Idealized Pedalboard?

[aeon]

Do you tend to buy and sell pedals without any particular goal other than trying those pedals out and making some music, or do you have an "idealized pedalboard" in your head, and your pedal purchases are steps in achieving that goal?

I have an idealized suite of pedals in mind, and I am about 1/2-way there now. I just added a Foxrox TZF Paradox to the mix.


wondering,
Ian

[Alanfc]

I do a little of both.
And space is an issue. Right now I have one of those larger Core one board/cases. I know I like delay, I have 3, have the Mxr Eq, guyatone flanger, ps-3 phaser, digiverb, dd-3, and tu-2 tuner. And my PP2 takes up some space for sure.

O.D.'s are history for me now, I won't go back.

Leaves me one open spot which I have a CE-5 chorus in. That spot is for some ultra weird nose maker....the CE-5 is now set with this extreme out of tune stuttery sound to it. But I'd rather have an octave or harmonizer thingy. Trouble is I must have it in the FX loop. Straight to amp is how I go now, I will not go back.

So I search for sounds I guess, and try to "cover my bases" a little bit.

[inscho]

kind of both....an example...I'm working my way up to a moog delay....right now I have a memory man, before that I had a dd20. I plan to upgrade the DMM to a memory lane, and then if I'm not satisfied with the memory lane I'll upgrade to the moog.

I start with the cheapies and work my way up...I try not to buy things that I can't make profit off of.


I'd like to have

Peterson Strobostomp
Maxon OD808
Ibanez OD850
Boss VB-2
Boss PN-2
Moog MF-104z

and maybe one other pedal like a lofi loop junky, and right now I have:

Peterson Strobostomp
Reverend Drivetrain II
Ibanez PT999
Boss PS-3
Boss PN-2
EHX DMM

with a maxon od808 on the way.

[Televator]

I think you mean "ideal", rather than "idealized".

Back to the topic, though, I usually have a goal in mind when I buy a pedal (usually), though I don't really buy them just to have them, or for the sake of completeness (i.e., to have one of every type). For the most part I'm always trying to improve my sound and simplify my rig.

I think my ideal board would have somekind of modulation, which it currently lacks, one OD to replace the two I have, some kind of Dist. / Fuzz to handle the heavier duties, and separate delay and looper pedals to replace my DL4. I might also ditch my wah. So I'd go from this:

Voodoo Labs PP2 +
Peterson Strobostomp
Skreddy Mayo (mid switch)
Fulltone Clyde Deluxe
Reverend DTII
Fulltone OCD
Startouch A/B/Y
Line6 DL4

to this:

Voodoo Labs PP2 +
Peterson Strobostomp
New Modulation (who knows which--Micro Clone Theory? Vibe?)
New OD (maybe Analogman's KOT--if the list ever catches up)
Beavis Audio FKR (another distant wish)
Maxon AD999
Boss RC-2
Startouch A/B/Y

[Midrange]

I just go for how I want to sound. or whatever the pedals I have sound like.
Right now, my current setup is how I want to sound.
I've got plans for upgrading my wah, but everything else is just a gas issue.
As long as I keep getting pedals for free I'm ok!

[vanguard]

i think i'm getting close. after a million delays i finally came full circle to the first delay i ever had: the ad-80. after a bunch of big-hype od's, finally just went with the od808. Coming full circle on the fuzz too: good ol big muff. hoping the rat will be as good as graham coxon makes it sound, and round that all off with a simple comp (mxr dyna) and one wielrd one (vb-2) and you've got my ideal rig.

if the green sovtek cuts through like my old ram's head did, and the rat sounds like the sound in my head, i think i'll be done for a long long time.

[Wilbo26]

I usually only buy stuff that I'll actually use. If I was rich I would buy anything I could get my grubby paws on...but since I'm not I stick to what I really can use.

Then I bought that SF-10 flanger just because the knobs looked like little PacMans....but its turned out to be one of my favorite pedals.

[NITEFLY182]

I buy for a variety of reasons, some of which are sound and some of which seem silly like size and orientation. I do have an idea in my head when I put together a "to-buy" list for a few months but somethings that idea changes.

[hbar]

I do both as well. There are pedals that I want because they're fun, or they might inspire a song or something. The Ooh Wah falls into this category. It's soooo cool, but I can't really justify it being on my board.

The rest of my effort is spent discovering what I want/need my board to do. Do I need the Octane on my board? Do I need the Wiggler, or will a Semaphore + Phase 90 do the same thing in a smaller space? (Currently using all 3). Is the Mayo enough distortion, or will the Keeley DS1 stay?

From there it's an endless game of "I need more free space for the new X. Can I find a new Y that I like just as much if not better, and has a different form factor to allow room for the new X?" Oh, and does it look cool? Yes, I'm a poser.

So I guess in the end, all the effort is to acquire a sound I have in my head. But it's really multiple sounds for multple applications. Plus it's tons of fun.

[Wilbo26]

Oh...and I don't care how big or small a pedal is as long as it sounds good and does what I want it to.

[jimmyc84]

all i want now is a demeter tremulator.
then my board will consist of

korg dt-10
subdecay liquid sunshine
euthymia crucible fuzz
tonefactor analogue filter
red witch deluxe moon phaser
demeter tremulator
digitech whammy wh-4
boss dm-2
akai headrush e2


and that'll be all i'll ever need i think. for playing without the board i'm just using a nano lpb-1 for a boost. maybe like to get a tonefactor nebula to go with it for alternative teeny setup

it's amazing how my board's changed since joing here, it used to be

boss tu-2
vox wah
ibanez ts9 reissue
big muff
small stone
boss tr-2
dod fx-25b envelope
whammy
ibanez ad-9 reissue
boss dd-5

sold it all bar the whammy...

