Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

OK, I want to put together a functional effects pedalboard. Alot of the "multi-effects" units that I've tried, seem to have a couple of "useable" effects + about a dozen or so ridiculus non-usable fluff effects. (keep in mind Jeff, I havent tried the pod yet).

for now, I like a tuner, distortion, chorus, flanger, and maybe an octaver.

Question: when going with individual effect pedals, is there a "Sequence" that a person should follow for maximum signal, and minimum noise????

While Im at it, I found this place, very cool I think. When you consider the price we pay for a bass, this seems kinda cheap and makes sense.

http://www.pedalboards.com/

distortion in the beginning...

chorus, compression, and eq, in the middle ...

noise gate at the end ...

tuner anywhere ...

Octaver? sorry no recommedation ...

An octaver is kind of cool Jeff. I have an old Zoom 506 with an octaver effect. It makes your 4 or 5 string sound like an 8 or a 10 string. The 506 doesnt track very well in the lower registers, but when you get above about the "D" on the "A" string, it actually sounds very good. I've heard good things about the EBS octaver as far as tracking. I may look into one of those.

That is, unless I happen along a cheap 4003S-8.

If you have an effects loop you should run things like chorus, flangers, delay and such through that. For my tuner I use a roland AB switch and have it separate from the effects chain. This way I can tune in silence. Pods are cool but the effects are don't have the presence of some of the old analog stuff. I have a few line6 amps/preamps and still use my Boss pedals with them. The Pod is great for sound and tone shaping. There are also alot of pedal boards out there. I'm in the process of switching from a Furman with built in power to a PedalTrain Jr. because of the size. Another essential, I've found is a pedal snake. http://www.pedalsnake.com This allows running power from the same source as your amp, plus running multiple cables between your amp and pedal board. They have alot of good info on ground loops.

Great info Mike, thanks!

Scott ... I know what the octave effect does ... I just don't know where to put it in the chain ... and you might want to experiment with the proper sequence of effects ...

You can probably put the octaver anywhere in the middle of the chain, just not first or last.

One of the reasons I use the pod is that when you run a bunch of effects together you often lose signal quality and signal strength because of all of the connections ... then when you turn on several effects at once the signal can become too hot ...

I agree with the recommendations for the order above but also experiment a little and mix things up since different effects make other effects sound different if they are before/after each other. It depends on what you are after from each unit.

My current chain......overdrive->envelope filter->chorus->chorus->compressor->wah. My tuner is in my rack unit in the "tuner loop" from my preamp. I like the tuner being at eye level.

Check out http://www.pedaltrain.com for nice pedalboards. I just made my own (since I can be a cheap) and bought a Dunlop DC Brick to power all of the pedals.

Good cables/connectors (like George L's) make all the difference in sound quality/signal strength. The Pod system isn't for everybody. I gave one a shot for a little while and didn't have any problems "using" it....I just thought the effects weren't any good. It's all a matter of opinion. I really wanted to like it but couldn't. I love the idea of the Bass Pod Live to simplify my setup but the effects still leave me wanting more.

I agree with the recommendations for the order above but also experiment a little and mix things up since different effects make other effects sound different if they are before/after each other. It depends on what you are after from each unit.

Good cables/connectors (like George L's) make all the difference in sound quality/signal strength. The Pod system isn't for everybody. I gave one a shot for a little while and didn't have any problems "using" it....I just thought the effects weren't any good. It's all a matter of opinion. I really wanted to like it but couldn't. I love the idea of the Bass Pod Live to simplify my setup but the effects still leave me wanting more.