Minimal Shoegaze Setups?

[chutneyfarmer]

Anyone here use any simple setups for shoegaze type stuff? Like most shoegaze players I normally use a fairly large pedalboard. My "normal" board is....

Guitar > Memory Boy > Boss Line Select w/Digiverb in a loop > GGG Red Llama Clone > Snowflake > Earthbound Supercollider > Boss RV 3 > Holy Stain (for reverb & trem only) > Line 6 DL4 > Amp


However, I put together a small board the other day consisting of some pedals I had lying around and surprisingly it's been really inspiring to use! I've managed to get a lot of sounds I had been looking for for a while now.

The "mini" board is

Guitar > Devi Ever Shoegazer > Devi Ever Ruby > Super Memory Man w/Hazarai

At first I found the Shoegazer a little too over the top, but then I discovered the joys of turning down the volume on the guitar! The TP side gets a lovely crunchy overdrive and I can still kick on the SM side for some fuzzy goodness. The Ruby gets used as my main dirt. It has a nice trebly sound that seems to work well with the SMMH doing nice washes underneath. I hadn't really spent much time at all with the SMMH before this week to be honest but there really is a wealth of lovely lush delays in there. Perfect for shoegaze!

Any other ideas for similar enough minimal setups???

[hclapp219]

Guitar -> M9 -> Amp

Guitar -> Rat -> RV3 -> Amp

[dan_abnormal]

My "minimal" shoegazer setup would actually be as follows:

Fender Jazzmaster > ProCo RAT "Whiteface" > Boss DC-2 > Ernie Ball VP Jr. > Strymon El Capistan > Neunaber WET Reverb > Roland Jazz Chorus JC-50

Simple yet effective. Very Slowdive-oriented, I reckon.

Unfortunately, I do not often go the "minimal" way...

[bob the r0bot]

I've been able to get some good sounds with just
jazzmaster -> russian muff -> electric mistress ->vox

[chutneyfarmer]

My "minimal" shoegazer setup would actually be as follows:

Fender Jazzmaster > ProCo RAT "Whiteface" > Boss DC-2 > Ernie Ball VP Jr. > Strymon El Capistan > Neunaber WET Reverb > Roland Jazz Chorus JC-50

Simple yet effective. Very Slowdive-oriented, I reckon.

Unfortunately, I do not often go the "minimal" way...

Wow, that sounds like a pretty nice setup alright! Bet the Boss DC-2 sounds lovely in there too.

[dan_abnormal]

Bet the Boss DC-2 sounds lovely in there too.

Yes. Not your typical "everyday" chorus. Definitely best in stereo (just like the PN-2 in pan mode).

[the Life Aquatic]

right now my chain is guitar > boss rc-20 > alesis midiverb >ab/y/ > tiny terror/valve junior
thats doing good for me right now

[futuresailors]

Jazzy>FX500>amp :P

[theavondon]

OFFSET>RAT>VERB>JAZZ CHORUS

HURR DURR SGAZE

[bob the r0bot]

OFFSET>RAT>VERB>JAZZ CHORUS

HURR DURR SGAZE

SHURRRGAAZZZZZZEEEEEEEEE

[Achtane]

My current setup is Verellen Big Spider - Chk Chk Boom - Devi Ever Ruiner (with toggle for Dark Boost/Ruiner)
In the Chk Chk Boom is an Arc Flash into an Earthquaker Disaster Transport Jr.

The Arc Flash tames the shrill highs of the Big Spider while also making it sound a bit less...precise, but I also use it to cover the lighter OD/Fuzz territory when the Spider is off. With the feedback loop, you can get fancy delay swells and oscillation without having to adjust the delay itself, and also get your weird noises when the Arc Flash is in clipping mode. The Ruiner (which I leave on DB mode) after that lowers the pitch of said weird noises so they don't make your ears bleed. But of course if you want that, hey, it's there at the press of a switch. I like the DB more than the Ruiner, but you can use the latter for extra weird/synthy toans.

Right now I use the delay as a kind of reverb. The tone dial is SUPER handy.

[Achtane]

OFFSET>RAT>VERB>JAZZ CHORUS

HURR DURR SGAZE

SHURRRGAAZZZZZZEEEEEEEEE

BRO ITS NOT THE GAIZ UNLESS YER PLAYING SIMPLE PROGRESSIONS THROUGH FIVE DISTORTIONS AND A REVERB

FIVE REVERBS AND A DISTORTION AND YOU HAS THE AMBIENTS

[theavondon]

I actually know a guy that decently gazes with no pedals at all, just extensive abuse of the tremelo arm of his guitar.

[dubkitty]

for "minimal" i would use:

guitar*->Distortion+ OR Tone Reaper->Sound Shank (i.e. Buzzaround) OR Algal Bloom->EB volume pedal->TC SCF chorus/flange->RV-3. if you force me to choose one buzz box, you KNOW i'm going to pick the D+. if i get a little less minimal i'd add a tremolo box and a dedicated delay line that i can also loop with.

* Les Paul, Stratocaster w/floating tremolo, and/or Gretsch Pro Jet w/Dynas/Bigsby

[chutneyfarmer]

I actually know a guy that decently gazes with no pedals at all, just extensive abuse of the tremelo arm of his guitar.

Was actually playing like that today. Left my washy SMMH delays off and just used the arm. Some nice sounds to be had alright, but as soon as ya turn on the delays it just starts to sound so much more lush. I'd say a nice tuning with some strings tuned to the same note would help a lot if you weren't using any reverb or delay though.