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My unreliable noisy big board isn't cutting it for my new band. I need to be more to the point and efficient, with less stuff that just takes space and less shit to go wrong.

I've aleady got a new case (well, a really old one actually) and a board that fits in it (or at least it will), and I've got a spare one-spot.

I want to be able to cover a lot of ground, in a bread and butter sorta way, but I'm not at all into tubescreamers or scratchy fizzy distortions like Rats. I tend to flip pedals that don't have an edge to em, and sound bland or conventional. I do however like filthy sludgy fuzz, but nothing to squeely or space shippy or anything. I know, lots of contradictions there. And to make it even harder: I want to spend as little as possible. I'm not obsessed with booteek peds anyway, I usually just try to go with what works best for the job, preferably for cheaps.

Here's what I was thinking, but I'd like to hear about alternatives:

-Dirt1: Boss ODB-3
-Dirt2: Dano Fab Tone.
-Dirt3: Boss FZ-3. I'm not even kidding, it's not half as bad as the internet says is. But I'd just put it on the board cause I've got it laying around unused somehwere. I already have an FZ-2 on my other board, and I don't want two of anything. I'm weird that way, whatever.

-Delay1 and Delay2: Ibanez de-7, Ibanez DML10, Boss RV-3...I'm a bit torn there, and I'm probably even forgetting about a ton of other sweet delay peds

If I'm totally honest with myself, that's probably all I need, at least for my current band. That, plus a GFS tuner, and I'd be set. The third dirt pedal might even be overkill actually. But I'm open to ideas for superfuzz-esque replacements for the FZ-3, or anyhting that's a bit wilder, in whatever way.

Not sure on alternatives for the ODB-3. It had a kind of scooped sound like a Big Muff, except not really.

I like my Joyo Fulltone clone, which if I'm not mistaken, is the same the the Fab Tone is a clone of? With the exception of some parts values, they're pretty good (I actually like mine miswired better than "fixed") I'd look into their Voodoo fuzz (although it too has circuit errors, although I'm pretty certain they're simple) not sure it's wilder, but it could probably be fucked with for oscillation.

As for delays, I'd personally go for RV-3 plus whatever your "standard" delay of choice is.

Maybe an Unpleasant Surprise to stack with the other dirt you use, it can do a mean heavy octave fuzz on some settings, especially if you combine it with other dirt.

I always dig having a volume pedal too, to do swells with the delay but also to get different gain sounds from the dirt I use.
A board with only volume -> phaser -> drive -> fuzz -> delay would probably be enough for me.

My favourite drive / fuzz pedals:
Anarchy Audio HM-2 (fuzz / drive), Behringer SF300 (fuzz / drive), BAT Pharaoh (fuzz / drive), Henretta Pinkman (drive), HBE Big D (drive),
Industrialectric Incinerator (fuzz), Infanem Driving Notion (fuzz), Jupiter FX Harmonic Fragilator (fuzz), MI Audio Blues Pro (drive), Mooer Hustle Drive (drive),
Moog MF Drive (drive)

My favourite delay pedals:
Alexander Radical Delay, Boss DD-5, EHX Deluxe Memory Boy, EHX Deluxe Memory Man 550TT, Ibanez DML, Industrialectric Echo Degrader, Mooer ReEcho,
Skeleton Prince In Limbo, Way Huge Supa Puss

ss/bs Buzzz is a modified superfuzz with a second footswitch that controls either the octave or the mid scoop depending on how you have it set. Gets pretty gnarly too.

Cheers, already got a couple really good ideas there.

Need to check some clips and reviews though, cause there's a couple of pedals that were mensioned that I'm not at all familiar with.

I'm not too fond of chinese clones and just alround lousy build quality, but when the gnarly:price ratio is as good as it is with the Fab Tone, I'm willing to ignore my ethics

ILF brands like Fairfield and SS/BS aren't too easy to come by on the local used market, so I don't know if I'll be patient enough to wait till a killer deal in the B/S/T presents itself :s

Volume pedals: I'm getting used to NOT having one on my board since I popped the string on my VP Jr. Don't get me started on the giant design flaw of a pedal that thing is
And since my tiny board can hold no more than 4 or 5 peds, I'd rather stick to the essentials, wich imo a volume pedals isn't. Unless maybe one of those small AMT 's, always been intrigued by those.

Their's also the dod fx-17 volume/wah, fits on my pedaltrain mini, under $50 usually and built like a tank. Fulfills my swell needs.

Maybe checkout the old maxon d&s, they are basically high output v3 muffs and may fill your scooped needs if you're not completely sold on the odb-3. Can still be found relatively cheap.

Can't go wrong with the fab-tone, although other sludgy options would be the dod 250/mxr distortion. People that tend not to like rats seem to enjoy those.

