So I’ve accumulated some new gear! Some of it is stuff I always thought would be fun to try, but never buy. BUT, after wheeling and dealing on Ebay, I got a few effects pretty cheap. Thus, the need to change my rig around and see what happens. Now, this is not my final version of the rig, but is what I will be playing with for the next month to see if it all pans out.
THE BIG RIG
So my new chain:
1) modified Jim Dunlap Crybaby with True Bypass Mod (By CMATMODS)
2) Boss TU2 Tuner
3) Barber Tone Press Compressor
4) Ibanez TS9- 808 brown mod by Analogman
5) Hermida Audio Zendrive
6) Boss DS1 Analogman mod
7) Electro Harmonix Lil’ Big Muff
8 ) Boss DD20 Giga Delay
9) Boss RT20 Rotary Sound Processor (wannabe Leslie effect)
All wired with Visual Sound One Spot, but strategically so no buzz happens. The reason some people get buzz is they put too much demand on these things. I have never had a problem, even with “problem makers” such as Line 6 stuff etc… 
Be smart people!
Reasoning: I decided I need a couple of ODs, a low, low gain for a hint of sparkle. I also need a slightly heavier drive for riffing and such and then a drive with compression and smooth distortion for a lead boost. Then the Muff for crazy stuff that springs itself at random- usually in the spanish service. It and the wah mix great. I use the RT20 for various things, the Leslie simulation, a tremolo sound, and an interesting chorus-type sparkle.
(Random thought: I decided a year ago I do not like chorus. I have tried with several different chorus’ and bought the Boss CH1 which sounded better than a couple of boutique ones my guitar tech had. Other than the analogman chorus, I think the Boss actually is up to stuff. In the same way my Dano Tuna Melt Tremolo beat other tremolo’s- at a $29 value. However, chorus always sounds good in my living room. Then on stage I feel so out of tune. Maybe its me, but I always feel like chorus makes things out of tune, particularly in a band setting. So the beautiful thing about the RT20 is its a rotating speaker sensation, but turn up the treble some and tweak here and there and it sounds chorus-y but without that wave form that I hate. So there ya go! Please don’t hate me, i know this was sacrilege! *ducks)
All connected with whatever patch cable I had available. (*sigh, I KNOW!!)
First thoughts: I put new Ernie Ball slinky’s on- 9s- and checked my sound. My clean/bypass tone sucks (duh, some of you say!) Seems like there are a ton of highs. Wow, like treble ice pick sounds. I plug my guitar straight into the amp, beautiful, warm, and jazzy- as expected through the neck pickup. Back into the chain. HIGH GRATING SOUNDS ENSUE. What the mess is going on here.
Well, “I am a med student” I say, and plan to use my dazzling intellect to analyze which component is the bugger. (by this point I predetermined it was at least 1/2 the patch cables) So I disconnect the RT 20, no change. Then the delay, no change. Then the muff, no change (its TB, figured it wasn’t the problem). I looked at the DS1 for a sec and blamed it as its just a buffer. BUT, I have had it for years and have never had a problem. That Analogman knows his stuff…. So I look at the Zendrive- surely not- and you know what, it wasn’t. I sat in awe as I could not figure out why this ice pick treble sound was killing my eardrums as I only had 3 effects left in my chain.
Well, brilliance ensued… and i hit a chord hard, and pushed the wah with my hand. “Wah ah AH!” it said. Hmmm… little booger had been on the whole time, toe down position.
When I listened to my bypass sound again, it was MUCH improved- ha! It does suck tone, as I thought, and I attribute it to my tuner, cables and the RT20 (possibly because I am LOVING the DD20 so it can’t be it- thanks Karl).
Yet at “concert” levels today in church, though I heard a bit more “jangle” or treble in my tone than normal, the tone didn’t stink as much as it had at home. Had a decent warm quality. So that made me happy. In fact, our main worship leader (who has taken a 8 month sabbatical for health conditions) was playing with us this Sunday and commented on my setup: 1) looking “cool”, 2) being versatile, and 3) my tone. His exact words were “wow, thats a snappy clean sound and your amp is putting off some nice sounds when distorted.” AND THATS FROM A KEYBOARDIST!!!
Thank the zendrive for the distorted sounds. (more on this later)
(Random thought: I LOVE my amp distorted, the tubes sound awesome! BUT, i don’t feel like I have control over it. After a month of either being TOO loud, or clicking it on for a lead and being softer than my original signal I gave up. Pedals, right now anyway, are the way to go. Its easier running a dual OD system that you can tweak on the spot than worrying about your amp. Course, now I have a tri system )
All in all, it just makes you feel good when you know you are sucky and someone else who has played with you for the past 2 years comments that your change worked out great and sounds better than you did when they last heard you.
