Amps, Pedals and the Quest for Tone: getting the Sound (without overdoing it)
My advice to the world, or at least my two cents: NEVER be satisfied with
your guitar sound until you have found YOUR tone. SOUND: as far as I
am concerned, it is the holy grail; it is a unicorn, wrapped in a rainbow ... depending on
exactly what you are after.
I've started playing guitar at the age of thirteen, which is basically when my quest for tone started; I bought my first guitar at age 15, my first amp (a Marshall Valvestate 200W Bi-Chorus) at age 16, my first two FX-pedals (a Dunlop CryBaby -a classic- and a Boss Metal Zone -classic mistake-) and first replacement pickup (a DiMarzio Evolution Neck) at age 17. Since then, it took me about 13 years of buying, building, rebuilding and tweaking setups based around eight amps and well over 50 pedals (practically all of which I still own to date, because I simply cannot part with any of my gear). At present, I am the proud owner of several complete and differently-sized full-featured live rigs, all of which have great and unique tonal flavor. First step is to denominate and label what it is you are after: listen to records, choose bands and then work towards that sound. I like the sound of southern rock, but I also like the scrutinized sound of David Gilmour and The Edge. I really like Plexi-style amps for crunch and Fender amps for clean. Depending on the player, I don't really like Vox AC-30s all that much, and I think Boogie Rectifiers are a bit too harsh for my taste. I generally like the British tonal flavor more than American one. Then again, I really love the vintage ADA-sound. I like rich mid-range, tight low-end, well-rounded highs and a harmonically rich overall sound. And I could go on describing my tonal likes and dislikes... Dave Weiner once did a very influential "lick of the week"-video on describing your tone in four adjectives, which I think is a fantastic exercise. I don't think you necessarily need a ton of boutique amps to get there, but getting the right tone does not come easy -or cheap for that matter. |
This Gator G-bus-powered Rockcase (Warwick) pedalboard drives either two Roland Cube 60s that run in stereo, a modified Fender Hot Rod Deluxe II, or a Marshall TSL JCM2000 running into a Celestion Vintage-30 modified Bugera 2x12 Cabinet. |
What I would consider the essentials: anything worth doing is worth overdoing!
This Gator G-bus-powered Rockcase (Warwick) pedalboard drives either a Roland Cube 60 or a Blackheart Handsome Devil running into a Celestion Vintage-30-loaded Hüghes & Kettner Tubemeister 1x12 cabinet. |
Over the years, I've gathered my share of guitar synths, slicers, flangers, acoustic simulators, phase and pitch shifters, rotaries, auto-wahs, loopers, etc. Most of those are used scarcely to have a somewhat exotic flavor, but in essence, the common denominator of my live rigs always consists out of the same ten basic elements. For my personal taste, any setup should feature the following:
After fitting these "essentials" onto a relatively large pedalboard (or - if you really have the courage and the patience - programming the aforementioned features into a multi-FX unit), you can still consider the following (if there is still room left on the board and on the power supply):
If I make this consideration, I end up putting a looper on the board, for home practice, although it doesn't see a lot of live action. The sky is the limit, but if you don't have roadies or guitar techs who set up your gear, you might want to go with the "less is more"-approach. Although, I hardly ever do... |
What company to buy effects from: cross-platform usability is what we're going for!
There are a lot of differences between all-in-one multi-FX-units and modular pedalboards, and even though I like both, I have a proneness to use the latter, because of the direct access to all individual effects (as opposed to presets). High-end units like Fractal's Axe-FX II and TC Electronic's G-system might have these issues all figured out, but for me personally, there is no substitute for a stompbox-packed pedalboard.Note that it is all about the combination of strengths and weaknesses: an all digital setup running into a solid state amp will have a tendency to sound dry, lifeless, metallic and artificial; an all analog valve-driven pedalboard running into an all tube-amp may end up being too much of a good thing. Experiment! Keep in mind that tube-amps sound more alive, rich and tend to "break up" nicely. On the other hand, when shaken up thoroughly in the back of a van, they tend to break down more easily as well, so there is also the maintenance factor to account for (aside from the price difference). Also, built-in spring reverbs (quite common in tube-amps) tend to go all jangly on shaky stages, whereas digital reverbs (more common in solid state amps) remain largely unaffected by this. Getting your amp-priorities straight will inform the decisions you will need to make in terms of pedals (and also the other way around).
