Less Effects???

[Yardbird Mac]

Has anyone here started using fewer effects? I have several in storage, but I'm finding that my playing actually improves if I use FEWER effects. I'm down to using just an H2O Liquid Crystal delay and chorus (sparingly).

[Cygnus X1]

I'm down to zero.

And I'm and old "heavy metal" player.
It's a stage, and I hope it lasts.

[Gris]

Yeah, I've been consciously trying to whittle it down for a while. But, it all depends upon what tunes you are playing and what rig. If I was playing nothing but blues I could get by with next to nothing, but rock/jam band stuff requires a palate. Still there are certain effects I will never use again - like a chorus or phaser. OTOH, a Leslie sim can be a good thing IMO. Reverb and delay are necessary tho, as are a couple of different flavors of distortion. Wah or envelope is also very useful. Compression is also needed w/ certain type amps.

[Don]

I use delay, reverb, Leslie sim and tremolo and a little fuzz. I only use them where require.

Last weekend we played a BBQ. The first two sets were planned out and I used those effects with a Tele, a Les Paul, my 5E3 clone and my Mesa/Boogie Express.

Later we played a blues jam where I just used the Les Paul and the Mesa/Boogie. That's where the fun was!

[Cygnus X1]

I must be getting into snob territory with these amps I am building.
I don't know-the only real amp I ever owned was the 67 DR. and it was never really right until about two months ago.
I spent other times with Marshalls (hated them), to racks, etc.

Just wrapped about three hours of hot gatorade soaked low volume noodling to the radio through the Spitfire.
Only effect I used was the volume knobs and splitter switches, playing everything from "Brick House" to "Don't Fear the Reaper".
It's just me I guess.

[Gris]

I think the most minimalist gig I played and felt good about (my tone at least) was wah>boost>delay into homemade 14 watt 1x12 combo. I just sound too much 'the same' without at least a little something to tap into. Can't imagine doing the funk w/o the wah. And I don't think I need these 'crutches' because I am a shitty player (I am) or my guitar's sound is so recognizable (it is). I also enjoy listening to others who vary their sound and mix it up a bit. OTOH, I could see where if you have this one sound that is unreal and you can work it like crazy (think great sax player) then I am sure it can be pulled off. I ain't that good though, LOL.

[bluetweed]

I've gone back to nothing except a TS on occasion, and a Corned Beef reverb for my little Champion when I just have to have some reverb for some rockabilly. I think I'm going to get a Route 66 pedal, and sell the other pile of pedals that waste my 9v batteries.

[Stonefreefuzz1]

I used to have a ton of stuff, sold it all a few years ago, now I will occasionally use a wah, normally I don't even bring one to rehearsal or gigs anymore, Jus' plug right in and go.

[chuckocaster]

depends on the gig.

for bass i need a tuner, and a fuzz. but i can get by without the fuzz.

for guitar i like a tuner, light distortion, a booster, and that's really it.

i'll throw other stuff on the board, but at the end of the day i can make it by with very little stuff. i'd rather change guitars or pup selection. now if we're talking cover band, i'll throw on a mod pedal and a wah.

[thegeezer]

A Strat into a Boss Tuner into a Radical Tonebone Classic into a DRRI. And sometimes I don't hardly use the Tonebone Classic.

[Offshore Angler]

I play everything from country to classic rock to punk to surf, and I've gone from a full effects board to a DRRI and a vintage RAT, and things are so much better.

[Rickenjangle]

I have a delay on all the time, with a couple presets. Amp's reverb. TS9 and SD1. Other than that, on my board I have comp/od/od/boost/tremolo/phase/dly but really only use the modulation effects sparingly. In front of the board I have my wah (sparingly used too) and an old Rotovibe pedal I recently found that I'd forgotten I have.

So, I have a lot of effects but mostly just use OD/boost/delay.

[Offshore Angler]

Actually, I don't use less, I use fewer.

