Coming back to a pedalboard after a while in modelling-land

TimmyO

I've blathered before about my reasons for doing so (recap: my brain can't let go of the possibilities so I continually wasted time fiddling with the modelling options) so I decided for the sake of my sanity to return to pedal-land. 

I'd forgotten just how bloody frustrating pedalboards are, but am rediscovering it! 

Cables. You always need just one more, or one just slightly longer. 

Power. The perfect setup is always one 9v plug more, or 100ma more than you can deliver cleanly. 

I've just done what is I think my 5th "that should be the last bits I need for this" online order   

so yeah - greener grass and all that 

John_A

Been there, done that.  My trip out of ‘modelling land’ lasted a week before I remembered just why I ditched all my pedals in the first place

carlos

How about when you get up on stage to play after a good soundcheck and no sound is coming out? Then you realise you have to check twenty or more little cables who might have come off (2 jacks + 1 power for each pedal) or if a pedal fried somehow. 

Alnico

Velcro and tap dancing did it for me.

Currently have 4 pedals, might get one or two more then that's all going into the loops of an HX effects (around summertime) and that will control pretty much everything.

There's still some power and patch cables involved yes, but minimal and nothing of any special requirements in terms of power or isolation.

The aim is to get it to function with minimal fuss and cabling.

It might very well only end up being these 4 pedals plus HX FX. The pedals I have so far are carefully chosen and too good to be left off the board but I'm no fan of getting many more.

One thing I am maybe looking at is getting a few of the EHX Organ pedals and putting them in their own small case that would sit off to the side of my main board, independent power and connect them in a loop when needed to be controlled by HXFX or leave out when not. Given that this costs a lot it probably won't happen but if it could, I probably would at this point however I wouldn't put them on my main board, I wouldn't use them all the time.

Keeping my main board relatively simple is probably one of the main things I want out of an effects system now.

I want good effects but I want some logic and simplicity now.

carlos

Having said all that I spent about 3 hours today trying to get a sort of EHX Freeze going on the HX FX to no avail.

monquixote

I'm now at the point where if a pedal isn't compact and requires 9v at relatively low amps I'm not really interested.

Small pedalboard, or multi FX for me. Big boards with switchers and hard to power pedals  tend to become more about pedal board building than playing.

octatonic

Just save yourself a lot of time and money- have a pedalboard and a modeller.
You will end up spending the same amount chopping and changing all the time anyway.

TimmyO

octatonic said:

Just save yourself a lot of time and money- have a pedalboard and a modeller.
You will end up spending the same amount chopping and changing all the time anyway.

oh, I haven't sold the Helix.

It's put away but not gone 

TimmyO

monquixote said:

I'm now at the point where if a pedal isn't compact and requires 9v at relatively low amps I'm not really interested.

Small pedalboard, or multi FX for me. Big boards with switchers and hard to power pedals  tend to become more about pedal board building than playing.

totally agree re power

robinbowes

monquixote said:

I'm now at the point where if a pedal isn't compact and requires 9v at relatively low amps I'm not really interested.

Small pedalboard, or multi FX for me. Big boards with switchers and hard to power pedals  tend to become more about pedal board building than playing.

I get the feeling that for many folk, the pedal board building is the most important thing

R.

hubobulous

robinbowes said:

monquixote said:

I'm now at the point where if a pedal isn't compact and requires 9v at relatively low amps I'm not really interested.

Small pedalboard, or multi FX for me. Big boards with switchers and hard to power pedals  tend to become more about pedal board building than playing.

I get the feeling that for many folk, the pedal board building is the most important thing

R.

.....and taking pretty photos. Don't forget the pretty photos. ;-)

gearaddict

octatonic said:

Just save yourself a lot of time and money- have a pedalboard and a modeller.
You will end up spending the same amount chopping and changing all the time anyway.

I've got both on the go atm...last week I set up my old pedalboard properly in the garage with my valve amp. In the house, I have a GSP1101 running through a power amp into a small cab. It was so much fun playing through the valve/pedal setup again. The whole thing feels much more alive...

Not sure what I'm going to use for gigs...probably the valve amp in 4CM with the modeller. Best of both worlds.

monquixote

robinbowes said:

monquixote said:

I'm now at the point where if a pedal isn't compact and requires 9v at relatively low amps I'm not really interested.

Small pedalboard, or multi FX for me. Big boards with switchers and hard to power pedals  tend to become more about pedal board building than playing.

I get the feeling that for many folk, the pedal board building is the most important thing

R.

Yep. For me I had a moment of revelation at a really important festival gig where I was using the most complex rig I've ever had with switchers and midi and all sorts. It was really sunny and I couldn't see any lights or displays and I just got totally lost with it and ended up with a few fuckups like screaming feedback or choppy tremolo getting switched on randomly and I just remember wishing I had 2 drive pedals like I used to gig with and fuck all this nonsense.

I ripped it all to bits and sold most of it when I got home.

TimmyO

monquixote said:

robinbowes said:

monquixote said:

I'm now at the point where if a pedal isn't compact and requires 9v at relatively low amps I'm not really interested.

Small pedalboard, or multi FX for me. Big boards with switchers and hard to power pedals  tend to become more about pedal board building than playing.

I get the feeling that for many folk, the pedal board building is the most important thing

R.

Yep. For me I had a moment of revelation at a really important festival gig where I was using the most complex rig I've ever had with switchers and midi and all sorts. It was really sunny and I couldn't see any lights or displays and I just got totally lost with it and ended up with a few fuckups like screaming feedback or choppy tremolo getting switched on randomly and I just remember wishing I had 2 drive pedals like I used to gig with and fuck all this nonsense.

I ripped it all to bits and sold most of it when I got home.

ha - like you it was bright outdoor sun that was the root of my worst live gear related experience ever too 

fretmeister

We can solve the sun issue.

We need to move away from LEDs showing whether pedals are on.

We need little flags to raise. Or maybe something that starts spinning on the front of the pedal instead.

robinbowes

TimmyO said:

ha - like you it was bright outdoor sun that was the root of my worst live gear related experience ever too 

Me too. Although, in my case, I thought my Helix Control display had died because it was black and I couldn't see it. About halfway through the gig I realised it was because of my polaraised sunglasses.