Most companies (e.g. Boss, Digitech, HardWire, TC Electronic, ElectroHarmonix, Dunlop, MXR, Rocktron, ...) offer about the same range in stompbox-effects, albeit sometimes in very different price brackets. These are the things that I pay attention to when I make a decision on what unit to buy from what company:
Most companies (e.g. Boss, Digitech, HardWire, TC Electronic, ElectroHarmonix, Dunlop, MXR, Rocktron, ...) offer about the same range in stompbox-effects, albeit sometimes in very different price brackets. These are the things that I pay attention to when I make a decision on what unit to buy from what company:
- Superior sound, better than its competitors (I tend to look at YouTube demos and shootouts before I make my decision)
- Small, durable, lightweight units; accessible switches and sturdy controls. (Larger units mean: more pedalboard real estate lost and velcro-issues)
- Standard adapter sizes and voltages are quintessential (custom voltages and power adapters complicate your power section and FX-chain)
- Live, everything must be pedal-accessible through simple action (you don't want to be tap-dancing to find a volume boost or a tap tempo delay)
- Stereo/mono should be optional (if you are playing a small venue, you have to be able to downsize you rig, although, two amps ALWAYS sound better)
- True bypass? I don't care all that much, as long as it creates as little hum as possible and doesn't suck out the tone...
The Ultimate check-list for the Ultimate Rig
Choosing what you eventually will combine on a pedalboard is something that requires thought, preparation, patience, a critical ear and a bit of luck. My rigs are in perpetual evolution, like most pedal-users' rigs are. Sometimes, it is the purchase of a new unit that screws up the board, sometimes a malfunction, sometimes it is the sounds the amp and some of the units that do not blend well. To make choices easier, these are the things that I came up with over the years:
Once you're done making your decisions - although for me this has been trial and error for many years - it is time to fit your units onto a board. Trailer Trash and PedalTrain make some of the best "super-fly" boards out on the market, but they are in a price bracket of their own. I find that Gator Pedal Tote and Warwick Rockcase will aptly do the trick, at a fraction of the price. The idea here is to get something a) big enough, that b) can cope with the abuse of the road. By the way, that goes for practically every piece of gear you will ever own; some of the best investments I have ever made are in the flightcase-department. If you are going the extra mile to buy pro-equipment, it is a shame not to protect it properly.
- Pedalboard Real Estate: How many effects (including power cable + supply) go onto the board; Which ones do I pick and which ones do I eliminate?
- Circuitry: Analog vs. Digital vs. Modeling (all have their advantages, all have limitations and drawbacks)
- Connectivity: Mono / Stereo-options; Conveniently Positioned input-jacks; Standard sizes for powering the units, ... (If not, is the sound worth the trouble?)
- Power: A Decent and Versatile Power Supply is always better than a Daisy-chain; Boutique Pedals often require separate Power Adapters.
- Power limitation: Can my Power Supply provide the amount of mili-Amp the units require, or am I going to melt it?
- Type: Industry Standards vs. Boutique specs is a question of sonic superiority.
- Control: Switching Options and Possibility / Necessity to use Additonal Switches, Expression Pedals and Tap Tempo Devices determine the Usability.
- Frequency of Use: How often am I going to use an "Exotic Effect" during a gig and how Indispensable is it to MY Signature Sound?
- Weight: Can a piece of Velcro sustain the Weight of the Unit? (Few things are more frustrating than finding your effects at the bottom of your flightcase...)
- Versatility vs. Size: More options generally equals Bigger Size equals Less Available Pedalboard Real Estate (Does one outweigh the other?)
- Sonic Range and Sound Quality: Few Units do 5 Effects well. However, if 1 Unit does 3 Modulation Effects acceptably, it saves you some board-space.
- Patch Cables: Boutique ultra-expensive is absurd, just like insanely cheap. Buy them flexible and in a range of different lengths, and colors ;o)
Once you're done making your decisions - although for me this has been trial and error for many years - it is time to fit your units onto a board. Trailer Trash and PedalTrain make some of the best "super-fly" boards out on the market, but they are in a price bracket of their own. I find that Gator Pedal Tote and Warwick Rockcase will aptly do the trick, at a fraction of the price. The idea here is to get something a) big enough, that b) can cope with the abuse of the road. By the way, that goes for practically every piece of gear you will ever own; some of the best investments I have ever made are in the flightcase-department. If you are going the extra mile to buy pro-equipment, it is a shame not to protect it properly.