my pedalboard is 'complete'! yay :-) ...but is my signal chain correct?

[everdrone]

PHOTO OF PEDALBOARD IS BELOW...my signal chain is all true bypass:

GUITAR --> gstring decimator noisegate --> tc polytuner --> Alice in Chains Jerry Cantrell Wah --> black arts toneworks pharaoh --> proco rat II


is my signal correct?  I know people put dirt before everything, do you think I should put my fuzz before all my pedals, so GUITAR -->  black arts toneworks pharaoh ...  Any insights are appreciated. I know there is more than one way to do things "right" as it is really what sounds good to the listener and that is discretionary/subjective...

you can also see my 3 button changer for my Orange Thunderverb amp that controls my on/off switches for 1) reverb 2) amp channel 3) 'attenuator".

thanks yall :beerchug:

[Lumpy]

You should experiment and see what sounds best. Takes a while. If it sounds good, it is good.

Tuner first? Noise gate last? Fuzz before wah?

[mortlock]

i always fuzzed the wah, i never wahed the fuzz..

[johnny problem]

It looks as though that noisegate has a looping system.  You could run your dirt pedals through that, won't really matter where you place it in your chain afterwards, but it shouldn't be first.

[Lumpy]

It looks as though that noisegate has a looping system.  You could run your dirt pedals through that, won't really matter where you place it in your chain afterwards, but it shouldn't be first.

Oops, I missed that it's the Decimator 'G string' version. I think it wants a clean signal, in order to know how to gate your signal without squelching your decay. It can go first, or at least it wants a clean guitar signal, coming from somewhere.

I think.

Read the manual.

Other than that, mess around with your fuzz 1/fuzz 2/wah order.

[fallen]

Yeah the Decimators with the loop or Boss NS-1 pedals work best if you use the loop. That way the clean guitar signal triggers the gate on the loop so you can keep the threshold down for more playing sensitivity but whatever noise the fuzzes are making will always get cut.

Also I use the Pharaoh last but it's all up to what sounds good to you.

Guitar > tuner > noise gate in > noise gate send > wah > fuzz > fuzz > noise gate return > nose gate out > amp

[bitter]

It looks as though that noisegate has a looping system.  You could run your dirt pedals through that, won't really matter where you place it in your chain afterwards, but it shouldn't be first.

I respectfully disagree. The notion that a noisegate should not be first/early in the signal chain is internet-derived hooey.

I too have a decimator, but not the gstring model, so I cant talk to that version or its features. I run boost and fuzzes into a hi gain amp. Basically, I can run pedals alone, amp overdrive alone, or a mixture of both. Even though this is not uncommon, I still find difficulty controlling squeals and harsh feedback when boosting with the decimator at the end of the chain. The pedals being used are boosting my signal too high for the noise gate to clamp down on without deteriorating the overall signal. This is due to needing a higher threshold setting to meet the boosted signal. By placing the gate before my boosts and fuzzes, it allows me to process the direct guitar signal, which is much less hot to stop/control feedback. With that much gain, you'll never notice any signal difference, regardless of where the gate is placed (talking mild to moderate threshold settings). An anology: it's easier to dam up a creek than to dam up a river. It's all about control

These are just my findings over last last few years. I suggest moving the gate around to see where it works best. While I don't agree that a gate must be last in the chain, I also do not claim it is superior early in it. Every setup and player is different.

[liquidsmoke]

I don't know about all the looping business but when I had my noisegate last in the chain I had to have it cranked up so high that it fucked with my sustain. Having it first works out way better.

[Hemisaurus]

Correct is what you make it

[Ombrenuit]

I'm a wah'd fuzz guy myself. It was good enough for Hendrix, so it's good enough for me.

[RacerX]

Put the Rat in front and the Pharaoh after.

Rat on, Pharaoh off: very vocal & focused wah effect.

Rat off, Pharaoh on: More "watery" sounding & diffused wah effect

Both on: somewhere between the two.

[Baltar]

I run one before and one after.  How's that Jerry Cantrell wah sound?

[RacerX]

See, Baltar apparently also runs one before and one after.

Don't let that dissuade you, though.

[everdrone]

cool guys, thanks for the awesome feedback, cheers   I like my wah, it is pretty killer cause I play the same type of sludgy stuff that Jerry plays

ROCK ON \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/

[OUTLANDAH]

I'm missing out. Which way is more commonly used Amp-wah-fuzz or amp-fuzz-wah?

[spookstrickland]

I'm missing out. Which way is more commonly used Amp-wah-fuzz or amp-fuzz-wah?

I don't know about common but here is my take on it.  If you want more of a "Boosted" wah sound you run the wah into the fuzz. If you want extreme filtering with the ability to mimic many fuzztones run the wah after the fuzz.  I tend to like it after the fuzz my self.

[OUTLANDAH]

So when saying have a fuzz first, it that the first pedal plugged in to the amp side or guitar side?

[spookstrickland]

So when saying have a fuzz first, it that the first pedal plugged in to the amp side or guitar side?

When I say first I mean the closest to the Guitar.

[Baltar]

Most people run their wahs first:  Guitar>wah>fuzz (smooth, thick, classic)
If you want a wacky Mudhoney/Steve Turner sound: guitar>fuzz>wah (sputtery, nasty, broken wah sound)

When I run my Supafuzz into my wah, I get a db boost when the sweep is all the way down in the treble section. 
Real ice-pick, hi-rev lawnmower tones.  I would only do this if I wanted to piss off the crowd and the soundperson.

[spookstrickland]

Most people run their wahs first:  Guitar>wah>fuzz (smooth, thick, classic)
If you want a wacky Mudhoney/Steve Turner sound: guitar>fuzz>wah (sputtery, nasty, broken wah sound)

When I run my Supafuzz into my wah, I get a db boost when the sweep is all the way down in the treble section. 
Real ice-pick, hi-rev lawnmower tones.  I would only do this if I wanted to piss off the crowd and the soundperson.

I love that sound.