So now that I'm nearing my 100th pedal build I'm reflecting on the pedals I've built and looking at my favorite builds by different qualifiers. I start to notice a trend. I used to think I liked boss and mxr stuff the best. Turns out it was EHX. Between dirt, modulation, delay and filters I like them the best. Of my builds they are the ones that stay on my board the most. I try to mix it up but more often then not my classic ehx builds are the ones that deliver.
To me they are more inspiring. Boss and mxr and some other big names often play it safe. More tame in range of sounds, they are like Ice Man. I can see why they are popular with the masses. Ehx gives me more depth and a wider palette of tones, they are more extreme and unpredictable, they are like Maverick. I feel like I can explore more sounds and am constantly rewarded. I can get the run of the mill tones but also the off the wall stuff.
What is your favorite brand(s)?
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I have to say I agree with you on this. I have always preferred EHX over other brands, and I have a few original units.
They all sound awesome!
8)
I don't know, Boss makes some good delays and reverbs, ehx does a lot of good stuff. I don't think I could pick just one.
Mid-Fi electronics might be it if I had to choose just one. Between the clarinot, the random number generator and a few others you have some great unusual sounds, and the Demo Tape Fuzz is just amazing.
I gravitate towards EHX and Ross. I really dig OTA phasers. Madbean's original stuff is fantastic. Rej had some great diet and fuzz stuff. I think I just like pedals.
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Quote from: Afonso on September 24, 2020, 08:46:23 PM
I have to say I agree with you on this. I have always preferred EHX over other brands, and I have a few original units.
They all sound awesome!
This is awesome
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Quote from: Scruffie on September 24, 2020, 08:51:06 PM
8)
I got some cool ehx stuff from you guys in the oven right now, bout to be serving up some "brownies" soon!
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Quote from: Thewintersoldier on September 24, 2020, 10:18:17 PM
Quote from: Scruffie on September 24, 2020, 08:51:06 PM
8)
I got some cool ehx stuff from you guys in the oven right now, bout to be serving up some "brownies" soon!
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Brownies!?
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/3ohzdS0k1esthcMiKQ/source.gif)
You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your description, I've always found the EHX stuff to be the most inspiring in its palettes. I
get the BOSS/Ibanez/MXR stuff... but it can be a bit... utilitarian.
Mu-tron, A/DA and to a lesser extent, DOD are brands that trod a similar path.
Quote from: Scruffie on September 24, 2020, 10:43:32 PM
Quote from: Thewintersoldier on September 24, 2020, 10:18:17 PM
Quote from: Scruffie on September 24, 2020, 08:51:06 PM
8)
I got some cool ehx stuff from you guys in the oven right now, bout to be serving up some "brownies" soon!
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Brownies!?
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/3ohzdS0k1esthcMiKQ/source.gif)
You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your description, I've always found the EHX stuff to be the most inspiring in its palettes. I get the BOSS/Ibanez/MXR stuff... but it can be a bit... utilitarian.
Mu-tron, A/DA and to a lesser extent, DOD are brands that trod a similar path.
Yeah, Brownies!
Most companies go for mass appeal and a range that caters to the masses main stream sensibilities. I like how ehx is like hifi garbage. I like that you can get the cabbage patch kids tones of boss, but also the garbage pale kids tones as well lol
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Quote from: jimilee on September 24, 2020, 09:46:12 PM
I gravitate towards EHX and Ross. I really dig OTA phasers. Madbean's original stuff is fantastic. Rej had some great diet and fuzz stuff. I think I just like pedals.
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I completely agree with you on ota phasers Jimi. I used to be all about the jfet style like the phase 90 and 45 but once I played my friends small stone in the early 90s it was a revelation. So organic and chewy, more range of speed and dimension.
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TC Electronic for delays (Nova).
Lovetone, or Parasit Studio. None of that bread & butter stuff for me, please. I will have some cheese with my meatballs though, thank you.
I have a couple of old Boss and EHX pedals, plus some more modern crap, other than that everything I have and use is DIY. Boss to me is the pedal archetype, the compact boxes, the consistent look in all the different colours, I really like them. The vintage EHX stuff I have in comparison oozes cheap to me, I'm not really too fond of them. The mechanics, the look, the thin sheet metal boxes, I've just never really been a fan.
