The “always on” pedal trap

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

“If you have to have an always on pedal, you’re obviously playing the wrong amp”

I look at it as modding an amp with an outboard circuit…custom amp!

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

Honestly haven't found a pedal I love to leave on, but I was thinking about this regarding the delay & reverb "sauce" and having an expression pedal to control the mix seems awesome. You can leave it on but roll it in and out. Especially something like the Halo...

I’ve been doing that for decades, started with the Vox Tonelab

Two downsides though, 1, on most units/setups, you are no longer able to tie delaymix to a preset with the exp pedal also tied to it. So if you need to be able to, for example, go from a dry clean to a wet drive with one click…you have a challenge. Workaround can be to control it with CC triggered by midi switches (step up/down)

2 without making sound it’s hard to determine if your level is right. So if you need to be “just right” on the one after count in, you might want some visual feedback from your expression pedal. I use a Hotone Tunerpress which has a small lcd build in.

If you can get away with taking a bit of time to get your sound ready..it’s great. For me it reduces the amount of presets I have to make enormously.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Honestly haven't found a pedal I love to leave on, but I was thinking about this regarding the delay & reverb "sauce" and having an expression pedal to control the mix seems awesome. You can leave it on but roll it in and out. Especially something like the Halo...

Do like Jimmy Herring and route your wet effects from an AxeFx as full wet via a volume pedal to a solid state power amp driving a 4x12. Talk about an “always on” pedal - “what’s that pedal?” “Just my half-stack reverb unit.”

 

[AutomationBias]

Do like Jimmy Herring and route your wet effects from an AxeFx as full wet via a volume pedal to a solid state power amp driving a 4x12. Talk about an “always on” pedal - “what’s that pedal?” “Just my half-stack reverb unit.”

He replaced the Axe Fx with an Eventide Space some years ago. The rest of the setup is the same though - two Crown power amps into a stereo 4x12.

 

[Jarick]

Do like Jimmy Herring and route your wet effects from an AxeFx as full wet via a volume pedal to a solid state power amp driving a 4x12. Talk about an “always on” pedal - “what’s that pedal?” “Just my half-stack reverb unit.”

Okay that sounds cool. And I could totally do an unnecessary wet/dry thing with the amp running through a real cab and then wet effects running through the FR-12.

 

[AutomationBias]

Okay that sounds cool. And I could totally do an unnecessary wet/dry thing with the amp running through a real cab and then wet effects running through the FR-12.

I tried it not too long ago with a Super Reverb and the wet-only Axe Fx going through a power amp into a 4x12. I didn't feel like there was a huge difference between that and running the Axe through the effects loop on my Power Station, but I also wasn't playing at Herring-level stage volumes.

 

[metropolis_4]

Sounds like you truly need more than one Comp, Met. A Dynacomp style Comp at the front of your
chain and a levelling Comp/limiter at the end of your chain.

For me, Comps are fun.... but also very distinctive and a very prominent effect once you learn how
to hear how they sound. Country and 80s Pop/Rock. Maybe some Funk and R & B. Yes!

Metal, Blues, or Hard Rock?? No fucking way! Not for me anyways.

100% with you on all of that.

Funny thing is while I love the DynaComp up front I hate compressors at the end of the chain! I tried that for a bit and I found it totally killed the tone of the amp for me.

 

[DrewJD82]

If I were in anything but a straight up metal band I’d definitely have this ‘issue’ as well. That Lovepedal Tchula would most likely never get turned off unless I needed a really loud, clean tone with a bunch of headroom. A couple weeks ago when I was messing with the Fractal comps, I definitely started understanding the appeal of using one at all times.

Not sure why I’m so adverse to it for my non-metal presets, I know I definitely see it is “If I need to add a compressor I didn’t get the amp/IR right…” and I know that’s not really THE truth. Not sure why I’m have it drilled in my head this way. It’s probably from shitheads telling me my whole guitar playing life “if you need this, it’s because you’re not doing this!”

 

[metropolis_4]

If I were in anything but a straight up metal band I’d definitely have this ‘issue’ as well. That Lovepedal Tchula would most likely never get turned off unless I needed a really loud, clean tone with a bunch of headroom. A couple weeks ago when I was messing with the Fractal comps, I definitely started understanding the appeal of using one at all times.

