by dubkitty » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:01 pm
i typically keep the fuzz/distortion/boost all the way at the beginning of the signal chain, on the theory that otherwise the fuzz boxes amplify the noise from everything else in the chain. i've used either order, lowest gain to highest or highest to lowest. both have their good/bad points. with low-to-high you can use a low-gain boost at the beginning of the chain to balance the levels of guitars with different output levels, which is handy if you switch guitars a lot; the higher-gain boxes overwhelm the mid-gain boxes a bit less in this order too. when arranged high-to-low the high-gain box swallows up anything distorted turned on after it, assimilating its harmonic and dynamic characteristics while still retaining its general character. it depends on what you want. using a more random, non-linear order may also give you a result you like. there's nothing for it really but to get a box of batteries (plugging a daisy chain for this is going to be too much ass-pain) and plug stuff in in various sequences and see how it sounds when you combine them.
the compressor placement seems to be the most debated. i've tried mine before and after the fuzz, and have settled on using it after the fuzz to squish the signal down into a firehose stream of pure Hell. the good point of using the compressor before fuzz is that the fuzz smooths out the squashing attacks and pumping on the sustain that you get with a lot of compressors.
i prefer to use the volume pedal AFTER the fuzz and compressor, as well as after any other effect that is input-signal-dependent such as an envelope filter. most distortion boxes react differently as you turn down the guitar's volume knob and decrease the signal out of the guitar; IMO you want to avoid this when using a volume pedal for those Fripp toothpaste-tube Evening Star notes that go on for days, and of course a compressor or EF will get totally screwy if you vary the input level. if the pedal arrangement on the board is so tight that it's difficult to run cables out to the VP, which i don't use 100% of the time and which lives off of the pedalboard due to size constraints, i use Hosa 90° metal connectors plugged into the stompboxes as patch points.
similar to my thoughts on fuzz amplifying noise in the chain, i place reverb and delay at the end of the chain because i want everything that's happened to the signal to be reverbed/echoed before it goes out to the amp.
i haven't the foggiest notion where to put the wah pedal, because i don't use a wah; given my general ideas on setup i'd probably put it on the cable out with the volume pedal, which would also keep the ancillary pedals together in one spot. i'd likely put it after the VP, because post-compressor(/VP) is where i put the filter and modulation effects: envelope filter, chorus/flanger, tremolo. before the EF is the obvious home for the wah, placing the filter/mods in order of sweepage/wavelength.