[Custom 5]

my pedal board is pretty full. wah wah, couple of od pedals, chorus, and delay. the trick is to use them discreetly. it's fun to play different sounds during the night.

[sting7777]

I am down to just a Barber Direct Drive into my 5F2A 99% of the time.

I still have my bigger rig (5E3 and 18Watt) with a crap load of pedals - but rarely need it/use it.

I am at the point where I sound like me no matter what and I can play pretty much anything guitar or amp wise and it sounds good.

Wish I had that capability 20 years ago - I would have saved all my money spent on guitars, amps, and effects and bought a small country.

[Yardbird Mac]

Just like everything else I get involved in... I'm getting really indecisive on this subject. The other night, after starting this thread, I packed up all the stuff I thought I wouldn't use anymore. Now, I'm having second thoughts! I've already pulled the digital reverb and the wah pedal back out of the bag of stuff I was going to jettison.


By the way... I changed LESS to FEWER in my original post.

[Ryan Givhan]

0 for me sir. the only pedal i have on the floor is a tuner with true bypass. but thats usually my lp into a ceriatone 50w plexi clone. but i use my tele's with the same amp so . . . yeah

[Cygnus X1]

It is a process, not a really a decision I made in one day.
I think the biggest turning point for me was right after I built and broke in my nasty looking 5E3 combo.
The combination of that particualr build, the cab, the speaker, the right guitar (a Hamer Phantom A5)...it was as if the amp had subtle effects in it already.
The "reverb"-it is there, just a hint, just about what I would usually dial in. Which is just barely noticeable.
Phase?
It's in the guitar.
Gain?
With that amp, it is also in the guitar-my gawd I learned just what "touch sensitivity" really means.
I learned I could coax different sounds right out of the guitar without touching any controls, from clean quiet to a nice growl. Eliminates the need for that OD box I always used.

And now with my low watt high gain amps I been building-it gets even more, from Buffalo Springfield to Scorpions just by changing the volumes/switches on the guitar.

[thegeezer]

I played trough a showman and a Fender outboard reverb last night at a jam, the amp was very nice and didn't need a lot of other stuff. This has be my direction with most good amps lately.

[refin]

I always try to get the amp sound the best it can alone,and then "enhance" that with effects,rather than induce tone with effects.
Some amps need coaxing,but when you find a great stand alone amp.....use effects judiciously.

[Franklin]

I'm mostly using my Sunlion fuzz/boost -I'd say about 85% of the time. I'll use auto wah/delay/wah several times a night, depending on the songs/jams. I rarely use my Zendrive, Huckleberry or POG, but they are sure fun to have around when I want to use them!

[djinn1973]

I was starting to become that guy with a bunch of distortion/overdrive pedals on his board... I have an amp with cleans that I really love but I couldn't really get the overdrive sound I wanted at low volume. I bought a smaller lower power amp, the only pedal I use now is an a/b switch.

[Doc W]

This shouldn't be a test. The gig should always determine the equipment requirements. If you are a cover band doing a wide range of material, you may well need a several guitars and a wide range of effects.

The kind of music I play, from rootsy bluesy countryish to jazzy requires very few effects, other than what is in the amp (reverb, tremolo). I often use a delay and sometimes a compressor. I don't use any of the other stuff, like choruses, etc.

When I played in a blues band, I used less pedals but had more junk on stage: two amps (one clean, one pushed a little), a reverb tank, and three guitars (Gibson 345, Strat, and Les Paul set up for slide).

But like I said, if you play music that uses a lot of effects, then you need them. I would never go out and buy a pedal unless I truly needed it.

What I don't understand is the need to have 3 Les Pauls, 6 Strats, 4 Teles, etc. I totally don't get that.

[Gris]

I find that if I use exactly the right chain of effects (it's usually about 10-15), if I dial them all in just right, then I can exactly nail the original tone of the amp I am plugged into...

[Offshore Angler]

I always try to get the amp sound the best it can alone,and then "enhance" that with effects,rather than induce tone with effects.
Some amps need coaxing,but when you find a great stand alone amp.....use effects judiciously.