Only cheap superfuzz that comes to mind is the guyatone tz-2, would complement the fab tone well on the aesthetics scale. That maxon ether in the b/s/t is tempting as well.

All 3 of the delays you mention are my favs, can't lose with any of them good luck on that one.

I'm sure you could interchange multiple dirt pedals and the only person who'd notice the subtle differences would be you. Go with what you have, and with what works.
To contradict what I just said... hahahahahaha... If I were going to suggest one that has a HUGE range of great-sounding options... I'd say SSBS Mini. Internet buzzwords = clean boost, all the way through to raunchy, quick-decaying, spattery loose fuzz. AND, it has bass/treble controls, so the tonal variations on those sounds is huge as well. But I'm sure you already know all of that.

Anyway... it's become my go-to and lives at the end of my chain.
Thanks, Brian!

But I AM throwing down for the DE7. I've been delay-obsessed, these past few years - and yeah... you can't go wrong with ANY of the ones you mentioned - but there's just something about the DE7. Cheapest of them all - and just great. Check out this demo, if you're on the fence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQJOgmUKW1g

SO. GOOD.

While I have a bunch (debatable) of pedals, my real "gigging" setup for at least a decade has been little more than a V3 Big Muff, a delay (Boss DM-2 or DD-3, though lately the Malekko Ekko Dark has been winning that spot) and mayyyybe a reverb (RV-2 for the longest time). I'll throw in the occasional mod pedal if shit is expected to get weird, or an OD (DOD 250) if I'm not playing though my amp, and there's always a tuner out front, but that's about it. The rest of the stuff is for diddling around and recording...

braaandooon wrote:Their's also the dod fx-17 volume/wah, fits on my pedaltrain mini, under $50 usually and built like a tank. Fulfills my swell needs.

Maybe checkout the old maxon d&s, they are basically high output v3 muffs and may fill your scooped needs if you're not completely sold on the odb-3. Can still be found relatively cheap.

Can't go wrong with the fab-tone, although other sludgy options would be the dod 250/mxr distortion. People that tend not to like rats seem to enjoy those.

Only cheap superfuzz that comes to mind is the guyatone tz-2, would complement the fab tone well on the aesthetics scale. That maxon ether in the b/s/t is tempting as well.

All 3 of the delays you mention are my favs, can't lose with any of them good luck on that one.

Great ideas, all four of them. I wasn't really familiar with the Maxon ds&s. I'm not the biggest fan of muffs and their ability to dissapear in a busy mix, but if affordable, more compact than a EHX BMP, and it's build by Maxon, it's worth a try imo.

The same goes for the dod 250 actually. Weird that a classic distortion pedlol like that has managed to always stay under my radar.

I totally forgot about the tz-2, definatelly on my wish list as of now.

Based on the clips I checked, the Maxon ether is the shit. Kinda pricey though imo :s

The maxon d&s would probably cost the most of the bunch, you would be after the ones made in the 70's and 80's, apparently the reissues don't match up. Their's a youtube video that compares all of them. The vintage ones can be found around the $100-$120 range, and notice plenty of them sitting around the japanese used market.

Alot of those others can be had around $50 minus the dml, and rv3. If you're going cheap, their is no subsitute for the de-7, just talking about it reminds me I need to unpack mine.

pics or

Not at home right now, and I don't seem to have any recent pics. Just this one, not in the right order, without cables and power, and it's still showing my now fucked up volume pedal.

Also added a Blue Box since then. I hardly ever touch the modulation peds. And if I do, I annoy everyone including myself. I'll keep 'em on the big luxery board though, together with the other stuff that doesn't get a lot of use.

So far, what I'm thinking for the no frills deadly efficient cheapo board: GFS Tuner > Dano Fab Tone > Guyatone TZ-2 > Ibanez DE-7. An old Maxon D&S would've been cool as well, but they seem to go for waaaaay more than what I'm willing to spend on a muff style fuzz. I never managed to get along with muffs anyway. Sound decent on their own, but in a loud messy mix they don't at all cut through like superfuzz and tonebender style fuzzes imo. I might end up with an ODB-3 instead.

Nice, and I thought I was the only one sporting a fx 20. Great under the radar phaser.

braaandooon wrote:Nice, and I thought I was the only one sporting a fx 20. Great under the radar phaser.

As far as I'm concerned it's like a vintage Small Stone, only with a depth control, a bit cheaper, and in slightly more board friendly size. I usually have the rate control completely counter clockwhise, and depth all the way up.

I also have the fx 20b, which is a 6 stager, that one is alot like the bad stone. I picked both of them up at a yard sale last summer for $20 and was pleased with each of them. Sold my small stone shortly after. All my favorite pedals seem to be slutty thrift store finds.