The Ideal Pedalboard?

[jkokura]

A great topic recently opened up this discussion! So what's your ideal pedalboard? Is a pedalboard ever really perfected? Do you really think this is even possible? Tell us! If you're going to make a submission, you can feel free to share what your pedal chain would look like.

You can make up fictitious pedals that don't exist if you need, but keep it realistic if you can, and you can feel free to mix and match DIY projects with commercially available projects. For some, like myself, I find myself need to simply include a list that just features the types of pedals.

Jacob

[jkokura]

Here's my go:

I like to have a smaller pedalboard these days for gigging. I have a big board for my writing and practicing, but I use a PTJr for playing out. It's lightweight, carries it's own power supply, and limits me to really only using 6-10 pedals depending on the size, which is great for keeping myself to a minimum.

My foundation for tone is usually a great compressor and a preamp. I have a pedal I've made a few times for clients I call the Com-Plex, and I currently use this and always leave it on - evens out the guitar and gives me a nice clear tone to then stack the rest of my sounds on.

After this I usually will place either a fuzz or a filter or an octave pedal. Right now I'm using a Micro Pog for adding in some 'shimmer' if I need it, but I would happily replace this with a phaser or a Fuzz Face/Tonebender. I like my phase subtle and slow, and my fuzz smooth and creamy. Both get used for lead tones really, just to add something extra. I don't like having any of these on for long or on a consistent basis, but having them can be useful.

After this comes my drive section. I'll use no more than 2 overdrives, and sometimes I'll add a boost pedal. It depends on the type of gig I'm playing. Since I've been playing worship the most in the last decade, I will use some varient on a tubescreamer with or without a boost. So the FD2 Mosfet is a good choice, so is the Sparkle Drive, an actual Tubescreamer, or any of a half dozen different handbuilt clones that I use. I have more drive pedals than I could fit on my PT-2!

Following this comes my tremolo. I've played with all the modulation pedals I can, and I used to use a MM4 from Line 6. Tremolo is the modulation of choice for me. My MM4 would always have 2 different trems as choices, and sometimes 3. I've occasionally used Flanger, but it's usually too strong of an effect. Since my Phase goes earlier, I won't use a second here. Sometimes I use chorus, but it's more of an acoustic guitar effect for me really. But I can't live without trem. I have several DIY versions and a Boss TR-2, but I really like the Empress Tremolo I'm using right now for it's versatility and the tap tempo function.

Next comes Delay. Like most 'worship' guitarists, it's a staple on my board. My fourth guitar pedal was a Boss DD-3, and it's my second oldest pedal I've consistently owned, and I'll never sell it. I've had a myriad of delay pedals over the years, and it's the only type of pedal that could challenge my drive collection. In fact, I'll have to do a comparison and see which I have more of right now... could be delay. I bought the El Capistan this year, first new pedal I've bought in a VERY long time. I don't regret it. I also own all the Boss delays, a Hardwire, and I've built a half dozen different delays myself. Any two of them will show up on my board, and right now it's the El Capistan and the Hardwire unit.

Reverb comes last, but only when my amp doesn't have Reverb built in. I've got several, but I'm trying some various pedals out here these days and am actively shopping for trades towards others. I like the RV-5 modulated reverb sound, but I'm saving that pedal for a Boss only pedal board I'm trying to setup. I also have a BYOC reverb I could use, but I need to refinish it and mod it some to get it sounding better. I look forward to a couple DIY projects that are coming soon, one from Madbean and another on DIYSB I know of. I want a Reverb in a 125B size enclosure quite badly. I currenly am using the Line 6 Verbzilla, it sounds alright and has a lot of variety. If my amp has reverb, I'll either add a modulation, Delay or Drive pedal if I have room.

So to sum up, here's how my chain looks:

Compressor/Preamp > Filter/Octave/Fuzz > Overdrive 1 > Boost/Overdrive 2 > Modulation > Delay 1 > Delay 2 > Reverb

JMK Com-Plex > EHX Micro Pog > Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet > Empress Tremolo > Strymon El Capistan > Hardwire DL-8 > Line 6 Verbzilla

Is it perfect? Is it Ideal? Good question. Here's what I would do if I could do whatever I wanted:

Barber Tonepress > EHX Micro Pog > Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet (10th Anniversary) > Empress Tremolo > Strymon El Capistan > Hardwire DL-8 > Hardwire RV-7

That's what it is today in my dreams. When I actually get to play it, I may change my mind. But who knows! I'm on the list for the special edition Tonepress coming, and I'm actively trying to trade for an RV-7. Maybe I'll get to try soon! I'd love to have the 10th Anniversary just because it's a special colour, but my drives change with the seasons, so that'll NEVER be a staple for me. I use a Timmy clone I made myself often, I use a Klon clone I made myself, and several tubescreamer derivatives ALL the time. The Fulldrive is just the right size for the board right now.

