Don't you just feel like packing it all in after the 100th gear related disappointment?

Wazmeister

lukedlb said:

@Wazmeister , i know, i know.... and I recognize the folly and moreover recognise the services of gigrig or @CustomPedalBoards who offer to put together the board for you thereby eliminating the hassles and i mean neverending hassles. Yeah, it seems like an unnecessary extra cost but now I see its sense: the little time i have to play has almost entirely been consumed by pedal issues/testing/configuration/soldering/powering, the result being quite a messy pedalboard. I've continually postponed posting a photo to the forum because it has never been complete.
My advice to all is pay a professional to set it up and forego buying that extra pedal instead.

Maybe you have to be a certain type of person, or have a certain amount of time !!

I was similar to you Luke; I simply loved the G2, but my pedals and G2 remained sprawled across the room for a good 12 months - I never quite got it sorted !

Then, FX8 plug in, plug in guitar, switch on amp. Sorted.

(I actually posted a similar thread to you some time ago...)

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/67298/pedalboard-wiring-hassles-vs-fractal-fx8/p1

lukedlb

@Wazmeister I remember, I do, I do. And like a fool I ignored you... Things could have been ready months ago if not for an unreliable tech postponing and postponing. with all his good intentions, the pedal board ultimately experiments failed. 
There was a moment though, for a few months, when I'd walk into my cellar to play, and within a minute I'd be ready to play: amp warm, G2 and pedals all powered, and guitar on.
Then the 'what ifs' began... Actually, I'm going to post a WTB right now.

57Deluxe

seems you need to concentrate on getting your licks and technique off to pat - best way to craft your tone than never-ending knob twiddling...

UnclePsychosis

My opinion (and it wont be popular) is that most guitarists have way too much gear, or at least try and use too much gear a at once. 

I see bands and for the absolute vast majority of the time the the tones they have are basically 

1. Clean/crunch
2. More
3. Lots
4. Delay 
5. Phasey wobbly goodness 

That's it. Then you look at their pedalboards and realise they've got about 25 pedals to deal with. That lot could be done with two gain pedals, one or two delays, one or two modulation pedals. 

Obviously there are guys who actually use loads of effects and need all the pedals, fair enough. But loads of guys seem to be carting around ludicrously convoluted boards when they don't need to. 

By all means buy, own, and use lots of different pedals - but I bet the majority of us don't need to have them all on the board at once. 

earwighoney

lukedlb said:

Patience with unreliable techs, pedal compatibility problems, pedal disappointments, amp volume fluctuations, and generally a world of electronics behind the curtain that forever puts you in the dark?
Doesn't it just want to make you pack it in after having wasted so much time; the little that you do have is spent trying to fix the gear you spent hours trying to buy.

Seriously, 

Play acoustic guitar.  It'll give you a greater appreciation for the instrument. 

hotpickups

dindude said:

Teetonetal said:

dindude said:

I know what you mean, my kit is realitely simple but there's Always something that needs doing to it, either through my own restless ness or actual faults developing.

But, I just don't buy the audience can't tell argument, it's about inspiring yourself to play better - that the audience can tell.

I don't believe that argument at all... guess you have never toured with a rented back line? The idea really is that you are good enough to make sure gear doesn't impact whether or not the audience has a good time.

Don't blame the tools etc.

Im not saying that you suddenly lose all your skills with inferior kit, but great kit does inspire, and not wanting to use the best you can get your hands on is just bizarre to me, but no, I'm not a touring muso so what do I know.

I can get that. It's like when you buy/wear some really cool clothing that you love. One does feel different wearing it and will act more confidently I'm sure. So, one would play more confidently with great kit but not necessarily better if that makes sense

Sassafras

earwighoney said:

Seriously, 

Play acoustic guitar.  It'll give you a greater appreciation for the instrument. 

