paul45
7 posts
Mar 25, 2010
12:50 PM
|
What do you think is the ratio of players using pedals vs.
plugging straight into an amp. Is delay the most commonly used effect?
|
toddlgreene
1099 posts
Mar 25, 2010
1:03 PM
|
I seldom hook up 'dry', except maybe at practice. I use, at a bare minimum at my own gigs, either my Lone Wolf V2 Delay or my Guyatone MD-2. Sometimes I drag out my Boss OC-2 or the LW Octave(I don't consider the LW to really be an 'octave' pedal, but it seriously fattens the tone). I use others, such as a Dunlop Rotovibe for Leslie speaker similation, sometimes. Now, I will still play dry on some tunes-it just depends on the sound I'm going for. I don't like always sounding the same. For that reason as well, I'll play acoustic thru the vocal mic on some tunes.
----------
Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 1:09 PM
|
jawbone
295 posts
Mar 25, 2010
1:55 PM
|
I use a Boss DM2 and Lonewolf Harp Break.
----------
If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 1:55 PM
|
jonsparrow
2618 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:06 PM
|
i use pedals. quite a few.
----------
|
paul45
9 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:14 PM
|
I suppose I should have mentioned that although I have experimented with a few delays and a boss reverb I always go back to just a mic into an amp....maybe I'm just lazy
|
jonsparrow
2621 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:17 PM
|
i think its all about the sound you prefer. an the type of amp/mic etc... i personally would never play into my amp with out certain pedals. its like a night and day tone difference.
----------
|
hvyj
226 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:33 PM
|
It depends on what amplification I'm using.
If I'm using my Super Reverb RI or my Princeton Reverb RI, I just plug a 545 Ultimate straight into the amp. No effects except the on board reverb.
When I use my SWR Baby Baby Blue acoustic bass amp, (which is my primary amp for performance these days) I use a pedalboard with a fairly elaborate effects chain: RetroSonic Phaser, EHX MicroPog, DLS RotoSim, Loooper custom A/B pedal to select between RotoSim outputs, and MXR Carbon Copy Delay. The pedal board is between my 545 Ultimate and the amp, although I have sometimes put the delay (which stays on all the time) in the effects loop.
Into a PA, I will use either my 545 Ultimate or an Audix Fireball V straight into the PA board. No effects except whatever reverb or delay is available through the board.
I think delay or reverb is the most widely used (and most useful) effect for electric playing. I don't have a strong preference for one over the other, but I don't like to play dry.
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 2:36 PM
|
Joe_L
117 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:33 PM
|
I play traditional Blues and don't use any effects. I'm content with a microphone -> cable -> amp. Lately, I've been using the PA and vocal mic quite a bit.
I own a Boss OC2 octave pedal, a Dan Echo delay pedal and a Lone Wolf Harp Tone+. I rarely use any of them.
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 2:33 PM
|
Tuckster
446 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:45 PM
|
Unless it's a bad room,I always use delay. Just last night I tried a OC2 octave and a chorus pedal. I could see where they'd be useful sometimes,but I'd really have to woodshed with them first.
|
Joch230
46 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:46 PM
|
I only use a Boss ME-20. It has most of the basic Boss effects in one pedal box. Only one item to plug in and no need for a bunch of patch cords or batteries for a bunch of effects. Besides all the basic effects, it has a volume pedal and an EQ that is useful as well as a stereo out if you want to run to 2 amps. Cost me about $160. No loop option though...but you can plug in headphones and hear yourself if you don't want to rock the neighborhood.
-John
|
Shredder
159 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:50 PM
|
Delay is the only effect I use. Lone Wolf harp delay and a Berringer delay pedal. I use the Loan Wolf thru my tube amp and the Berringer thru my clean amp. I use an A/B "Morley" pedal to swap between amp's.I play one mic, an Audix FireBall V.
Iv'e tried reverb but it seems more prone to feed back.
Mike
|
hvyj
227 posts
Mar 25, 2010
2:58 PM
|
Btw, if you are using more than one pedal, Pedaltrain pedalboards are the bomb. I've got my pedals on a Pedaltrain Mini and I power everything with a Visual Sound OneSpot. Very easy to carry, very convenient and reliable, very quick and simple to set up and tear down, consistent pedal spacing and placement AND, most important, VERY SECURE--you don't have to worry about loose connections or kicking a connecting jack out accidentally when you are playing and stomping around.
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 3:03 PM
|
isaacullah
885 posts
Mar 25, 2010
3:20 PM
|
I use lot's of effects. I think it's part of being a Modern harp player. Yeah, you can get a great tone from the right combination of mic and amp, but it's only one tone. With effects, you can get a lot more, and that means you can make a lot more music. And a lot more types of music too.
