Best pedals for your PRS

Yeah, I was ready to buy one before the end of the demo. Then went and looked at the price, and decided I might need to wait til after Christmas.

Oh, and this is after finally caving and deciding that I needed to try a Klon clone.
As Tone-y posted, check out the Ryra. Awesome! And you know I’ve never steered you wrong!
 
Whenever I buy multi effect, it lasts about a week...last I bought eventide h9 and I dont use it, somehow if an effect can do everything, that means it cannot do one thing special
 
While I've got some modulation, delay, and reverb in my effects loop that I use occasionally, the only pedal in front of my amp, and it's pretty much always on, is my OCD. Sounds great with my PRS or really any guitar I plug into it.
 
I'm not much of a pedal guy. I've been using the same two individual units for almost 20 years. An old original Route 66 boost and comp, and a Electro Harmonix memory toy. It satisfies my needs. I just got an Electro Harmonix Canyon delay to replace the toy and that thing is incredible. I still have a briefcase full of pedals in their boxes, tucked away. Pedals I bought before I knew squat about pedals, Rocktron..not my best idea, and Digitech Bad Monkey and Scremin Blues that maybe I've used twice each. I should sell the whole kit of them..
 
I completely understand the urge to avoid pedals. However, there are times I really appreciate the ability of good pedals to enhance what I’m doing tonally.

Generally, I am not looking for more distortion - I rely on the amp for that. But I use pedals to shape and color tone quite often. As an example, I like to have an always-on buffer and preamp pedal, I use EQ often, and sometimes I use a clean boost or an overdrive not to add dirt, but to add a particular vibe I’m looking for in a track.

In other words, the pedals are useful for fitting a part into a mix better.

Also, I like delay and reverb pedals, tremolo and other modulation pedals, and also use a tape delay by Fulltone.

Edit: I ought to add that I put all my pedals in front of the amp. I’m not an effects loop person.
 
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I’m like Les - I’ve never put my pedals in the loop. So far, it just works for me.

I do have a few distortion pedals, my #1 being a ToneBone Hot British. I’ll use that if amp distortion just isn’t tickling me that day. I do want to get some sort of boost-type pedal - maybe an EP boost, a Unit 67 (again, bastids!), or possibly a pedal that’s made by one of the friends I made on BaM years ago. It has what I like about the 67 - the ability to add sparkle to the sound.

I’ve also toyed with finally joining the Tube Screamer brigade. I’ve never had one, and at times, I love the sound, but others...well, not so much. So who knows. Maybe I just need that pedal board Sweetwater built...

53263aab-08282019-wlgp-img-one.jpg
 
I’m like Les - I’ve never put my pedals in the loop. So far, it just works for me.

I do have a few distortion pedals, my #1 being a ToneBone Hot British. I’ll use that if amp distortion just isn’t tickling me that day. I do want to get some sort of boost-type pedal - maybe an EP boost, a Unit 67 (again, bastids!), or possibly a pedal that’s made by one of the friends I made on BaM years ago. It has what I like about the 67 - the ability to add sparkle to the sound.

I’ve also toyed with finally joining the Tube Screamer brigade. I’ve never had one, and at times, I love the sound, but others...well, not so much. So who knows. Maybe I just need that pedal board Sweetwater built...

53263aab-08282019-wlgp-img-one.jpg

Heck, I wonder how many buffer pedals/circuits are running here!
 
Whenever I buy multi effect, it lasts about a week...last I bought eventide h9 and I dont use it, somehow if an effect can do everything, that means it cannot do one thing special

I agree that things that specialize usually do their special thing best, and part of that is related to things that started life in the analog domain simply sounding different than digital replicas.

However, H9s do time-based effects like pitch and delay extremely well, to my ear among the best, and a bunch of other modulations (many of which I rarely use), well enough to be useful when needed.

Eventide invented many of the pitch effects, and things like their micro pitch shifts can add really interesting texture and life to a track, and they probably do that better than anyone.

I have two on my board, and they’re almost always in use for something. One reason I have them is the good time-based effects, the other is for things I use once in a blue moon, like phasers, flangers, wah, etc., and wouldn’t buy as standalone pedals. Combined with an expression pedal they’re very useful in my work.

Back when my studio was all hardware-based, the Eventide H3000 was essential to all of my work for its delay, reverb and pitch algorithms, and was kind of a secret weapon for lots of studio players. The H9 ported over a lot of H3000 stuff, though I think the big rack machine may have had a richer sound (and that is probably related to its analog studio circuitry).

In any case, if you still have your H9, you might consider working with it to mod the presets to your taste, and experiment with its truly excellent time and pitch effects.

