what effects processor or pedals for guitar valve amp?
Discussion
Not sure if I'm asking in the right place but here goes. My guitar amp was a Fender Mustang iv modeling amp...which was great if not a tad large for home use. I saw the light recently and got a valve amp....and I love it (Blackstar ht1-r). So much I think I'll ditch the fender amp. but that would leave me without any effects. I'm a bit lost with what to look at, a few guys have pointed me towards pedals but that looks like a quick way to drop £600 on a pedal board (which isn't impossible, but the whole idea was to scale down in size and clutter as I'm a bassist...so my 4 strings take up the space in my house).
Are there any decent modeling processors worth sticking through a valve amp, or am I better off going for pedals?
I'd rather cough for decent gear than buy crap, but saying that I don't need overkill as I dont play electric guitar out of the house.
Any advice anyone?
Jas
Are there any decent modeling processors worth sticking through a valve amp, or am I better off going for pedals?
I'd rather cough for decent gear than buy crap, but saying that I don't need overkill as I dont play electric guitar out of the house.
Any advice anyone?
Jas
Chimune said:
I downsized from a twin reverb and lots of random peddles to a Vox 4 watt and a vox stomper. Cheap and it does a lot of stuff !
Hth
Is that the Vox Stomplab IIG ? Hth
the other thing I have just been looking at is the Line 6 POD 2.
its all new territory for me...a lot of bass players find their sound and stick to it...lol
Rather than buying lots of effects for the sake of having them, which ones do you actually use? I've got loads that never come out of the box, and even the reverb on my board isn't connected to the power supply anymore. Only things I need on mine are the tuner, drive pedal as mine's a single channel amp, chorus for a couple of songs and a phaser for one solo. And I could manage without the phaser too...
I used a boss multi effect (me 30 I think) and one of our other guitarists has a vox multieffect... TBH I think that unless you spend a lot of cash on them you will end up being disappointed.
A valve amp with a drive pedal and some sort of reverb/delay will get a lot of good tones..
Are there any specific sounds you are trying to get or do you just want a massive set of options?
A valve amp with a drive pedal and some sort of reverb/delay will get a lot of good tones..
Are there any specific sounds you are trying to get or do you just want a massive set of options?
davidd said:
I used a boss multi effect (me 30 I think) and one of our other guitarists has a vox multieffect... TBH I think that unless you spend a lot of cash on them you will end up being disappointed.
A valve amp with a drive pedal and some sort of reverb/delay will get a lot of good tones..
Are there any specific sounds you are trying to get or do you just want a massive set of options?
blues to rock really mate, probably overdrive, fuzz and delay I'd think. TBH i'm amazed how versatile the valve amp is, and its got reverb built in.A valve amp with a drive pedal and some sort of reverb/delay will get a lot of good tones..
Are there any specific sounds you are trying to get or do you just want a massive set of options?
vonhoolio said:
blues to rock really mate, probably overdrive, fuzz and delay I'd think. TBH i'm amazed how versatile the valve amp is, and its got reverb built in.
First watch this..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkGCvLstPrE
Then just start with an overdrive, if you want a cheap decent delay I was about to sell my mooer reecho...;)
Keep us posted..
D
davidd said:
First watch this..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkGCvLstPrE
Then just start with an overdrive, if you want a cheap decent delay I was about to sell my mooer reecho...;)
Keep us posted..
D
Cool video, I'm already all over the tone but I admit I tend to use the volume as an on/off switch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkGCvLstPrE
Then just start with an overdrive, if you want a cheap decent delay I was about to sell my mooer reecho...;)
Keep us posted..
D
Whats wrong with the mooer? not your cuppa?
vonhoolio said:
Cool video, I'm already all over the tone but I admit I tend to use the volume as an on/off switch
Now there's a subject that will last a hundred pages or more - how the volume knob works on a valve amp. This is almost the best bit of having a valve amp. Unlike a solid state one where it tends to be fairly predictable, a valve amp will react a bit differently. It really does make playing electric guitar a lot more interesting IMV.
The volume knob colours the sound quite a lot - it controls the power amp, and the power amp is generally where you'll get the "valve amp" sound. The trick is to set the volume just at the point of break-up - the crossover between clean and dirty - so that if you play gently it sounds clean, and dirty when you really attack the amp.
Any more volume than that and you start to lose dynamic range, and any less than that and you will start to lose "grit". Quite where the right point is will be down to personal preference and playing style, but you'll know it when you find it.
The nice thing about getting it just at that point is that it doesn't take much to tip the amp over the edge into a crazy lead tone with a pedal, whilst still keeping all of the character of the amplifier. That's something to bear in mind - if you go with too many pedals, you'll end up with just the sound of the pedals, and that might take away from the sound of the guitar and amp.
I have an Ibanez TS-9. It's a really quite subtle pedal, but if you kick it in with a valve amp that's just in the sweet spot it sounds really awesome.
davepoth said:
vonhoolio said:
Cool video, I'm already all over the tone but I admit I tend to use the volume as an on/off switch
Now there's a subject that will last a hundred pages or more - how the volume knob works on a valve amp. This is almost the best bit of having a valve amp. Unlike a solid state one where it tends to be fairly predictable, a valve amp will react a bit differently. It really does make playing electric guitar a lot more interesting IMV.
The volume knob colours the sound quite a lot - it controls the power amp, and the power amp is generally where you'll get the "valve amp" sound. The trick is to set the volume just at the point of break-up - the crossover between clean and dirty - so that if you play gently it sounds clean, and dirty when you really attack the amp.
Any more volume than that and you start to lose dynamic range, and any less than that and you will start to lose "grit". Quite where the right point is will be down to personal preference and playing style, but you'll know it when you find it.
The nice thing about getting it just at that point is that it doesn't take much to tip the amp over the edge into a crazy lead tone with a pedal, whilst still keeping all of the character of the amplifier. That's something to bear in mind - if you go with too many pedals, you'll end up with just the sound of the pedals, and that might take away from the sound of the guitar and amp.
I have an Ibanez TS-9. It's a really quite subtle pedal, but if you kick it in with a valve amp that's just in the sweet spot it sounds really awesome.
dojo said:
I bought one of these for band rehearsals as I got fed up with carting my entire pedal board around with me, didn't go back to using the individual pedals. The overdrive is analogue so sounds great, as do all the other effects, takes a while to get set up to how you like it but spend a bit of time with it and it's an amazing bit of kit.
http://www.tcelectronic.com/nova-system/
Edited by tom5678 on Thursday 15th January 05:14
If you want something to just tinker with for a bit until you settle down a bit more on what you really want, take a look at the Zoom G3. They're good value for money with a decent amount of effects and tweakability and hold their money quite well so you could get a decent amount back on it if/when you shift it on.
That should cover you for most of the modulation effects you might need without getting into the really specialist pedals, and give you some more effects to boot.
That should cover you for most of the modulation effects you might need without getting into the really specialist pedals, and give you some more effects to boot.
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