After all theses years...

It really depends on which amp I am using. I have been playing a custom built amp that is a modified Vibrolux reverb. It does have overdrive in the left side but it is kind of finicky to dial in so I don't use it. I tried using an A/B switch to go between them but if I change on knob on the drive side I have to tweak others. I prefer to run pedals into it for drive, delay and chorus. I also use a compressor with it.

I can get close to no pedals with my Twin Sister amp. I run a reverb pedal in the loop. I don't have a compressor, delay or chorus this way. For most things, I can get away with this.

These are the two amps I use the most. If I pull out some of my others, the situation will vary depending on what the amp has for channels and reverb.
 
I almost always use pedals. I developed my playing style emulating David Gilmour, and early on I didn't even have a proper amp because I was so skint - I used distortion & delay pedals into a boom box. So I got used to developing a tone without the actual use of those fancy "guitar amplifiers" that everyone else used.

Nowadays I use pedals, even if just a Flyrig, because my tone and effects are all over the place. I use a clean acoustic sound, a lightly distorted tone, a clean electric tone, some with delays, modulation (tremolo, vibrato, and/or chorus), and almost always a touch of reverb. Plus a boost pedal for lead breaks. And that's just for the songs that I or my bandmates wrote.
 
I use a Pod Go and some outboard pedals at church. But lately at home it's refreshing to plug straight into my old Peavey Classic 30 without any pedals. I even keep the reverb off.

I remind myself this is how the players who got me interested in music did it. Just guitar, cord and amp. Those players knew how to create some real magic with just the basics. It's like, with such a limited palette it was either sink or swim for them.

Come to think of it, back in the late 60's and in most of the 70's all the local players I grew up with only used a guitar, a cord and an amp. Some pedals were available but none seemed to impressed with them at the time.

Wow. Things have changed.
 
Another reason I typically use drive pedals is that we can't run our amps hard enough these days to get them into an overdriven situation. That is the reason that I have a ton of touch sensitive OD pedals. I simulate the driven amp with a pedal into an amp that has plenty of overhead since it is not being driven hard.
 
I always use pedals. On initial tone searching and setting, I use a dry signal, but after that I want a little verb on it. When I'm playing in the room and sitting 6-8 feet from the cab, I need to add a little verb to give the tone some dimension. That's the base tone. For solos, I usually want to add an OD. This OD is chosen and dialed for a specific tone change I want for solos, such as "add some gain, add some treble, add some level, cut some bass" or whatever. Then I like to usually add delay for solos. And sometimes there is special sauce added (chorus, flanger, phaser, vibe).

I've never been much of a "guitar volume at 7 for rhythm tones, 10 for solos." I like to add a more specific flavor for solos, so other than tone testing and base tone setup, I never used guitar>Amp and nothing else.
 
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sergiodeblanc said:
For purity of tone I plug my guitar directly into the outlet.
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Max Headroom said:
Now that’s what I call an ELECTRIC guitar!
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RjiRK.jpeg
 
POPSONE said:
Used to gig with 5 or 6 pedals but Im older now and prefer to plug straight in to my '65 Delux Reverb reissue. However I still use my inline TC Electronics tuner. Does that count??? :cool:
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Yep that counts.....tuning forks only for that old school approach /s/..... :p


Its quite entertaining for me though to see some of those massive boards on stage with players these days obsessively focusing on and doing what looks like some Irish folk dance....never wandering very far away from the box of tricks that costs more than the rig itself they play through. lol
 
The older I get the less effects I use. At the Cafe' I have a strict no pedal rule for Open Mic. I wan't to see thier talent , not an effects demo .
 
Most of the time I only use OD and reverb. If I have a two channel amp with reverb built in, that is really all I need. I need clean, OD and reverb.
 
jak3af3r said:
Same. My amp has OD so I just use a reverb pedal.

When we had a keyboard player I didn't even use the reverb because it was easy to get lost in the mix.
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Agreed. I turn the reverb off in bands with more instruments. If there is another guitar player in the band, I turn it off. However, if you set a delay up the right way, you can still get a reverb type sound without getting lost in the mix. I do that at times.
 
Guitar, 1 overdrive pedal for solos, tube amp with volume and 1 tone control, no reverb, done. The pedalboard stays at home unless I’m the only chord instrument.
 
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