To fix my “problems” I have considered a couple of options here. First, get appropriate cables. Second, bypass the tuner. 3rd, get the Carl Martin Octa-Switch. However, I honestly don’t think I NEED the Octa-Switch. I don’t dance that much, and I’ll need a bigger board to fit it. But it would be sweet.
And I was going to use these for the 3 services this morning to decide on the setup– except the flu struck our band. It was me, the piano, drummer for all 3 services- with the exception of the Spanish service where we pulled a Bass player out of nowhere, but he watched ME for the changes as he did not know the songs!
There goes a good time of trying out new effects… and speaking of, If I had known I was the only guitarist (or the only other musician) , I would have brought my acoustic setup!
And then last week, I recieved my Zendrive in the mail. As I had exams, it took SELF CONTROL FROM GOD to study and not play all week. I wanted to try it out for the services this Sunday. Now you know my disapointment. I decided to go ahead and use it anyway, but low gain. As you can guess from our worship leader’s quote, it worked like a charm. In a week or so I will give you guys a full review of this pedal.
(Random thought: I did pull out ALL my ODs and try them out together in an audition to see who gets on the new board. The one I decided I would use least was the BD2 mod I have (see link here: BD2 MOD) But OH MY the low gain leads on it were amazing. In as much as I hated the rhythm sounds out of it, I LOVED the leads. I think I’m going to continue to rotate this around my board at random as my lead drive. We’ll see…)
Alas, I did not get to jam with the RT20 as I wanted, so no word on that one. And that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Stay tuned for a review of the Barber Compressor, the Zendrive, and a discussion on my OD setup. (Which I am LOVING right now, extremely proud of it)
I cannot wait to be done with school and have a bit more cash that I have now, and be able to perfect my rig!! We’ll see!
edit 10-31-08: For those interested click here for my “old pedalboard” to see the changes. My old one worked great, I just need a couple of other “kicks” to it. Its always fun to compare the “old” to the “new”!!
Filed under: effects, performance tips, setup | Tagged: pedalboard setup, worship pedalboard, zendrive
looks promising dude. certainly want to hear/read more from you re: zen drive. good cables do make a difference. i got mine from lava cables (canare gs4’s). a it pricey but worth the bucks. not sure about the tuner, i have mine on the vp out but thinking of putting it back in the chain for some buffering, have to play around with it as well.
btw, what is that white thing between the RT20 & DD20. looks like a great score
Heh… i bet that last question is sarcasm
But yeah, its my cheat sheet for the DD20 programs and the RT20 settings I have. Killer and suave, eh?
Nice rig, mate!
So do you prefer the Tonepress over the Keeley or the Monte Allums CS-3 Opto Plus? How come?
The DD-20 is one of the best values out there, period. I just talked my lead guitarist into selling his Memory Man Hazarai to get a DD-20.
I can’t find anyone who’ll say anything bad a bout the Zendrive. My problem is that I’ve decided to limit myself to 3 drive pedals only. I just sold my Keeley RAT II and my Keeley TS9-DX 4×2 Flexi is on eBay right now. The 3 pedals I have right now are a Damage Control Womenizer, Blackstone MOSFET, and a Monte Allums BOS BD-2. My TIM will be ready in December, so one of my 3 will have to go! I don’t know how I’m going to get rid of something to try out a Zendrive. Any thoughts?
no sarcasm man, just playing! btw, how can you see that from afar though? what you need is a black sheet with neon writings, then it will be killer
@blogsology – i have 2 OD (i guess 3, since 1 is dual channel) and i have decided that that’s the limit on the board as well. but who knows, you guys might interest me in adding another with the tim/zendrive
Blogs- Seriously nice drives you have. I have played with several tube-distortions like the Damage Control you listed and have been very impressed, particularly if you can program/set them up with 2 or more sounds. Mine is Hughes and Kettner with 3 channels. Love the distortions. I would keep it. The Blackstone looks promising and has 2 channels as well… I would love to try it and play around with it (if for some reason you want to sell it, hit me up- seriously).
The BD2 would probably be the one I push off for the Tim. I bet if you get the Zen, either the Blackstone or Tim would go. To tell the truth, I played my zen at a low gain setting and with guitar volume about half had a delightful “fuzzy” sustain while playing the G,C,D of “Holy is the Lord” by Chris Tomlin. Then I turn the volume up and it crunched some, but not crazy. I ran the TS9 into it for some mid-gain leads. Really liked it. I’ll give more details when I post a review.
—i’m hoping, fingers crossed, that my audio setup will work and I can start to post sound clips on some of these reviews. But that also depends on my clinic duty hours and my exam schedule! Ay yi yi!
