What do you stick in front of your MESA

[Micah]

I will say that on my pedal board is last and foremost an Ernie Ball volume pedal used to substitute a floor potentiometer for the knobs on my SG. I love it that way. Next to last in the chain before the amp I have an MXR 2 knob compressor which I mainly use for clean sparkle or if I want a bunch of feedback all of the sudden. Then I have a Boss Stereo Chorus pedal--why did I buy this? Its cool but I'll be honest with you....I never use it. Then of course I have a TU-2 Tuner and then (if I have any batteries left) my AKG "Guitar Bug" Wireless system. I dont really have a need for more Gain or anything else to complicate things. I wouldnt mind an Echo pedal but like the chorus...would I really use it?

 

[Micah]

I will say that on my pedal board is last and foremost an Ernie Ball volume pedal used to substitute a floor potentiometer for the knobs on my SG. I love it that way. Next to last in the chain before the amp I have an MXR 2 knob compressor which I mainly use for clean sparkle or if I want a bunch of feedback all of the sudden. Then I have a Boss Stereo Chorus pedal--why did I buy this? Its cool but I'll be honest with you....I never use it. Then of course I have a TU-2 Tuner and then (if I have any batteries left) my AKG "Guitar Bug" Wireless system. I dont really have a need for more Gain or anything else to complicate things. I wouldnt mind an Echo pedal but like the chorus...would I really use it?

 

[Ravensha]

I dont really have a need for more Gain or anything else to complicate things. I wouldnt mind an Echo pedal but like the chorus...would I really use it?

Totally agree on not needing any more front end gain. The best sounds I get are from cranking the output stage with a little gain and let the dynamics of your guitar come through. And if I need high gain, the modern mode has more than enough.

I have an Alesis QuadraVerb, but never use it on the Mesa. I have plugged it into the FX loop once or twice. But these days - after years of FXing every last bit of tone OUT of my guitar sound - I play the Mesa straight - and that works for me.

After seeing what other people DO run in front of their amps ... I really wonder what that does for the guitar/amp tone? Lots of players seem to put together some amazing pedal boards.

 

[kylek]

most of the time i jsut stand infront of it and feel it rattle my balls.

jk jk

Guitar-wireless maybe-amp

 

[waxnsteel]

Nothing in front of the Road King, Strobostomp, then CM Comp, OCD, Timmy, V-Twin, Octavia, SHO in a rack in front of the Blue Angel, with Line 6 Mod and Echo Pro in the loop.

 

[mloiaco]

most of the time i jsut stand infront of it and feel it rattle my balls.

jk jk

Guitar-wireless maybe-amp

+1

It is also fun to put your girlfriend in front of your mesa to watch her tits rattle around.


j/k I appologize for this, but your post made me crack up.

 

[kylek]

That was my intent, lol.

But it does, seriously... try it some time, although it might be bad for your boys downstairs... they might get the sperm equivalent of a concussion if you know whawt im' sayin'

 

[ishoulddie]

Guitar -> Boss NS-2 -> Boss SD-1 -> DigiTech Whammy -> DOD Gonkulator (soon to be replaced with a Snarling Dogs Mold Spore) -> Boss PH-1r -> Mesa Dual Recto

Using the SD-1 solely as a clean boost, and to tighten up the sound. It's on all the time, i like what it adds to the tone of the amp.

 

[cellardweller]

I've had no luck running anything out front of my Solo 50 (MT2, generic OD pedal, old MXR OD pedal, digitech OD pedal...can't remember the model), and VERY limited luck with the parallel effects loop.

Haven't wanted to spend $100 to confirm I like the amps OD better either!

 

[BottyGuy]

I've been using my "new to me" Lonestar Special for about 3 months with just the guitar (Fender Fat Strat/Texas Specials, Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbucker in the Bridge).

The only up front control I use is the guitar volume, which I drop down to 8 when I run the Humbucker. I also have the humbucker tone dialed down to 8, since that works best on channel 2 when the single coil tone is set to 10. For the single coils I run the volume at 10 when I want higher channel 2 gain, and down to 8 when I want a bluesier tone.

I gave my Pod XT live to my kids, I'll probably add a Wah and something for slapback delay in the future.