effect pedals or processor

I can't decide which one should i go for.Effect pedals or processor.I mainly like rock and metal stuff.If i should go for pedals which pedals should i definitely need first? and after that which pedals do i need later.(for suggestion, you may mention some names).I am a noob in this area so please help me out.If i go for the processor which should i buy...Budget 14k.

 

always invest the most in your amp.

pedals vs processors - pedals, hands down. sound MUCH better, more reliable, much more flexible in terms of signal routing, better resale value. i'm a pedal owner since day 1, never owned a processor and i don't regret it at all. for me, that question is a no brainer.

what kind of pedals you should buy depends on what kind of music/sounds you want to make. for rock/metal, the humble DS-1 (about 2.6k new) should be a worthwhile add (depends on your amp though). you have a healthy budget, and i wouldn't even consider a processor in your place.

 

Analog pedals are definitely good but you cant settle down with a single pedal.. you need to combine many pedals to get the correct sound. And thats a costly affair. Good Pedals are expensive.

Thats the reason many pros also opt for a multi effects unit like POD XT or X3 or GT10.. it gives then variety of sounds at a reasonable price.

When ur budget is 14k you can go for a XT or X3 (Used). You can get very good tone with that.

 

Related: Not wanting to hijack the thread, but what's a really easy to use processor? The Boss ME-50 looks really easy to use, no menus and just dials... Any other processors in the same price range that are menu-free type affairs?

https://www.stevesmusiccenter.com/BossME-50Big.jpg

 

the Boss ME series is really good. I owned a ME 20 and it was pretty simple to use. By looking at ME-50 and ME-70 they also looks pretty simple to figure out. Digitechs i never liked coz of their sounds so i wont comment. and i never used a zoom till date.

but its all matter of getting used to things. it may look complex at first but you tend to figure out everything sooner or later.. Moreover we have yout00b for everything else..

 

yes, but that's the beauty of it. you aren't going to keep your gear the same with time. i don't know ANYONE using the processor he had 12 years ago, which is when i started playing. i still have my first pedals from 10-11 years ago, and they're going just fine and sounding better every day with every better amp i play. all this while, digital technology is still working hard TRYING to emulate them. food for thought!

plus i hear a lot of ball-talk about how you should take a processor first and then sell it and move on to pedals.... which is totally ludicrous. might as well just start with the real thing.

i'd advise you to take 2-3 GOOD pedals (not "boutique" or any of that, but stuff that is tried, tested and has held it's own till date) with good, usable sounds instead of something with 500 effects that sound like plastic and you will never use. you have some basic sounds in rock/metal and most of those are covered well by:

1. distortion
2. EQ
3. chorus
4. (not as much these days as compared to the 80s but still...) wah
5. (really only for some solos) delay

i think you can DEFINITELY buy 4 decent pedals (more if you get them from abroad somehow) in that budget. at least, i know i could. mine would probably look something like this:

1. boss SD-1 (i'm an overdrive person usually, i like to take my amp into distortion. the DS-1 may work better for you, or maybe something with more gain and chunk. less than 4k)
2. danelectro DJ-14 ($20 new, and is more transparent than the boss GE-7 IMO. love this pedal)
3. boss ce-3 (used). or the new boss CE-5 - 4800/- from bajaao
4. i'm a bit torn on this one - i don't like the crybaby myself. i would buy the ibanez WH10-v2 or maybe the weeping demon. $99 each at musiciansfriend.com
5. boss dd-3. around 5-7k depending on where you buy it from.

OR you go the other route and just buy 1-2 REALLY good pedals that are keepers for life and essential to your playing at the moment, and then buy more when you feel you need them and can afford them. you don't NEED all those wonky sounds on tap all the time. you usually want a couple of basic sounds and then will keep expanding your rig as time goes by (or just find a sound you're happy with and stick to it). so if you only need distortion right now, why blow all that extra cash pointlessly? buy a good distortion pedal and save the rest for another day. e.g. my favorite bet for distortion would be a sansamp. GT-2 or triac. or the barber dirty bomb, which goes from classic rock to metal with ease. heard good things about the fulltone fulldrive too.

some advice:
1. you can get GREAT distortion sounds and sustain by stacking two overdrives in series (maybe putting an EQ between them) and then adjusting the gain and volume on each pedal.
2. nothing like exploiting your friends and family who are coming from abroad. a pedal is usually fairly small and light and not too expensive if you want them to pick it up/order and you pay them back (or don't).
3. your amp is ALWAYS the most important part of the signal chain.
4. life is too short for bad tone.

it's a weird reason, but the main reason i never bought a processor was because i couldn't change the ORDER of effects in the processor - so if i wanted to do something like put a reverb first and distortion last, it wasn't happening. for me as an experimentalist, this was a disaster. i owned around 4 pedals at the time - distortion, overdrive, delay and phaser and could come up with some ridiculously cool stuff that no processor could give me.