----------
------------------
The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
|
Delta Dirt
141 posts
Mar 25, 2010
3:38 PM
|
None!!!! Sonny Jr Cruncher and an assortment of Chuck Gurney CM's ,CR'S, and Crystals. When the sound is perfect why ruin it?
|
7LimitJI
52 posts
Mar 25, 2010
4:09 PM
|
Boss DD-2 into a Bassman
----------
The Harpist formerly known as Doggycam
Those Dangerous Gentlemens Myspace
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2010 4:10 PM
|
conjob
18 posts
Mar 25, 2010
4:46 PM
|
i don't even have a proper amp yet. i think i'll get more harps before i get an amp then maybe think about effects.
----------
conjob
|
congaron
728 posts
Mar 25, 2010
4:51 PM
|
I use delay, but I also have a couple of amp models i like in my digitech that really make the valve junior growl or roar. For me, modeling through a tube amp has expanded the variety a lot and i can model into the PA as well for a nice one briefcase carry to the jams.
|
harp honkin
35 posts
Mar 25, 2010
5:01 PM
|
I use a lonewolf delay once in awhile, but for the most part just through a amp.
|
gmacleod15
54 posts
Mar 25, 2010
5:56 PM
|
I use a Boss DD3 and if I really want to get it growling I use a Boss Blues Driver which no one else has mentioned. I just bought the Blues Driver on a whim as it was used and cheap. I don't use it much and the delay pedal is on low. They are both nice to have on tap as it just provides more variety.
Note below that my one year MBH aniversary was yesterday
----------
MBH member since 2009-03-24
|
boris_plotnikov
58 posts
Mar 25, 2010
8:55 PM
|
My current pedalboard.  . I actually use octave, phaser (emulate hammond), short delay (for fattness), long delay. I wanna buy digitech effect processor to add rotary effect and autowah.
----------
http://myspace.com/harmonicaboris
|
oldwailer
1150 posts
Mar 25, 2010
9:17 PM
|
Jeez, Boris--if you had a plastic mouth with that rig--it wouldn't need you! ;)
|
Greg Heumann
370 posts
Mar 25, 2010
9:30 PM
|
I frequently plug straight into my amp. I do that for a while and then switch the pedals - a Lone Wolf delay and sometimes a BBE Sonic Stomp as well. Regardless of which direction I switch, I always think "hey that sounds pretty good" - so I still with it for a while. Then I switch back, and think "hey that sounds pretty good." Repeat ad infinitum.
----------
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
|
jonsparrow
2629 posts
Mar 25, 2010
9:35 PM
|
this is mine.
----------
|
Ev630
191 posts
Mar 25, 2010
11:28 PM
|
As I said, straight in. I don't need anything to help get a fat tone. But I wanted to try the LW delay just for a laugh.
Do you guys really need all of that stuff to help your tone? Doesn't a big pedal chain ultimately thin out your signal, or just turn it into digital compression?
|
Ant138
389 posts
Mar 26, 2010
12:41 AM
|
----------  I just plug straight into the amp although i am thinking about getting a delay pedal. i can understand lots of effects for guitar but not for the harp but i suppose never say never. im just trying to work on my acoustic tone hoping that will help with my amplified harp.
I would be interested to know where Jon got his anti feedback pedal? i cant seem to find one.
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2010 12:46 AM
|
harmonicanick
693 posts
Mar 26, 2010
2:07 AM
|
There is the 'Kinder' anti-feedback pedal which Mike Fugazzi/Harp Ninja reviewed on you tube.
I can't remember if he posted that on this forum.
I was going to get one but instead changed the tubes in my blues junior.
|
toddlgreene
1100 posts
Mar 26, 2010
4:45 AM
|
EV630, I don't use effects to get my tone-I use it for 'color', and not so much on blues, which I seldom go beyond a little bit of LW delay to wet things up a bit or add some vintage studio-sounding slapback. Maybe tone is the wrong word to use. I play different styles, sometimes wanting a cleaner, brighter sound. I play horn parts, keyboard parts(I use the Leslie effect for stuff like this), and some real melodic Lee Oskar-esque stuff as well. What's considered good blues tone either doesn't always fit or gets too monotonous to me when I cross style boundaries. Again, if I only played straight-up traditional blues, I wouldn't use much, if any, beyond a little bit of delay or reverb.
----------
Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2010 4:47 AM
|
Bluefinger
146 posts
Mar 26, 2010
5:09 AM
|
I use an old Boss reverb pedal in front of my tweeds, dialed in low, that's all. Same for guitar. I'm not a pedal hater but I simply have no use for anything else.
