An effect you want to love but can't?

[daeg]

They posed this question to the chat in a recent JHS livestream I tuned into. Answers were all across the board and pretty interesting.

You can name a specific pedal, a type of circuit or just a general category.

 

[daeg]

For me, it's the Analog Octave Up. I love the idea of it, a spikey, piercing & messy octave up. I love the circuits and theory. I've breadboarded every Green Ringer tweak I've found on DIYSB. Built them into other effects. Breadboarded the Ampeg Scrambler, Fox Tone Machine, Octavia, JC Maillet's Super Full Wave Octaver, Jawari and everything else I can try.

The problem I can't get around is usefulness only on single-notes. You have to pluck hard to get a decent tone, and inherent gating totally prevents gentle playing and subletly. Double-stops not only sound nasty, but the intermodulation also causes a huge volume jump and have a fast decay. I want them to be useable for something other than the Purple Haze solo, Stoner / Doom noodling or annoying others but they just aren't.

 

[Many__Of__Horror]

Tube Screamer for me, I just can't figure out how to use it in stacking to sound any good. Sounds too muffled to me. Klon is kinda in the same boat as well.

 

[daeg]

Tube Screamer for me, I just can't figure out how to use it in stacking to sound any good. Sounds too muffled to me. Klon is kinda in the same boat as well.

Do you play amps that already have prominent mids (Marshall, Vox, Orange etc)?

 

[Many__Of__Horror]

Been playing a Fender Hot Rod mainly, but just picked up a 2nd hand AC30 that I am loving so will try the pedals again on it I guess

 

[bifurcation]

I've generally never been able to get into most modulation effects.

My hot take is everything with chorus sounds the same, everything with flanger sounds the same, tremelo, same, phaser, same (well, I guess I don't mind a really slow phaser or one with an envelope follower.)

I've liked sequenced-gate stuff, but again it's something you'd use for like one part of one song.

These opinions are probably because I'm a philistine who's never tried to learn the ins and outs of modulation use.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Delay. I really like tape effect sounds and everything about using actual tape, so I always think I'm gonna like tape delay, but it's just not useful for my playing

 

[BuddytheReow]

Thermionic Distortion. I know it's very popular, but it's waaaaay to mid-heavy for my taste and there's no control for it. I really wanted to like it considering the amount of gain on tap, but I can't really use it.

 

[fig]

Volume. It just seems...blah.

 

[Mcknib]

Any synthy stuff is not for me or octave pedals or bit crushers probably coz I don't know how to use them and oh yeah my playings not worth a f+€#

I play a bit like this buffoon accept behind my head

 

[HamishR]

I think I overdosed on chorus in the 80s. Like Bifurcation I can't bring myself to use chorus - or any modulation - but I don't mind when Robert Smith does. And I second the Thermionic. It's almost really good - but isn't.

I do love delay, but not modulated delay. Or modulated reverb. And "shimmer" anything makes me nauseous - it's like muzak. It's just so cheesy.

But then if I look at the title of this thread it makes me realise that no, I don't want to love these effects anyway. But I feel better now so thanks!

 

[Coda]

I have this issue with nearly every pedal I build, somewhat. I build a lot of fuzz pedals...I am chasing a tone. Every time I finish a build, I am super hapoo po Tb with the results, for a week or so, until I realize that it can’t do the tone in my head. It’s not that I don’t love them, I do (except the Companion Fuzz, it’s mostly useless), it’s just that they don’t end up how I want them to sound in my head...

I’m not sure any pedal will fit what I want to hear, but at least it’s fun searching.

...in reality, though, I bet it’s a Maestro FZ-1.

 

[fig]

I’m not sure any pedal will fit what I want to head, but at least it’s fun searching.

Have you considered swapping out the head?

 

[Coda]

Have you considered swapping out the head?

Maybe towards the end of the year, when the new models come out...I’ll get a better deal.

 

[PapaBear]

I can't think of anything I wanted to love but didn't, but I'm pretty shallow in what I want tone wise, I play blues and classic rock for the most part, so I don't need most of the stuff I build, but I enjoy building them, and maybe someday I'll use them or hand them off to someone who will.

 

[bifurcation]

Like Bifurcation I can't bring myself to use chorus - or any modulation - but I don't mind when Robert Smith does.

Oh shit, I forgot the one clear exception to my feelings about chorus. Facisnation Street for the win!

 

[chongmagic]

Oh shit, I forgot the one clear exception to my feelings about chorus. Facisnation Street for the win!

I second that I love the way Robert Smith uses chorus.

 

[Dali]

I second that I love the way Robert Smith uses chorus.

You also better get a Baritone guitar... Like this:

With a SG for scale:

 

[chongmagic]

You also better get a Baritone guitar... Like this:

With a SG for scale:
View attachment 9963

And lipstick.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

What about pedals we just plain hate? Fuzz Factory comes to mind...