Recitifier Pedal Stacking

[TremoJem]

This has been discussed before and I have read the posts, all be it, they are somewhat dated, so maybe some new information is available now.

I have the Xotic RC, AC-Comp, and BBP-AT.

I have a Radial ToneBone JX-2 SwitchBone and I push the gain about 1-2 dbs on this with a 5db 1Khz boost.

The Radial is smacking the front of the amps with all the pedals before it in the chain.

My pedal board signal chain starts with a Morley wah and then I have the option of stacking the aforementioned pedals in any order after that.

My question is what can I expect out of the two configurations below:

RC into AC into BB...or,

BB into AC into RC.

I watched an Allen Hinds video where he intentionally places an EP Booster after his AC-Comp.

Why, what would it do in either configuration or what tone can you expect from placing it in front or after the AC?

Just curious what you guys think before I post my findings.

I am ordering the AC-Comp this week and finishing the pedal board wiring before I get it, so I can swap locations anytime and will try the different configurations and get post out with the results.

These pedals are NOT high gain.

My amp provides that tone. I like to use the pedals for VARYING gains for blues, classic rock, rock, etc on the clean channel.

I do, however, like to stack the RC with my amps high gain channel for a pinch of sustain and harmonics on leads and it works amazingly.

I have even used the BB and the RC stacked on the clean channel and that sounds amazing.

From what I have read I am not breaking any rules, although if I used something like the super high distortion pedals that my friend uses for metal, I think it would sound like crap.

So please dig in and let me know what you think, thanks.

 

[elvis]

I do a lot of pedal stacking in this way. There are always subtle differences in how they sound with different pedals in different orders. Basically, whichever one is driven the hardest will tend to dominate the tone.

I typically set each pedal for how I will use it by itself. I then put them in order from lowest to highest gain. To me I get the least amount of squeal that way.

For example, I use an OD808 for just a tiny bit of breakup for a more bluesy tone. It has a very subtle effect on the amp's clean channel, and gives me just a bit of extra sustain on the distorted channel.

I use a BB Pre with a bit more drive. It gives me a sort of heavy blues tone on the clean channel, and LOTS of sustain when used with the distorted channel.

I use a Tube Driver for fuzz, with a fair amount of gain for a heavy fuzz tone.

I use a distortion pedal for metal tones with LOTS of gain.

This is the order I put the pedals in, and I can choose any combination of them with great results. Because I have multiple gain pedals, I set each for the minimum gain that I can use. If I need more gain, I turn on one of the pedals in front of it.

I love to use the OD808 and BBPre with the amp's native channels. On clean, I can get super-clean, a tiny bit of drive with the OD808, mid-level drive with the BBPre, or heavier drive with both. On the distorted channel, I can get moderate drive just from the amp, a touch of extra sustain with the OD808, lots of sustain and drive with the BBPre, or MARK IIC+ with all three.

It's cool to see how the tone changes with the Tube driver into the amp's distorted channel vs. the BBPre into the Tube Driver into the clean channel. I get a LOT of different tones.

 

[Release]

I would go lowest gain into highest gain, so the RC->AC->BB.

I'm using 3 pedals to do the same thing. The BB (I use this as a very light OD), into a Bad Monkey (higher OD) and then into a Wampler Super Plextortion (balls-out high gain). If I use the BB and the Monkey, I can get a killer overdriven tone with the clean channel. If I'm using the SuperPlex, I can use the BB to push it a bit harder.

 

[TremoJem]

Awesome, this is exactly how I have been thinking and using what I have.

It was not until I watched the video from Allen Hinds that it became aware to me that someone would ever place a booster after an overdrive pedal.

I always just assumed that low to high was the way to go.

As everyone always says...do what sounds good to you, but it is nice to get some feedback with positive reinforcement for what I am doing...which is new to me for the most part, I just always rolled back on the volume knob on my guitar for varying gain levels, but that also reduces output (although it is the sweetest sound, even if at a much lower output).

For years I had a rig that was all digital...two Marshall 1960B cabinets with a Peavey CS800 stereo power with rack effects and preamps (no tubes). It was all I could afford and was ultra clean and with a push of a footswitch (midi) I had the 80's sound...you know Whitesnake (with Vai) etc for the cover crap my band did. We had fun and made some money (enough to support the effort LOL). Tons of chorus, delay, reverb etc. Great Sound!

BUT!, when I first started playing with gear in the 70's I used a Fender Bassman Tube Head with the huge matching cabinet and a Digitech Chain Reaction in front. The sound was killer, but I attributed it to the Tubes, because I was never able to duplicate the tone and feel (air moving) with the digital rig I bought later in the 80's.

Then, I sold everything and bought Mesa. I could not be happier and thought plug your guitar in and play...nothing else.

Well, years later and much research later I have learned that is not the case and in fact, using pedals opens up a whole new world. I could not be happier.

Thanks guys and I will post results after my AC-Comp and Cioks DC10 come in so I can finish my pedal board and start mixing pedals for new levels of gain.

Elvis,

I think I have decided on the "This1sMine" Mini Buffer. Correct me if I am wrong but, I should get two of these and place one in each Tremoverb.
Make some 3' cables.
Plug one end of the 3' cable into the send of the FXLoop of each Tremoverb.
Plug the other 3' end into the In of the Mini Buffer.
Plug a 20' cable into the Out of the Mini Buffer.
Plug the other end of the 20' cable into the In of the GMajor.
Plug a second 20' cable into the Out of the GMajor.
Plug the other end of the second 20' cable into the return of the Tremoverb.
This should solve my impedance mismatch for both amps...right?

The company that makes these suggested a Dual Mini Buffer, which is two Minis in one enclosure, but this would be impossible for me to set up, as my Tremoverbs are split stage right and stage left. So, there is no way to have one box for both amps. He also suggested a custom box, which led me to believe that he was going to buffer the outs of the box to the returns of the amps, but that is not necessary, right?

Please understand that my pedal board is separate from the FXLoop of the amps and has a buffer at the beginning and end of the chain. This goes to the front of the amp.

The GMajor is the only thing in the FXLoop with 20' of cable going to and 20' of cable coming from it.

Thanks Elvis.