Not sure why I’m so adverse to it for my non-metal presets, I know I definitely see it is “If I need to add a compressor I didn’t get the amp/IR right…” and I know that’s not really THE truth. Not sure why I’m have it drilled in my head this way. It’s probably from shitheads telling me my whole guitar playing life “if you need this, it’s because you’re not doing this!”

I learned to stop listening to said shitheads when they started telling me I should always be plugging a guitar straight into an amp with no pedals.

Ok, that’s great. I’m supposed to play some U2 covers next weekend, how to you suggest I do that with my guitar plugged straight into my amp?

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I learned to stop listening to said shitheads when they started telling me I should always be plugging a guitar straight into an amp with no pedals.

Ok, that’s great. I’m supposed to play some U2 covers next weekend, how to you suggest I do that with my guitar plugged straight into my amp?

I had a guy come up to me after a gig to say I was a lazy cheat who needed to learn how to play the guitar properly! What was my crime? I used a capo. Yup one song using a capo meant I didn't know how to play the guitar. When I asked him how would he would play part I was playing without one? He didn't have an answer because he was a fucking idiot.

 

[Stone]

I learned to stop listening to said shitheads when they started telling me I should always be plugging a guitar straight into an amp with no pedals.

Ok, that’s great. I’m supposed to play some U2 covers next weekend, how to you suggest I do that with my guitar plugged straight into my amp?

Tell him Hey you do you il do me Ok ? Now kindly Fuck Off !!!

 

[KingsXJJ]

I had a guy come up to me after a gig to say I was a lazy cheat who needed to learn how to play the guitar properly! What was my crime? I used a capo. Yup one song using a capo meant I didn't know how to play the guitar. When I asked him how would he would play part I was playing without one? He didn't have an answer because he was a fucking idiot.

That would have ticked me off royally. Like GTFO man!

 

[SillyOctpuss]

That would have ticked me off royally. Like GTFO man!

Yeah he was a royale bellend.

 

[Richard_G]

If I were in anything but a straight up metal band I’d definitely have this ‘issue’ as well. That Lovepedal Tchula would most likely never get turned off unless I needed a really loud, clean tone with a bunch of headroom. A couple weeks ago when I was messing with the Fractal comps, I definitely started understanding the appeal of using one at all times.

Not sure why I’m so adverse to it for my non-metal presets, I know I definitely see it is “If I need to add a compressor I didn’t get the amp/IR right…” and I know that’s not really THE truth. Not sure why I’m have it drilled in my head this way. It’s probably from shitheads telling me my whole guitar playing life “if you need this, it’s because you’re not doing this!”

I can relate in the sense that I’m kind of «scared» of getting too used to having a nice compressor first in the chain. I don’t know, I guess I’m worried getting too used to the way it changes the dynamics might mess with my fingerspitzengefühl or something.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Compressor with a good dry blend knob my dudes

 

[Richard_G]

Like my Cali76 Deluxe compact and my Empress compressor (mk I). But still…

 

[Richard_G]

And I‘m kind of feeling the same way about my Durham Sex Drive, which has a tendency to just stay on whenever I put it in the chain.

 

[newholland]

There was a boutique Japanese builder I found some time ago, I can't remember at all the brand, but it was wildly expensive. Anyway, they have the philosophy that each guitar needs to have it's own pedal to sound right, so each of their guitars comes with a handmade pedal specifically designed for it. I'd love to hear one of those, but after a certain price point I stop taking guitars seriously.

id like to state for the record that i believe this is utter horseshit salesmanship geared towards wealthy idiots who believe in 'mojo' and whose guitars spend more time in lucite boxes than getting sweated on. thank you, be here all week.

 

[newholland]

I learned to stop listening to said shitheads when they started telling me I should always be plugging a guitar straight into an amp with no pedals.

Ok, that’s great. I’m supposed to play some U2 covers next weekend, how to you suggest I do that with my guitar plugged straight into my amp?

i love playing that way, but, erm... like.. whole universes of music need pedals.

but ya know, if ya cant emulate delay pedals with your fingers, whatre you even DOING MAN?

 

[Aelred]

That reminds me of the Tommy Emmanuel story of how he was trying to figure out a Chet Atkins song, and dismissed the idea of Chet using a Capo.

When he met Chet and asked him about the song, Chet instantly said: “Oh, yeah! Capo 2nd fret!”