Back in the day of the great rock & rollers there wasn’t a vast array and selection of pedals, signal processors and effects loops. Pretty much it was man against amp. In the sound arsenal was natural distortion, reverb tanks, a wha-wha pedal and the holy grail of effects the “Echoplex”.

I’ve seen players using everything under the sun and others with only a cable between their guitar and amplifier. Obviously the sound you desire is a personal choice. I’ve been to both edges of the sound world and have some thoughts on what I feel is a good balance of a processed sound.

It’s been said that 95% of your sound comes from your fingers, the remainder is your guitar and gear. So how much do we cram into that 5% remainder. Here is what I consider the bare minimum of effects you can use to achieve a great sound:

• guitar > tuner > compressor > overdrive > delay > amplifier

That gets the job done effectively. Starting from this basic set up we can add in what I consider essential the “luxury pedals”. You don’t have to have them but they will give you more versatility and range.

• Wha-Wah
• Chorus/Flanger
• Clean Booster
• Sonic Maximizer
• Equalizer
• Noise Suppressor
• Tremolo

There are quite a few more pedal types than these but in my opinion adding them into your setup without a specific purpose up is like gold plating a Krugerand, why bother.

Personally I don’t like to much between me and my true sound so I run a lean pedal board.

• guitar > tuner > wha-wha > compressor > overdrive > delay > sonic maximizer > amplifier

I recently added in the Sonic Maximizer and highly recommend this to all players. This box does the amazing thing of correcting my signal phase so it is reproduced accurately at the speaker. It’s been described as taking the blanket of of your amp.

Recently I didn’t even use effects until I’d become accustomed with what I could achieve with just a guitar and amp. This is a good way to determine exactly what your capable of musically.

Whatever effects you decide to you use keep in mind that more does not always translate into better, keep a balance and you’ll hear the results in your playing.

BBE D82 Sonic Maximizer Plug-In

Product DescriptionThe D82 Sonic Maximizer Plug-In restores the high frequency definition and detail of your sound, while refocusing the low frequencies. It offers all the appliances predecessors, the 882nd and 482nd BBE Sonic Maximizer …

Publish Date: 05/27/2010 11:25

http://cgwebstudio.com/plugin/bbe-d82-sonic-maximizer-plug-in/

Anyone Else Using BBE Sonic Maximizer? - Head-Fi.org Community

I recently hooked my BBE Sonic Maximizer up to my HP setup (M-Audio Fire410 - BBE Sonic Maximizer 482i - Little Dot MKIII - AKG K701) and really makes quite a difference…

Publish Date: 03/23/2008 20:23

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/309787/anyone-else-using-bbe-sonic-maximizer

I always like to orient myself with the crowd. This is done by looking at the upper far left corner of the room or stadium, then sweeping to the right side. Now the kicker, slowly take in the crowd from the rear coming forward and get the feeling that everyone is here by your invitation, just like you would in your home. These are all your friends! Now take a deep breath relax and just play. It works wonders.

Another thing you can do away from the gig is when your in a large crowd of people such as a ball game or movie theater, turn around or go to the front row and just look back at the people. At first it may seem weird but this will pass. It helps build “confronting” chops.

Gradually time will help you get used to the intensity of people putting their focus on you or your group.

Delicious!! That is the way I would describe the sound of this guitar. No wonder the 1962 Fender Telecaster Custom is such a highly sought after guitar. For most of my musical career I’ve been playing the standard rock guitar selection. Les Paul, Stratocaster, SG, ES-335. I never gave much consideration to the Telecaster until I decided to change my playing style.

It started with the decision to get serious about playing the Country styles. Of course a Telecaster is the natural choice for this. Now the hard part, finding a Telecaster that worked for me. I searched high and low for a guitar all over the country. It was becoming an obsession to locate an axe that felt just right.

After months of looking I happened to make a comment to a sales rep at a music store as I was leaving, that I was in the market for a 1962 Fender Telecaster Custom. He said “Wait here a moment” and went to the back room. My excitement grew as he returned with a vintage brown tolex case. I was informed this just came in and hadn’t hit the floor yet. Wow, my prayers were answered.

Well the rest is history. The Telecaster has become my main guitar. I never appreciated the versatility of the sound. Not only is it great at Country but sounds superb when I’m playing Blues or Rock. It’s hard to believe it took so many years to discover the quality of sound obtainable from this instrument. Now the question is how do I grow more fingers!

 

If you’ve ever tried to test drive a guitar at a store you know it can be a daunting experience being surrounded by a roomful of musicians. Not to be put off I jacked into a vintage Fender amp and let er rip. This thing was sweet!!! Super delicious tone coupled with some of the best action I’d seen in years. Quite a few heads turned and looked where the sound was coming from. OK it sounds good through an amp, now the acid test. Went to the acoustic room and played it in an isolation booth to hear it’s resonance un-amplified. Mmmm, still rings out with all the warmth and richness of a true vintage Les Paul. Sounds good, plays good, next step take out a second mortgage. Done. Ha Ha.

When I say it pushed me over the edge I mean having an instrument that pulls out your inherent creativity is worth more than anything. During my career I’ve had the opportunity to perform and record with a wide variety of guitars, each doing the job as needed. Yet some gave more than others. Since I’ve acquired the Paul my creativity has elevated to a new level. My point is when you have alignment between instrument and player, things happen quite unexpectedly for the better.

Wayne Woodbury

 

Rocking out the house at the King of the Blues competition 2009. Guitar Center, Clearwater Fl.

Guitar Center’s KING OF THE BLUES - 2010 | The Guitar BUZZ…

GUITAR CENTER’S KING OF THE BLUES, THE ANNUAL SEARCH FOR THE NATION’S TOP UNDISCOVERED BLUES GUTIAR PLAYER, IS BACK Continuing its support of aspiring.

Publish Date: 04/06/2010 22:01

http://theguitarbuzz.com/contests/guitar-centers-king-of-the-blues-2010/

Evening Sun Blog » Here We Go Again

Most recently, and prior to joining the team here at our hometown daily newspaper, my newfound friend and co-worker Tyler Murphy did a story on my successes in the store preliminaries as part of Guitar Center’s King of the Blues contest …

Publish Date: 05/26/2010 9:58

http://blog.evesun.com/2010/05/26/here-we-go-again/

Guitar Center King of the Blues 2010 Videos

Are you King of the Blues?

The guitarist crowned Guitar Center’s King of the Blues will receive: $25000; endorsement Deals from Gibson, Ernie Ball, Boss and Egnater; a Feature in Guitar World Magazine; a Gibson 1960 50th Anniversary ES-335; an Epiphone 1965 Elitist … the stage with world-renowned guitarist Derek Trucks, leader of the Grammy Award-winning Derek Trucks Band and member of Allman Brothers Band. This entry was posted on May 17th, 2010 at 01:06:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. …

Publish Date: 05/17/2010 15:06

http://blogs.sltrib.com/burger/index.php?p=16019&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

On the Road Again | Brian Doherty

I’ve heard lots of road stories and told my own share as well. I’ve had some great experiences but others still haunt me. Touring has been a character builder and my free ticket to world-wide travel. I’ve never met a musician who didn’t …

The Road North

I remember thinking that those road trips by early blues and jazz men—recording artists who had such an impact on the proliferation of blues, the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and everything that was to come after it.

On the road again …

On the road again … In the middle of this month, I mentioned Bill Hudson, a musician who takes sharing very seriously. He, “and other like-minded people, collect musical instruments to give to children in America’s still-recovering …