----------
If it ain't broke you just haven't fixed it enough ...
|
5F6H
40 posts
Mar 26, 2010
5:40 AM
|
Rehearsals, jams etc - no effects. Any time I am in a "changeable" environment, I just go straight in. Less things to fiddle with, worry about.
In a more controlled stage environment - Boss DD3 or Lone Wolf Delay. Boss DD3 has a slight middy grind/fatness, Lone Wolf is more transparent (mostly just adds effect). I have tried dozens of delay pedals and these are the only 2 (inc. DD2)that I would recommend.
I have recorded using a Yamaha DG stomp, either between mic & amp, or run through the mixing desk. The DG allows various effects to be run simultaneously (e.g. delay, reverb, a shade of chorus for a cool "tape delay" effect, quieter operation than many tube tape delays) & can be used with all the patches turned off. A good multi effect unit can go some way to addressing signal loss when daisy chaining multiple pedals.
Prefer to record (& record other people) dry, then add the effect at the desk - if you have a bunch of guys all using different wet effects at the same time, it can end up sounding like they are all in different rooms/environments & not very cohesive. If using delay in the studio, I'll normally put a hall/chamber over the top, as delay on it's own can sometimes short/clipped/phasey & a touch of reverb can help it sound more open/lively.
Reverb effects for live work sometimes lose out to delays because the typical effect of reverb is to "blurr" the edges around the note, this can set you back in the mix. A tighter, more distinct, delay/echo can help keep some front to the sound in a stage environment.
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2010 6:55 AM
|
boris_plotnikov
59 posts
Mar 26, 2010
6:15 AM
|
Ev630
Delay and sonic stomp really make tone fatter. Octaves make sound twice fatter but synthieser-like (sometimes it's really cool!), phasers, leslie, autowah make tone thinner but they sounds so uncommon that I like it for one or two solo a gig.
----------
http://myspace.com/harmonicaboris
|
HarpNinja
320 posts
Mar 26, 2010
6:26 AM
|
For the studio I usually plug straight in, but have used a delay or effects pedal on certain songs.
Live, I either go dry or use my pedal board. That varies on mood and set list.
----------
Mike Fugazzi
vocals/harmonica
MySpace
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
Album Ordering
|
The Gloth
322 posts
Mar 26, 2010
9:29 AM
|
No amp, no pedals. I'm a PA player, for now. But I'm thinking of using the coffee cup effect...
|
congaron
730 posts
Mar 26, 2010
9:46 AM
|
Okay, In church it's straight into whatever mic they give me that day. At an open jam, I will use the vocal mic straight in and use my wireless setup with pedal for variety. The longer the potential jam or set, the more settings I will use...for variety. I even have a setting that thins the tone way out on purpose ..for variety.
|
Kingley
1055 posts
Mar 26, 2010
9:50 AM
|
Sometime I use delay but not often.
|
6SN7
40 posts
Mar 26, 2010
9:55 AM
|
Rehearsals: Sears Silvertone 1481 or Masco 17A
Gigs: Super Sonny or Tweed Deluxe depending on the club size.
pedals: I got a Kinder AF+, and I'll plug it in if I got it, but I like going straight into the amp.
Spending time on TB technique (u curls, slaps, side tongue blocking,etc) was increased the variety of tone and sounds I can make rather than going with a pedal. I think it has made me a better player.
Not that pedals suck, it just that I am doing what I need to to get my sound.
Learning to use pedals and adjustments takes a lot of time and adjustment. I bought a RP250, open the box, read the instructions and packed it up and sent it back! LOL!
|
RyanMortos
697 posts
Mar 26, 2010
10:02 AM
|
I have no pedals but I could definitely see using stuff like mind bender with micro pog, delay, occasionally sonic stomp.
----------
~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Contact:
My youtube account
|
mr_so&so
295 posts
Mar 26, 2010
10:13 AM
|
@5F6H That was some great info there re. reverb vs. delay. I'll tuck that away for the future. Thanks.
|
Diggsblues
248 posts
Mar 26, 2010
10:46 AM
|
I use boss digital reveb pedal and a boss octave pedal.
I only use the boss octave to color and give a boost if
I need more volume. I can make the 2016 sound like a
synth.
Ev630 I'd love to hear your playing. You must be a great
player and could help add to the body of knowledge
on the list.
|
Joe_L
118 posts
Mar 26, 2010
10:50 AM
|
EV630 has a very nice sound. He's got videos on youtube. They aren't hard to find.
|
barbequebob
641 posts
Mar 26, 2010
10:56 AM
|
The only pedals I use are the Digitech Digiverb on the spring reverb setting, the Guyatone MR-2 Dgiital Delay (which reacts more like an analog pedal than a digital one), and sometimes instead of the Digitech, I use the long discontinued Guyatone MR-2 digital reverb pedal.