Right on. It all starts with a good sounding amp. No pickups or pedals are going to cure an amp that sounds wrong. Oh, had only I learned that years ago...

[Yardbird Mac]

I'm a big fan of Peter Green. In his Fleetwood Mac days it appears that the only effects he used was a reverb unit (which sometimes didn't record well on the live stuff - I think he kind of went overboard with it).

My all time favorite though, is Jeff Beck... what else can I say???

[Wilko]

I've been down to zero for along time, but now t hat I have to play many quieter shows, I'm using a TS9.

NOW, I'm playing much more stuff that has "signature" tones in it so I may use a Phase Shifter, or a Rotovibe sometimes. I brought out my old Big Muff from high school recently...

[refin]

What I don't understand is the need to have 3 Les Pauls, 6 Strats, 4 Teles, etc. I totally don't get that.

Well,you can go overboard for sure.Some guys have several guitars of one model with different tunings,or different pups.I look at Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,and they change guitars like every song....sometimes it colors the tunes differently,sometimes it may be just for show.

[Doc W]

I find that if I use exactly the right chain of effects (it's usually about 10-15), if I dial them all in just right, then I can exactly nail the original tone of the amp I am plugged into...

Gris, yer gonna love this one. A true story.

About 10 years ago, a guy I know who is a notorious digi-gear head was fiddling about with some kind of synth/emulator thingie. At one point, he shouts over "WOW, this is awesome, I got the exact sound of a Strat going through a Twin!!!"

I had to point out to him that at that exact moment he was playing a Strat plugged into this dumbass synth thingie which in turn was plugged into a Twin.

There is no more reality, only simulacra

[Franklin]

LOL!!!

[CocoTone]

Think of yourself, if you play guitar that is, as chef. Now think of your FX as spice. Now think how bland your meals would be without any spice,,,not even salt.
Any questions?

CT.

[Gris]

Think of yourself, if you play guitar that is, as chef. Now think of your FX as spice. Now think how bland your meals would be without any spice,,,not even salt.
Any questions?

CT.

Or ... think of your guitar into amp as filet mignon

and your effects as ketchup....................

[thegeezer]

Or ... think of your guitar into amp as filet mignon

and your effects as ketchup....................

What a good response, thanks Gris.

[CocoTone]

Tell me you don't spice your filet???

Please...
besides,,,some folks like Catsup.
CT.

[Cygnus X1]

Nuthin but mesquite smoke (the real kind) for this dog.

Good analogies though.
Had a Rockman rack in the 'ole store forever.
It was funny how EVERYTHING that was played through it sounded like Boston.
Including "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".

No wonder I had a hard time selling it.
I kept insulting it!

[Yardbird Mac]

The ONLY thing I put on a steak is a little NaCl.

[Cygnus X1]

The ONLY thing I put on a steak is a little NaCl.

Huh?
Dynamite?
(I failed chemistry. Twice in one year).

I'm guessing sea salt.

[elicross]

A great filet is even better with a little garlic salt and some coarse ground pepper...but no, it doesn't need A1 or Heinz 57 or a marinade or -- shudder -- ketchup.

There's got to be an analogy in here. A great amp is even better with a clean boost or a pinch of overdrive, maybe a dab o' reverb -- but there's no need for distortion, chorus, and flanger.

Unless you're playing you some Boston. I always liked Boston.

[Cygnus X1]

Unless you're playing you some Boston. I always liked Boston.

That reminds me.
That was one of my Odd Thoughts, and I also like Boston.

I had one brewing then MJ slipped on the ice (or whatever) and it got sidetracked.

Back to the OP.
Not saying I never use effects.
I'm a garage player.
If I played in a typical cover or bar band it would be a whole other story. Used to do that, and it was mandatory to duplicate tunes.
No one wants to hear "my" rendition of 867-5309!
They want it like they hear on the radio.

[Gris]

Well, for me, a great filet is best with some dark red wine - usually a Merlot.