Recently I've been putting together a large pedal board that hold the majority of my pedal collection. After all, what the point of having great pedals if you can't play with them. So I decided to have "all" my pedals at my disposal when playing. Have all my pedal in one location got me to thinking though. What if something happened to my board? Stolen, caught in a fire, run-a-way elephant stampede. I've been collecting these pedal for years. Below, I've included a list of just about everything in that rig. It's not what I pay for some of this (I bought a lot of these second hand), but its what I would take to replace it on a functional level. So I laid out a short board that covered the basics for me to play. Drive, Distortion, Boost, Delay and Tuner. With price in mind this is the outcome of my search. There is a couple Donner pedals that I have no experience with, but I'll explain my choices below.
Donner Black Arts Delay - $60
Donner Compact Tuner - $22
Outlaw Effects Boilmaker Boost - $50
(alternative Donner Boost Killer - $30)
Visual Sound Drivetrain - $60
MXR Distortion III - $80
Total= $272 (252)
Delay - $200
Tuner - $100
EQ - $218
Soul Food $78
Glove - $60
TS - $60
MXR Bad@ss Distortion - $100
Metal Muff - $90
Bypass Box - $12
Tap pedal - $10
Fuzz - $50
MXR Distortion III - $70
Volume - $75
Wah - $90
Total= $1213
Donner Black Arts Delay: Why this delay? If you start looking for a delay you'll notice that they are one of the most expensive effects to buy. My DD-20 set my back $200. I've had it for years and it works great. What I couldn't do is replace it at the drop of a hat. So what am I to do? Get the closest thing without spending big bucks. The Black Arts Delay has many of the same features, simply controls and tap built in. That covers 90% of what I need a delay to do. For less than half the price, it's a win.
Donner Tuner: This is simple decision, What fulfill the function for the lest amount of money. Reviews have been pretty positive for this little tuner. I love my Boss TU-2, but when you have funner stuff to spend your money on, you have to make choices.
Outlaw Boilermaker Boost: I like Outlaw Effects. Their boost very well may be Donner's Boost Killer pedal, but the features are the same. It is a volume boost with EQ (Low, Mid, and High) Not quite a GE-7, but it'll get the job done for the most part. Bring the total down by going to Donner again. But this boost fits the bill.
Visual Sound Drivetrain: This pedal has gotten a lot of love. It offer a wide range of sounds and costs less than many pedals with the same features. It is so loved that Visual Sound included it in their VS-XO pedal. With cost in mind this pedal tends to shine.
MXR Classic Distortion (III): This pedal is what comes to mind when you think "distortion". It has lot of power behind it. It is also the only pedal on this list that I would directly replace. The Super Bad@ss pedal is more flexible and more expensive. The EHX pedals on my board are a little too narrow as far as range, so the one flexible and affordable enough is the Classic.
You may have noticed that I am relying pretty heavily on the Donner brand. No, I am no being paid to promote them (I wish I was). They import pedals from china and sell them pretty cheap. I could have saved I little more with just going with the cheapest options in each category, but I tried to pick the pedals that would give me the best result for the least investment. The Delay was really what got my attention, and the tuner and boost just made to much sense. That left the dirt. That being the most used and expressive part of the signal path I decided to splurge instead of trying to find cheaper sound-a-like pedals.
All this is ignoring the other solution:
Multi effects.
So here are some of those:
DigiTech RP360XP Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal ($200)
DigiTech's latest face lift on its RP series. Hopefully improving on its last line up of these effects. It offers three metal switches and an expression pedal. There are tons of features listed for these. They've even gotten to use the actual product names that they emulate now. So there is that.
