Popular pedals that you hate.

earwighoney

solar said:

The interesting thing about the RAT is that it unifies two very different types of music that I enjoy - drone metal (the RAT is key to the Sunn O))) sound) and jazz (Scofield, Frisell etc). I've just got a Big Ear Woodcutter and I'm enjoying it a lot.

In terms of "things I hate that most people like" - shimmer reverb (ie reverb with a pitchshifted element). Cheese.

Agree on both accounts.  The Rat works really well for the doom/drone sound. 

I despise the sound of shimmer reverb.  I'm not sure whether shimmer reverb or bad usage of chorus is worse. 

DrJazzTap

I agree hate is a strong word.. I never seem to learn my lesson. I end up buying the same thing over and over.  Sometimes I think the passage of time helps. I used to really dislike Big Muff pedals (could never hear them in a band mix). I own one now for sentimental reasons and the comedic name.

I'm not fond of Dynacomp's (very noise), Boss CS3's (again noisey), TS pedals (still own a mini but it's meh). My pet peeve is the sound of a lead guitar with an 80s soft delay trail attached to it, sounds so naff. I had a Flashback and never felt connected to it.

I think I may have fallen out of love with my pork loin.

I really liked the BB Preamp, should get another one at some point.

JezWynd

Distortion pedals. Never found one that didn’t sound better turned off. Boss Slow Gear, crap. Boss OS-2, also crap. EHX SMM w Harazai, nice sounds but overly complicated to use. Muffs, never found one I liked. Transparent, overpriced boutique comps, enough already.

theflyisback

Wouldn't say hate.  I'm seeing a pattern though...


OCD - Very much a bit meh

Any Big Muff - Sounds quite nice in isolation (ideally with another od pushing it) but never worked in a band with 2 guitarists.  

Tube Screamers - Never saw the fuss with them.  Think they probably need the right amp and right guitar to enhance a sound otherwise they just don't do it for me.  I think a klon/klone (even the cheaper ones) is a much more versatile od to work with

Dynacomp - I can only describe it as the guitar equivalent of getting punched in the stomach whilst your trying to sing 

Blue Sky- I like the shimmer effect but the standard reverbs aren't groundbreaking, bordering extremely mediocre.  Flint is miles better.  

Anything Earthquaker (apart from the Westwood and the swiss things) - bit controversial but I'd love to love them as they look great and the brand is very appealing but I've found most of them are just too 'niche' and unworkable in a band.  Fine for noodling and experimenting at home though.

Boss DD3 and DD7  - Nothing too intrinsically wrong with them but they do have a weird unique processed sound. 
I'm a firm believer in all delays needing a good boost before, i.e. Xotic EP.  Which is what the thing was originally meant to do anyway.  


Re: Klones.  Still the soul food is probably the best one out there that i've tried.  Tumnus Deluxe was good but the bottom end is a bit full on when you're playing at serious volume and needs a switcher to operate as it has a thump sound when you engage it.  

Re: Rats.  Think they're awesome.  Only problem i've had is it is to me very volume and situation sensitive and there is a need to tinker with it every time i set my gear up to get the right level.  More so that other pedals.    

 

brooom

theflyisback said:

Re: Rats.  Think they're awesome.  Only problem i've had is it is to me very volume and situation sensitive and there is a need to tinker with it every time i set my gear up to get the right level.  More so that other pedals.    

wow that's weird, that's a completely different experience from mine. I find that RATs are at unity volume around 3 O'clock which is well above most overdrive pedals. Meaning the pedal is actually much much more quiet that most ODs, which is part of the reason why I find it so controllable.

VJIves

The Rainbow Machine. I can do whackier stuff with the CT5 and there's a hundred better sounding choruses, I've never quite got Reinhart's obsession with it. 

Totally agree with you on the Black Fountain, I always found demos of it quite pleasant, but nothing's the same as being in the room with it, all drippy and lovely. 

Cookiemonster

Tc phaser. Just not worth the price.
Actually a lot of TC pedals are quite dull 

kswilson89

I have a love/hate relationship with Klones, I love the way it mixes your clean signal with the gain but, my god, every one has been insufferably noisy! Maybe I just got a few duds. I also love the barber pedals, particularly the gain changer.

BintyTwanger77

I can’t think of any pedals I hate really, I like too many of them. I wish I’d hated more pedals when I first got into them, would’ve saved me a fortune.

Cookiemonster

theflyisback said:

Wouldn't say hate.  I'm seeing a pattern though...