The only pedals I would ever see myself buying if they were available is Lovetone. The creativity and plethora of sounds out of analog pedals they achieved is unrivalled to me. Plus again, nice consistent boxes in pretty colours. Seems to be something I value :D.
From the stuff I actually play, I couldn't really make out a favourite brand. It is a fairly mixed affair with all sorts of stuff including DIY circuits, no brand really standing out. Closest to my heart really are the Lovetones I've built, even though I don't use them all that often.
Still don't think I could pick one company. There are so many great companies. But reading this over again I'm struck by the fact that I think of vintage EhX and the modern stuff as being from two different companies. So when everyone is saying EHX I'm wondering which one.
Am I the only one that thinks of them that way?
Quote from: Matmosphere on September 25, 2020, 09:18:38 AM
Still don't think I could pick one company. There are so many great companies. But reading this over again I'm struck by the fact that I think of vintage EhX and the modern stuff as being from two different companies. So when everyone is saying EHX I'm wondering which one.
Am I the only one that thinks of them that way?
I like vintage ehx. Besides the POG most of their new stuff is not that great to me. I know that the vintage stuff was all over the place in terms of quality and reliability but the sound is what gets me. That's why I love building their stuff, I can get all those great tones but with modern reliability.
I have a couple Moog Moogerfoogers and they are ridiculous - they far surpass regular pedal usage and anything else I own. However, totaling their costs was a main factor for buying a soldering iron and teaching myself how to do this stuff.
But that Moog stuff really is cool
I've never played the big moogs but they sound cool. I can only imagine there is a lot going on inside them.
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I have a MF102 (ring mod) and it is hands down the greatest pedal I've ever played with. You can use it as a tremolo and it sounds ridiculously good.
I fixed a friends mf102 (his was through-hole, mine is unfortunately not) it wasn't incredibly complicated, but I didn't get to far into it.
I like DOD, especially their older stuff. The original 250 overdrive is fantastic, although I'll never own an original since they go for ridonkulous prices. The big box effects like the 680 delay were great. And the FX90 still has to be one of the most underrated "rated" pedals out there. Despite tons of reviews saying that the FX90 is good, they still can be found for dirt cheap all the time. DOD has had their fair share of bizarre pedals too: the Gonkulator, Vibrothang, and the all-time worst sounding distortion ever made...the FX33 Buzz Box.
EHX makes fun stuff, even today they are pushing the envelope. I just wish they would use smaller enclosures. But my biggest love was and still is Boss. Ever since my formative first guitar playing years in the 80's I've been hooked hook line and sinker on the small colored boxes. And modding Boss pedals was what got me into the hobby. I've had EHX pedals that I don't use, I've got Boss pedals I don't use. I will sooner part with my EHX pedals though, as I do love to collect Boss pedals. Yeah, Boss is a little more conservative in its extreme sounds then EHX, but you can drop any Boss pedal from a tower block roof, use a Boss pedal to hammer a zombie's brain, and they will survive. The old EHX pedals look flimsy in comparison. And sometimes you need simple straight forward bread and butter pedals. Plus Prince LOVED Boss pedals, he had a great guitar tone and was a great guitar player, so they can't be bad.
Honorable mentions go to Line 6 pedals, because the 4 modeler pedals are awesome value for what you get and offer some great use for effects abuse. And their smaller pedals aren't slouches either. Especially the Echo Park is a very underrated delay pedal.
Maybe I'm boring, but if I had to choose one pedal brand, I'd probably pick Boss. They have some of my favs over the years. That or Strymon, although I've only used Strymon Delays and Reverbs, I'm still fairly certain I would be happy with their gear.
EHX has some good ones, but I haven't really looked at many of their products as 'I want that' type pedals.
Jacob
Quote from: rockola on September 25, 2020, 05:06:20 AM
Lovetone
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/c4f89cf9e9cfd811473785f69829ea7c/tenor.gif?itemid=9864414)
Quote from: LaceSensor on September 27, 2020, 08:10:22 PM
Quote from: rockola on September 25, 2020, 05:06:20 AM
Lovetone
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/c4f89cf9e9cfd811473785f69829ea7c/tenor.gif?itemid=9864414)
I have never actually played a lovetone, I'm working my way up to the deadendfx builds.