Couldn't agree more.
Seems to me some people play pedals more than they play their guitars.

lukedlb

The problem really isn't the pedal in itself, more the compatibility and powering solutions that cause the strife. 
I do believe that each pedal is unique. Take the univibe for example. Among my mates we have three shin ei originals with mine slightly different in eq. When compared to copies on the market,I can hear the magic in our 3 that push our playing. My vibe baby from classic amplification does an incredible job of capturing that and indeed improving on the drawbacks of the original pedal (vol, cancel tone), so much so that I'm going to sell the shin ei.
Other vibes are a constant battle that do little more than imitate a vibe. Take for example my Foxrox paradox. This is a flanger but I can draw out a vibe feel which is what I suspect many other so called vibes are actually doing. I can get a chorus and vibrato too. I'd like to see any digital effect try to beat my univibe and the tone on the paradox. 
And don't get me started on wahs. Whatever people say, nothing comes close to an original 67/68/69 wah. I wish it were true but it isn't the case. It's not a snobbery or collector issue: put a dozen vintage vox wahs side by side and some are better than others and all of them are better than the modern variants. The ear, the foot and the guitar tell you that, not the price. 
So I can't entertain a digital solution. I can hear the difference. 
My issue and subsequent depression and desire to sell off the lot is down to unreliable techs where this forum has more of a clue and response rate than they, as well as the mystery behind power solutions and interference. 
Today I feel empowered and seek an isolator from gigrig to deal with the hum. And I'm going to try a new tech. At least I'm learning something, though I know it should be learning music instead. 

TTBZ

UnclePsychosis said:

 By all means buy, own, and use lots of different pedals - but I bet the majority of us don't need to have them all on the board at once. 

Agreed. The band at my brothers wedding were playing a mix of newer poppy stuff, folky stuff (mumford and bollocks etc) and classic rock and the guitarist must have had 8-10 pedals on his board. They did sound good for what it was but the guitar was mixed so low that you could barely hear any different effects, I could probably only tell as I was listening for it. 

Or maybe he plays in multiple bands and uses all the other stuff for his post-grunge shoegaze noises. 

Moe_Zambeek

Sassafras said:

earwighoney said:

Seriously, 

Play acoustic guitar.  It'll give you a greater appreciation for the instrument. 

Couldn't agree more.
Seems to me some people play pedals more than they play their guitars.

And nothing wrong with that, some of my favourite musicians would happily admit that they treat everything in their rig as musical instruments to be played, in some cases up to and including the output transformers on their amps. There's no need to limit or constrain their musicality just to the guitar, really, is there? 

Of course that's distinct from the more common approach of just having lots of stuff that either doesn't really get used or is just marginally different flavours of the same thing (usually overdrive for most folks), but that's more a problem of lack of vision / distraction activities we (I very much include myself here!) indulge in rather than put in the hard work required to expand our musical abilities and horizons.

As far as going acoustic is concerned, that won't greatly help if your musical focus is in an area that needs something else; I think Maslow's hammer is coming into play here to an extent.

Winny_Pooh

lukedlb said:

The problem really isn't the pedal in itself, more the compatibility and powering solutions that cause the strife. 
I do believe that each pedal is unique. Take the univibe for example. Among my mates we have three shin ei originals with mine slightly different in eq. When compared to copies on the market,I can hear the magic in our 3 that push our playing. My vibe baby from classic amplification does an incredible job of capturing that and indeed improving on the drawbacks of the original pedal (vol, cancel tone), so much so that I'm going to sell the shin ei.
Other vibes are a constant battle that do little more than imitate a vibe. Take for example my Foxrox paradox. This is a flanger but I can draw out a vibe feel which is what I suspect many other so called vibes are actually doing. I can get a chorus and vibrato too. I'd like to see any digital effect try to beat my univibe and the tone on the paradox. 
And don't get me started on wahs. Whatever people say, nothing comes close to an original 67/68/69 wah. I wish it were true but it isn't the case. It's not a snobbery or collector issue: put a dozen vintage vox wahs side by side and some are better than others and all of them are better than the modern variants. The ear, the foot and the guitar tell you that, not the price. 
So I can't entertain a digital solution. I can hear the difference. 
My issue and subsequent depression and desire to sell off the lot is down to unreliable techs where this forum has more of a clue and response rate than they, as well as the mystery behind power solutions and interference. 
Today I feel empowered and seek an isolator from gigrig to deal with the hum. And I'm going to try a new tech. At least I'm learning something, though I know it should be learning music instead. 

@lukedlb be careful, you might turn into an Eric Johnson less the chops !

Dave_Vader

I can get that. It's like when you buy/wear some really cool clothing that you love. One does feel different wearing it and will act more confidently I'm sure. So, one would play more confidently with great kit but not necessarily better if that makes sense

I play better in my Batman Trainers, that's for sure.

Dave_Vader

TTBZ said:

UnclePsychosis said:

 By all means buy, own, and use lots of different pedals - but I bet the majority of us don't need to have them all on the board at once. 

