What's your guitar, effect, amp recipe?

[CapnCrunch]

I have been an effects minimalist for a long time.  I'd like to say that I have a more refined sense of tone then your average effects junky, but the truth is I've always had a hard time figuring out how to make effects sound like I know they should.  I do know that some pedals sound better with certain types of amps, and some sound better with single coils others with humbuckers.

I know the ts9 is old hat and frowned upon by all boutique tone snobs errrr gurus errrrr ok snobs.  However, I dusted off my old ts9 today and plugged into a 5e3 deluxe and it was a smoking combination with my Tele on both the neck and bridge, just a great combination of guitar, effect and amp.

So I'm curious.  Which combination of guitar, effect, amp, really does it for you all, and why?  I had a really good experience today with my Tele, into the ts9, into a Voodoo lab analog chorus, into a pink Ibanez analog delay.  All combinations of these pedals sounded fabulous into the tweed Fender.  On the other hand, I have an AC15 and 18 watt Marshall that don't like the ts9 much at all.  Also, I never play my humbucker or p90 equipped guitars through the ts9 at all; mid HUMP all the way, and not a good combination. 

So what's your secret recipe?

[andywragg]

I'm a newb to discrete effects, only having a Zoom G1XN multi effects unit which I can plug into an old 1st Gen Peavey Bandit 112, or a Line 6 Spider 3 30w modelling amp. Both are solid state amps.

The Zoom does noticeably better through the Bandit (Clean channel) than the Spider (Clean setting), I dont know maybe they are 'fighting' somehow. My mate's Boss GT10 however did sound particularly good through the Spider.

I am in the process of building the 2 Neutrino pedals, the burst and the dark variants, so we will see where that takes me.  I also hope to have a valve amp before the year is out.

[Mr. G.]

At the moment I'm using either a PRS Custom 22, or a Fender MIM Tele into a true-bypass 3 loop pedal.  Loop 1 has an MXR M117r flanger, Loop 2 has my own variation of a bufferless TB tubescreamer into a Grapevine then into a Crunchbox (soon to be replaced with a Krunkee), lastly loop 3 has a Boss CH1 chorus.  I've also got a couple delay pedals in the lineup to build.

All that goes into either a Peavey Classic 30 with an MXR 6-band EQ in the loop, or into a Peavey Triumph 60 head (with a couple mods) into a Weber 4x12 cabinet with Weber Thames speakers. 

This setup lets me get pretty much any tone I could ever want. 

[CapnCrunch]

Mr. G,

Thanks.  Did you buy or build your loop pedal?  I've been thinking of employing a looper myself.  Also, how do you like the Grapevine?  I'm thinking of building that one as well.

[Mr. G.]

The loop pedal was the first one I built, and I built it out of necessity.  It was pretty easy to build and design.

As for the Grapevine, I'm not completely sold on it yet.  I'm not sure if I flubbed something up in the build or what, but it just doesn't sound like I was expecting based on all the clips I've heard of it.  It seems a bit muffled without much definition, and when the tone is turned up, it seems to just add more upper mids rather than treble clarity.  It works much better through the Triumph than it does the Classic 30.  Mainly because the C30 seems overly dark for some reason.

[Rich_S]

Years ago (like, 30 years ago) a was a guitar->cord->amp guy, but then guys like Pat Travers, Alex Liefson, and Andy Summers got me intersted in effects, and it kinda snowballed since then.

My chain starts with a pair of Tele's - a Nashville  w. Duncan Stacks for "Fender" sounds, and a mutt Schecter goldtop PT w. MIM maple neck and Duncan 59s for "Gibson" sounds.

Then, my homemade pedalboard:  

• Boss DS-1 (modded to approximately Monte Allums Recto specs) for it buffer, and special high-gain needs
• MXR 74 RI Phase 90
• Madbean Nutrino (for my main overdrive/solo tone)
• Boss CE-2
• Boss BF-2 (MIJ)
• Boss DD-3
• Boss TR-2 (w. volume mod)

I'll be replacing the DS-1 soon with a redish/pinkish Slow Lorus called Rosie the Rat.   Also, I plan to build my incoming Fat Pants board into an old Cry Baby shell and put it in front of the board as a boost/volume pedal.  Finally, I'm thinking about filling the one remaining spot on my board with a Memory Toy or some other delay, just to give me another "preset" delay sound.

That all drives my amp, a DIY Marshall 18 Watter clone, built into an old Bogen PA chassis, and housed in a homemade 1-12 combo patterned after the old Univox "Group B" amplifiers - those two-tone blue mutants from the early 70s.

My "sound" is basically late 70s/early 80s new wave/brit pop kinda stuff - Andy Summers, James Honeyman-Scott, Robbie McIntosh, Johnny Marr, etc.  It's taken years to get where I am, but I love my rig.

Fortunately, "gear ho" is apparently genetic, and it's time to start working on building my 13-year-old son a killer bass rig.  DIY GAS is never-ending.