Need some pedal choice advice

JohnW63

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OK, I don't NEED another pedal, but I would be curious to hear suggestions based on the three pedals I have ( Not counting the looper I need to learn how to use. )

Boss SD-1
Fulltone FullDrive 3
TC Electronics Flashback mini.

So, I have a pair of drives and a delay pedal. I wouldn't mind some cool sustain type of thing, just for the " Hold the note for the fun of it " types of things. Is that just a Compressor or something else ? I play jazz , blues, some rock, etc.

Mostly I watch too many JHS Pedals and That Pedal Show videos for my own good.

Sell me on something.
 

crank

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Compressors are popular and they will give you sustain. IMO they also cut the edge off of your pick's attack a bit so I kind of have a love hate relationship as I like a nice sharp pick attack. However, I also like the added sustain my compressor gives me.

If you already have 2 drives why do you really want another?
 

txbumper57

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What kind of Amp are you running? Does it have a good Reverb on it? I don't know about sustain but a Nice Reverb Pedal or even a Chorus pedal will give you plenty of new "Tonal" options by themselves and also in tandem with your other pedals. If you are looking for a bit of Funky tone you may consider a Wah pedal or a MXR Phase 90 pedal as well. At least those are a few options you can check out on Youtube.

TX
 

Quantum Strummer

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A compressor will lengthen the sustain portion of your notes. There are some newer ones on the market that let you dial in a blend of uneffected and compressed signal, which lets you preserve note attack along with the longer sustain. Wampler's Ego is the only one of these I've tried out so far. I was impressed, though I didn't buy it since there are others I'd like to try out too.

The most versatile of the guitar compressors I have is a BBE VariComp, a near-clone of the original MXR dyna comp with an added attack knob.

-Dave-
 

Charlie Bernstein

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Is that just a Compressor or something else ?
It's a compressor.

It's true that most of them kill your attack. As mentioned above, if you want preserve your attack while adding sustain, get a compressor with a blend knob or blend switch. I think the first one to the market was the Barber Tone Press, and it remains popular. Guyatone makes a cheap one. I have a Philosopher's Tone that does the trick. I'm sure there are others.

A lot of overdrives compress, too, just by the nature of their circuits. For instance, I had an Analogman King of Tone for a while, and it tightened up the signal noticeably.
 

JohnW63

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Crank,

I wasn't asking about getting another drive pedal. Just wanted to hear suggestions about what else might be a cool pedal type I don't have that would work with the type of music I pretend to play. Do you have a favorite ?
 

JohnW63

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txbumper,

I have three amps I plug into most often. They all have reverb one also has chorus and one shows depth and speed which may actually be tremolo, now that I think of it. However the Flashback can do lots of reverb and some chorus like effects.
 

Sal

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The Strymon Flint is two wonderful pedals in one; reverb and tremolo and you can choose between 3 reverbs and 3 trems. Strymon pedals are rock solid, sound great and hold their value well. $300 well spent.
 

crank

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Crank,

I wasn't asking about getting another drive pedal. Just wanted to hear suggestions about what else might be a cool pedal type I don't have that would work with the type of music I pretend to play. Do you have a favorite ?

I use a Boss ME50 multi effects unit that allows me to select different models. I mostly use the Tube Screamer model. I also have a Tube Screamer. I keep the drive level down to almost 0 so get more of a bit of an overdriven boost than a lot of distortion. My Boss also has delay and chorus effects as well as reverbs, a compressor, a tuner and a volume pedal. I can also use the volume pedal as a wha wha but I prefer having my Crybaby in line.

It's super convenient and sounds good too. I actually have 2 of the Boss units. 1 as a back up for times like that time I spilled a beer directly onto and into one of them. It worked fine once it dried out for a few days.

One sound I like playing with is having spring reverb from my amp and a little hall reverb on my Boss. Another sound I love is playing through 2 amps through the Boss unit's stereo outs.

As far as individual pedals go I am not really up to speed as I am happy with what I have and figure I should chase tone by learning my gear rather than buying new stuff. I know, I'm no fun.

What types of music do you like to play and are you playing solo or with others?
 
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jp

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If you want a really inexpensive entry to try a bunch of different kinds of pedals, I would suggest you give a Line 6 M5 modeling pedal a try. It models about 100 different pedals, including multiple Reverb, Delay, Distortion, Fuzz, Compression, Chorus, Phase, Tremelo, and other effects like Wah and Volume if you use it with an expression pedal. The effects are pretty high quality, and the parameters for each model are fully tweakable. It even has a simple tuner.

The downside is you can't stack these effects -- you can only have one effect on at a time, which perhaps sounds like what you want to do. For someone who wants to try out a bunch of different types of effects pedals, this is a great way to do it on the cheap. I scored a clean used example for $100.

There are honestly a number of extreme effects you may never use, but there are a bunch that sound great, and multiple kinds. Check out this list of models this pedal emulates. It's also a great "spare" to have on hand when you want to use a rare effect that you won't use that often or you don't want to take a full on pedalboard to a gig. It's pretty simple to use, and you can save presets.

There are lots of reviews about it on youtube talking pros and cons. I happen to think there are more pros vs cons, esp. when you're just searching around to sample effects types, without having to invest a lot of cash and energy.
 

jp

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Oh, and I forgot to ask what you think about the Fulltone Fulldrive 3? I really love mine, and I can get a lot of different distortions, overdrive sounds, and grunts out of it. A nice boost also!
 

JohnW63

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It's my one "always on" pedal. I do wish the upper and lower distortion settings weren't so much quieter than the middle position. I run my acoustic guitars through it, just for the boost. I think it minimizes the piezo pick-up "quack" as a buffer too.
 

dapmdave

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It's my one "always on" pedal. I do wish the upper and lower distortion settings weren't so much quieter than the middle position. I run my acoustic guitars through it, just for the boost. I think it minimizes the piezo pick-up "quack" as a buffer too.

Funny you should mention that. I've been using a TC Electronics "Spark Plug" as a solo boost pedal for years. Always avoided introducing distortion until fairly recently when I found that the pickup system in the Doyle Dykes sounds kinda cool with a touch of hair on it. (Not so much with a standard UST setup as in other guitars) Seems like I'm breaking some kind of a rule but it puts a grin on my face and I've had some positive comments.
 
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