[LazyLightning72]

Hi folks,

I was trying my best to avoid starting another thread on this topic. I just think I might get some more focused responses if it has a thread of it’s own, and not something mentioned within a different thread topic.

Ok, I have never owned a pedal myself, until I got the Q Tron+ last week. I have used a few different ones over the years (borrowed from a friend kind of thing just to mess with)

So in the process of setting up my OBEL, and getting the new guitar, I thought perfect time to get the things I’ve wanted for years, and for whatever reason just didn’t/couldn’t.

I want to keep it simple, like 4 or 5 pedals max. So the first question is, is it better to get a powered board, or get one that isn’t a buy all the connectors and power supplies separately? I was looking at the Gator G-MEGA-BONE - Mega Bone Pedal Board with Carry Bag & Power Supply for a powered option. For an unpowered one I had this one in mind, a Pedaltrain Nano+ 18"x5" Pedalboard with Soft Case(I know this one will be tight with some pedal combos, my QTron+ is on the large size) So I could get the larger model of it, but think that’s overkill, I just don’t see me ever getting enough pedals to make it worth it. If I did go with the unpowered one, is this a good power supply to use for all the pedals I’m planning to get, MXR DC Brick Power Supply?
It’s Specs:
Powers 8 x 9V pedals and 2 x 18V pedals
Short Circuit Protection gives it a stable working mode
8 x red LEDs clearly indicate short-circuited pedals
All power distribution cables included

This is one of those things where I think I know the answer ( yes it will work fine for what I’m doing )but want to double check with experienced people to make sure.

Now that’s out of the way, here comes the meat and potatoes question.

Taking what I have already been advised by a few of you, as well as scanning through pages and pages of threads on this topic, I think I know what pedals I would like to get.

I already have a 1.Q Tron+, so to got with it this has been my line of thinking.
I think I’m going to get a:
2.MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay, or the MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini Analog Delay version. It looks like it will achieve the same results but in a smaller footprint.
3.TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal with Buffer or the TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini Polyphonic Tuning Pedal for a smaller footprint since it seems to do what it’s larger brother does or even a Korg Pitchblack mini - Tuner Pedal
4.Some type of distortion pedal-looking at a Boss OD-2 Turbo or a MXR M104 Distortion +
5. A octave pedal of some sort.

5. I’m not 100% sure on, and that is not the order they will be in, just order listed in.

Any thoughts on first the pedalboards and pedals mentioned? Also and excuse the completely pedalboard noob question, the MXR DC Brick, will be the only power supply I will need to get this all to work?

Thanks ahead of time!
Chris

[OsamaKeefe]

Always exciting to build that first pedalboard! I'll share some things with you that I learned the hard way when building my pedal board:

1. Always get a bigger board than you think you need. I told myself I'd only have enough for one board. I was wrong and I now have two boards. Even if you don't get the disease of acquiring pedals, it is so much better to have room to move around.

2. The Qtron+ is fantastic and I have one, but be aware that it is 24v and center pin positive. I don't think you would be able to power it off the MXR brick you mentioned.
I would seriously recommend a True Tone 1Spot CS12 or CS6 depending on how many pedals you end up with. I currently have a CS12 and it does a superb job powering two boards worth of pedals. For the Qtron, VoodooLabs makes a voltage doubler cable for this and it's inexpensive ($6-$7). Because the 9v outputs on the power brick are adjustable between 9v and 12v, the simple way to do it is to have 2 outputs set to 12v with the voltage doubler going into both so the output will be 24v. They made it specifically for EHX pedals with this feature.
The 1Spot Brick I'm recommending comes with all the power cables you need of varying lengths.

3. Any tuner will do really, I have some mini Ibanez thing and it works fine.

4. I had a Boss OC3 octave pedal, but quickly switched to a EHX Pitchfork. The OC3 isn't polyphonic so you can only play singular notes instead of chords. The pitchfork is also far more versatile in terms of sub octaves and harmonization.

5. The MXR Carbon Copy is another pedal I have that has everything I need for a good delay. You can heehaw about tap tempos and all that jazz but for the novice or the expert, the Carbon copy does the job.

6. The MXR Dist+ is one of "those" pedals where a straight answer will never suffice for some people. This version is good, that version is bad, this year was the best, only buy the real script logo... There's pedals out there that do more for less (if you know where to look). I have a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet and I love it to death. It gets whatever high gain thing I need and it gets it well.

