Amps with pedals. Out of curiosity.

[Astral Traveler]

If you have to stick a pedal (overdrive, booster or distortion) in front of your amp to make it sound the way you want, do you then have the wrong amp or is it simply a matter of expanding on what the amp already does for you?

Just curious, I'm expecting some diversity in the replies

 

[Beagle]

I haven't used a pedal since you were a lad, my amp has 50 Boss pedals built in and I don't use those either. I used to use the Tone Bender, Boss chorus and Marshall Blues Breaker, in my heavier younger days, in front a ProAmp or Laney, both long gone.

 

[Ramo]

In my case i use both od and distortion. I boost both amp and distortion pedal. Pedal has lots of gain but when i boost it ,it gives different flavour.

 

[Astral Traveler]

I haven't used a pedal since you were a lad, my amp has 50 Boss pedals built in and I don't use those either. I used to use the Tone Bender, boss chorus and Marshall Blues Breaker, in my heavier younger days, in front a ProAmp or Laney, both long gone.

The Tone Bender is bordering on Fuzz, isn't it? Quite a radical change to what the amp could do onnits own?

In my case i use both od and distortion. I boost both amp and distortion pedal. Pedal has lots of gain but when i boost it ,it gives different flavour.

Do you ever use the amp without pedals?

 

[Beagle]

The Tone Bender is bordering on Fuzz, isn't it? Quite a radical change to what the amp could do onnits own?

The Tone Bender is fuzz. I used it mainly as a boost to get more treble out of the pretty flat amps. Somewhere around and after 1:50 was what I was after.

 

[Ramo]

The Tone Bender is bordering on Fuzz, isn't it? Quite a radical change to what the amp could do onnits own?


Do you ever use the amp without pedals?

In general no, even with cleans i use pedals like delay and chorus

 

[Beagle]

Do you ever use the amp without pedals?

All the time, especially for rhythm and quiet jazzier stuff.

 

[Astral Traveler]

What kind of music were you playing exactly? I never thought of you as the fuzz type

 

[TCE63]

The only pedals I use with my Marshalls is a clean boost and a HOF.

With my Laney L20-112T I use NO pedals at all.

 

[Beagle]

What kind of music were you playing exactly? I never thought of you as the fuzz type

Mainly covers of obscure British physocotic prog bands you'll never have heard of.

 

[Astral Traveler]

Mainly covers of obscure British physocotic prog bands you'll never have heard of.

That sounds like something that's right up my alley

Like Agnes Strange? Black Widow? Ancient Grease? And the likes thereof?

 

[Beagle]

That sounds like something that's right up my alley

Like Agnes Strange? Black Widow? Ancient Grease? And the likes thereof?

There are some names I thought I'd never hear again. T2 is one I remember, my memory isn't what it used to be...

 

[Astral Traveler]

There are some names I thought I'd never hear again. T2 is one I remember, my memory isn't what it used to be...

I've never heard of T2 but the other ones are all in my playlists.

 

[Beagle]

I've never heard of T2 but the other ones are all in my playlists.

My friends Chis and Paul still play this kind of stuff to this day.

 

[Astral Traveler]

I found them on Spotify. Listening now.

 

[Astral Traveler]

My friends Chis and Paul still play this kind of stuff to this day.

You know I play sometimes in this 5 piece blues band, or at least until the pandemic hit but... This is the kinda stuff I'd really like to play, if I could choose freely.

 

[Beagle]

You know I play sometimes in this 5 piece blues band, or at least until the pandemic hit but... This is the kinda stuff I'd really like to play, if I could choose freely.

One blues tune and I've pretty much had enough.

 

[Astral Traveler]

One blues tune and I've pretty much had enough.

I'm bad at blues.

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

If you have to stick a pedal (overdrive, booster or distortion) in front of your amp to make it sound the way you want, do you then have the wrong amp or is it simply a matter of expanding on what the amp already does for you?

Just curious, I'm expecting some diversity in the replies

I abandoned boost pedals when I was a teenager.
After hearing how great a tube amp sounded, I realized the fizzy muddy transistor pedals sounded like crap.
(like a jet plane with asthma)
This is the amp that changed my playing, and influenced me to toss the the pedals into the trashcan.



Incidentally, this amp makes a Mesa Boogie sound like a toy.
The REAL original high gain amp ----was built in the 1940's.

Ever since then, (inspired by Operadio and other great ORIGINAL designs)
I have worked to develop tube amp designs that sound great without any boost pedals.
And I will never go back to transistors.

Tubes rule, transistors suck.
I don't need any foot switches to play my guitar.

 

[Beagle]

Tubes rule, transistors suck.

Not around here they don't. It's the difference between playing or not playing for me.