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I gotta go with lovepedal..... Although I have never played an actual Lovepedal. I have built his univibe, jtm 45 thing and a bunch of the drives and they all sound great. Stuff I actually own would be TC, I love my Alter Ego X4 and Hall of Fame Reverb.
+1 on Line6. The MM4 is a mainstay on my board. Way too big and clunky but I've tweaked it to unity gain and it does everything I could ask of a mod pedal.
Quote from: Thewintersoldier on September 28, 2020, 12:02:33 PM
I have never actually played a lovetone, I'm working my way up to the deadendfx builds.
In all honesty... The DEFX builds are fantastic! And, their build docs are top notch. You really should give them a try. Probably a higher parts count than anything you have built to date (possibly except the DC ECHO) but well worth the build!
I guess if we're getting into boutique, the VFE pedals are some of the most well thought out pedal in the ideal form factor. I love building them, they always feel so solid.
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Gotta go with Earthquaker stuff personally. They're the brand I have the most of both production pedals and DIY clones. EHX would be a close second.
Quote from: storyboardist on September 29, 2020, 12:23:23 AM
Gotta go with Earthquaker stuff personally. They're the brand I have the most of both production pedals and DIY clones. EHX would be a close second.
I used to be big on earthquaker, I had a ton of their stuff but I ended up selling most of them. I often found I preferred the original circuits many of their pedals are based on. I appreciate the effort they put into not being boring or run of the mill though.
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Lovetone pedals are awesome, and I wanted them SO BADLY when I first saw them. Until I got a few clones and realized way too many knobs. It's like going to the store to get peanut butter and finding 50 different brands, types and flavors. 4 is about my max with knobs these days, less is more, especially with mod pedals. LOVE the one knob MXR and EHX phasers.
Quote from: Thewintersoldier on September 29, 2020, 01:38:26 AM
Quote from: storyboardist on September 29, 2020, 12:23:23 AM
Gotta go with Earthquaker stuff personally. They're the brand I have the most of both production pedals and DIY clones. EHX would be a close second.
I used to be big on earthquaker, I had a ton of their stuff but I ended up selling most of them. I often found I preferred the original circuits many of their pedals are based on. I appreciate the effort they put into not being boring or run of the mill though.
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I really appreciate Earthquaker for their more crazy original stuff, like the Organizer and the Rainbow Machine. I always forget that they make stuff like the Hoof, and tone bender clones I just never bother to look at that stuff, because if I want a muff I'll just make one.
and Lovetone, yeah, I need to start building those too.
So many good makers, again why choose one? I mean, I love Fender best, but I have other guitars too.
Quote from: Muadzin on September 29, 2020, 07:10:30 AM
Lovetone pedals are awesome, and I wanted them SO BADLY when I first saw them. Until I got a few clones and realized way too many knobs. It's like going to the store to get peanut butter and finding 50 different brands, types and flavors. 4 is about my max with knobs these days, less is more, especially with mod pedals. LOVE the one knob MXR and EHX phasers.
This is a huge problem for me. I have some pedals with too many knobs. Not every parameter needs a dedicated knob. Having too many knobs can make it harder to dial in a good sound. I have got rid of pedals that I could just not dial in a good sound from. Thats how I am with amps as well, give me the most basic control set, if the fundemantal sound of the amp is good then I have fewer knobs to screw it up. Lovetone looks and sounds great but a lot of features are based on stereo operation as well and most times I just play thru a single amp.
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I really like the Maxon designed Ibanez stuff.
Quote from: Muadzin on September 29, 2020, 07:10:30 AM
Lovetone pedals are awesome, and I wanted them SO BADLY when I first saw them. Until I got a few clones and realized way too many knobs. It's like going to the store to get peanut butter and finding 50 different brands, types and flavors. 4 is about my max with knobs these days, less is more, especially with mod pedals. LOVE the one knob MXR and EHX phasers.
(looks behind him at the synth-cable-palooza)
I have no idea what you mean by this ;D
As for favourite -- I'd give this two options. If we're talking reliability, grab'n'go, I've-got-to-play-in-five-minutes!, I'd say Boss. They aren't the world's trendiest, but they're built like brick sh!thouses and are nearly always pretty decent. If we're talking bedroom, I'm-having-fun, then Lovetone. The more time you have to mess around with them, the better they get.