In conclusion, for the love of whoever you worship, make sure you can accommodate your pedal power requirements. Listen to plenty of demos on youtube. Check out the True Tone CS6 or CS12. You can save even more money by just getting some old wood and putting together your own board.
Lastly, there are some unspoken "rules" about pedal order, and these can be found all over the internet. In the end, it's what sounds good to you. Hope this was informative for you and good luck!

[Jon S.]

I'll share some things with you ...

Welcome to RUKIND. Why not post also in the Introduction section to tell us a bit about yourself?

WHEN POSTING TO RUKIND

Introduce Yourself First! We think of each other as being part of a community, and want to know who you are. Use this as an opportunity to honestly represent yourself and why you are here.

[LazyLightning72]

As for the QTron+, I already have the power supply for it, and so far all the others I’m looking into are 9v so I’d think the Brick would be sufficient.

I’m not opposed to getting a non powered board and modifying it myself.

The powered one just seemed like a easier way to go, plus it’s larger in case I get a pedal itch later on.

I’m pretty set on the MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini, I’ve seen a lot of demos and really like how it gives a slight thickness to the tone.

I’m pretty sure the Kong Pitchblack Mini tuner pedal will work fine, I might try to find a PolyTune mini though.

The OD is where I get bogged down. As mentioned I have looked at both the Boss OD-200 and the MXR M104 Distortion. I am leaning towards the MXR, simply because the Boss looks to be more than what I need. At least I think.

So in that situation (and I’ll go double check) if they are all 9v, then the MXR DC Brick should be plenty of power for everything but the QTron, with room for a few more if I ever wanted to add a pedal or two.

[lbpesq]

As you assemble your pedalboard, I suggest you look into 3M Dual lock as opposed to Velcro for attaching pedals to the board. That is unless you go with a Temple Audio board. They have a great system with thumb screw attachments that stick onto the bottom of the pedals. If you haven’t yet decided on your particular board, you should definitely check out the Temple Audio boards.

Bill, tgo

[LazyLightning72]

As you assemble your pedalboard, I suggest you look into 3M Dual lock as opposed to Velcro for attaching pedals to the board. That is unless you go with a Temple Audio board. They have a great system with thumb screw attachments that stick onto the bottom of the pedals. If you haven’t yet decided on your particular board, you should definitely check out the Temple Audio boards.

Bill, tgo

I will keep that in mind, and look at the Temple Audio Board


So what do you guys think with my pedal selection? I know some of it is, preference, subjective, etc... But in general am I at least in the ballpark as far as what pedals I am looking into?

[NeilG1]

I am FAR from the lost experienced person on here, but I’d really want some clean boost and some distortion or overdrive.
So many options. I have Brian White’s unbelievable Thick Air pedal and haven’t turned it off since I bought it.
Also, someone has recently listed some Sarno pedals for sale here - the Doozy Boost and/or Earth Drive are supposed to be fantastic. Solar Flare distortion too, for that matter.
I’d grab the Earth Drive if I had nothing like it on my board.

Just my 2 cents, of course.
Good luck

[LazyLightning72]

I am FAR from the lost experienced person on here, but I’d really want some clean boost and some distortion or overdrive.
So many options. I have Brian White’s unbelievable Thick Air pedal and haven’t turned it off since I bought it.
Also, someone has recently listed some Sarno pedals for sale here - the Doozy Boost and/or Earth Drive are supposed to be fantastic. Solar Flare distortion too, for that matter.
I’d grab the Earth Drive if I had nothing like it on my board.

Just my 2 cents, of course.
Good luck

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the SMS Earth Drive, I might just listen to some demos of it while I have this cigar.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[LazyLightning72]

On the subject of OD/Distortion,

I’ve listened to a good many demos of the MXR M104 Distortion + and it does sound nice. Especially once you get past the Metal Head demos, that crank it to find the “chugability” of a pedal. Once you start watching/listening to demos that keep it on lower settings, it has some very distinct tones. Some close to Hell in a Bucket, and even a wider variety of songs with just that little edge Jerry would have on. It’s a simple design, with just 2 adjustment knobs.

That said I’ve been listening to some demos of the Boss OD-200 Hybrid. It has a lot more adjustment features (but that could be a good thing when trying to dial “it”in)

[LazyLightning72]

Unless I get a stop what your doing from some of the more pedal experienced members, this is where I am.

