FF.

[Rendellious]

Upgrade them first. Behringer's distortion and chorus pedals are shit and you definitely don't wanna put them in the mix with a FF.

Yeah I know, the distortion especially, I don't really use the chorus though. I was thinking Boss for distortion, or possibly a Zakk Wylde

[Pelican Man]

You can never go wrong with a Boss. Only concern is the price, but hey; you pay that amount once, and won't really ever need to upgrade again! And if you do, you should be a fucking world famous guitarist, in which case they should be handing them to you.

[Lozenge]

The Whammy pedal!! - http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=gKpt3Z1C8Cw

I really want one of these, if you don't know what they are they're like a whammy bar in pedal form, in concept, they don't really sound like one but you can change the pitch of the note your playing with an expression pedal, sounds really cool. Anyone know where to get one of these for under $200AUS, and does anyone have one of these, and if so are they worth it?

I'd agree that Boss is the best, I have a ME-20 and it's really good, the effects aren't as good as the individual pedals but I reckon they're good quality since you get about 15 of them. My brother has a Boss Bass Overdrive pedal and it's really good, so get Boss if you get anything.

[Assassin]

Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Signature Crybaby.
I have that one and I don't like it.

Boss is pretty much the best one for pedals.