Useful Utensils

Hi guys, I've been playing for about 2-3 months on a piece of shit Fender Strat rip-off, and I think I may need to upgrade my arsenal a tad. I'm currently saving up for a Tanglewood 67, and possibly a better amp, and I think it's time for pedals, I've been listening to these demos here: http://www.bossus.com/go/compact_pedal_demo/ . The ones I have been mainly looking at are the DS-1, DS-2 , OD-3, and MD-2. I play a lot of AC/DC (I know they use no pedals, but I can't achieve their sound without a tube amp, or something expensive) and Nirvana, and those kind of pedals obviously suit that style of music, I've seen all of these pedals at the local music store selling for under $100. Thanks guys!

Wesbanez

Surely if your guitar is a "piece of shit Fender Strat rip-off" you should be putting $100 towards a new guitar....?

Up to you obviously but you can't polish a turd with FX pedals etc.

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dannyalcatraz

Really, the first thing you should do is save your $ get a small tube combo amp. Pedals won't make as big a change in your sound as an amp will. And you might find yourself wanting to upgrade your "POS guitar" before buying pedals, too.

That said, Boss makes a lot of pedals. They aren't necessarily the best but they are fairly durable and dependable, and generally are a decent value for $. However, in my experience, you're better off spending a bit more when you're buying a pedal you expect to make a big change in your sound.

For instance, you're probably going to want both an OD and a distortion pedal. That will add up to a little over $100 (plus batteries & cables). And you still might not quite nail the tone you seek.

(I had exactly that problem with my first distortion pedals. They were not Boss pedals, but the point stands.)

However, for a few bucks more than buying 2 inexpensive pedals, you may be able to get a single quality pedal that can handle both duties very well. I own both of these:

Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JekyllHyde

Red Witch Famulus*
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Famulus/

(Both companies also make other hybrid pedals as well as high quality single-function pedals.)

There is no guarantee that such a pedal will let you find the tone you seek, but it will probably have a better chance of doing so. The main downside is that if somehow something DOES go wrong with such a pedal- a rare event but possible- 2 effects are affected, not one.

Basically, it has been my experience with gear (and many other things) that the old saying about being "penny wise and pound foolish" keeps being proven. You may see an initial savings with buying inexpensive gear, but you'll probably end up replacing it sooner.








* Yes, that IS a very expensive pedal. However, keep your eyes open and you may catch a sale- I got mine for $160 at GC last fall.

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Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: “Ninety percent of everything is crap.”

Why, yes, I am a lawyer- thanks for asking!

RedMist

Your amp is the most important piece IMO. As was said. An effect through a cheap amp is just painting a turd.

I really like the sound of an AMT SS20 and a TubeCake. Super versatile compared to many other setups.

Personally I hate the sound of a "distortion" or "metal" pedal. Overdrive is a nicer tone IMO.

thebestjoe

This. I'd take the clean channel of my amp (Peavey XXX) with a couple of ODs up front than the actual distortion channel.

Maybe post what your entire budget for everything would be and the good people of UG can steer you in the right direction of what to get.

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ERG's
Ibanez Universe UV777 Signed by Steve Vai
Schecter Damien Elite-8
Schecter Omen-7 with X2N and D-Thing
Douglas Scope 727

GaryBillington

Amp first.
Guitar second.

Then maybe think about getting pedals.

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hminh87

Yes. Get a decent amp first. I would recommend a low budget modelling amp like Vox Valvetronix, Peavey Vypyr, Line6 Spider etc... They have the most effect you will ever want to play at this level.

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☣G͔͓̅e͎͉̟̽ͬ͐̎̃͐ͨͅå͈͖͕̹̤̟̐̏͋ͅr̩͕̫̰̗s̹̳̼ͥ̒̍̄̅ͥ̚:

• ESP Standard Eclipse I CTM VW
• ESP LTD Deluxe H-1001
• ESP LTD Deluxe Viper-1000 STBC
• ESP Edwards E-EX-100STD
• Warmoth Paulcaster "Tiger"
• Tanglewood TW170 AS
• Vox Tonelab ST
• Blackstar HT-1R