OCD - Very much a bit meh

Any Big Muff - Sounds quite nice in isolation (ideally with another od pushing it) but never worked in a band with 2 guitarists.  

Tube Screamers - Never saw the fuss with them.  Think they probably need the right amp and right guitar to enhance a sound otherwise they just don't do it for me.  I think a klon/klone (even the cheaper ones) is a much more versatile od to work with

Dynacomp - I can only describe it as the guitar equivalent of getting punched in the stomach whilst your trying to sing 

Blue Sky- I like the shimmer effect but the standard reverbs aren't groundbreaking, bordering extremely mediocre.  Flint is miles better.  

Anything Earthquaker (apart from the Westwood and the swiss things) - bit controversial but I'd love to love them as they look great and the brand is very appealing but I've found most of them are just too 'niche' and unworkable in a band.  Fine for noodling and experimenting at home though.

Boss DD3 and DD7  - Nothing too intrinsically wrong with them but they do have a weird unique processed sound. 
I'm a firm believer in all delays needing a good boost before, i.e. Xotic EP.  Which is what the thing was originally meant to do anyway.  


Re: Klones.  Still the soul food is probably the best one out there that i've tried.  Tumnus Deluxe was good but the bottom end is a bit full on when you're playing at serious volume and needs a switcher to operate as it has a thump sound when you engage it.  

Re: Rats.  Think they're awesome.  Only problem i've had is it is to me very volume and situation sensitive and there is a need to tinker with it every time i set my gear up to get the right level.  More so that other pedals.    

 

I like the DD3 fun pedal 

Teetonetal

The obne procession. Horrible reverb. Pointless modulation. Just horrible.

monquixote

Pedals I can't make work include

Tubescreamers and all variants I've tried. I also usually don't like them when other people play them.

OCD I've had one 3 times because I assume it must be me or the amp but I always flip them

Zen Drive again had one twice and found it quite dull sounding

Any compressor without a blend. The lack of dynamics confuses me

Echolution 2 sounded amazing but horrible to use

EHX B9 too glitchy and fragile

El Cap sounded Ok but nothing to justify the cost.

Polara, Obscura and Alter Ego all sound great but impossible to see the labels!

Octafish

Tried to like the Big Muff, but the old disappears in the mix problem and it ain't no Fuzzfaces/ToneBender.

Dynacomp - too hissy/muffly for guitar, although I have had some good results using it with di'd bass for recording.

Phase 90 - can't remember what version it was I borrowed, but found it too thin/nasally for me. Prefer the Small Stone style phaser or Phase 45.

monquixote

Octafish said:

Tried to like the Big Muff, but the old disappears in the mix problem and it ain't no Fuzzfaces/ToneBender.

Dynacomp - too hissy/muffly for guitar, although I have had some good results using it with di'd bass for recording.

Phase 90 - can't remember what version it was I borrowed, but found it too thin/nasally for me. Prefer the Small Stone style phaser or Phase 45.

The trick with a big muff is to stack a mid hump OD into it.

TheMarlin

I find the Muff is at its best running into a big amp, as full pelt ‘stage’ kind of volumes.  That’s when it really comes to life. 

At home, into an amp at neighbour friendly volumes, it just sounds pants. 

meltedbuzzbox

TheMarlin said:

I find the Muff is at its best running into a big amp, as full pelt ‘stage’ kind of volumes.  That’s when it really comes to life. 

At home, into an amp at neighbour friendly volumes, it just sounds pants. 

That depends on the muff and the amp

TheMarlin

meltedbuzzbox said:

TheMarlin said:

I find the Muff is at its best running into a big amp, as full pelt ‘stage’ kind of volumes.  That’s when it really comes to life. 

At home, into an amp at neighbour friendly volumes, it just sounds pants. 

That depends on the muff and the amp

I’ve only had three - the Big Muff Pye, the tone wicker model, and Musket Fuzz (based on the Big Muff). 

ICBM

monquixote said:

The trick with a big muff is to stack a mid hump OD into it.

The trick with a Big Muff is to stick it into a Big Amp.



Preferably 100W. They don’t disappear in the mix then... although they certainly can when you put them through underpowered amps that can’t produce the bottom end.

roberty

I've never had a pedal I've not found at least one use for. Maybe the CE-2, I did have it for a deliberately cheesy 80s thing but I honestly prefer the CH-1

tone1

Lovepedal Hi-volt 
Empress multi Drive 
Boss DM2 or any analogue/tape delay for that matter