No, not paddleboarding, pedalboarding, i.e. relating to guitar pedals and pedalboards. Quite frankly if you were thinking I’d be squidging myself into a wetsuit for this one, think again.
Incidentally...
At this point, I googled "guitarist wearing wetsuit" in search of a good, humorous picture....now, I didn't find any such pictures I could really use, but I feel props are due to 27 year old surfer and busker Jonny Rubin, aka Dr. Funk, who took his bass guitar surfing at Newquay a few years ago. The cornwalllive.com website dedicated four pictures and four whole sentences to the event, adding that it was unclear if Jonny's bass would ever work again. There's a lesson there somewhere....other than use somebody else's bass
Lets get back on track...
In terms of guitar gear, effects pedal discussion and review is right up there. It’s another one of those rabbit hole situations I’ve mentioned before and it’s getting worse, so I’m going to try and outline what I think is the right way to start thinking about using effects. Squidging myself into a wetsuit might have been easier but here goes….
Effects pedals are like a paint palette. You only need one colour to paint, but more colours, used correctly, can make a more interesting picture. In the same way that different colours communicate different emotions and ideas, so too can your sound. They can be the stimuli for new ideas or directions, but they’re not talent enhancers. Effects should only be used I think to achieve specific sonic goals, and not because “so and such” a person uses one, so it “must be good”. My goals might not be the same as yours though, maybe you just like the little twinkly lights, that’s cool.
I’m writing this because I have a specific sonic goal in mind that I'm going to share with you soon for a current project, which basically involves me trying to sound like two guitarists at once, (or at least more than just one). Given that a ‘Dolly The Sheep / Jango Fett’ cloning operation is beyond my budget, I’m opting for a reorganisation of my pedalboard to see what I can achieve. I’ll share it with you soon!
A Quick Glossary...
For those totally new to this kind of stuff, a pedalboard can literally be a plank of wood you line your individual effects pedals (sometimes referred to as 'stompboxes') in a particular order. The order or combination of effects you use generate different results.
In the meantime, if you feel you want to start stamping on something for dramatic effect (other than a landmine) I have a suggestion, and it’s the Line6 m5 stompbox modeller. This box has over 100 effects in it, and at about £100 it’s possibly the best value way of practically obtaining that sonic paint palette for experimentation. If you find a sound you like, you can deep dive onto other pedals, but the m5 will always be useful. I have two. This is not a paid presentation, and I’m not endorsed….but Line6, if you’re reading this, I’m listening.
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