Essential effects for the Mark V!

[seasloth21]

Well what would you guys consider essential effects? I'm considering getting a noise supressor to help some background noise(this is particularly an issue at my friends house where i jam, which is located downtown), along with a wah pedal. I'm really just getting back into electric after not really touching it for years.

Also considering switching to EL 34 tubes, and had two brief questions about that:
1) Any specific brands I should use
2) Is it really just plug and play due to the 6l6/el34 switch? I don't need to worry about bringing it to a tech?
Thanks

 

[pathos45]

effects alot of people say no Boss and i agree with them...boss sucks tone, non true bypass and just sometimes is just a nusense with the mark. However i did have a evh phaser and a good old gcb95 wah modded out and the mark LOVED them. Same with my maxon. But look into effects that have built in true bypass so u get no tone sucking, and look at mid to higher end quaillity effects. So no boss, beheringer, lower end line 6. Im running a pod x3 pro through my mark now and it sounds killer and is no dranage what so ever once i get the 4 cable method goign on. Alot of people swear by the tc electrionics stuff, it is amazing amazing gear just too pricey for me. If your looking at a noise gate/suppressor look into the isp decimator or w.e its called its the best noise gate ive ever used...thats unless u can find a pre '89 boss noise suppressor thats when boss was making good **** and that noise suppressor almost all guitarist swear by it. As with the els and 6l6s yep its that easy just pop in switch teh switch and ur good to go. Best mesa feature i must say, its was a b*tch when i had my 6505+ or my vht pitbull when ever i changed tubes it had to go into the shop i fuckin hate that.

 

[eudaimonia02912]

I think a noise suppressor is needed only if you use a lot of effects that add noise, an overdrive/boost, or play at a very high volume. If I play straight into the amp at a moderate volume, I can do without a noise suppressor.

Beyond that, I'd say a delay and some chorus in the loop and one good overdrive in front would be fine. The rest is extra for me.

Of the overdrives I've tried, the best hands down is the Xotic BB MB.

 

[seasloth21]

thanks for the input!

as far as the noise suppressor goes, will it help reduce issues such as picking up radio in the background(not a big deal) or more importantly, at my friends house there appears to be some electrical interference or something because every now and then and extremely loud buzzing or humming sound will occur for a second or two.


also, any input on the el-34's?

 

[rmcfee]

When you buy the EL34s make sure that the supplier knows it is for a Mark V so they can provide tubes with the correct operating range. If you get them from Mesa it won't be an issue.
I ordered some from the Tubestore and they were knowledgable about the Mark V and sent the correct tubes. The previous EL 34s from Electro Harmonix were way out of spec and they sounded great, but the new ones (Winged C) sound better .

 

[screamingdaisy]

I use wah and delay. The amp has a very clear sounding distortion and typically works with effects very well.

 

[kdorsey]

effects alot of people say no Boss and i agree with them...boss sucks tone, non true bypass and just sometimes is just a nusense with the mark.

That's a broad generalization, but if only applied to stock pedals. Still pretty true. But there are some very tasty pro-grade Boss tones IF they're properly modded, like those from Robert Keeley. Case in point, the DS-1. I, too, was a nay-say'er until I did the research and tried them first hand.

 

[pathos45]

effects alot of people say no Boss and i agree with them...boss sucks tone, non true bypass and just sometimes is just a nusense with the mark.

That's a broad generalization, but if only applied to stock pedals. Still pretty true. But there are some very tasty pro-grade Boss tones IF they're properly modded, like those from Robert Keeley. Case in point, the DS-1. I, too, was a nay-say'er until I did the research and tried them first hand.

any keeley pedal will sound fantastic through anything, even a shitty 1x10 line 6 spider they are just amazing set of pedals and mods that they do.

 

[LesPaul70]

effects alot of people say no Boss and i agree with them...boss sucks tone, non true bypass and just sometimes is just a nusense with the mark.

Well, yes and no. It really depends on a lot of things. In general, true bypass has certain advantages but if your pedalboard only contains TBP pedals, you could run into impedance issues - which in turn results in even worse tone. For a more detailed explanation, see http://www.petecornish.co.uk/case_against_true_bypass.html

(Pete Cornish, if you don't know the man, has built very high-quality and very, very expensive custom effects boards for guitarists like Brian May, Cat Stevens, Robert Fripp, David Gilmour, Andy Summers, Gary Moore, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page etc. All without true bypass. He is considered something of an expert on this matter.)

As for Boss, I think that the made-in-Japan Boss pedals are actually quite good for the price. They have been used successfully by many guitarists you are probably familiar with, see http://guitargeek.com/search?qt=g&q=boss and click the links for famous rigs that contain Boss pedals.

But whether they fit your sound and style, that's another topic. Like with all gear, try to test them with your amp and guitar before buying.

I can't really recommend any "essential effects". It all depends on the kind of music you play, whether you are a rhythm and/or lead guitarist, your personal preferences, your band, and so on. I own a whole bunch of pedals, from expensive boutique ones (that cost as much as a small amp) to typical simple/cheap pedals - I have been buying them since the 1980s - as well as digital multieffects units, but I have removed almost all of them from my regular live board. The wah pedal was the last to go. It was pretty good but I almost never bothered to use it live. The only two pedals I still have left in my regular live board are very modest and inexpensive ones:
1) a Visual Sound Route 66 comp/OD: Chinese built but sturdy, bowever, the compressor side makes some extra hiss which could be a pain in the studio but does not really bother you live (it drowns in the band mix). I'm using this because it gives me even more sonic options (the OD and compressor can be switched on/of separately, and there are also some voicing switches, like the switchable bass boost for Tube Screamer clone OD side which can otherwise be a bit high-mid heavy, just like the traditional Tube Screamer). It also enables me to back down the amp gain and then kick in the pedal for extra sustain or gain.
2) a Boss delay pedal in the effects loop: not the best sounding delay pedal I own but it has turned out to be the most reliable - which is pretty much the most important thing in a live situation

 

[Anonymous]

lots of excellent adviced here......... i kept a delay and chorus on th FX loop, wah and a couple of boosters in front of the amp...........also you may need a guitar tuner.

good luck

 

[rika_gd]

I think the cheapest/reliable/quality option out here is a g-major, looks like the MKV works better with high quality fx processors than with pedals, they take too much tone

 

[jb's 52]

Well what would you guys consider essential effects? I'm considering getting a noise supressor to help some background noise(this is particularly an issue at my friends house where i jam, which is located downtown), along with a wah pedal. I'm really just getting back into electric after not really touching it for years.

Also considering switching to EL 34 tubes, and had two brief questions about that:
1) Any specific brands I should use
2) Is it really just plug and play due to the 6l6/el34 switch? I don't need to worry about bringing it to a tech?
Thanks

Essential effects, to me, are delay, tuner and wah. Others' essentials should vary.

For EL34s, give the Winged =C='s a try. I've used them twice now in two different
amps and love them. My previous EL34 brand of choice were EHX's.

No need for the tech, make sure your "tube guy" knows it's for the Mesa MarkV. They
should be able to send some with the right bias.

For noise issues, I'd suspect something in the chain. I had a Zvex Fuzz Factory that would
pick up radio signals. Also, suspect the power situation at your buddy's place. I've never
found the real need for a noise suppressor myself so ymmv.