Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Catalyst77 on February 21, 2008, 11:38:00 AM

Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Catalyst77 on February 21, 2008, 11:38:00 AM
In line with the resurgance in pedal board posts:

I'm redisgning my Pedal Board and have a wobo looper on the way; which will let me combine different combinations of pedals.

But I'm a bit OCD with the ol' pedals; at the moment its looking like having about 18 pedals on it.

Is that too much? (its certainly bloody heavy)

How many pedals do you guys tend to have on your boards? and do you ever crave the expansive sonic landscape or live in the land of pedal contentment?
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: indysmith on February 21, 2008, 12:01:36 PM
i have two. I'm thinking of downsizing though...
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Will on February 21, 2008, 12:28:00 PM
2 also. Well one pedal, and a rack EQ; but if I didn't have that, it would be a pedal. They are both always on, and no pedalboard, just sit on the amp.

Soon to be an OD1 replica :D
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Mr Ed on February 21, 2008, 12:55:58 PM
I currently have 8 I think but two of them are true bypass loopers... and in the near future I'll be adding 3/4 more.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: hamfist on February 21, 2008, 01:47:01 PM
There is no such thing as too many pedals.  Although you can definately have your signal going through too many at one time, negatively affect your tone.
   Sounds like you are going to be sorting things out in TB loopers anyway, so you'll have that side of things covered.
  Personally, I have 13 pedals on my board, although 3 of those are TB switch/loop pedals.   You're right about the whole thing starting to get heavy though. My flightcased pedalboard weighs at least as much as my AC30 head (which itself weighs a ton !)
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Mr Ed on February 21, 2008, 02:21:57 PM
Same here, my board weights the same as my JCM900 but it's worth it, I use every single pedal I have and that's the key for me - if you really use them all in your own music then why shouldn't you? If you just have them for the sake of it then it's kinda lame.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: jules666 on February 21, 2008, 02:23:43 PM
have 1 myself - a boss noise gate. All I have ever needed to be honest.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: MrBump on February 21, 2008, 02:54:31 PM
How many pedals is too many?

It's too many when you need to use your third leg to access them...
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: CUBE on February 21, 2008, 03:21:58 PM
i have 8 , but will eithe add or take away , if i findsome thing that does what i need it to do better.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Catalyst77 on February 21, 2008, 03:52:01 PM
Quote from: MrBump
How many pedals is too many?

It's too many when you need to use your third leg to access them...


I think too many is when your board doesnt fit length ways in your car!
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Slarty on February 21, 2008, 03:56:29 PM
If you can deal with tone suckage and use them all then the sky is the limit :-)

I have 8 but got fed up of tap dancing.  Its a shame cos I love modulation and delay on the clean channel.  But then trying to turn them off when switching to dirt became too much hassle.

Its all about phasers for me, think I will just have them and an OD :)
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: jibidy on February 21, 2008, 04:03:58 PM
Seems that theres no such thing as too many as long as you can lift it to and throw your car/transport without getting a hernia.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: psy on February 21, 2008, 04:07:06 PM
I used to use about 5...  Distortion, EQ, Flanger, Chorus & Wah.  But even that was too much hassle for me so I took the easy option & switched a multi-FX board.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Jonny on February 21, 2008, 04:18:44 PM
Quote from: jibidy
Seems that theres no such thing as too many as long as you can lift it to and throw your car/transport without getting a hernia.

I can't throw a car let alone getting a hernia doing it. PDT_006
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Catalyst77 on February 21, 2008, 04:20:20 PM
Quote from: Slarty
If you can deal with tone suckage and use them all then the sky is the limit :-)

I have 8 but got fed up of tap dancing.  Its a shame cos I love modulation and delay on the clean channel.  But then trying to turn them off when switching to dirt became too much hassle.

Its all about phasers for me, think I will just have them and an OD :)

Well mine are mainly true bypass, plus im sticking in the wobo looper programer ; so i dont have to hopscotch or suffer from tone loss/need buffer etc.

i.e. i can go from clean with chorus and delay to distortion with eq and flange, at the press of one glorious stomp.

I have been down the Multi FX loop (Genex 3) but the sound was terrible and there was always a delay between switching.