Its Features:
FEATURES
- 126 effects (32 amps, 18 cabinets, 74 stompboxes)
- 198 presets (99 factory, 99 user)
- Expression pedal
- Power supply included
- 40-second looper
- 60 High-quality drum patterns
- Durable metal chassis and footswitches
- 2 x 2 USB audio streaming
- Built-in chromatic tuner
- External control input for a 3-button footswitch
- Configurable footswitch modes (Stompbox, Preset, Bank)
- Up to 5 seconds of delay time
- USB editing via DigiTech Nexus
- Stereo 1/4" Output
- Stereo 1/8" headphone output
- Stereo 1/8" Aux Input
- Amp / Mixer mode optimizes 1/4" outputs for amps and mixers
- 24-bit/44.1kHz sample rate
Dimensions:
- 9.125" x 15.188" x 2.625"
Weight:
Add to your tone collection with this special pedal.
SPECIFICATIONS
RP360XP Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal
DigiTech RP500 Guitar Multi-Effects Switching System & USB Recording Interface ($200)
The RP 500 tries to feel like a pedal board with its switchable effect. While this is nice, the idea have been improved upon elsewhere. Boast many of the same effects and features as the RP360 it looks like this is more about the interface. The menu editing seem like the old style that harkens back to the 90's.
FEATURES
- Exclusive Pedalboard mode changes the RP500 into 5 individual stompboxes and effects
- Amp/Cabinet Bypass turns the RP500 into a true effects processor that works with your amp's tone
- Heavy-duty vacuum switches for program changes, effect on/off changes, bank up and down, tap tempo and tuner
- Bright LEDs display program status and effect on/off
- Large 8 character LED display for program name, bank name, and tuner
- Large 2 character display for program number and tuning reference
- Built-in expression pedal controls the RP500's internal wahs, volume, Whammy, and other parameters
Get everything you need to rule stage or studio. Call or click today to order.
SPECIFICATIONS
RP500 Guitar Multi-Effects Switching System & USB Recording Interface
Zoom G3X Guitar Effects & Amp Simulator Pedal ($200)
Zoom has offered a lot of bang for the buck in their effect for years. Finally rising to the level of DigiTech and Boss (yay?). This processor even gives you little screens to look at the facsimile of the pedal that its supposed to sound like. That's neat.
FEATURES
- Three large LCD displays with intuitive amp and stompbox interface
- 22 amp or 94 stompbox models can be used in any combination
- Over 100 built-in ZFX-IV DSP effects
- Create and store up to 100 original tones
- Looper function with 40 seconds of phrase recording and overdubbing
- Integrated drum machine and auto-chromatic tuner
- USB audio interface for DAW recording
- Balanced XLR output and selectable modes for DI use
- Over six hours of operation using four AA batteries/USB bus power (AC adapter included)
Line 6 AMPLIFi FX100 ($300)
The most expencive option here, but just over the cost of my low-cost replacement rig, is the Line6 AMPLIFI FX100. As most fun as that is to say, this seems to be the brains of the AMPLIFI amps series. Note: The 150 watt AMPLIFI amp is only $200 over the cost of this unit. Meaning the actual amplifier adds less than half of the cost of the unit. Take that for what it's worth.
FEATURES
- AMPLIFi FX100 multi-effects pedal
- Over 200 amps, effects and speaker cabinets
- Access 100 onboard presets—and unlimited presets via AMPLIFi app*
- Change presets and switch banks using 4 pro-quality, backlit footswitches
- Bluetooth streaming audio for playing along with your music library (compatible with iOS, Android, Mac and PC)*
- Rugged construction with bent metal chassis
- 1/4" Guitar input
- 1/4" Headphone output, 1/4" stereo full-range balanced outputs and 1/4" Amp output
- Tap tempo/tuner
AMPLIFi Remote app for iOS*
- 8 simultaneous effects
- Remotely control amp and effects parameters to dial in the perfect tone
- Automatic tone matching instantly provides the perfect tones for jamming with songs in your music library
- Access thousands of tones online
- Share and rate tones in the cloud
- Backup and store unlimited presets in the cloud
- Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, iPad (3rd and 4th generation), iPad 2, iPad mini and iPod touch (5th generation)
Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 Multi Effects Pedal ($250)
The only thing that I would consider buying on this list is the Tech 21 PUTITALLINONEBOX thing. Having said that, I'd most likely not use the middle button. If it had a tuner then it would be a homerun. You could add the Donner Tuner and still come very close to the same money. There is also an artist version of this for a little extra.
