Ditched all my pedals and just plugging straight in - except for a delay in the loop

[HowieJams]

nothing wrong with that, good way to see how much high end you're losing with each item in your rig

Now that you mention it, I did find myself turning the treble down on the amp without the pedals, maybe it was losing me a little bit of high end, but not much. For those that like using pedals I don't think it was that big of a deal.

 

[HowieJams]

Yeah man, about 2 weeks ago some people on here pointed out that my Boss pedals were the reason my amp sounded so honky. Once I took all the pedals out of the loop, it was like a totally different amp. No honkiness, plenty of bottom end, better bite, better highs, etc. I was a little embarrassed that I didn't know this for such a long time.



Yep, that was exactly me a few weeks ago.

BTW, can anyone tell me if this Boss EQ uses just a regular 9 volt? It's always dim even when I switch it on.
View attachment 431474

Boss pedals like the SD-1 use a buffer, they are not True Bypass, that could be the reason

 

[HowieJams]

I have been kind of thinking the same thing myself. I have a giant rack of stuff that sounds really good, but I am using it as a Reverb like 90% of the time, and a Delay the other 10%. I could easily replace the rack mixers and rack units and all that with a Delay/Reverb pedal that runs them in parallel with analog dry through.

Dont agree about the boosts though. I still love boosts. They do something an amp cant do on its own.

I agree with the boosts, but I was only using them on Channel 1 of both amps, Channel 2 has more than enough gain on both amps and the JEL-20 has a built in pull boost.

 

[HowieJams]

I agree, some things just sound better in front of amps. Like the OP, sometimes, it sounds better just plugging in straight. What I use in front are all analog, mostly boosts. I think Phasers can sound different (better for me) in front, as do Univibes, and sometimes flanger or chorus (although I like those two in the loop, too).

In my rack rig, I've got a handful of pedals that are in true-bypass loops in front of the amp, but all my rack stuff, mostly time-based effects, runs through a mixer, including a dry pass-through. So, other than the mixer, it can be about as straight-in as it can, minus the extra cabling.

Sometimes, I just forget about all that and plug straight in, especially if I'm practicing something intricate, keeps me focused on practicing rather than exploring, or if I just want to hear what the amp sounds like when I'm comparing several.

I found myself focusing more on what pedal to use than my playing.

 

[tjnx]

Now that you mention it, I did find myself turning the treble down on the amp without the pedals, maybe it was losing me a little bit of high end, but not much. For those that like using pedals I don't think it was that big of a deal.

The buffer on the sd1 will round it a little, whether its a problem or not is up to taste. I hate the buffer on my od808 for example (and my crybaby) but its tolerable before my sd1.

But its a good way to experiment a bit, I did it with all my pedals and a few different cables at different lengths. I'm glad I did because now I know the difference but I was fine for years before this just doing whatever.

 

[HowieJams]

I will never disparage anyone for using pedals or effects, they are awesome.
But playing the amp, if it's the right amp, can get me what i'm looking for.
Getting back in touch with your amp is never a bad thing imho.
Volume/tone, dynamics etc, nothing wrong with that.

It also lets me realize how bad I am with nothing to drwon out my mistakes, lol

 

[HowieJams]

Yep, sometimes the best sounds are just a single channel amp and a single pickup guitar with just one knob. Keeps everything else out of the way.

I did sell all my single channel amps, but they did get me more in touch with working for my tones by using the guitar volume knobs.

 

[HowieJams]

The buffer on the sd1 will round it a little, whether its a problem or not is up to taste. I hate the buffer on my od808 for example (and my crybaby) but its tolerable before my sd1.

But its a good way to experiment a bit, I did it with all my pedals and a few different cables at different lengths. I'm glad I did because now I know the difference but I was fine for years before this just doing whatever.

My TS808 mini is true bypass and the Boss SD-1 was buffered, neither affected my base tone much, but while adding harmonics they did add a harshness to the amp's base tone.

 

[BABMusic]

My TS808 mini is true bypass and the Boss SD-1 was buffered, neither affected my base tone much, but while adding harmonics they did add a harshness to the amp's base tone.

I understand this. This is why I prefer amps that are tight enough with enough gain to not need a boost. I've read that there are boosts that retain the low end and are supposed to not change your tone, but I haven't yet tried them. EP booster was one I wanted to try.

 

[HowieJams]

I understand this. This is why I prefer amps that are tight enough with enough gain to not need a boost. I've read that there are boosts that retain the low end and are supposed to not change your tone, but I haven't yet tried them. EP booster was one I wanted to try.

I use OD pedals as a boost, I believe the EP booster is a pure boost, might color the tone less.

 

[rsm]

I nearly always go guitar direct into my Marshall / Marshall-style amps, no effects. Most have at least two channels, so I just channel switch. I'll sometimes use an EQ pedal in front to get a boost or tone change, especially with my 1959HW.

I have a few pedals, and rarely use them; I usually use a MFX, Line 6 HX-Effects, but I've been using a Boss GX-100 for about 2+ years now when I want effects.

I use a Boss GX-100 for effects in 4CM, and channel switching, with my JP-2C but I also go guitar direct into it. I have a VHX with built-in effects; and my ISP Theta Pro / MSX that have effects.

I've been thinking a versatile delay pedal in the loop wouldn't be a bad idea to have as an option, but not urgent.

 

[rsm]

I use OD pedals as a boost, I believe the EP booster is a pure boost, might color the tone less.

I often use an EQ pedal in front of my Marshals, just raising the level for a clean boost with a flat EQ curve; it doesn't color the sound of the amp. I also use EQ curves to get a different sound from the amp.

 

[HowieJams]

I nearly always go guitar direct into my Marshall / Marshall-style amps, no effects. Most have at least two channels, so I just channel switch. I'll sometimes use an EQ pedal in front to get a boost or tone change, especially with my 1959HW.

I have a few pedals, and rarely use them; I usually use a MFX, Line 6 HX-Effects, but I've been using a Boss GX-100 for about 2+ years now when I want effects.

I use a Boss GX-100 for effects in 4CM, and channel switching, with my JP-2C but I also go guitar direct into it. I have a VHX with built-in effects; and my ISP Theta Pro / MSX that have effects.

I've been thinking a versatile delay pedal in the loop wouldn't be a bad idea to have as an option, but not urgent.

The Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master is a great combo reverb/delay to put in the loop, it just doesn't have a modulation effect if that matters to you.
I do have a MXR Carbon Copy Mini delay that has modulation if needed.
The Boss DD8 also has a modulation setting but not as nice as the MXR.

The Dispatch Master is my main delay I use.

 

[Robostyle]

It also lets me realize how bad I am with nothing to drwon out my mistakes, lol

It is a different experience for sure.

 

[mnemonic]

anyone using boss ACA pedals - you can use a 9 volt adapter successfully as long as you are daisy chaining the power with some other pedal (that is not boss ACA). The part of the power circuit that drops the voltage is on the ground side so if you daisy chain another pedal it will just ground though that other pedal. Hook up and plug in and turn on your ACA pedal with a 9v adapter and then plug daisy chained power to another pedal and watch the boss LED get brighter.