Quote from: Thewintersoldier on September 29, 2020, 10:49:33 AM
Quote from: Muadzin on September 29, 2020, 07:10:30 AM
Lovetone pedals are awesome, and I wanted them SO BADLY when I first saw them. Until I got a few clones and realized way too many knobs. It's like going to the store to get peanut butter and finding 50 different brands, types and flavors. 4 is about my max with knobs these days, less is more, especially with mod pedals. LOVE the one knob MXR and EHX phasers.
This is a huge problem for me. I have some pedals with too many knobs. Not every parameter needs a dedicated knob. Having too many knobs can make it harder to dial in a good sound. I have got rid of pedals that I could just not dial in a good sound from. Thats how I am with amps as well, give me the most basic control set, if the fundemantal sound of the amp is good then I have fewer knobs to screw it up. Lovetone looks and sounds great but a lot of features are based on stereo operation as well and most times I just play thru a single amp.
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Only two of the lovetone pedals are actually stereo, and in both cases they sum to mono
My favorite pedal brand came out of nowhere after building a few clones - Barber Electronics.
Way Huge and EHX would tie for second place :-)
I... don't like lovetone... at all...
I've tried them, there seems to be so much superfluous range and the actual core designs really don't wow me, I always just think of them as pedals with all the mods rather than being designed from the ground to have a huge range of useful sounds.
Respect what they were but I just don't get 'em.
Quote from: alanp on September 30, 2020, 12:21:12 AM
Quote from: Muadzin on September 29, 2020, 07:10:30 AM
Lovetone pedals are awesome, and I wanted them SO BADLY when I first saw them. Until I got a few clones and realized way too many knobs. It's like going to the store to get peanut butter and finding 50 different brands, types and flavors. 4 is about my max with knobs these days, less is more, especially with mod pedals. LOVE the one knob MXR and EHX phasers.
(looks behind him at the synth-cable-palooza)
I have no idea what you mean by this ;D
As for favourite -- I'd give this two options. If we're talking reliability, grab'n'go, I've-got-to-play-in-five-minutes!, I'd say Boss. They aren't the world's trendiest, but they're built like brick sh!thouses and are nearly always pretty decent. If we're talking bedroom, I'm-having-fun, then Lovetone. The more time you have to mess around with them, the better they get.
Thing is, maybe this is just me, ultimately after all that experimentation you gravitate towards a single sound, in which case all those knobs and switches might as well be set and forget trimpots and dipswitches. Unless you're Radiohead and you need a ton of weird noises. Although even they seem to have ditched their Lovetone pedals. Ed used to have a Big Cheese, Ringstinger and Meatball on his board(s).
To me there is a difference between pedals for playing live, and pedals for messing around at home or recording. I would never take any Lovetone on a stage, too much nuance is wasted there anyway. They are just fun toys to play with by myself or for a recording situation. That is where I want all the possibilities they can offer.
Well put. I think in those terms especially with the L6 MM4. It doesn't do anything particularly exceptional except it's really easy to use, sounds really good, and is is repeatable so a minimum of screwing around with it to get good live sounds. Even if I need to start from scratch.
I'm gonna go with Spaceman Effects. I really dig their aesthetic, their circuit designs are all fairly unique and interesting, and their boards are a work of art with all those funky vintage components they're designed around- not that I buy into any 'mojo' aspect of such components, nor would I ever design a board for a production pedal around such a funky mishmash of weird old junk, but you gotta admit it definitely adds to the 'cool' factor!
I think Earthquaker is probably my favorite of the newer makers out there ... EHX has been around so long and done so much that it is impossible for anyone else to compete with them short of outlasting them ... I do have a soft spot for DOD before they got consumed by digitech ... and I do respect the mythos surrounding lovetone and remember being just fascinated by them when I'd see them in catalogues
Quote from: Muadzin on October 03, 2020, 12:20:01 PM
Thing is, maybe this is just me, ultimately after all that experimentation you gravitate towards a single sound, in which case all those knobs and switches might as well be set and forget trimpots and dipswitches.
I agree with what you've been saying about too many knobs. I think there is something really nice about the Blackstone Appliances approach...flush mount pots that are set and forget. The old Maestro PS1A was pretty cool too. Three options that were all great, and you basically just turn them on or off...no fiddling.