More effects/pedal advice needed...

[ORCRiST]

Ok, so for my Tube Screamer needs, I think I found what I wanted.

Next on my signal chain I need:

1. Chorus and Delay
2. Reverb (my tube amp - Blackstar HT5 - doesnt have reverb).
3. an EQ?
4. ...I've been thinking about getting a octave-divider/doubler-type-thing.

Are there any "go-to" products out there you guys recommend?

These are wide-open for whomever makes a quality effect...  Do I want analog over digital with a tube amp, does it make a difference?

Thanks...

ORCRiST
Tube Effects n00b

 

[kboman]

As noted elsewhere, I have my sights on Strymon for delay and maybe reverb. The pedals sound fantastic and they show their prospective customers respect by actually making informative gear demos. Expensive though :tard:

Otherwise - hell, spec out what you need from each pedal, rule out what does not meet the spec and try to buy as expensive (and thus hopefully high quality) as your budget allows while not falling for brand snobbery. If at all possible, play test with your actual equipment or as close as you can get. Youtube is your friend, albeit not one you would lend money or trust with your innocent younger sister.

But I could be entirely wrong as usual! Will watch this thread with interest as I'm in a very similar situation.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The Chorus and Delay I'd get would be based on the bucket brigade analog chip design.  MXR does good versions of these if you don't want to build your own.  Reverb, I hate to say it, but a spring reverb tank just seems to always sound "how it is supposed to."  At least to me.  I built a "ReVibe" from Weber with the Tore-T circuit.  It is very cool, you can make most every amps clean sound shimmer, and have a really Fender vibe.  The Tremolo (Vibrato according to Leo) is also quite fun to play with.  It kind of stinks that Weber is having trouble with their cabinet makers, because the kits they have are very nicely priced for what you get.  But now having to find a new cabinet supplier makes it not nearly the deal.  On to EQ, I'll leave that to others because several folks have well defined opinions about that, I am not so into it if I can't get the amp to do it on it's own.
Patrick

 

[Superlizard]

Easy on the budget:

1. Delay

MXR Carbon Copy (analog)

2. Reverb (my tube amp - Blackstar HT5 - doesnt have reverb).

Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail (get the "Holier Grail" if you need to tweek things)

3. an EQ?

MXR 6-Band... although I use mine for specific purposes, and it has some hiss at 0dB.

Do I want analog over digital with a tube amp, does it make a difference?

Only difference is the FX "tone" you desire - hence digital delay vs. analog, etc... they have different "tone"
comparatively.

 

[mrpinter]

Chorus: try to find a long out of print Boss DC-2 Dimension C, or Boss CE-2 (both wonderful analog choruses); otherwise I'd recommend a CMATMODS anolog chorus or a Wampler chorus. The DC-2 is stereo and the others are mono. The DC-2 also could set you back a bit, as it has something of a cult status and brings a pretty penny on eBay. If you can find one for not much more than $200 I'd say it's well worth it.

Delay: I have a CMATMODS Deeelay pedal and love it. It's digital but sounds wonderful - super clean with no coloring at all.

Reverb: I have and recommend the Dr. Scientist Mini Reverberator. It's a little pricey, but I think worth it (lots of very believable hall, room and plate verbs, plus an authentic sounding rotating speaker emulation). It doesn't have a spring reverb setting, but I don't miss it. Another reverb that is getting rave reviews is the Neunaber Wet Reverb.

EQ: I'm again going to dip into Boss history: look for a PQ-4 Parametric Equalizer. More potent and effective than a graphic eq.

Octaver: I'm not going to be as much help here. Subdecay and Catalinbread both make interesting products, I think the Boss OC-3 is pretty good, and there's the Electro Harmonix Pog & Micro Pog. Somebody else will have more experience with these.

 

[ORCRiST]

Thanks for the reply's all, keep them coming please!

All your advice is much appreciated. At this point, now I'm just looking for inexpensive (not cheap), solid
effects for tone experimentation. Ebay, MusicGoRound, and Criagslist are going to be my primary
suppliers vs. buying something brand new.

:rock-on:

ORC

 

[Cagey]

The Tremolo (Vibrato according to Leo) is also quite fun to play with.  

You've got it backwards. What most people refer to as "tremolo" is actually vibrato. Leo, who many would be surprised to learn was not very musically sophisticated, didn't know any better and called it tremolo. Subsequently, everybody who wanted to sound like they were as smart as him parroted it. As a result, today a surprising number of guitar players sound just like Leo - musically uneducated.

Tremolo = periodic change of volume
Vibrato = periodic change of pitch

Obviously, changing the tension of your strings isn't going to raise or lower their volume. It changes their pitch. Likewise, using electronics in the amplifier (or a special effects box) to periodically change volume doesn't change the note's pitch.

To be fair, though, the misuse of the terms have gone on for long enough now that the meanings of the words have changed in the vernacular. Kinda like "gay" or "sick" used to mean happy or ill but now means homosexual or impressive.

 

[Mor Paul]

The Tremolo (Vibrato according to Leo) is also quite fun to play with.  