Ok pedal wise, I think I have it narrowed down to the following, again this is not the order they will be going:
1. QTron+ (Which I already have)
2. MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini Analog Delay Pedal
3. MXR M104 Distortion + Pedal (The more I thought about it, researched it, and watched demos of it, the more I liked it) The Boss I had considered was more than I needed.
4. Korg Pitchblack mini - Tuner Pedal (I was going to get a PolyTune, but I’ve seen dozens of side by sides. The Kong looks like it will do the job just fine, I believe)

***5. I have not decided on yet, either type or manufacturer***

As mentioned the QTron+ is 24v and I have a power supply for it, and the ones listed are all 9v Dc, except the MXR M-104 Distortion which the specs read: Powered by single 9V battery or Dunlop ECB-003 AC adapter. Of which I would prefer a wired connection.

For power supply, I have thought about the Truetone 1 SPOT Slim 9V DC Adapter ( with a Truetone MC5 1 SPOT Multi-Plug 5 Cable daisy chain) I was concerned that having a non isolated power source would cause noise issues, but every demo I have seen shows it’s not the case with these (especially with a smaller setup like I’m doing)

While using Ernie Ball 6" Flat Angle / Flat Angle Patch Cable to connect them together.

Finally the board itself, I’m leaning towards a SKB 1SKB-PB1712 Injection Molded Pedalboard with the pedal sizes I’m choosing it will hold them all and more if I so choose, later on.

I’ve also tossed around the idea of just getting the wood and building my own. It would cost less and I could incorporate a place for the wires to be hid.

So pedalboard (buying one or building one) aside, how does this set up look to you guys?

[LazyLightning72]

Ok then, I haven’t seen any objections to my last post. So I will likely place the order for what I listed above, when I get home from my Dr. appointment today.

I think the pedals chosen so far should get me in the ballpark, at least I hope so? There are so many to choose from, even when you narrow it down to the type of pedal. You start walking that tightrope of overthinking and second guessing ever decision.

Again, I truly appreciate all the help with this. I’m still not sure what other pedal I may need. Hopefully getting these and setting it up will help me hear what might be missing.

I’m still always open to suggestions.
Thanks!
Chris

[Jon S.]

I’m still always open to suggestions.
Thanks!
Chris

I have a last suggestion. Make your decisions and, afterwards, embrace and stick with them for at least 6 months. Don't buy and then "what if" yourself or wallow in regret. When it comes to gear, there's always something new (or old) and shinier (or rustier) down (or up) the road. If I could live my own musical life over, I'd ruminate/obsess over new gear less and enjoy what I have more. Just my 2 cents.

[LazyLightning72]

I’m still always open to suggestions.
Thanks!
Chris

I have a last suggestion. Make your decisions and, afterwards, embrace and stick with them for at least 6 months. Don't buy and then "what if" yourself or wallow in regret. When it comes to gear, there's always something new (or old) and shinier (or rustier) down (or up) the road. If I could live my own musical life over, I'd ruminate/obsess over new gear less and enjoy what I have more. Just my 2 cents.

Actually, your absolutely right. That’s why I mentioned overthinking it, you can “what if “yourself into a frenzy. That doesn’t help anything, and takes all the fun/joy out of it. Which completely defeats the purpose in the first place.

My wife said basically the same thing last night. In a nutshell she said, just get what you have been researching and decided on. If for whatever reason you don’t like one of the pedals, (after giving it a fair chance) you can always replace it.

Your both right!
Thanks Jon!
Chris

[PurpleTrails]

What you have in mind should work. The one-spot can introduce some hum depending on how the wiring is where you are playing, but it's mostly an issue in dive bars with a ton of neon, or if you're too close to a computer. It can also run out of juice if you have pedals with a high amperage demand, but the only one on your list that fits that is the qtron+, which will have its own dedicated power supply.

FYI, most dirt pedals don't need much juice to drive them. The problem tends to come in with digital effects, especially if they have DSP.

[LazyLightning72]

What you have in mind should work. The one-spot can introduce some hum depending on how the wiring is where you are playing, but it's mostly an issue in dive bars with a ton of neon, or if you're too close to a computer. It can also run out of juice if you have pedals with a high amperage demand, but the only one on your list that fits that is the qtron+, which will have its own dedicated power supply.

FYI, most dirt pedals don't need much juice to drive them. The problem tends to come in with digital effects, especially if they have DSP.

Thanks for the help to you and everyone, I truly mean that!
Just placed the order.

Now onto the last big piece of the puzzle, a new amp. Don’t want to discuss it here though. I’ll start a dedicated thread to it a bit later.