[theweight]

I'm in the process of trying to build the perfect board, at least for me. After selling off a bunch of my pedals this is what I have left:

Korg DT-10
70s Morley Volume Pedal (mono)
Ibanez UE-305 Analog Multi Effects (AD-9, CP-9, chorus)
Ibanez TS-7 with TS-808 and boost mods
Boss DS-1 w/Franklin mod
Danelectro Tuna Melt Vibrato
Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster

with an MXR Blue Box w/volume boost mod on the way

There's an effects loop within the Ibanez, so ODs can fall between the comp and delay/chorus. I run the Vibrato and Pickup Booster after the Ibanez, then into an A/B/Y to go into a MusicMan HD130 and a Fender PA100.

I'm planning to eventually have a good fuzz setup and a few more effects. I'm hoping to add the following within a year:

ZVEX Fuzz Factory
ZVEX Lo-Fi Loop Junkie
Fender Blender
Dunlop Univibe
Guyatone Slow Volume
Danelectro Reel Echo Echoplex Simulator

Then there's the pedals I want, but don't necessarily need:

Fulltone OCD
Fulltone Fulldrive
Boss BD-2 w/Franklin Mod

I'm pretty sure I'll never feel like it's complete, but that's the nature of the guitar geek.

[CicadaSilence]

For guitar, I've been going more and more minimal the more I develop as a guitarist. Now, I really only want a dual channel amp with good cleans and reverb, a Moog Ring Mod, a DOD Milkbox, a good analog delay with expression pedal control over feedback, and something that I haven't found yet.

I don't like distortion, but I need something that intensifies the sound in a similar way.... I just haven't discovered anything that really does it for me yet. A decimator (Frostwave Sonic Alienator?) is sort of in the ball park as to the sound I'm looking for, but there are aspects of decimation as a guitar effect that I don't really like. I'm kinda stumped on this one, actually...


For bass, I'm more willing to just throw a couple pedals at each other and see what happens. My bass board changes every few days; from gig to gig, if I get sick of a certain pedal, and whether or not I eat breakfast in the morning.

Overall, I guess I have long term pedalboard goals, but I'm willing to experiment along the way. Besides which, sometimes when you end up finally getting an effect you've built up as the be-all end-all of the effects odyssey, it can fall short of your expectations, and you're back where you started. At least in my experience...

[thebazaar]

im very close to my ideal board....but then ive been there 3 times now and this will be the fourth. things change and i re-evaluate everytime they do.


at the moment the board plan is:

Teese RMC2
MI Audio Comp*
Red Witch Medusa
MI Audio Boost n Buff*
Foxrox CC2
Prophecysound Black Sheep Fuzz*
MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe*
MI Audio Crunchbox*
MI Audio Tube Zone Deluxe
Prophecysound Infinitphase
Foxrox TZF*
Prophecysound Time Glide Delay*
MI Audio analog delay*

*the pedals im yet to lay my hands on

[YourHerodDGC]

I buy pedals based on how i picture the music i write to sound. I like to have 2 different fuzzes an overdrive and a delay on my board. I also have an original thomas organ crybaby i need to fix, and will probably be a permanent member of my board.

Right now my board is:
fuzz factory ->
marshall bluesbreaker ->
Russian Big Muff->
DL4

I think i want to replace the muff with a barge concepts BB-jr
I might replace the blues breaker with a nano muff, and i still want to try out a tone factor mule (i'm also about to start building a red llama clone. we'll see how that sounds).

[erksin]

I definitely shoot for the ideal - I'm not one to collect pedals or buy something for experimentation. I'm after a board that covers all of the sounds I want to hear, and the pedals need to work together in the framework I'm trying to establish.

There are really only a few left that I'm anxious to try:

Subdecay Liquid Sunshine
BJF Honey Bee
ProAnalog Dirt Royale w/Cheese
ProAnalog Maggie Vibrato

[mr benn]

i've very nearly finished my "one year pedalboard plan"
here's what i've got...

zvex lo fi loop junkie
zvex super hard on (will be getting led mod)
akai headrush e2
frantone vibutron
lovetone big cheese (just had the led mod done by dinosaural)
ibanez ad-9 (original,just fixed by dinosaural)
ross orange phaser
colorsound dipthonizer (thinking of selling this,jury is out!)
marshall shredmaster
ibanez sd-9 (analogman KWS and super mods coming)
boss ce-2 (soon to be speedy modded by keeley)
whammy 4 (might replace with my ps-3)
boss tu-2
boss rv 5

still need...
peterson strobo (to replace tu-2)
crowther prunes and custard
zvex wah probe
trex room mate (to replace boss rv5)
toadworks enveloope for the crowther etc
expression pedal to replace speed knob on vibutron ( it attaches to the pot shaft,can't remember the name?)

not long to go!

[i51423]

As of now, I'm just buying the pedals that seem like they'll do what I want through research. I'm sure I'll be ripping everything apart for "better" stuff in the future. Once I get everything I've purchased, I think I'll stick with it for at least a few months to figure out what I need/don't need and what I'll do to change that.