I recently had too much time on my hands and wasted it by putting together a small Instagram storyline that featured three Lego men I decided to call Steve, Dave and Jim. Not one to dwell on that wasted time, I wasted more time and wrote a Blog article about it all and put together a downloadable PDF booklet of the story. If you’re going to waste time, do it properly I say.
Well, because I do say that, I went ahead and did it all over again. So here is Steve, Dave and Jim Issue 2: Pedalboard planning
I put this series together because I wanted to see if I could answer that age-old question of “what order do I place my pedals on my pedalboard?” I’m not sure I answered that question effectively, but I did answer it honestly (through Lego). This is in fact the order I place my pedals on my own pedalboard. That order is essentially this:
- Guitar
- Tuner pedal
- Wah
- Overdrive
- Distortion
- Modulation
- Loop pedal
I have had the tuner after the Wah and it’s worked fine. Obviously you don’t require a loop pedal either. The most important part to the pedal placement for me (as well as for Steve, Dave and Jim) is the overdrive-distortion-modulation phase. That sequence just makes the most sense. Use the overdrive to boost the distortion pedal/s. Apply modulation after you’ve set the overdrive/distortion.
This of course doesn’t take into consideration any kind of effect loop. Currently Steve, Dave and Jim don’t have access to an effect loop. Which is why they I am investigating a different amplifier head each and every week this year. Perhaps that will be one of the next issues of Steve, Dave and Jim. Perhaps …