As an example, it has the most effective ducked delay I’ve used, which is great when you want a good long delay, but want it out of the way of the notes you’re playing. The side chain is sensitive enough that it’s transparent in use. It’s typical of Eventide’s attention to detail in the things they do particularly well. I’ve always loved their reverbs also. They’re very natural sounding.
 
I mostly only use a Tube Screamer to augment other pedals, not really as a standalone typically. The overdrive on the Moon Canyon is so far my favorite one. It's very transparent, simply controlled and works well with other effects.

Earlier in the thread I had debated whether to use a TS before or after distortion and fuzz and the answer was there in front of me the entire time. The overdrive is one Moon Canyon which before delay/reverb but after all other effects. I could sandwich the distortion and fuzz pedals in between the two overdrive effects and have either option should I want it.

So I had never heard of an Eventide H3000. Looked it up and it is quite the expensive piece of vintage gear. The downside to it is if it goes down, you lose all of your effects vs. a single more easily replaceable pedal.

-k
 
I've recently fallen in love with pretty much everything that Brad Jeter builds at Jetter Gear. This started when I found one of his GS167, which is a Dumble Bluesmaster amp in a box. ODS chewiness with Britsh bite! That pedal morphed into his Grissom signature. That plus his Helium (tweed twinged light gainy boost) is a magical combination. My Dragon bridge pickup LOVES these pedals and my other guitars do too (cough, Strandbergs).
 
I agree that things that specialize usually do their special thing best, and part of that is related to things that started life in the analog domain simply sounding different than digital replicas.

However, H9s do time-based effects like pitch and delay extremely well, to my ear among the best, and a bunch of other modulations (many of which I rarely use), well enough to be useful when needed.

Eventide invented many of the pitch effects, and things like their micro pitch shifts can add really interesting texture and life to a track, and they probably do that better than anyone.

I have two on my board, and they’re almost always in use for something. One reason I have them is the good time-based effects, the other is for things I use once in a blue moon, like phasers, flangers, wah, etc., and wouldn’t buy as standalone pedals. Combined with an expression pedal they’re very useful in my work.

Back when my studio was all hardware-based, the Eventide H3000 was essential to all of my work for its delay, reverb and pitch algorithms, and was kind of a secret weapon for lots of studio players. The H9 ported over a lot of H3000 stuff, though I think the big rack machine may have had a richer sound (and that is probably related to its analog studio circuitry).

In any case, if you still have your H9, you might consider working with it to mod the presets to your taste, and experiment with its truly excellent time and pitch effects.

As an example, it has the most effective ducked delay I’ve used, which is great when you want a good long delay, but want it out of the way of the notes you’re playing. The side chain is sensitive enough that it’s transparent in use. It’s typical of Eventide’s attention to detail in the things they do particularly well. I’ve always loved their reverbs also. They’re very natural sounding.

Hello, thanks for your message. I shouldn’t have picked at eventide bc they have prolly the best multi effect out there. I just don’t use it (well). My point is only that. I wanted to say that because I am probably lazy I don’t want to scroll through the menus. Now I did say when you have multieffect that does multiple things it does not do one thing special. Now, i have to qualify that statement. It doesn’t do anything special FOR ME. Thats because I like to have that one effect dedicated for one thing and have never quite got used to programming useful effects into like list that I can use. I probably would be lot happier with pitch factor than h9. Thats just me. Eventide has great effects, they are as good in multi effects as in individual pedals...I am just retarded, I have a PhD but when it comes to effects its like I take the path of minimal resistance...
 
Hello, thanks for your message. I shouldn’t have picked at eventide bc they have prolly the best multi effect out there. I just don’t use it (well). My point is only that. I wanted to say that because I am probably lazy I don’t want to scroll through the menus. Now I did say when you have multieffect that does multiple things it does not do one thing special. Now, i have to qualify that statement. It doesn’t do anything special FOR ME. Thats because I like to have that one effect dedicated for one thing and have never quite got used to programming useful effects into like list that I can use. I probably would be lot happier with pitch factor than h9. Thats just me. Eventide has great effects, they are as good in multi effects as in individual pedals...I am just retarded, I have a PhD but when it comes to effects its like I take the path of minimal resistance...

You’re not retarded at all! I mostly agree with you. What the H9 does well are a few pitch and time things, and the other stuff, yes dedicated pedals are often better sounding.

I could have been more clear; I was only explaining why I like the H9. I’m not a fan of scrolling through menus, either, and especially not fond of getting down on my hands and knees to program pedals, which is why I like the app for the H9.

My all time favorite effect is still an Echoplex. So I’m coming from ancient history for sure!
 
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