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GuitarStv
Copper Member
Canada
39 Posts |
 Posted - 04/09/2006 : 01:52:50
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| What is the maximum number of boss pedals that you can run in a line without noticing significant tone loss? I have about six right now (one of which being a PSM-5) and I can't hear any difference between all six, or just the psm-5 . . . . I'm very confused because everyone says that you can't put too many buffered pedals in your signal path or your guitar starts to sound like crap. I won an auction for three more pedals (which are coming any day now) and I'm worried if I'll need to buy some kind of looping system to preserve my guitar's tone. The thing is I really like playing Pink Floyd / Radiohead type stuff and I can't bring myself to get rid of my pedals. What do you guys think? |
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LuminaryJCP
Bronze Member
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 02:06:31
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| I use a lot of pedals also, and there is a slight diffrence in tone, but one thing that does help A LOT is an enhancer type pedal. You can get the Boss EH-2 for under 50$ and it restores your signal when put at the end of the chain, it also makes the other effects sound cleaner and less muddy. I would suggest this to anyone who uses a lot of pedals. I use it and its on all the time regardless of what other pedals are on at the time all you need to do is spend a little time to tweak it. If it wasn;t for the EH-2 I probably would not use many pedals with my rig. Hope this helps. And also the obvious way to help with signal degredation/loss is to run a long chain in your effects loop. |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 06:24:33
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ya, i have 15 pedals in my existing chain. all Boss. however i am using a line selector, so theres really only 7 or 8 at a time, but i dont notice any difference between Chain A, B,or bypass. personally i think you only lose volume and tone when you mix and match different brand names and different quality pedals.
btw, EH2 at the end of the chain does help restore some sound quality. |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 10:50:44
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| There is a difference between every pedal so there isn't a clear answer to how many pedals you can have in the chain before degradation becomes noticable. I usually put 6 pedals in my chain and in some cases that's enuogh to notice a difference and in other cases not. On average I would suspect that 6-8 pedals is the maximum before tone starts to drain. |
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lazzrath
Bronze Member
Canada
103 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 11:52:44
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I'm in total agreement with BossArea on this one (well, with everyone, I guess). Every pedal is different - the trick is to find the pedals that degrade your tone the most (mostly modulation pedals) and use them sparingly. The main Boss pedal to watch out for (I think) is the PS-5. This pedal, even when off, runs your signal through the volume pot. So even when you have the pedal off, this pot still affects your total volume. Something to watch out for. Also, this pedal severely affects your tone when in certain modes (any pitch-altering modes - the compression is extremely noticeable).
Don't for a second think I don't like this pedal. I've got one, and use it a lot, you just have to be really careful about how you tweak it, and how much it's on. I actually prefer this pedal to the Whammy (which, BTW, also suffers from the constant tone-loss, even when off... hmm...) which seems odd, as it seems the world is obsessed with that pedal...
Getting back to the point, you should take an individual approach to every pedal, and find the ones that suck the most tone away, and just be careful how and where you use them. And yes, the EH-2 is a great pedal to use at the end of your signal chain to restore some lost frequencies that buffered pedals tend to steal after a while.
Also of interest to note is the fact that buffered pedals are useful - you don't want to have all true-bypassed pedals on your board. it's then like running one big extremely long guitar cable to your amp, and that's an even worse way to lose tone. The odd buffer (or the odd 7 or 8  ) helps to retain signal strength.
