Let's talk about LEDs

[TOMKAT_BKLYN]

I like putting my leds in fun artwork places and I dont use bezels cause I dont like how they look. I use diffused white and diffused ultraviolet purple leds and I used to make them super bright but now just make them noticeable.

[oldangelmidnight]

I like any color except yellow.
Bezel is almost always good. Sans bezel has to be done well. If it's loose, it makes the whole pedal feel extra crappy.
Clear is okay, diffuse is okay. I prefer not too bright.
Near the footswitch makes for a good target.

[PeteeBee]

I only care if they are super bright. Then I'm real bummed. It's just so hard to look at. Call me a queen, I might like it.

[K2000]

I hate super-bright LED's. "But if you're playing a daytime show outdoors, it's the only way to see your pedal is on". I have never played a daytime show outdoors, and probably never will. How many people have?

For placement, I think it's dumb when your foot covers up the LED (too close to the stomp switch). Maybe there was no other place to put it though. I also don't like knobs being too close to the stomp switch (off topic though).

[D.o.S.]

I have some blinding LEDS. They're, uh, blinding.

[goroth]

I much prefer bezels. But it's not a dealbreaker.

Why not just put a 5k trimmer on the LED? I've always wondered why more manufacturers don't do this. Or a 3 way switch.

[Invisible Man]

Bezels: Yep
LED near stomp (mostly): Mmhmm
Brightness: Ok. Better too bright than too dim.

Endless debates (this and jack placement).

[Jwar]

Bezels I believe are a great thing that all builder ought to use. They keep the fucking LED from being pushed downward if they are accidentally stepped on. SUPER annoying when that happens. I prefer metal bezels over the cheap shitty black plastic ones. Now if the LED is far enough away from the stomp, I could care less.

Placement is everything IMO. STOP PUTTING THEM IN THE SAME PLACE!!!!

Size. I prefer either 10-12mm or 3mm. Either go big or go home. They look cool as fuck! The small ones I like because they tend to not blind the living fuck out of you. The big ones I like because they put out a lot of light and don't have to shine directly into your eyes and murder them. haha

I HATE the blue brights, but they are cheap, so I get why folks use them. It's kind of annoying though. If they were bright any other color, they'd be fine for me. The blue bothers my eyes. No joke. It's just the blue. OR! If you use them. Throw a resistor on there and dim that shit! Or add a dimmer!

[resincum]

beaming bright LEDs are the fucking worst. flush looks cool. the jewel things on the industrialelectric pedals are rad. I don't give a shit where the led goes, but it's cool to see buiders get creative with placement.

[ThurberMingus]

Bezels are good.

Pink is a great color, really I like any color. Red is probably my least favorite color of LED, but only because I like when my board looks like a Christmas tree.

I like it when they're far from the stomp, I don't want my foot obscuring the indicator that a pedal is active.

If they're too bright I put a piece of tape over them, and I actually haven't done that ever.

CT5 and all Dr. Scientist pedals have god-tier LEDs. Especially the Elements!

[dminner]

No boring bezels, I prefer fresnals! They are no more expensive than a bezel, they look cool, and are less common. I have been using this shape a lot, which I think gives a neat industrial look:



Circles are cool though too:




It ultimately depends on the artwork for me though.

AND, for color, I have no idea why...but I like drives/dirt/fuzz to have hotter colors like orange, red, yellow while delays and modulation to have more mellow colors like blues and purples.

With a bezel instead of a fresnal (which helps shield some light), I prefer difussed over waterclear. They have more of a glow and less of a piercing light.

[Invisible Man]

If they're too bright I put a piece of tape over them, and I actually haven't done that ever.

[TOMKAT_BKLYN]

No boring bezels, I prefer fresnals! They are no more expensive than a bezel, they look cool, and are less common. I have been using this shape a lot, which I think gives a neat industrial look:



Circles are cool though too:




It ultimately depends on the artwork for me though.

AND, for color, I have no idea why...but I like drives/dirt/fuzz to have hotter colors like orange, red, yellow while delays and modulation to have more mellow colors like blues and purples.

With a bezel instead of a fresnal (which helps shield some light), I prefer difussed over waterclear. They have more of a glow and less of a piercing light.

That's a sick fresnel you use. Looks really good on that pedal. Love how big it is.

[Snufkino]

For the builders, what resistor values do you tend to go for to lessen any harsh brightness? I usually put a 2k2 in there, but have found that regular blues are still brighter than average even with 4k.

[Jwar]

I've had to play with resistor values to dim shit! LOL! I've had 2.2k work and fuck, I can't even remember now......err. I have to look at my desk. LOL. I'm no builder though. I just rehouse shit and mess around. I do have a bunch of burning out LED experience though! LOL!!

I really could give a shit less about what a bezel looks like either. The plastic ones are cool I guess, but to me, it just doesn't matter. Some people love that shit. Like for instance, I replaced the bulb in my RM1N with a standard LED when I had it. I just didn't like that big ass bulb and the jewel was ok, so I kept it but that was mostly because I made a drilling mistake and had to. LOL. I just don't care about the LED covers and shit. I like Bezels because, like I said, if you step on the shit, it won't recess the LED. I've had that happen before with pedals and nothing pisses me off more than having to take all the guts out of a pedal to hot glue a fucking LED down. Don't tell anyone but I've used Gorilla Glue too. Hahaha.