 

^^^^
Can the fulldrive do higher gain stuff? I thought it was more screamerish

 

oops, my bad. got my drive pedals mixed up. was thinking about the OCD, but i don't think fuller makes super high-gain pedals at all.

suhr riot? too expensive here, but not so much in the states. i wonder if the dirty bomb could open up a bit more at 18V.... there's also the okko diablo boost as well as the BSIAB II which is actually an awesome marshally distortion.

 

i've read reviews bout the dirty bomb, line6 uber metal, Metal muff, suhr riot and some more metal and distortion pedals.. but i keep getting confused as to which one shud i go for.. till date i have played none.. any views?

 

add Toneczar Openhaus to the list as well.. but thats way too expensive..

 

Hold yer horses. Are we sure we are not dealing with a Stranger? :RollLol:

@OP - My RP300A processor is for sale for 6k, if interested. https://indianguitartabs.com/showthread.php?t=46052

 

Thanks guys for all the help.which amp should i buy right now.I have only 11k.so plz help.(i can manage 2 or 3 k more.)

 

you have 14k for pedals/processor but just 11k for an amp?

what amp are you playing right now?

 

@flood "oops, my bad. got my drive pedals mixed up. was thinking about the OCD, but i don't think fuller makes super high-gain pedals at all.

suhr riot? too expensive here, but not so much in the states. i wonder if the dirty bomb could open up a bit more at 18V.... there's also the okko diablo boost as well as the BSIAB II which is actually an awesome marshally distortion."

I think the OCD supposed to have a decent amount of gain in the "HP" mode. But probably not the required amount for metal. Actually the only fulltone products that i would care to own are discontinued- a 69, or a soulbender.
I dont know a thing about Barber pedals, except i hear great things about their compressor, and i'm intrigued by the trifecta.
For high gain stuff, maybe a rat? Any word on the new Whiteface Rats? How do they compare to originals?
Also, what mk III bender would you recommend- i'm mainly looking at the mjm britbender (3 knob) or the EQD Tone Reaper.

 

honestly, i don't know. i've hit 24 effects now, so i've stopped buying pedals altogether (although i still want a wah), and only get to play stuff when i'm out of the country (which is fairly rare, and the chances of finding a good gear shop) or stuff that comes in for repairs. i'm not much of a player as such. so i'm pretty much restricted to the stuff i build.

a great MKII that i liked was lumpy's mkII clone. the obvious answer would be D*A*M for all tonebender needs, but his clones are rather pricey.

i'm not quite happy with my DIY MKII as such.will probably be looking at a MKIII at some point. maybe not though - my fuzz obsession is getting way out of hand - have an RNG and a soda meiser in front of me waiting to be boxed up.

not that big a fan of the rat, but i think i should revisit it from the first time i played one, which was 10-odd years ago. i do have two rat PCBs drilled and ready to go though, as well as the original LM308 DIP. resisting any urges to build one right now!

btw., the woolly mammoth is back in action. finally. missed that pedal!

 

I had a microcube(sold it) but now i have no amp to play with.So plz suggest which amp would be better for me.If u suggest in between 12k it would be great.but i can increase it.Oh! one more thing one of my friend can make good boxes and amps.So if i give him all the materials of a good amp he will be able to make one.but i dont know which materials to use.Any help will be great for me.plz

 

When your friend makes amp then he must be knowing wat all parts you shud be buying.. why waste time here... :

 

And for 12k Better go for a solid state amp as a decent tube will easily cost you double the amount.

 

^What's the point of dumping another 12k in more solid state crap?

Grab a Laney (Cub 12 and Cub 12R seem nice from specs) or a BE3 (Brat+ 1x12 combo, Solution 18, etc) or something.

Cub 12 and 12R are 15 watts, BE3 Brat+ is 5 watts, Solution 18 is 18 watts. In tube amps, lower watts are said to be better for rock and blues, higher are said to be better for metal. IDK how much difference there'd be between these three, if any. Try before you buy.

I've mentioned this elsewhere before, IMO it's a fine compromise for newbies on a budget -

You can go for a Solution 18 head or Solution 18 Live head
+ a Tube 10 1x10 cab.

That gives you an easy route to a fairly good tube amp for 22-26k, and you can upgrade to a better cab (1x12, 2x12, 4x12) and a head with more watts and features (eg the Powerhouse 50/100) when your ear+pocket feel like it.

 

Well there are good solid state amps and bad solid state amps.. similarly there are bad tube amps and good tube amps.. Good tube amps are expensive ..more than anyone here cud ever afford. For a budget deal you can go for a good SS amp rather than trying to go for a mediocre Tube amp. You can definitely get a good tone with a decent Tube amp emulator and a Good Solid state amp.

Moreover the OP has mentioned that he plays metal so i don think any tube amp falls under his budget for this genre.