L
lutherd672
New member
So I’ve been obsessing over which direction to take my board.
Current Rig:
Partscaster 59’ Tele Replica with SD 59 HB in neck, lil 59’ in bridge
Playing through 1968 Fender Deluxe Reverb (Not a RI)
Here’s my dilemma....
Obviously, I’ve never found a pedal that sounds as good as my natural Tube OD from my amp. It is however a bit scooped and since I’m not really a basement player anymore but rather currently gigging, even though in my mind the scooped sound is perfect, the other instruments in my band don’t agree. They’re begging for mids. Having said that, I’ve gone crazy over boosts lately. My board is setup in order as follows:
Polytune
AC Booster
OCD
Boss TR-2
Boss DD20
I have a Fish and Chips EQ and even though it’s a hunk of crap it shows me the value of having one on my board. Which leads me to several questions:
Should I use an EQ for clean boost? Or maybe a tone sweetener?
(I absolutely LOVE the AC! Hands down best TS style pedal I’ve ever heard. Beefy and ballsy and creamy and dreamy. However, my OCD is really what opens the amp up. Not too compressed, huge, and doesn’t really take away from the natural sound, just makes everything huge! Which is what I’m wanting. Having said that, as much as I appreciate the AC, it’s definitely more of an OD than a “clean” boost (if there is such thing as transparency).
So should I replace it with an RC?
Get the MXR Microamp?
(Which I think is great! I’ve tried really hard to gas over the EP like every other human being on the planet but after playing it several times, it just sounds like the damn SP. compressed. Farty. Squashed. I can see it adding life and shimmer to an already dead rig, but mines not lacking that low-mid thing it does).
Also I’m getting a Sparkledrive tomorrow for $25. I don’t need it but I like VL gear and that’s basically free for a decent pedal. So that brings the idea, since it has a clean blend, could I replace my AC for the Sparkledrive simply for boost purposes or would I be sacrificing better tone? I can still return my AC and would love to save $140 if I’m only using my AC for a clean boost anyway, which I am.
Or consider an EQ for clean boost? If so, which one? Should I really invest in one or will the Chinese pedals suffice for eq, as I’m a novice in that area. I obviously wouldn’t cut corners on drives, boosts, or delays. Just didn’t know if eq’s We’re different since they don’t actually have any color.
Also if I don’t use EQ for a boost should I still stick one somewhere?
I just have so many questions that my head hurts. I’m sure I left a few out but they’ll come to me when I start hearing feedback.
So the long and short of it is: should I replace my AC for a cleaner (or cheaper) boost since that’s all it’s currently doing? And should I use an EQ on my board, either for that clean boost or simply as a tone sweetener?
Anyway, any input, suggestions, experience, whatever would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!
Current Rig:
Partscaster 59’ Tele Replica with SD 59 HB in neck, lil 59’ in bridge
Playing through 1968 Fender Deluxe Reverb (Not a RI)
Here’s my dilemma....
Obviously, I’ve never found a pedal that sounds as good as my natural Tube OD from my amp. It is however a bit scooped and since I’m not really a basement player anymore but rather currently gigging, even though in my mind the scooped sound is perfect, the other instruments in my band don’t agree. They’re begging for mids. Having said that, I’ve gone crazy over boosts lately. My board is setup in order as follows:
Polytune
AC Booster
OCD
Boss TR-2
Boss DD20
I have a Fish and Chips EQ and even though it’s a hunk of crap it shows me the value of having one on my board. Which leads me to several questions:
Should I use an EQ for clean boost? Or maybe a tone sweetener?
(I absolutely LOVE the AC! Hands down best TS style pedal I’ve ever heard. Beefy and ballsy and creamy and dreamy. However, my OCD is really what opens the amp up. Not too compressed, huge, and doesn’t really take away from the natural sound, just makes everything huge! Which is what I’m wanting. Having said that, as much as I appreciate the AC, it’s definitely more of an OD than a “clean” boost (if there is such thing as transparency).
So should I replace it with an RC?
Get the MXR Microamp?
(Which I think is great! I’ve tried really hard to gas over the EP like every other human being on the planet but after playing it several times, it just sounds like the damn SP. compressed. Farty. Squashed. I can see it adding life and shimmer to an already dead rig, but mines not lacking that low-mid thing it does).
Also I’m getting a Sparkledrive tomorrow for $25. I don’t need it but I like VL gear and that’s basically free for a decent pedal. So that brings the idea, since it has a clean blend, could I replace my AC for the Sparkledrive simply for boost purposes or would I be sacrificing better tone? I can still return my AC and would love to save $140 if I’m only using my AC for a clean boost anyway, which I am.
Or consider an EQ for clean boost? If so, which one? Should I really invest in one or will the Chinese pedals suffice for eq, as I’m a novice in that area. I obviously wouldn’t cut corners on drives, boosts, or delays. Just didn’t know if eq’s We’re different since they don’t actually have any color.
Also if I don’t use EQ for a boost should I still stick one somewhere?
I just have so many questions that my head hurts. I’m sure I left a few out but they’ll come to me when I start hearing feedback.
So the long and short of it is: should I replace my AC for a cleaner (or cheaper) boost since that’s all it’s currently doing? And should I use an EQ on my board, either for that clean boost or simply as a tone sweetener?
Anyway, any input, suggestions, experience, whatever would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!
