Effect(s) You Couldn't Live Without

I think equaliser and compressor. One day I'll manage to get a real tape echo unit.

For whatever silly reason I don't see EQs and booster pedals as effects but as 'tools', but I do find them pretty essential. The number one effect I always use is reverb to get rid of the dry sound of a direct recording. I could see myself use a delay unit instead but haven't tried that very much. Modulation effects are not my cup of tea and I seldomly use them.

I use the distortion and reverb in my Rogue MHT-1000 (tube hybrid amp), and dont think I could live without it. It's a really nice, mellow kind of distortion if done correctly all the way up to a death metal sound (which I never get to, but its nice to have). My Digitech PDS 1650 is great to play with, and I love the fact that there are 20 banks for differing distortion levels, but its replaceable. I barely use my Line 6 Tonecore Tap Trem (thats a mouthful) pedal, but I'd hate to be without it.

I guess the only ones I couldnt live without are the built in amp reverb and the built in amp distortion. That's an odd thing considering I've always liked playing with pedals.

I think equaliser and compressor. One day I'll manage to get a real tape echo unit.

I've read that a compressor is "mainly" for single coils. Is that correct? I've fallen in love with my EQ. Wouldn't go back to not using one now.

I guess I should have also said that I'm not really into the death metal sounds. I like some of it, but I have no desire to play it. Rather, I prefer bluesy rock stuff like AC/DC, ZZ Top, bands like that. So that rules out a Mega Distortion pedal I would imagine.

Jason

I can't understand why a compressor should be "mainly" for sc pickups. All it does is "compress" the volume range of the input - quiet sounds are boosted, whilst loud sounds are quietened.
Perhaps someone can clear this up.

I can't understand why a compressor should be "mainly" for sc pickups. All it does is "compress" the volume range of the input - quiet sounds are boosted, whilst loud sounds are quietened.
Perhaps someone can clear this up.

I'll have to see if I can find where I read that. It said that humbuckers have a sort of natural compression, so a compressor pedal wasn't really needed. Could be a load of crap though (as with many things on the Internet) so take it with a grain of salt. I'm still a noob regarding these things, so absorb the things I read.

Jason

I often use a compressor and I play humbuckers almost exclusively. I also use it on drums, vocals and keybord. Don't see why it should be a single coil thing...

When it comes right down to it, an acoustic guitar or electric guitar and amp are so versatile, that nothing else is absolutely essential -- there is a universe of sounds and textures that are available from just the basic instrument and one's hands.

But anyway ... In order of preference, I kinda like these when going electric:

1. Booster (Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive)
2. Slapback delay (from Line6 Delay Modeler)
3. Wah (once in a while)

I'll say these below are my favorites, not in that order.

1 Tube amp
2 Equalizer
3 Dummy Load
4 Attenuator
5 Exciter
6 Compressor
7 Distortion
8 Expander
9 Reverb
10 Delay
11 Chorus
12 Flanger
13 Noise gate
14 Pitch Transposer
15 Special Effects
16 Harmonic Exciter
17 Envelope Filter
18 Acoustic Environment Simulator
19 Low Pass Filter
20 Panner
21 Tremolo
22 Sampler
23 Bypass / MIDI Controllor

Joe

Joe, got two questions:

1) The exciter, is that the same effect as those exciters in store that boost low and high frequencies just before the poweramp? If so, how do you use it and which one do you have?

2) What are 'special effects'? Would that be a collection of weirdness like ring modulators, vinylizers etc, or something specific?

I use an Exciter to enhance or add life to my tone. It takes part of the signal and adds it back into the signal path and brings out the growl of the tube distortion.

These would be Analog Effects, Signal Frequency Shaping, Swept or Modulated Effects, Natural and Gated Reverb, Acoustic Environment Simulator. Things like that.

Joe

Effects I use all the time: Volume knob(s), Tone knob(s) on the guitar, and pick, finger(s) or both. All of these were free.

Effects I use frquently: Overdrive, and Reverb. Both of these are on my main amps.

"Flavor" effects used sparingly: Compression, Delay, Tremolo, Wah, and Octave box.

I'd have to say Reverb. Just a little goes a long way :)

I got to have my reverb!! Followed by distortion, and maybe delay. and once in a while my cry baby wah.