Getting better at playing slide and blues, and I"m interested in using some pedals I own. I have:
Boss CE-2 chorus
Ibanez PT-9 phaser
Digitech Screamin' Blues distortion, and
Behringer RV-600 reverb.
I'm also thinking about the TC Helicon body rez pedal to add some warmth and depth to my sound. That being said, what would be the most reasonable order for these pedals?
Replies
"Correct" order is (tuner first, not an effect) :
1) Wah / Compressor / Limiter / EQ
2) Boost / Overdrive
3) Fuzz / Distortion
4) Modulation: chorus / flanger / phaser
5) Time based Modulation: delay / echo / reverb
6) Looping
But you can do it anyway that sounds good. I have fuzz pedals that sound awesome into overdrives, an echo that sounds way better up towards the front of a signal chain, and an overdrive that always sound best at the end of a chain. Plenty of folks like a boost at the end to tighten up signal; an EQ after distortion to really dial in specific frequencies that 'cut' a mix; reverb or echo other effect as a 'warm' preamp / early chain effect.
For your 4, I'd try:
1) Screaming Blues (signal boost and grit)
2) Chorus and/ or 3) Phaser (when you need them)
4) Reverb (spring or room is very amp like in a lot of pedals)
And then maybe move the reverb to the front and see how you like it there... Plenty to play with before you need more.
This has been a debate ever sense the fist wah pedal got used. Generally it's modulation, then distortion, then echo then reverb. But there are those who like the sound of modulation after distortion. Modulation being your chorus and phaser. If you do get the TC you'll have to experiment with it as well. For me I put any tone shaping first. But that's how I like the order. If you go to Youtube and type in pedal board setup you'll get 100s of answers. Each supporting what they like.
As far as what goes first, chorus of phaser? What ever gives you the coolest sound. It's more likely you'll only be running one of these at a time. : )
The only other advice I can give is get a GOOD power supply. I just had one MXR Brick burn out on me. It took a few hundred in pedals with it. Now I have one with isolated outputs. This will never happen to me again. Daisy chaining effects power is also a bad idea. Those one spot things are like flirting with disaster. They can actually add a lot of noise to your signal. Ya, theres going to be a lot of people say they work. They're just as good and so on. And don't fall for the cable hype. I've seen actual audio tests with cheap cabling. NO difference in sound. Unsoldered vs soldered with NO difference in sound. However the really cheap cables with plastic ends are unreliable and do let a lot of noise in. Best bet is metal ended cables that can be worked on if needed.
1. Bodyrez - I would imagine this would need to have the cleanest possible signal from your guitar for best results so would be first in line.
2. Distortion - To add some grit and help shape your basic tone.
3. Chorus/Phaser - Either one first. For me modulation effects like these are building on your basic tone so come after any dirt pedals.
4. Reverb - Gives ambience and spacial dimension to the overall sound so would come last in the chain.
That would be my logic in setting them up at the start, but try swapping them about to see what happens. A good way to experiment might be to add one pedal at a time to the chain, trying it in different places so you can hear what effect it's having on your sound.
I'm not sure about the body rez, but I think it should be first since it enhances the acoustic sound. Most people would put the distortion next , but I like the phazer before the distortion. Reverb should go last. But there's realy no rules, you should try different setups and decide what works best for you... :-)