Your preferred Gain / Boost / Overdrive / Distortion etc. pedal chain order

Majorscale

Out of interest, what order do you guys arrange your gain pedals (for those still not seduced by multi fx!)?

I'm thinking in terms of all types of drives and gain pedals including: fuzz, clean boosts, klones, transparent drives, low, medium, high gain overdrives, distortions etc.

Currently on my covers band gig board I have a few for versatility and chain them this way:

klone -> low gain transparent overdrive -> medium gain overdrive -> distortion -> clean boost

I always tend to have one of the drives on at any one time then use the klone for solo mids boosting.  The final clean boost is there just to quickly adjust my level in the mix if the need arises, but am wondering how you guys arrange your gain pedal chains, especially if you are into pedal stacking.

Jota

Although I'm already seduced by multi FX (Boss MS-3), I run:
- fuzz (Fuzz Head) -> light to medium gain (KoT)
or
- mid push (Boss MS-3 TS or Mid Booster) -> low to mid gain (KoT)
My KoT is set for overdrive in both channels. The first one is a med gain setting (usually for rock rhythm) and the second channel is set as a slightly dirt boost.

Slimbert

I stack a few things...all gain settings are set fairly low but by the time it comes out of the speakers it's pretty chaotic.

Tubescreamer into BB Preamp which eventually goes into the drive channels on my amps.

It sounds HUGE!

JD50

Just use my amps gain channel but boost it if needed with a TS type drive and sometimes  use a Deluxe Big Muff for melodies/leads.
My amp has made all my other drive pedals redundant.

ICBM

Usually fuzz at the start, then most midrange into least midrange. That lets you stack in almost any combination without getting a bloated/farty mess.

I don’t use clean boosts or use one pedal to push another (or the amp) harder, all are set for stand-alone use into a final clean or light crunch amp sound.

Sassafras

Never had much luck with stacking pedals, it usually ends up sounding mushy. When I want to be heard I kick in a full range treble booster.

Philtre

JRockett Archer ---> TC Sweet Cream ---> OCD ---> EHX Soul Food - stacking permutations thereof (but not all at the same time)

The_Ethical

My goto drive setup : 

Boss SD-1 -> TS-808 drive set to around 9 to 10 o'clock on both -> Carl Martin DC drive (if I need a little extra drive or boost), again drive level around 9 to 10 o'clock with the boost level set according to circumstances eg room size, crowd size, amp used and general band level.

A fairly simple setup that is easy to tweak for a wide variety of tones and still responds well to your guitar controls. I think the key is in not having the drive levels high (YMMV).

Flanging_Fred

Zoom Ultra Fuzz ->
Paul Cochrane Tim overdrive ->
Source Audio eq (set mainly as a flat clean boost)

Seems to do all I need for my covers band pedalboard.

Corvus

Clean Fender amp, La Grange as base dirt, loves stacking. Blue Note tightens it up and can go modernish with the eq. Skreddy Rover, Octafuzz also into LG.

Octafuzz into CTC Starlight gives massive fuzz filth.

Matt_McG

Currently:

(all of these are DIY clones with some tiny tweaks, but are basically stock)

Zendrive -> Skreddy Lunar Module -> BJFE/Bearfoot Honey Bee

I sometimes swap the order of the Lunar Module and the Honey Bee. I never use all three at once, but the Zendrive pushes either the Lunar Module or the Honey Bee _really_ nicely.

The Lunar Module boosted a bit but with the volume on the guitar pulled back a tad is just a great cutting but not harsh sound. Can get nice “Cause we ended as lovers” or Gilmour tones.

Chris_J

Ep boost -> broadcast -> lightspeed

Lebarque

Highest gain first, then in descending order

Roland

Lebarque said:

Highest gain first, then in descending order

This

Majorscale

Lebarque said:

Highest gain first, then in descending order

Apart from fuzz, that almost always comes first, why this order? I believe the opposite order is more common.

Kebabkid

Keeley TS808 > Xotic EP Booster > Fulltone OCD

Like this, the pedals can work individually as different flavours and go from low to med to higher gain but I can also stack them and use all 3 at the same time.

builttospill

RYRA> Boss OD-1>Vick Audio Tree of Life

Lebarque

Majorscale said:

Lebarque said:

Highest gain first, then in descending order

Apart from fuzz, that almost always comes first, why this order? I believe the opposite order is more common.

Fuzz IS the highest gain, so naturally comes first. Why this order? If you put lower gain pedals before higher gain, they just make it more fuzzy. If you put them after, they behave how they should - boost etc. For example, you can use a low gain pedal after a fuzzface into a clean amp to mimic the cooking amp that the fuzzface needs to sound its best.

ICBM

It's nothing to do with gain for me - fuzz just works best straight after the guitar. Strictly vintage-style Fuzz Face/Tonebender type fuzzes though (including modern weird ones like the Fuzz Factory, but they have similar characteristics) - although things like the Big Muff are sometimes called fuzzes, they're really a fuzzy distortion and very scooped EQ-wise.

Stacking by EQ has always made far more sense to me than stacking by gain. For example if you put a Big Muff in front of a Tube Screamer it sounds like a bloated, farty mess because the TS can't handle the huge bass of the Muff. The other way round works brilliantly - nothing to do with the Big Muff having more gain, it's all to do with the EQ.

But you can do it whatever way you want, with 'rules' or with no rules, and if it sounds good to you then it is good.

Fez

Fallout cloud - > Little Green Wonder - > Mini Spark. The LGW is the core drive sound add boost for solo. The FC for a few songs which need fuzz again add boost as required. On rare occasions all three for complete mayhem. Taking @ICBM 's point I might try the FC and the LGW the other way round.

BBBlues

I go by the rule:

boost into gain = more gain

boost after gain = more volume

Everything else is shades of the above depending on levels and settings.