Pics may come later on.

Jacob

[gtr2]

Good thread Jacob!

Mine is getting me where I need.  Subject to the flavor of the week for drive or delay, but this is the norm most of the time.  I can get strait rock tones or nice shimmering swells.

Tuner TU-2 -> Aristocrat -> Sunking -> EB jr volume -> eventide timefactor -> bluesky reverb

I to play in a worship band.  I no longer play in a "gigging out" band because it was taking to much time away from the kids, but I couldn't be happier!

My ideal is to build an "all in one" grab and go pedal consisting of 2 drives(TBD), trem (madbean), and delay (echobase).  Subject to change 

Josh

[Nuno_VanBamsteen]

I'm mainly a MIDI rack user, but that said, I still after updating my rig, decided I need a PT-Pro.
I'm running a Rocktron MIDI Controller for patch changes, an expression pedal for parameter control, a wah and volume pedal (1 ea.)
Needless to say, setup is not bad, but the time could be reduced by mounting everything.

I only have one multi-fx unit, which is the TC Electronic G Major (1st edition), the rest are discrete devices like the MXR Digital Time Delay, Dunlop Rack Crybaby, and the RJM Mini Amp Gizmo, which handles the switching of my Mesa Mark V via MIDI and an amp specific cable.
Control where I need it and instant access.

@ Home, I only have 3 actual pedals, a channel switch for my Studio .22, my TC Flashback delay and Holy Grail Reverb. Since I started frequenting this forum, that may soon change, Gltteratti being 1st on the list, but that aside, I don't know if I'll go full on pedal board or not, It may tidy things up, but as it stands, my home gear is for recording, so all my effects are on top of my amp.
(Shorter cable runs for the fx loop)

NVBS

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

I still gotta get my pedals set up on a pedal board. Whenever my band plays I've always set them up on the floor with a one spot plus a few have 120VAC plugs. Kinda way too much, time to get some velcro and get them on my PTpro.
My pedal chain for the last while has been:
Tu-2 -> BYOC RH Muff -> Keeley Mellow Wah -> Keeley Boss DS-1 -> BYOC EA Tremelo -> BYOC Reverb -> EHX Electric Mistress(old one!) -> 80's EHX DMM -> EHX Stereo Memory Man w/ hazari.

Sometimes I add in a NOS EHX Small Stone that I came across between tremelo and Reverb. Love using the two delays set to different times. Way to much to set up and I've been fortunate that I haven't had many problems. I've built all my own cabling using mostly mogami cable I got from redco. I do plan and replacing some of these and adding more since I've done a lot of building. Really wanna put the machine I just finished in here.

[aziltz]

I just got one of these,
http://blackbirdpedalboards.com/

Still working out what's on it.  I'm constantly improving but the staples are,
Modified Crybaby
Subdecay Liquid Sunshine
Various Custom Drive Pedals and Fuzzes
Voodoo Lab Tremolo
BBE Mind Bender
Line 6 Echo Park
EHX SMMH

[junkemail86]

I have bought and built quite a few pedals.  Yet, my main pedalboard (which isn't far from an ideal board for me) is hilariously lacking in the "versatility" category.  I typically have 7+ distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedals on there at any given time.  My current signal goes Morley George Lynch Dragon II Wah --> Digitech Whammy  --> Korg DT-10 tuner --> 9 built pedals [4 knob Ross compressor --> Menatone Red Snapper --> Zendrive --> Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret --> Hot Silicon Fuzz --> Timmy --> Brown Sound in a Box II --> Snow White Autowah (probably temporary) --> Zvex Fuzz Factory] --> Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus --> Ibanez Paul Gilbert Airplane Flanger --> Morley PVO volume (will probably go back to a Keeley Katana).  I tend not to use modulation effects or delay much.