I rarely ever set the delay past 225ms or it's more like a usseless bird whistle for me.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
isaacullah
890 posts
Mar 26, 2010
11:08 AM
|
Personally, for me, the way I see it is that as soon as you pick up the mic into your hands, and get an amp that will distort the tone, you are using "effects". I consider effects to be anything that changes the natural tone of the harp as created by the interaction of your body and the instrument. Therefore, according to my definition, "acoustic" players with a mic on a stand and clean amp are NOT using effects, but "amplified" players who hold/cup a mic in their hands, and play through an overdriven amp ARE using effects.
So, for me, if I'm already using an effect (an overdriven mic/amp combo), then there's nothing to stop me from adding other effects to that chain. For me, if I'm going electric (not acoustic) I like having a wide variety of tones available. I could not make the music that I want to make any other way. Of course this is not for everyone, so you got to figure out your own sound, and what will get you there.
I just wanted to point out that using an amp/mic to get an "amped" "overdriven" sound, even through you may not use an pedal to get it, is in fact using an "effect". And, as the title of this thread asks if you use "effects", then any of you who don't play strictly acoustically are indeed using "effects".
Cheers,
Isaac
----------
------------------
The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2010 11:10 AM
|
Diggsblues
249 posts
Mar 26, 2010
11:11 AM
|
Effects are more that just pedals.
I said to my friend about the guitarist
Stevie Larocca that he played with no
effects. He just uses an old Strat direct into
an old black face fender princeton amp.
His comment was,"That is an effect."
I think using a specific amp to get a certain tone
is using an effect. The same with some mics.
|
isaacullah
891 posts
Mar 26, 2010
11:12 AM
|
Wow, Diggs and me were posting the same thing at the same time! Weird!
----------
------------------
The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
|
Diggsblues
251 posts
Mar 26, 2010
11:45 AM
|
I heard Buddha was thinking the same thing also.
LOL
|
XHarp
324 posts
Mar 26, 2010
12:28 PM
|
I think Paul45 clarified it when he put this in his opening post.
"What do you think is the ratio of players using pedals vs.
plugging straight into an amp. Is delay the most commonly used effect?"
So, for me the effects are Boss EQ pedal, DD6 delay, and amp or PA reverb.
Hey Boris, What the heck is that Boss Harmonist pedal in the lower right of your pedal board????? Never seen or heard of that before... What does it do???
Argghhhhh, I feel a GAS attack coming on.
----------
"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
|
MJ
148 posts
Mar 26, 2010
12:50 PM
|
I have tried the Boss DD-3, Marshall Echohead, Lonewolf Delay and the MXR Carbon Copy pedals. I have chosen the MXR as the pedal to use for me. I use it with a slight delay, just enough to wet the sound a bit. I do like the MXRs ability to "get crazy " with if i want to mess around an call the whales. I would say that the DD-3 wouild be my second choice, the one I own has the Keeley mod which gives you 3 different settings.
|
jonsparrow
2630 posts
Mar 26, 2010
1:40 PM
|
my anti feedback is the kinder anti feedback+.
also my pedals make my $99 amp sound like a $1000 amp. theres people that go in a mod the amps, change the capacitors an all that stuff to set it up for harp. well insted of doing that i have pedals for a better sound and i can adjust it to my likeing. if you have an expensive amp or a modded amp, an you claim you dont need pedals to get good tone, well try that on a cheaper amp an you wont say that. you can have the best accustic tone in the world, but if you play through a cheap mic an a cheap amp its going to sound cheap. but thats just an opinion. its all up to personal taste.
----------
|
Ev630
194 posts
Mar 26, 2010
2:26 PM
|
Hey I'm not knocking it. I'm just interested in your experiences of whether pedals mask the tone of the amp - which is an issue with guitar distortion pedals sometimes. I can totally dig jon's advice that a pedal can improve a poor amp. But I own very good amps ($2000+) and they are a key element in the tone chain, so I don't want to mess too much with that.
Anyway, everything I've heard about the LW delay has made me tempted to pop one in the chain just to mix things up. There's a great delay pedal review on Youtube by Harpsucker that I'd recommend.
|
hvyj
230 posts
Mar 26, 2010
3:25 PM
|
That' s why i don't use pedals with my tube amps. The pedals mess with the sound of the amp and the amp messes with the sound of the pedals.
My SWR bass amp has a tube preamp, solid state power stage and very sophisticated semi-parametric EQ for tone shaping--perfect for running my pedal board electronics through.
Last Edited by on Mar 29, 2010 6:22 AM
|
jonsparrow
2631 posts
Mar 26, 2010
3:41 PM
|
ya if i had a $2000+ amp i dont think i would use so many pedals. but with out it my amp sounds really dry with no bass at all.
----------
|
