Dist, wah, chorus pedals

I saw that you're a Satriani fan in the tone thread; he uses a (modified) Boss DS1 distortion pedal to get his overdriven lead tone. I read an interview in which someone asked him which was his favorite effect, and that was the one he picked. You can get a stock DS1 and a basic Crybaby wah for a little over $100 combined. Or, a Keeley-modified DS1 for about $129 by itself.
:)

I've always wondered about the Crybaby's, but never had the chance to play around with one. Are Crybaby's basically the standard for rock guitar playing? It sure seems like it.

Dunlop and Boss are two really reliable brands, so the DS-1 and Crybaby sound like a great combination for a great price! I should really get out and look around because I haven't had much experience with pedals.

Also, the basic G2 is about $100 - you wouldn't have an expression pedal for wah (that can be bought seperately and plugged in, but would cost not much short of the next model up, the G2.1u, which is about $170 and also has USB for connecting direct to the computer), but it's a great unit with a lot of flexibility.

Zoom's info pages, there's samples recorded with it there somewhere too: G2, G2.1u

I can definitely see why the G2.1 is $170, it has SO MANY different features!! Really though, I don't think I'd be qualified to use a nicer pedal like that. I think I'll start out with something more simple and then upgrade from there once I get the feel for the effect. Does that make sense?

Yes and no - I can definately understand that, but you can turn off everything on the pedal and just play with one effect at a time easily enough, even one parameter of one effect. Either way (seperate pedals or multifx) is a good choice with its own advantages and disadvantages, but don't let the fact that there's so much in the pedal sway you against it, I (and others, I'm sure) would be more than happy to answer a barrage of questions :wink:

Thanks Misanthrope,
I think I'll check and see what the local GC has sometime this weekend. Be prepared for that barrage!

You'll be in business for the DS1 and Crybaby at GC, but unfortunately they don't carry Zoom effects. I wound up with the Digitech RP250 because of that (made me a deal I couldn't pass up).

Yeah GC tends to do that! :lol:

I've already got my wallet out for the DS1 and Crybaby. All that's left now is to test 'em!

Yeah GC tends to do that! :lol:

I've already got my wallet out for the DS1 and Crybaby. All that's left now is to test 'em!

I'll be interested to hear your opinion once you try 'em out. I've heard mixed things about the DS1; some say it's harsh unless it's modded, others say it's a great cheap pedal. Also take a look as the SD1, Boss's Super Overdrive. It's not much more money but the stock version seems to get nice reviews too.

I concur with Misanthrope. The Zoom G2 is a nice unit. It has its pros and cons. Lots to toy with, but you can isolate and use specfic effects. So far I am really happy with mine. Sounds great with headphones (and I don't annoy the family) and sounds great through my amp.

I picked up a used Zoom G2, for $50, off of eBay.

the DS1 does get harsh if the gain is high. if you keep the gain down and the tone down, it's a nice distortion pedal.

try a Fuzz pedal maybe. I have a Double Muff and i love it. it goes VERY well with my Crybaby Classic.

for the wahs, (this is all personal taste, btw) ive found that the ones with fasal inductors sound the best. the Classic has it, as does Vox's wah (i thnk), which is also stellar.

I'll be sure to take a look at the SD1 as well. It sounds to me like it's just a matter of prefence as to which pedal is 'better'. I've seen a couple of decent reviews on the Screamin Demon Wah from Ibanez. Does anyone have experience with this pedal?

+1 going light on the gain and tone with the stock DS1. If you crank the gain all the way up and palm mute, you can get an almost fuzz-like sound, but just letting it ring out doesn't sound to great - too much noise.

I picked up a used Zoom G2, for $50, off of eBay.

Ebay is great for FX pedal/ boxes. Obviously you'll get some junk in there which isn't worth buying, but getting some 2nd user kit measnyou don't have to go blow big bucks to find something doesn't do what you want.

I stick to a limit of £15 for a single effect, and £25 for a multi fx - both including postage. It beats the heck out of £40 for the average Boss pedal

Best,

A :-)