Pedal Guru's, Halp?

[ijustwannastrat]

Since I have a SUPER clean amp, I'm looking at making a pedalboard to help cover some of the more gritty tones that one would need in a cover band.

Right now, I have a DIY USSR Big Muff Pi and Distortion+

To you guys who know more about DIY pedals, I need to ask;

1) What pedals would you consider that I look into building? I would like to have a metal-ish pedal, a hard rock pedal, something (or two) for octaves (without built in distortion), and a good wah circuit.

2) What is the best way to power this many pedals? I know that I see "power conditioners" and other such things advertised, but is this necessary? Would a good power strip work well enough? I do not want to change batteries. Ever again.

3) Any other things that I should look at? My overall hope is to have a mobile board that I can set down, plug my guitar into, plug into my amp, and plug into power and rock. I've seen guys have to hook EVERY thing up before a show, and for most of my shows, I get a 5 minute setup/soundcheck. Any time saved is precious.

Give me links, give me advice, anything is appreciated!

I'm somewhat new to the game, so with all of your years of knowledge, I feel like a kid at a candy store. With guitars and such instead of candy.

[Yew]

On the pedalboard stuff, get a nice peice of wood, and use sticky-back velcro to hold your pedals in place, stick the hooks to the pedal, and the loops to the board, (keep it the same for all pedals, incase you decide to change the layout) you may also want to make side handles, and stuff to make it easier to carry and make it a tad stronger

[newey]

What is the best way to power this many pedals? I know that I see "power conditioners" and other such things advertised, but is this necessary? Would a good power strip work well enough? I do not want to change batteries. Ever again.

I don't see any real need for a power conditioner. I have my board plugged into a power strip with a breaker on it, amp and all is plugged into the same strip.

What you want is one of those multi-point power supplies that allow you to power a bunch of pedals from the same wall wart. I use a Godlyke™ unit with 6 leads, it came with a variety of plugs for the various brands of pedals. It works well. There are other manufacturers as well.

I recently redid my pedal board and ditched the Velcro™ in favor of some new stuff from 3M, I forget what it's called but it's a heavy-duty plastic on both sides which interlocks. This is the same stuff the State gives you to stick your automated toll pass (e.g., EZPass, I-Pass, etc.) unit to your windshield. It holds the pedals more solidly that the Velcro™.

[ijustwannastrat]

I waited a while for more input, so I'm going to try to rephrase my question...


What is your most valued pedal? I mean the one you can't play without. I'm hoping to be able to find pre-printed PCBs online (it may take a while to work up to etching), and simply add the components to make the pedal.

[jcgss77]

Since you said you need a good metal pedal, I can send you a schematic for a diy that is very simple and has loads of heavy, and an original sound, if you are interested.

I would also recommend a chorus pedal, if it is not in your amp. Gotta love the sparkle it gives to clean parts! I have heard of a couple of diy chorus, but I think you would better off buying that one.

[andy]

Here's a quick shot of my board which should answer lots of questions from your first post...


I'm not in the states, but the 'suitcase' was pretty cheap, about £25, and the power block was about £30.

For heaviness in the Marshall vein (i'd say JCM 800/900) I can highly recommend the M.I. Audio Crunch Box there. I don't know if there are many schematics for them around though.

[ashcatlt]

A lot of people seem to like the BSIAB (british stack in a box), or if you're into the California type thing, look for Dr. Boogie. I've never tried either, but from what I've heard, I think they'll get you pretty close for metal.

I suggest some version of the Rat for less extreme OD/distortion.

[ijustwannastrat]

Well, I'm in a bind. It sounds like I need multiple "metal" pedals. I guess there are enough metalheads in my area that I can sell the ones that I end up not liking/needing.

All three of Ash's pedals sound delicious.

Andy, is that Crunch box good for the "chuga chuga, dun chika dun" type riffs?

jcgss77, I sent you a PM.

[andy]

Aug 31, 2010 14:18:42 GMT -5 ijustwannastrat said:

Andy, is that Crunch box good for the "chuga chuga, dun chika dun" type riffs?

If that means what I think it means, then yes! It is quite chunky sounding, not overly saturated, but with plenty of bite. With the appropriate amp EQ it could do early Slayer, if you will. Never really cleans up either. It's the closest I've found to actually being a Marshall in a box for clean amps- YMMV, of course!