Compressors- I do like the Barber. Much more. It seems to be a more “workmans” compressor. I’ll review it in another week or so, but the Blend knob makes it seem like its compressing less than it is. It really rounds out the tone. I would use this the way we discussed the CS3 usage, for acoustic fingerpicking etc. I gave my CS3 to my brother, as the Barber does the functions better but with more warmth. The Keeley and other Ross styles- Are a bit warmer/vintage sounding to me. If I’m doing Jazzy warm leads I think I would switch the compressors out. Just different enough to keep both. But, the Barber has a “color” pot thats tweakable and I haven’t tweaked it yet. We’ll see….
Rhoy- we all have heard about the zen for so long from so many people, but this effect is what really made me redo my board! Thats the effect it had. I mean, I replaced the DD3 I had with the DD20, easy decision right? But I had to reconfigure how I wanted my ODs (out of need) and the interactions they have with each other. I may still put the DS1 in front of the zen as I loved that sound as much as the zen going into the DS1. Ah… we’ll see. I’ll talk about that in my coming reviews and posts and such!
I remember reading a rider for DCB a while ago that formed my pedal/amp philisophy similar to what you discovered. I use the pedals to ‘drive’ my gain tones and use the amp to warm it up. In the rider, they just asked for good quality tube amps. My a-ha moment was in realizing that their signature tones came more from the pedals than the specific amp make or model. I believe you just had a similar revelation.
Hey Man – thanks for the feedback, it was very helpful. What do you reckon is the best compressor for rhythm electric guitar stuff?
I’m running a Keeley right now and just bought a Monte Allums Opto CS-3 for our bass player (it made a HUGE difference!).
To be honest, my Blackstone is the one pedal I would consider “untouchable” right now. It simply doesn’t sound like a pedal – it sounds like boutique amp. I have mine set up with a light crunch and a heavier drive. When I A/B’d it with everything else I had (including a Keeley TS9 flexi), it blew them all away! If you can get one, DO IT.
I don’t know if it’s just me but I’ve found that finding great rhythm drive pedals is actually harder than finding great lead tone pedals. A lot of great pedals lose articulation when you play rhythm through them, and get a horrible low frequency muddiness. The Blackstone stays clear as crystal, no matter how much you drive it (in a good way).
I’m optimistic the TIM will be similar. Does the Zendrive do rhythm well?
Other random question – I was watching 7-22 online and I found myself thinking, “What’s the rep of Gibson Firebirds?”
@Brian— exactly! I realized many artists are using in-ear monitors and their distortions aren’t through the amps, its the pedals so they can sound consistent. In ears kinda negate the need for a big amp! That example is why I have several ODs… and i’ll post the ideas on a Dual OD later.
@Blogs-
However, the Barber is my go-to for the acoustic fingerpicking to strummer now. The CS3 worked great, and I will always recommend it, but this kicks now.
compressors: I honestly like my Barber best for rhythm. Its snappy, and if I think its too much I “blend” more dry signal. Keeps it consistent, but sounds more natural. I wouldn’t fret- the Keeley is good. Just play with the attack knob/trimpot until it sounds pretty transparent. Put the sustain about 11 o’clock. Should be great setup for rhythm. No need to get the Barber unless its a must-have
Blackstone: good call. I will have to try it then. When a guitarists is that adamant, it has to be good. I seriously think you’ll toss the BD2, it’ll be just too nasally!
The zen with volume at 9 o’clock, tone about 11, gain about 8:30 and Voice about 2 did AWESOME for rhythm. I played with my guitars vol about half and it did a light sparkle dirty feel, then full guitar volume and it was a nice crunch> probably lighter than i usually have on the TS9, but had a fuzz-quality to the harmonics? Worked beautifully.
I’m going to mess around with it more and hopefully have a new post on it Sun afternoon after the what…? 3 hours of practice Wed night and 3 hours of service music Sunday? So should have some Pearls to share there. I was pleasantly suprised. It has lived up to the hype so far. I’m forgetting about my BD2.
Gib firebird: I don’t have alot of “knowledge on it” other than the sound samples I heard were great and it seems to scream “Edge” at me
The rep in Nashville is pretty good on these though…
hey! i’ve seen Ibanez TS9. some got keeley on it. what’s analogman? the diff is?
I have a post on that actually that you may have not seen yet: http://lespaulplayerdoctor.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/the-ts9-the-overdrive/
But basically Keeley and Analogman are both pedal modifiers. They change out components in the effect to make different sounds. For exactly what the diff is between the two, check that link and I explain there. Thanks for checking me out Chewy! God bless you on the other side of the world!
thx 4 da info!! ur reviews are good. i wouldn’t dare simply put a review for my pedals. i don’t know enough yet! cheers!