Five pedals, including a SansAmp, reverb, delay, boost, and and Plexi distortion.
Free yourself from the signal chains of bondage. Emancipate yourself from the oppression of evil backline loaners. Liberate yourself from the tyrannies of over-loaded flight cases and stress of airport security. It is time. For you. To rock. In a free World.
Sleek, compact, and simply awesome, the gunmetal-finish Fly Rig 5 is a tiny tonal titan, a thoroughbred professional unit armed with sweet analog tones. Weighing in at just over 18 oz. and under 12 inches in length, you can rule the road, rehearsal or recording gig. No stinkin' van, no heavy flight cases, no cable spaghetti, no dead weight.
With the Fly Rig 5, no arena is too large and no stage is too small. Just grab your guitar and tap into five must-have pedals in Tech 21's award-winning arsenal: a genuine SansAmp, a reverb, a delay, a powerful boost and the incredible Plexi distortion. All of this in a streamlined, rugged metal housing that will easily fit in your guitar case. There are illuminated mini-controls to show active status, an included power supply and studio-grade, metal footswitches and jacks. It's everything you need and nothing you don't.
With the functionality of a full pedalboard, minus the crackling patch cables, dying batteries and ground loops, the Fly Rig 5 is a simple step to the rich, expressive combinations you can use for any session. Even when you want to use the latest digital supercomputer or a vintage tube amp, the Fly Rig 5 covers your ass like yoga pants. It's the perfect instant back-up rig when your boutique gear goes down exactly when you need it most.
At its heart is the omnipotent, all-analog SansAmp - a ground-breaking amp emulator, speaker and mic simulator - that will dial-in your favorite sounds for consistent tone every time. This version has been optimized for lush, chiming clean tones and has a Drive control to add just the right amount of gain from warm break-up to snarling grind, with an incredibly flexible 3-band EQ. The adjustable Reverb is also found in this section, voiced to create the rich ambiance of a vintage spring reverb without clattery pings, canyons of doom, or other annoying artifacts.
The roaring Plexi tone is the stuff of legend, with its muscular crunch, detailed mids and mule-kick low end. Providing the dirty side of the Fly Rig, the Plexi section produces exquisite, ripped-ab rock tones that can be kicked into Hot mode with up to 21dB of pre-amp gain. The Hot footswitch operates independently to boost any of the Fly Rig sections whenever you feel the urge to punch it up.
An inspiring delay section completes the Fly Rig 5. Voiced to emulate vintage tape echo, the DLA features a separate tap-tempo footswitch and adjustable tape drift-style modulation for authentic textures. From thickening slap-backs to deep cascading repeats, the DLA adds space and attitude.
Get the Fly Rig 5 and arrive at your next gig as easily as a happy, magical fairy - with face-melting guitar tones.
• SansAmp tube amplifier emulator, is pre-voiced for clean tones. It includes 3-band active EQ, Level,
and Drive to adjust the overall amount of gain and overdrive.
• Reverb, within the SansAmp section, is based upon the Boost RVB pedal. It emulates the rich ambiances of a vintage spring reverb without clattery pings, canyons of doom, or other annoying artifacts.
• Plexi, based upon the Hot-Rod Plexi pedal, brings in the organic distortion of a stock ‘68 Plexi and includes Level, Tone and Drive controls.
• Hot, within the Plexi section, kicks in up to 21dB of pre-amp gain. It can be used independently to
boost the SansAmp and/or DLA functions, as well as on its own to boost the gain of your amp.
• DLA is based upon the Boost DLA pedal. It is voiced to give you the sounds of a vintage tape echo
and features Level, Time, Repeats, and Drift, which adds a random element to the modulation for authentic textures. A dedicated Tap Tempo switch makes it super simple to just tap in the delay tempo you want during your performance.