Plus a couple of times it would switch on stage when I didn't press nothin!

invariably it always ended up on that one (of many) useless preprogrammed sounds thats supposed to immitate and alien rectal probe + infiniate crescendo volume repeats!
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: kellar on February 21, 2008, 04:23:09 PM
18 pedals?!?!  :o
I have 2, an SD-1 and a Wah.
I'm surprised you still have a signal by the time it reaches you amp!
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Catalyst77 on February 21, 2008, 04:41:39 PM
Quote from: kellar
18 pedals?!?!  :o
I have 2, an SD-1 and a Wah.
I'm surprised you still have a signal by the time it reaches you amp!


 they are in a looper programer; So if I were just using the channel on my amp they would all be bypassed.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Ian Price on February 21, 2008, 05:05:10 PM
I have 3:

Fulltone OCD
Boss DD3
Zvex Seek Wah II

I will probably get some sort of phaser and that'll be it for me.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Jonny on February 21, 2008, 05:13:12 PM
Quote from: Ian Price
I will probably get some sort of phaser and that'll be it for me.

That's what they all say :wink:
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: the_bleeding on February 21, 2008, 07:50:59 PM
i own... 6. (maxon od808, boss dd6, boss hm-2, dod fx90, crybaby, tuner)

But i only use 2. the maxon and tuner.

i do want a new wah though so i can use that.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: badgermark on February 21, 2008, 07:58:56 PM
I have a custom built triangle Muff and delay in one box, and a crunch zone alongside a boss tuner. All i need really.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: headtheball on February 21, 2008, 08:02:45 PM
A three pedal man myself. A custom boost/thickener pedal built into (the shame!!) a Behringer chassis (It's kinda like a treble booster, but instead of treble, it has it's "spike" in the low-mid region), a slightly altered Crybaby, and a delay.

The "thickener" is on 50% of the time for band purposes, the wah gets a fair bit of use, but the delay is really not being used to anything like it's full potential, more as a doubling effect, so I might either quit using it, or change to something analogue for a smoother sound, as total delay time is of very little concern to me.

The only other thing I want/need is a tremolo pedal, but I can't seem to find one that'll do what I want. Really, I want something like one of those new Fender Volume/Tone pedals, with the up-down motion controlling speed, and the left/right controlling intensity... If only they'd build it.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Johnny Mac on February 23, 2008, 07:49:46 AM
Omar A Rodriguez-Lopez from The Mars Volta has over 100 and reckons he needs all of them!  :lol:
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: hamfist on February 23, 2008, 08:30:37 AM
Quote from: kellar
18 pedals?!?!  :o
I have 2, an SD-1 and a Wah.
I'm surprised you still have a signal by the time it reaches you amp!


C'mon, get with the program. Do a google search for "true bypass looper", and you'll find out about the proper way to set up a pedalboard.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: kellar on February 23, 2008, 12:55:40 PM
I am perfectly aware of what a true bypass looper is. I meant that as a joke, referring to his 18 pedals. Humour, remember humour?
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Johnny Mac on February 23, 2008, 02:10:27 PM
Now now play nicely!
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Antag on February 23, 2008, 02:51:38 PM
Quote from: kellar
18 pedals?!?!  :o
I have 2

Me too:  MXR Chorus & Morley "Bad Horsie" wah.

Having said that, I do plug into a 4-channel amp & have a MIDI FX processor in the FX loop for reverb & delays, so I'm hardly stuck with a limited tonal palette :)
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Johnny Mac on February 23, 2008, 03:33:30 PM
I've got 4 that I use. A Screaming Demon Wah. A HBE Dos Mos. A HBE Power Screamer with fat boost. And one of those Yamaha Magic Stomps. It's ok for a couple of things. My Dos Mos is my Favorite. I was playing it through a 12 watt Marshall last week with my Charvel 6 with the MM and TS Pups and I thought it sounded better than my mates DSL. Thing is so did he!
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: MDV on February 23, 2008, 03:38:56 PM
I have:

Vox 847
Digitech Wammy (the old red one)
Digitech Main Squeeze
Boss HM-3 (a gift, pretty much unused)
Boss EQ 20
ISP Decimator

The only ones I use with any regularity are the EQ and the Decimator. Niether of which I could get by without.

Thinking about getting a delay and a chorus, but I cant really be arsed.
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Johnny Mac on February 23, 2008, 03:42:58 PM
Quote from: MDV
I have:

Vox 847
Digitech Wammy (the old red one)
Digitech Main Squeeze
Boss HM-3 (a gift, pretty much unused)
Boss EQ 20
ISP Decimator

The only ones I use with any regularity are the EQ and the Decimator. Niether of which I could get by without.

Thinking about getting a delay and a chorus, but I cant really be arsed.


Do you still need the decimator with the new amp Mark? Does it give you that Dimebag kind of feel?
Title: How many pedals is too many pedals?
Post by: Ted on February 23, 2008, 08:06:37 PM
cr@p.

I have over 20 pedals. Its kind of a hobby, I use all of them, but not at the same time.

I build quite a few of them myself from BYOC.