Pedal Help for a n00b (Please!)

[huxleyrittman]

hello all

As mentioned above, I'm quite a n00b, and I'm unsatisfied with my (tiny but growing) rig. I perform with my band on a regular basis, but wanted to stop using my digitech rp90 multiFX, and start to use a pedalboard instead, so At the moment I've got a
-crybaby original wah,
-tgm chorus,
-boss ds2 turbo distortion,
-and just picked up a used danelectro black licorice beyond metal because it was only $40 and i liked the octave effect. (However, it isnt too great, button doesnt work all the time, shit tons of feedback, even when not connected to other pedals)

I always use them at home, and they sound good, but then as soon as I go on stage, I get these shitty sounding signals, with more feedback than usual (like waaay too much) and it pisses me off. Is it something to do with the order of my pedals? How should I order them?


Also, recommendations for the best pedals for performances? In terms of reliability, and lack of feedback, etc...

Thanks

PS I play rock music, quite hard rock, sort of Nirvana sound, so I need some pretty heavy distortion. Also I'm lead guitarist, if that helps answer my questions

tl;dr: How do I order my pedals? What kind of pedals are best for performance?

 

[VidaK]

I have a feeling that you are playing at very low volumes at home, so the hiss and feedback are "hidden", try playing at a higher volume first

order (my preference):

wah (I don't want the wah to take all my drives and sweep across all the frequencies)
distortion
distortion (put the one you like as the second, you can boost/drive it harder with the first distortion. 1st pedal: reduce the gain to 0, max the volume)
chorus (chorus before drives are too messy for my taste)

anyway, have fun experimenting with the pedal order!

 

[Vax]

We could address the issue from two angles, see if it provides some insight:

Do you gig with the same amp you practice with at home? The gain/volume you set with a small practice amp will have a completely different response to a bigger amp. If you have a volume pedal at the end of your chain (seeing as you don't have a delay pedal), you can control how hot and how hard your pedals hit the front of the amp. If your signal is too hot, backing off the volume pedal will tame it down to a more manageable level.

What settings are your pedals at? The general rule of thumb is that the more pedals you have in your chain, the less gain you dial into each distortion pedal. Or, if you do have to crank the gain all the way up on one pedal, make sure the other distortion pedals are off. The tone settings on the distortion pedals (and the amp too, actually) should also complement the guitar--are you dialing in treble when your guitar's already very bright?

Hope this helps some.

 

[huxleyrittman]

Thanks everyone

 

[huxleyrittman]

Btw, I bought a BOSS NS-2 noise suppressor, works great for cutting feedback, and only really affects tone if you want to sustain a really looooong bend

 

[VidaK]

I don't use any noise gates myself... I throw away pedals that are noisy when I'm not playing =p

 

[Vax]

An NS-2 is a good noise gate! I like the fact that it has a send/return, which can isolate noisy pedals. I used to have one to keep my Strat quiet when I engaged an AC Booster stacked with an EQ pedal at the end, which made it really noisy.