Agreed. The band at my brothers wedding were playing a mix of newer poppy stuff, folky stuff (mumford and bollocks etc) and classic rock and the guitarist must have had 8-10 pedals on his board. They did sound good for what it was but the guitar was mixed so low that you could barely hear any different effects, I could probably only tell as I was listening for it. 

Or maybe he plays in multiple bands and uses all the other stuff for his post-grunge shoegaze noises. 

I have this problem - which is why I have a second board with a Rat, a tube-screamer and a tuner on it for less post-grunge-shoegaze madness.
Saves lugging the trunk of funk everywhere i go.

lukedlb

Winny_Pooh said:

lukedlb said:

The problem really isn't the pedal in itself, more the compatibility and powering solutions that cause the strife. 
I do believe that each pedal is unique. Take the univibe for example. Among my mates we have three shin ei originals with mine slightly different in eq. When compared to copies on the market,I can hear the magic in our 3 that push our playing. My vibe baby from classic amplification does an incredible job of capturing that and indeed improving on the drawbacks of the original pedal (vol, cancel tone), so much so that I'm going to sell the shin ei.
Other vibes are a constant battle that do little more than imitate a vibe. Take for example my Foxrox paradox. This is a flanger but I can draw out a vibe feel which is what I suspect many other so called vibes are actually doing. I can get a chorus and vibrato too. I'd like to see any digital effect try to beat my univibe and the tone on the paradox. 
And don't get me started on wahs. Whatever people say, nothing comes close to an original 67/68/69 wah. I wish it were true but it isn't the case. It's not a snobbery or collector issue: put a dozen vintage vox wahs side by side and some are better than others and all of them are better than the modern variants. The ear, the foot and the guitar tell you that, not the price. 
So I can't entertain a digital solution. I can hear the difference. 
My issue and subsequent depression and desire to sell off the lot is down to unreliable techs where this forum has more of a clue and response rate than they, as well as the mystery behind power solutions and interference. 
Today I feel empowered and seek an isolator from gigrig to deal with the hum. And I'm going to try a new tech. At least I'm learning something, though I know it should be learning music instead. 

@lukedlb be careful, you might turn into an Eric Johnson less the chops !

Nooooooooooooooooooo.....

pintspiller

I found that the best way to stay sane is to keep it simple.

If you want to complicate things - the more you do, the harder you can make it.

Don't get me wrong. I like pedals and effects. But when I get my head stuck up my arse, I usually end up going straight into the amp for a while.

lukedlb

It seems I reached the tipping point a while back without realising it. It could be that these new pickups are just not for me. And I swear the amp has been increasing in volume lately. And those pedals that aren't sounding right. 
Jesus, I could simply be losing it. 
Or as imagined, that last straw may have put everything out of whack. 

Jez6345789

I think you are probably suffering from gear fatigue, these days there are just endless options and comparisons. Its all to easy to get OCD and once you start eulogising about 67/68 wah's you need a serious detox. :-) 

Ultimately you need an amp, maybe a bit reverb or delay and a boost or overdrive the rest is total window dressing, if you obsessed as much on your playing you would be Eric Johnson LOL its all to easy to get lost in output transformers brands of batteries etc. 

Just lose the baggage and enjoy playing

lukedlb

Jez6345789 said:

I think you are probably suffering from gear fatigue, these days there are just endless options and comparisons. Its all to easy to get OCD and once you start eulogising about 67/68 wah's you need a serious detox. :-) 

Ultimately you need an amp, maybe a bit reverb or delay and a boost or overdrive the rest is total window dressing, if you obsessed as much on your playing you would be Eric Johnson LOL its all to easy to get lost in output transformers brands of batteries etc. 

Just lose the baggage and enjoy playing

Jez and wazmeister are right. A heavy case of gear fatigue. Half joking but I'm surprised there isn't a support part of the forum for such ailments. I'm certainly not the first to give it all up from frustration. Gear fatigue. Is there a pill for that?
last night everything sounded terrible, including the vibe I applauded only that morning. One of those g/ear bad days, I hope. 

lukedlb

And sincerely, thanks to the support from the fellow fretters here. Getting it out and seeing solutions helps enormously. 

lukedlb

At least when I play my strats unplugged, they sound great, almost acoustic in how much they ring. Troubles start as soon as I plug them in.