I've only been using the boost pedal as a linedriver at this point, and to be honest it doesn't seem to be making an audible difference in that role. Where I thought it might come in handy is if I have the phaser in front of the wah, but I haven't received the phaser in the mail yet. Apparently phasers - or at least these MXR ones - can be real tone killers at the front of a chain of effects without a buffer of some kind at the front. Hence it is set at zero boost, and just idles there. If it still makes no effect when I have the phaser there I will move it to either last in line before the amp or last in line in the effects loop.
Yes I do have an effects loop and the G-String is in there after the MXR 10-band EQ, with the chorus and delay likely to go after it in that order (and the boost after them if it ends up in the loop).
The 6-band EQ will most likely be used only for leads and for that reason will physically be placed on the board next to the Mooer Dark Secret, so that I can kick them in together. The chorus will be placed near them for the same reason, as will the phaser. Where they fit in the signal chain is of course a completely different matter. Other pedals can sit further back on the board. I also have the Peavey footswitch mounted on my board so as to protect the connector on the back, which is easily damaged. Like the pedals just mentioned it will be placed along the leading edge of the board as the channel and crunch switches are something I use fairly often in the middle of a song. The wah goes on the far right.
I've placed the tuner and the front end of the G-String at the front of the signal chain because they both depend on a clean signal coming in. The tuner is digital but it is pure bypass and cuts out all the other stuff when it is on. It is not used on the fly so it is okay to go at the top of the board and that also allows me to run the guitar lead in more easily from the right (I am right-handed). The G-String is up there too because it is always on. Some of the pedals are difficult to step over - such as the Maxon OD-9 and the G-String - so I don't have anything behind them and they go as far back on the board as possible. I rarely turn off the Maxon and as it is quite high I can step on it easily when it is behind the other pedals.
In the chain the dirt seems best after the wah, and probably after the phaser, although some people treat the phaser in the same way as a flanger, and put it in the loop. I will try both ways. I'm not sure if the wah should be before or after the phaser if the phaser is up front. To be honest I kind of doubt that I will use both pedals at once, so it might not matter much. My wah is buffered so it might be good to put the wah after it. The G-String also acts as a buffer I think. The tuner doesn't.
The main thing that puzzles me is the compressor. The thing sounded like complete shitee with dirt on when I first used it last night, even though it is meant to be one of the best compressors out there. I got some decent sounds out of it with cleans, but to be honest I prefer more open cleans. Maybe if I were playing banjo rolls or something on my guitar I would find it more useful. When I played it with dirt and fiddled with the knobs some (i.e., backed things off to make it more subtle) I found that it thickened up the notes a lot. It sounded kind of awful with chords but I suspect that it could be great for single note stuff, especially higher up the neck. So it might end up in the tap dance section of my board. I will also try it after the distortion pedals to see if that improves things
Thanks everyone for your comments. I will keep experimenting as pedals arrive and I find time.
I can't imagine that I will need more pedals than I have now or have coming. I seem to have one of most things. A lot of people have no more than a noise gate and a delay, and see the others as superfluous. I can definitely see how certain effects, such as wahs and phasers, are only occasional toys