You've got it backwards. What most people refer to as "tremolo" is actually vibrato. Leo, who many would be surprised to learn was not very musically sophisticated, didn't know any better and called it tremolo. Subsequently, everybody who wanted to sound like they were as smart as him parroted it. As a result, today a surprising number of guitar players sound just like Leo - musically uneducated.

Tremolo = periodic change of volume
Vibrato = periodic change of pitch

Obviously, changing the tension of your strings isn't going to raise or lower their volume. It changes their pitch. Likewise, using electronics in the amplifier (or a special effects box) to periodically change volume doesn't change the note's pitch.

To be fair, though, the misuse of the terms have gone on for long enough now that the meanings of the words have changed in the vernacular. Kinda like "gay" or "sick" used to mean happy or ill but now means homosexual or impressive.

Patrick's got it right. He knows it's a tremolo, but it is called vibrato on the amp, and he aknowledges that as well.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The Tremolo (Vibrato according to Leo) is also quite fun to play with.  

You've got it backwards. What most people refer to as "tremolo" is actually vibrato. Leo, who many would be surprised to learn was not very musically sophisticated, didn't know any better and called it tremolo. Subsequently, everybody who wanted to sound like they were as smart as him parroted it. As a result, today a surprising number of guitar players sound just like Leo - musically uneducated.

Tremolo = periodic change of volume
Vibrato = periodic change of pitch

Obviously, changing the tension of your strings isn't going to raise or lower their volume. It changes their pitch. Likewise, using electronics in the amplifier (or a special effects box) to periodically change volume doesn't change the note's pitch.

To be fair, though, the misuse of the terms have gone on for long enough now that the meanings of the words have changed in the vernacular. Kinda like "gay" or "sick" used to mean happy or ill but now means homosexual or impressive.

The Tremolo is as you said, a change in volume.  And that is what the unit does, despite being called a Vibrato, it changes the volume.  If you were to take the, "Vibrato," input off of a Deluxe Reverb, you'd have something quite close to what I built.  Except mine has the bias modulated, "Vibrato," of the Early Vibroverb for really smooth swells.
Patrick

 

[Cagey]

All your advice is much appreciated. At this point, now I'm just looking for inexpensive (not cheap), solid
effects for tone experimentation. Ebay, MusicGoRound, and Criagslist are going to be my primary
suppliers vs. buying something brand new.

If you're just experimenting, you might want to consider inexpensive AND cheap. Along those lines, you can buy a helluva lotta effects that work surprisingly well for very low prices from Behringer. They have a wide range of offerings, and nearly all of them are between $25 and $40 brand spankin' new. They're not very robust units, though, and so would never withstand the rigors of travel for very long at all. But, if you like what you hear, you can easily improve on them from Boss, MXR, Digitech, et al as finances permit. The Behringer units are priced low enough that they're nearly disposable, or you can give them away to friends to gain brownie points. A good place to get them from at discounted prices is Parts Express.

 

[Cagey]

The Tremolo is as you said, a change in volume.  And that is what the unit does, despite being called a Vibrato, it changes the volume.  If you were to take the "Vibrato" input off of a Deluxe Reverb, you'd have something quite close to what I built.  Except mine has the bias modulated "Vibrato," of the Early Vibroverb for really smooth swells.

Right. I wasn't questioning or correcting that; I was pointing out that Leo was the confused one, but opposite to what you credited him with being confused about.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Ahh, I sort of see.  I guess the "You've got it backwards," was my clue.  Although I didn't have it backwards.  Nevermind.
Patrick

 

[Superlizard]

Hah... and that confusion somehow got stuck to the wang bar as well.

 

[bagman67]

Hah... and that confusion somehow got stuck to the wang bar as well.

You should have that checked out.

But srsly,

+1 on the EH Holy (or Holier) Grail reverb.

 

[ORCRiST]

Right on. Thanks all!

Also, does it matter if you mix digital and analog effects? One would think you'd
want to stick to one or the other in a signal-chain, but WTF to do I know?

Thanks again!

ORC

 

[kboman]

I don't think there is such a thing as "analog is better than digital" or vice versa - better is better! I believe in getting good parts regardless of what they are supposed to do/sound like or how they cause the effect to appear. I mean, there are tube driven pedals out there that sound decidedly worse than transistor analog/digital modeling pedal. Even if, say, the hypothetical analog delay of one's dreams has all the coveted and "vintage correct" chips they are not much use if they are not part of a good circuit.

On the other hand, getting some cheap stomps and working out where one's tastes lie is not a bad idea at all. Mucking about in Guitar Rig has certainly helped me figure out what I like.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Mixing analog and digital doesn't matter.  There are camps on which is better.  Like with true bypass or FET switching.  Like with tube or solid state...  I have found that the analog effects (like the bucket brigade chips used in delay based effects) tend to sound warmer, and have less resolution than the digital ones.  Those analog delay chips are battery killers as well.  But they have a sound I like.  Not to say that I have not been able to get just as good of a sound with a digi chorus or flange, I just like the way the analog ones add a little grit and warmth to the deal.  And now there are several reissue/remakes of the older style pedals, so that is cool to me.  What ever works is cool.  There are opinions, but no necessarily right ways to do any of this.
Patrick