Pedal/Gear Slump - What do you do?

[Paul_C]

This thread has got me thinking about buying pedals again

[Blood_mountain]

This thread has got me thinking about buying pedals again

Haha, definitely was the intent.
I’m launching my own pedal company and this was just a bit of guerrilla marketing.

[goosekevin]

use a new guitar tuning! and/or a capo

I just did this - literally just used drop D - and wrote a part of a song right away. What other alternate tunings would folks suggest for sort of slow, atmospheric gloom-pop?

I've been on an Open D kick for the last couple of years, very good for gloomy stuff and ringing open notes. Can tune the F# down to an F if you wanna get really bleak.

Appreciate everyone sharing their perspectives in this thread! Very good to read and see how other people work!

[qersty]

but have you tried finding the best dirt pedal for drop D?

it's the elements

[voerking]

What other alternate tunings would folks suggest for sort of slow, atmospheric gloom-pop?

some personal faves:
FADFAE
EBEEBE
CGDGCD

[Paul_C]

The journey back to pedal buying has begun - I've just got my Fabrikat out of its box and put it between the Zoias.

There are quite a few I've never really explored properly which I'd like to try one at a time, with the Zoias to add some madness

[Paul_C]

The journey back to pedal buying has begun - I've just got my Fabrikat out of its box and put it between the Zoias.

There are quite a few I've never really explored properly which I'd like to try one at a time, with the Zoias to add some madness

"one at a time" . . . so I've just added my 856 For Zellersasn to the chain (mostly because I have used the Fabrikat quite a bit but haven't really done anything with the 856 since I got it).

So the order now is Volca Sample / 856 / Zoia / Fabrikat / Zoia, which should be plenty to keep me occupied for a month or two.

[Blood_mountain]

The journey back to pedal buying has begun - I've just got my Fabrikat out of its box and put it between the Zoias.

There are quite a few I've never really explored properly which I'd like to try one at a time, with the Zoias to add some madness

"one at a time" . . . so I've just added my 856 For Zellersasn to the chain (mostly because I have used the Fabrikat quite a bit but haven't really done anything with the 856 since I got it).

So the order now is Volca Sample / 856 / Zoia / Fabrikat / Zoia, which should be plenty to keep me occupied for a month or two.

That looks like a rad set up. I used to have a volca sample and kind of miss it.

[ognoy]

I'm going to say play with some fucking volume.

I go through periods where I hate all my gear and "need" new stuff, but then if I grab what I've got and head down to the rehearsal room, play with a proper amp and feel my pants moving cos I'm playing so loud... that usually solves everything. Most things sound pretty great when you've got a bit of adrenaline and 100 or so decibels behind you.

Another thing that's been fun for me has been limiting myself. For example making a pedal board of a certain size, or colour, or building something around a specific sound.

The man speaks the truth.

But pants moving volume is "normal" volume, old man.

If volume moves your pants, your pants are not tight enough.

[friendship]

amp so loud it makes your tants wobble

[Blood_mountain]

amp so loud it makes your tants wobble

I frickin love Pops.

[dubkitty]

>What other alternate tunings would folks suggest for sort of slow, atmospheric gloom-pop?

DADGAD is great for anything where you want to do hammer-ons and pull-offs.
i like to use a modified version of the Steve Stills "D modal" tuning that spells DADGDD which is nice because you can play stuff on the 2d/3d strings with the 1st string for a drone.
the D minor tuning mentioned above has excellent possibilities.
you can do all kinds of weird shit with the David Crosby "Guinnivere" tuning which is EBDGAE if memory serves.
and there's always the various weird Kevin Shields tunings.

[frigid midget]

For me, alternate tunings is THE way to get out of a slump.
Opens doors to places I didn't know existed, makes me come up with stuff that sounds better and fresher than what I thought I wasn't capable of.

Don't know what atmospheric gloop-pop is, but my latest go-to alternate tuning for when I'm uninspired and bored with my own playing: CGDGAD. Not too weird sonic youth-ish, doesn't get too far from your drop D comfort zone, won't make waste time coming up with chords, but yet it's different enough to make you play completely new sounding stuff.

I get away with it without messing my guitar's nut or swapping my strings for thicker ones. The loose rattling sound that gets slightly out of tune actually sounds badass imo. Aside from a capo, I highly recommend picking up some sort of drop tune pedal too btw. Unless you go crazy with it, it does a convincing job dropping your tuning a whole step with hardly any noticeable tracking issues.

Or just any pedal that's a bit unconventional and unpredictable. Loopers/delays with random modes, synth pedals, pedals with fx loops, etc...

[Paul_C]

The trickle may soon become a flood

It's my birthday soon, and I was considering buying myself something nice, but I really can't think of anything I want right now

So, for the first time in a while, I'm thinking of getting a music stand down from upstairs and adding some more pedals to my setup

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My daughter has spent the afternoon in for a change, so a single stand has been filled with:

Subdecay M3
ICA Fideleater
DC Ghost Fax
RP Tensor
AP Marshmallow
Drolo Stamme[n]
Dr. Sci BitQuest
Hexe Revolver

which should make things a little more interesting