Yet another thread about my small board - layout question this time

Bucket

OK - I've taken the liberty of doing a roughly-to-scale drawing of my small board as it currently stands.

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/DSCF1694_zpsfb8e1d48.jpg

Not totally accurate - it looks as though there's some space between the fuzz and delay, there isn't.

If the drawing doesn't make it clear, the order is as follows:

Guitar -> wah -> compressor -> OD -> fuzz -> chorus -> tremolo -> delay -> amp

Basically, at the start of the chain (before the wah) I want to add a TC Polytune Mini (power cables permitting - see yesterday's thread...), which should fit given that it's roughly Mooer-sized, but my issue is where to put it - the obvious space being between the compressor and chorus, but bear in mind I have to plug the guitar input in there somewhere. I'd probably need to put the tuner upside down for easier access to the input jack... or should I turn the compressor sideways and put the tuner above it? Or move the wah and put the tuner at the far right of the board?

I'm also trying to consider the tap-dancing aspect of it - I've included the positions of the footswitches on the drawing, because I want to make sure I'm not going to be accidentally stepping on stuff where two footswitches are close together...

What would you suggest? I'm a little flummoxed.

Col_Decker

I took my wah off my board in the end because of the size of it (Morely bad horsie). It gave me room for 3 more pedals on the board.

timmysoft

Just put it after the wah, next to the comp.

Bucket

timmysoft said:

Just put it after the wah, next to the comp.

I thought tuners needed to be first in the chain?

Col_Decker

nah, I've had mine first, in the middle, and last in the chain. First is 'supposed' to give you better response, but it will work fine at the end. Plus you can silence your rig and any noisy pedals inbetween songs by switching it on.

mike_l

Them pedals wot you use a lot, put to the front, lesser used ones to the back.

Bucket

mike_l said:

Them pedals wot you use a lot, put to the front, lesser used ones to the back.

They're all used pretty frequently, so I think the current layout is probably the best solution already!

I need to work out some way of raising up the compressor a little though, because stepping on the footswitch does have the potential to knock the controls on the overdrive...

Thanks @Col_Decker for the tuner advice - didn't realise they'd still work effectively in other places in the chain. Might even see if I can fit it in at the end... would it even be ok after a delay?

Col_Decker

of course if you're using massive amount of gain from your pedals or you've got a tremolo or something switched on in front of the tuner, then the tuning might go a bit squiffy

Bucket

Col_Decker said:

of course if you're using massive amount of gain from your pedals or you've got a tremolo or something switched on in front of the tuner, then the tuning might go a bit squiffy

I'd be turning the other pedals off before tuning, of course.

Just wondering... I've heard fuzzes are best at the start of the chain for some reason, so I might move my fuzz before my wah, then the overdrive across and compressor down. Then put the tuner above the fuzz, to the right of the wah.

Col_Decker

and so the quest for tone begins. You'll love it, spend a fortune, and never be satisfied. Good in it?

mike_l

Bucket said:

Just wondering... I've heard fuzzes are best at the start of the chain for some reason, so I might move my fuzz before my wah, then the overdrive across and compressor down. Then put the tuner above the fuzz, to the right of the wah.

Depends on the pedals.....

Some work best at the front, some in the middle, some at the end........

The only constants on my board are Tuner and Wah* at the front, and to the right of the board.

*I wah with my right foot, I fall over if I try to use my left....

failed_astronaut

@Bucket - is that a Gator tote? I had the tote pro. Excellent boards if a bit heavy and bulky.

Could you move the bottom row of pedals down to be flush with the bottom edge? How about putting the Comp horizonal/perpendicular to the Wah?

On the subject of Tuner placement, I used to always have it at the start of the chain but I moved it to the end on one board out of necessity and that's where it's stayed ever since, perfect for muting your whole rig.

I'd also try putting the Trem last in your chain (after delay) so that it affects the repeats.

Also, we're gonna need pics of this whole this coming together!

digitalscream

Col_Decker said:

nah, I've had mine first, in the middle, and last in the chain. First is 'supposed' to give you better response, but it will work fine at the end. Plus you can silence your rig and any noisy pedals inbetween songs by switching it on.

Not with a Polytune Mini, you won't - when they're on, they make all sorts of dodgy digital noises. Quite annoying, actually.

I'd personally put the tuner between the wah and the compressor (but make sure the compressor's off, for the above reason). If you put the compressor before the tuner, you'll still have to make sure it's off 'cos polyphonic tuners don't appear to like hot signals.

timmysoft

digitalscream said:

Col_Decker said:

nah, I've had mine first, in the middle, and last in the chain. First is 'supposed' to give you better response, but it will work fine at the end. Plus you can silence your rig and any noisy pedals inbetween songs by switching it on.

Not with a Polytune Mini, you won't - when they're on, they make all sorts of dodgy digital noises. Quite annoying, actually.

I'd personally put the tuner between the wah and the compressor (but make sure the compressor's off, for the above reason). If you put the compressor before the tuner, you'll still have to make sure it's off 'cos polyphonic tuners don't appear to like hot signals.

Glad I'm not the only person who has experienced this with tc's tuners!

Bucket

Hmmm... well I've found that I really like having the Freakenstein fuzz first in the chain, it reacts totally differently to the wah now and sounds even better than before. So would the TC work fine before the fuzz (so, the very first thing after the guitar)?

ThePrettyDamned

Bucket said:

Hmmm... well I've found that I really like having the Freakenstein fuzz first in the chain, it reacts totally differently to the wah now and sounds even better than before. So would the TC work fine before the fuzz (so, the very first thing after the guitar)?

Should do, but it might make things a bit different with the fuzz - experiment with them.  Is it true bypass?  If so, it shouldn't affect the fuzz greatly.  

Bucket

After a rehearsal last night I think the fuzz might have to move back to where it was... it sounds great but it's a little too much.

I'm going to try and work out a configuration that will let me move the fuzz but keep the tuner on the right-hand side of the wah...

viz

Yep, fuzz before wah is great for in the house, but as soon as you take it out live, wah first is always (IMO!) better. Gives a more natural sound and isn't lacking in overdrive - the fuzz effect may be a little muted but it's still plenty. I agree with the others: guitar > wah > tuner > comp. Don't put the tuner upside down, you'll go crazy trying to interpret it!

Moltisanti

i like the wah before any drive/fuzz, it just seems to give a more natural sweep if you're distorting the wah, rather than wahing the distortion.

And i agree whack the tuner after the Wah before the comp, as long as you don't wah while you're tuning you're laughing

Bucket

After the wah and before the compressor it is then, I've rearranged the board yet again and finally settled on a layout I like, which leaves a space for the tuner in exactly the right place.

Axe_meister

General rule is no buffer before wah or fuzz. So tuner after these.