How low can you go?

[fuzzjunkie]

Considering that you’re not an “Amp, cord, and guitar” player, what is the minimum amount of pedals you’d be comfortable with on your board? Playing your own songs or being able to cover your songs?

Bonus for naming those pedals! Multi-effects are okay, but no rack effects or a big box effect like a Space Echo.

I currently have 8 plus an expression pedal, but some of those pull double duty or are basically my old rack effects in pedal form. I think the most effects I ever had was 9 pedals and 2 rack effects? The fewest was when I first started out. Two, a fuzz pedal and an analog delay.

Could I get by with 2-3 pedals? I think I could. It would require some knob twisting, but most of my pedals are there for efficiency. I can quickly replicate the sounds I want by stepping on a pedal without doing the knob twist or multiple pedal tap dance.

I need a fuzz that can clean up or do a fuzzy overdrive. I need some type of echo/delay. I don’t really need a wah or filtering effects. Modulation? I like it on my delays, but I don’t need a flanger or phaser, so a modulated delay might be enough, especially if I can turn the delay time down to under 30ms. Tremolo and Reverb? Let’s assume the amp DOES NOT have it. In a band situation with a lively room and a modulated Echo, I don’t think I would need reverb. I do like Tremolo though. So 2 pedals, fuzz and echo, plus a 3rd if I want tremolo.

I could do a lot with a Fuzz Face and a Deluxe Memory Man. I really like the Tremolo, Uni-Vibe and vibrato tones I get from my Voodoo Vibe, but if I used an Eventide Timefactor in place of the Memory Man, The Tremolo Delay setting might be enough and while not an analog delay or a Uni -Vibe, I can get some cool swirling sounds from out of it.

So I could live with only 2 pedals if they were versatile enough.

Throbak Overdrive Boost: It does a clean boost to overdrive to fuzzy overdrive up to a Fuzz Face with great clean up and can be easily switched between two settings.

Eventide Timefactor: I love the Memory Man, but I would want to bring along the Voodoo Vibe too. I can manage with the Timefactor providing tape and 12-bit digital delays instead, because I can wrangle some other modulations out of it and it does dual delays as well, so it’s replacing 3-4 pedals on its own.

[marqueemoon]

Reverb, tremolo, and a clean boost, assuming the amp has a little natural breakup of its own.

If I was stuck with a high headroom backline amp, maybe add a Klone.

I use delay periodically, but it’s not a necessary thing.

I would sound like me straight into the amp. I really just use effects for a little color and to mask my sloppiness.

[parry]

I like this thread. It's one of the things I think about quite often.

As long as my Super's reverb still worked - it's 95% of "the sound".
If that's good, I could easily get by with my AUX Ektachrome (for a bit of boost and grit/EQ change) and a DD7 for those clean, clear dotted 8ths (and reverse).


Thinking about it... I don't really use the Ek all that much, as I tend to switch pickups a lot; as well as alternate picking with my fingers or a pick to switch up the feel of the attack. It's just nice to have that extra texture in the palette.

The rest are very nice to have, to switch up the palette and give the ears something different to grab on to - but not essential.
Those would be:

RC1 - for some improvisational, glitchy loops during bridges/here and there
EQD Sea Machine - set like a clangy, metallic modulated, slapp-y delay
Malekko Spring Chicken LE - for even more reverb, hahaha - but with a cloudy, atmostpheric, near oscillation-type sound
Ibanez DE7 - quietly whirring away in the background and popping up between songs like analog tape ghosting on old 80s cassettes
EHx Freeze - direct, momentary, moody pads (in lieu of synth/weird bursts of strings)
Malekko 616 Dark - a darker, warmer flavour of slappy, modulated delay

[nanamour]

Tuner, compressor, reverb, and delay with modulation of some kind for me. In fact, I just finished putting together a bare necessities board consisting of TU-2->CS-2->RV-2->Strymon DIG that's been a lot of fun for the Durutti Column/And Also the Trees-esque sounds I gravitate toward.

If big box units are allowed and the amp being has decent enough reverb of its own, I could more than make do with a tuner, compression/breakup/delay/wow and flutter from a tube tape echo unit, and amp reverb.

[nanamour]

Whoops, double post

[chrisrnps]

Currently downsizing to 11-12 pedals (analogman AB box into Cornish compressor into a ten-loop switcher with all loops’ “no vacancy” signs on) into a Kingsley preamp into an HX Effects into the amp’s FX return, which necessitated kicking about five pedals to the curb, so I feel like I’m Marie Kondo-ing things, but probably look like I have a problem.

[zhivago]

Great thread...

I've been jamming with some friends lately and it involves going to a town outside London every few weeks. This meant that I needed a small board that I could drop in my backpack and jump on a train or two with guitar case in hand.

The amp I use there is a borrowed Matchless Lightning, so I know the amp quite well...with a bit of breakup on the amp, I get by with an Analogman Sunlion (so fuzz + boost), and a Maxon AD900. And a tuner.

I get pretty much all I need to get done with this small board.




...of course this means that I have a stay-at-home "big" board I am currently working on, but that will be unveiled in the coming months

[adamrobertt]

Well, in my current band I kind of need most of my pedals lol... but if I had to I could probably get away with...

Boss TU-3
Lovepedal Les Lius
Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man

It would require a lot of fiddling with the knobs between songs though and I wouldn't be satisfied :p

[jvin248]

.

A pair of Boss DS-1s stacked (or a DS-1 and a TS), most often both at low gain
Rat
maybe a Reverb
Tuner

.

[Singlebladepickup]

If I'm playing at home with my amp, I could make due with no pedals. I did it for long enough, although I never play without pedals now, and reverb is the only effect that I would have a huge problem playing without it. If I was playing with other people, id need to have reverb covered and then possibly Ssbs mini depending on the music. If I had my amp and was playing what I wanted, I need a tuner and could probably be happy with Ibanez mini chorus and/or CBA Thermae delay.

[higgsblossom]

I‘m currently down to a Tubescreamer, MXR Dist+, Big Muff, Small Clone and digital delay. The thing is that I like the TS as a boost, and I use the chorus with the Muff for „broader“ sounds. So these would be the basic three, but the MXR is so nice for the occasional extra bite...
For reverb, I used to like a reverb pedal but prefer the built in reverb of my Vaporizer amp.

[countertext]

I have gigged with just a Holy Grail, since my Bandmaster can feel kinda dry in some contexts.

[Maggieo]

For a long time these were the only effects I used:


Yardbox and Deluxe Memory Man, February 23, 2013 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

My current main board has potential to minimize: it contains 3 fuzzes, 2 delays (one with modulation), a transparent overdrive/boost, a vocal echo, a tuner and last but not least - my „dynamic duo“ surfy industries reverb/tremolo combination - if this still counts as one - I‘d make it down to 3 or 4 +tuner - if not, I‘d use my sideboard‘s FRV-1 instead or 'd even leave the verb aside.
Complete minimalist would be one Fuzz (if I could only decide)...and the DBA Echo Dream 2.

[Singlebladepickup]

My current main board has potential to minimize: it contains 3 fuzzes, 2 delays (one with modulation), a transparent overdrive/boost, a vocal echo, a tuner and last but not least - my „dynamic duo“ surfy industries reverb/tremolo combination - if this still counts as one - I‘d make it down to 3 or 4 +tuner - if not, I‘d use my sideboard‘s FRV-1 instead or 'd even leave the verb aside.
Complete minimalist would be one Fuzz (if I could only decide)...and the DBA Echo Dream 2.

Did you build the surfy duo yourself? I need one of those but I'm never going to have the time to build one