Where do you place your effects pedals, if you use them?
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- Chris Tweed
- Posts: 226
- Joined: 21 Jun 2009 8:43 am
- Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK
Where do you place your effects pedals, if you use them?
This is probably a stupid question because it hasn't come up in my search of the forum. Where do you put effects pedals in relation to your steel?
I haven't had to think about getting easy access to effects pedals before, mainly because I don't use many and those I do have are usually engaged between songs rather than during them. However, I am starting to use PSG in different types of music and would like to be able to change effects mid-song.
At the moment I have a small pedalboard (three effects and an A/B switch). It sits on the floor to my right, but I can't reach it easily whilst playing. Do most people lift the pedals off the floor and activate them by hand?
I haven't had to think about getting easy access to effects pedals before, mainly because I don't use many and those I do have are usually engaged between songs rather than during them. However, I am starting to use PSG in different types of music and would like to be able to change effects mid-song.
At the moment I have a small pedalboard (three effects and an A/B switch). It sits on the floor to my right, but I can't reach it easily whilst playing. Do most people lift the pedals off the floor and activate them by hand?
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- Posts: 260
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- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Hi Chris, I use a pedaltrain jr. board for my pedals. I too find it uncomfortable reaching down to the floor to make changes. Currently, I just have it propped up on an old milk crate so it is level with my seat.
I have seen some of the steel seat makers that offer side-car like attachments for holding pedals right on the seat. That might be a better/easier way to do it. Perhaps someone will chime in with pics of their setups...
I have seen some of the steel seat makers that offer side-car like attachments for holding pedals right on the seat. That might be a better/easier way to do it. Perhaps someone will chime in with pics of their setups...
I put those that don't attach to the guitar on the open lid of the sidekick of my seat. And I prefer to keep them out of the chain when not in use.
Each box gets its own input cable, and when we're getting ready to do a song that uses that box (there are often three right there), I'll pull the cable from guitar to volume pedal, plug it into the output of the box, and plug the input cable into the guitar.
Each box gets its own input cable, and when we're getting ready to do a song that uses that box (there are often three right there), I'll pull the cable from guitar to volume pedal, plug it into the output of the box, and plug the input cable into the guitar.
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
- Darvin Willhoite
- Posts: 5715
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Roxton, Tx. USA
On the floor, next to my volume pedal.
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks.
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks.
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- Darvin Willhoite
- Posts: 5715
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Roxton, Tx. USA
Here's my latest setup, I use a Zoom G3 and love it. It is a lot cleaner than all of those old individual pedals, and a lot less potential for cable failures. It's easy to take my foot off the volume pedal and switch the effects without having to take my hands off the strings.
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks.
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks.
- Stu Schulman
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Chris,Good question I set my steel guitar case to my right and I have my tuner distortion and what ever else I am using at the time on the case I also turn the effects on and off with my hands,I've never been comfortable have my effects pedals on the floor?
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.
SKB pedal board
I just bought the SKB 9v powered pedal board. $100 from Sweetwater. I'm using an old speaker stand to raise it. A plastic milk crate would work, too.
Three of my devices don't use 9v, so I have 4 separate power supplies. I'm thinking that with a milk crate, I could have a power strip in the crate with everything plugged in, and get rid of all that mess.
Three of my devices don't use 9v, so I have 4 separate power supplies. I'm thinking that with a milk crate, I could have a power strip in the crate with everything plugged in, and get rid of all that mess.
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- Kevin Mincke
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I've always had my pedalboard set up on my right on a folding type "camp" seat or set them on my SKB case for my electronics/mics etc. it's just the right height. Most my pedals were bought in the late 70's/80's and I have also used my right hand, so the pedals aren't all beat up & kicked around. Here's a photo from a few years ago...my board has changed some however.
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Shameless plug alert...
I just so happen to have this for sale on the forum
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=
I just so happen to have this for sale on the forum
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=
- Karen Sarkisian
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- Bobby Nelson
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It emulates the cabinet and tube overdrive as well as the two rotating elements. Plus it sounds good in mono. I like it a lot!Bobby Nelson wrote:wow bOb, I used to have a Tube Rotosphere. I loved it. A great way to avoid hauling around a Leslie 122.
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I built this switcher box to address the effects issue as a pedal steel playing utility musician. The Hammond enclosure's top 3 switches toggle between different instruments (psg, guitar/lap steel and dobro/banjo depending on gig, etc. The bottom 3 switches are 3 true bypass loops; I find one delay, one distortion and one modulation (plus ebow and some extended musical techniques) give me enough textural variety to make for good tonal building blocks in my live music production. The box clips to my right rear leg with two heavy duty broom clips.
Best,
Julian
Best,
Julian
- Glenn Demichele
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- Location: (20mi N of) Chicago Illinois, USA
I made a little effects table today
I use a Boss GT-001, and because of its weird size, I've had trouble finding a convenient place to put it. I made this nice little table that slides in at the top of the legs, then grabs as it drops down.
Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5, homemade buffer/overdrive, Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x BAM200 for stereo. 2x GW8003 8" driver in homemade closed-box. Also NV400 etc. etc...
I just replaced my Rotosphere with a Strymon Lex. Wow - what a great sound! I'm in heaven. Here's what my pedalboard looks like now:
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- Bill Terry
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Bill, I like your thinking. All I use in the way of effects other than the amp's onboard reverb is a bit of delay on some songs. And like yours, mine sits on the amp where I can easily punch it in and out or tweak it as needed.Bill Terry wrote:I've regressed considerably over the last year... this is it, one DD-3 on the amp, and the Quilter has a DC jack on the back, so not even a wall wart.
Drew Pierce
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals.
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals.
- Bill Terry
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Same here, and I'm really fond of the Quilter verb. The 3 control setup with Dwell and Tone added make it really flexible.All I use in the way of effects other than the amp's onboard reverb is a bit of delay on some songs.
After a lot of effects processing experiments, I've decided that I'd be better off to spend the time and money on lessons..
- Cody Russell
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