Ask Doktor Dave

March 2008

VM asks: Where do I get, and how do I choose a quality effects pedal. I need a heavier sound on certain parts of certain songs. I am also looking for a nice and simple loop pedal.

Doktor Dave Answers: What do you mean by “a heavier sound”? Distorted or just fuller and beefier, more punch?

The answers to these questions are very subjective, meaning the sound you seek is in your head and the only way to really find it is to go try different things out until you find something that works.

Are you using an amp or going through a PA? This is just as important a question as what effects to use because a PA is designed to handle voice and instruments together where a guitar amp is tailored to the specific range of a guitar.

The short answers are:

Where? Any local guitar store or online store like Music123 or Musician’s Friend. Locally, Guitar Center and Guitar Trader have the largest selection of gadgets. Neither is too focused on acoustic instruments, but you can try things out there. Especially loopers.

How? Use your ears for the effect/tone and your common sense to determine if you can handle any difficulty in using the gadget the way you want. As far as “quality” goes…as long as it’s in a sturdy housing, doesn’t cost an outrageous amount and sounds great to you. That’s quality.

Loop Pedals? Boss and Digitech are the popular brands. Boss has a range of models from simple (RC-2) to complicated (RC-50) and generally costs less. Digitech has only one model I know of, the JamMan. It’s a little more expensive than a comparable Boss model, but more capable. Digitech’s pedal is said to have slightly better sound quality as well.

Sam Bybee (one of the bands I play for) uses the Boss RC-20XL looper very effectively. Sam can’t plug a mic in simultaneously, so he sings into his guitar to get some harmonies going…it’s a neat trick and kinda cool gimmick.

Josh Damigo uses the JamMan and uses it really well. He plugs in his mic as well as his guitar, allowing him to layer vocal harmonies and guitar parts. It sounds great too.

Longer answers:

If you’re going through a PA, you might want a “modeler” like a POD from Line 6; the Behringer V-Amp; Digitech RP models; Korg Toneworks series or the Boss GT series. They model different amp/speaker combinations and effects of all kinds. They can be easy to use right away, and can get difficult if you want to tweak the presets.

Recently, acoustic guitar modelers came out. These make your acoustic guitar sound like a Martin D-45 or a few other expensive guitars. I haven’t heard them, so I don’t know how well they do what they say.

Boss makes a Fender Bassman and a Twin amp modeler in a stomp box (a small pedal) that might work to thicken your sound and give it a slight edge of overdrive/distortion (yes, there IS a difference between distortion and overdrive…but it’s too much to explain here).

There’s also the Sparkle Drive from VooDoo Labs…it’s an overdrive pedal that allows mixing of the clean signal with the overdriven signal.

Whether you use a P.A. or an amp, a good compressor/limiter effect can give you a full sound when properly adjusted.

There’s also the BBE Sonic Maximizer…a very subtle effect that (imho) isn’t very useful beyond solo performance. It’s effects get lost in the mix of other instruments, unless used across the board.

You can probably try out all this stuff at Guitar Center or Guitar Trader in La Mesa. Chances are you’ll find better deals online at Musician’s Friend or Music 123…these both have “outlet” and/or “scratch and dent” areas with excellent deals. You can always take your chances on eBay.

I’m a fan of smaller local music stores because you can benefit from their experience and knowledge, and especially because you can develop a more personal relationship with them. They’re much more interested in making you happy with your purchase than the corporate stores. And believe it or not, they usually have similar pricing.

Lots of stuff, huh? [grin]

There are literally thousands of effects of all kinds, mainly overdrive/distortion types. Some are mass-produced, many are hand-made (and costly). Once you find something you like, you can find deals online, and even locally when demos are changed out, new models are coming or items are returned for some reason.

One can never have enough gadgets…whomever dies with the most, WINS!

That’s it for this month. If you have further questions, disagree with me or just wanna say “hi”…leave a comment. Me likes me some comments.

Party on, DOODS!

>Doktor Dave<