In the last blog we talked mostly about pedal order/ how to get the most out of your pedals. Most of the pedal setup I talked about was with the pedals being ran through the front of your amp. Well, what about the effects loop? What pedals should/ shouldn’t be run through the effects loop? Well let’s break some groups of pedals down:
Boosts/ EQ’s: Boosting and EQ-ing in the effects loop will definitely shape your tone. In the loop, a boost will add volume without boosting the front end of the amp. This will create less of an overdriven/ distortion effect and more of just a clean volume bump. An EQ Pedal, in the effects loop, will help shape the tone of the amp itself – rather than shape the overdrive/ gain texture of the amp. When you run an EQ pedal through the front of the amp – lets say after your tube screamer – it will help shape the tone of the gain structure. (On a side note: you can also “fuzz up” a crunchy gain channel by setting the EQ to be very bass heavy.)
Delays and Reverbs: I get asked about these two pedals all the time. A good rule of thumb is – that if you are using your amp’s dirty channel – you will want to put your delays and reverbs in the effects loop of your amp. The main reason for this is because – well… delay and reverb BEFORE your dirt/ distortion channel sounds kind of terrible…. It might work for some – but in every application we have ever tried it – it just didn’t sound good at all.
As discussed in the first part of this two-part blog – results will differ from rig to rig. We are all tone chasers and what works for one person, may not work for another. Tone chasing is a lifelong pursuit for most of us and I encourage each of you to get out there and see what works best for you!
– Max