Something to think about. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 12:28:57
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i've used lots of different effects since i started playing guitar ie dod,eh,line6 and boss i've found boss to be the best for keeping your signal strong and full sounding,pete cornish the guy who builds effect boards for dave gilmour,clapton,knopfler..etc has an item on his website about true bypass vs buffered effects pete seems to be more inclined towards buffered as it cuts out tone loss,i usually have 6 boss pedals and a wah in line one of the pedals is the ls2 with 4 more pedals in the loop,sound is subjective like beauty is in the eye of the beholder,there is a lot of 'tone snobs' to whom boss is a dirty word but i find them great tools for the job,they sound great and are extremely robust if you look at most pro's pedal boards you will find a few boss pedals....... |
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1964
Copper Member
39 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 13:28:34
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Sorry if I'm starting to sound like a broken record  , but is the EH-2 Enhancer analog or digital? Thanks again. |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 14:09:57
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No worries, we're all anal about these things around here
The EH-2 is analog. |
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GuitarStv
Copper Member
Canada
39 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 15:00:39
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| How does the EH pedal work? Is it just a glorified EQ? |
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LuminaryJCP
Bronze Member
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2006 : 21:51:45
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| The EH-2 is sort of EQ-ish. But its essentially a Sonic Maximizer in Boss form. It restores the harmonic balance lost through a long pedal chain. It can also work wonders if its the only pedal in your chain. You can make a cheap amp sound a lot better with this one. It's different than an EQ in that you can make it EXTREMELY subtle in terms of effecting your guitar sound, but it will still clean up mud from other effects pedals and make them have more life. It is to be used at or near the end of the chain. |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2006 : 07:02:22
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| I have noticed that the cleaner sound you have, when playing, the more you are going to �hear� a line of pedals, and EH-2 shines here too. |
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svengali
Bronze Member
Australia
111 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2006 : 12:19:08
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i have found that there is some tone loss from using boss pedals.
not much though. Actually. the real tone killers are wah pedals.
id be careful using a non bypassed wah pedal..they really chew the tone up.
to restore lost tone at the end of my pedal chain (six pedals and a bypassed wah)i use an ls2..and just turn the level up on that a bit..or a lot. I find that turning up the level a lot is useful on some amps that need to be driven.
the ls2 in my opinion is a killer boss pedal.
svengali |
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GuitarStv
Copper Member
Canada
39 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2006 : 13:26:55
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| So do the pedals act as a new EQ on your guitar? I'm not sure what to listen for to see if it's having an effect on my stuff . . . There might be a touch less bass that gets through to my amp (with all the pedals off and me playing clean), but it doesn't sound muddy . . . can I overcome this issue by just adding more bass from my amps EQ? |
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1964
Copper Member
39 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2006 : 08:12:50
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| Thanks for the heads-up on the EH-2 guys! Much appreciated! I have a potentially very long signal chain (20-25 pedals in line - though I'm investigating a looper), and I just scored an EH-2 on eBay. It's actually, and maybe surprisingly, my first proper Boss pedal, having only a Boss TU-12 Tuner before today. |
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visserman
Platinum Member
1072 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2006 : 14:37:35
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quote:
Originally posted by GuitarStv
So do the pedals act as a new EQ on your guitar? I'm not sure what to listen for to see if it's having an effect on my stuff . . . There might be a touch less bass that gets through to my amp (with all the pedals off and me playing clean), but it doesn't sound muddy . . . can I overcome this issue by just adding more bass from my amps EQ?
Not sure if I understand your question here, but if you want to find out how your pedals alter your guitar signal [and tone] then just play your guitar staight throught your amp with nothing in between. Do the same again, but just use one pedal [and keep it switched off!!] listen carefully to your tone: How much clarity is there in the bass, does the brightness still come through ect. Repeat this scenario as you start adding more pedals to your chain, remember to keep your pedals switched off. If there is any tonedegradation at all it should show up in this way.
When you switch your pedals on you enter a whole new ballgame, as your tone will be altered anyway by your pedals.
Overal I agree with what most people have said before: Bosspedals are not too bad at degrading your tone!!!
Just a note for svengali who seem to like using his Wah in the bypass of the LS-2. Well in this way the Wah is used in a parallel fashion, which makes the sound is of the Wah more subtle [and less agressive] compared to when you connect your guitarsignal straight into your Wah.
You could get you Wah modded so it will degrade you tone a lot less, and different Wahs act in different ways. If you want to get your Wah modded you should be able to find a lot of info on the net as this mod. is still a very popular one. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2006 : 21:36:25
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| i use the ls2 in my setup second last from the end as looper and to mute my signal to my tuner,i agree with svengali this pedal is like a swiss army knife of pedals i would be lost without it.The issue of wah wah's... i just put mine in front of the pedals,boss pedals are buffered anyway so i don't notice much tone loss... imho i think you can get too 'anal' about mods and tone loss, everyone goes on about vintage gear and clapton,s sound in the 60's or hendrix's sound at woodstock etc... all the gear they used was new at the time..!!! including the wah pedals no loops or bypasses just straight into the fuzz and then into the amp...don't get me wrong i use lot of pedals the ls2 is a godsend,but these days i concentrate on my playing the sound of the effects is the icing on the cake... |
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Topic |
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Pedals and tone loss?
