Guitar Nerds Anonymous

What does she like playing? Does she have anything already?

Without know what she likes to play I’d say a looper pedal offers a lot of fun if not one of the Joyo ‘King of’ series look excellent value for tone seekers.

Just an update on the amp disaster. Replaced the 15" speaker and everything worked great.

Then fried my other, nice, 'new' amp at the weekend by plugging the DI-out into a desk running phantom power 🙄

FML

I should not be allowed near audio gear

She likes playing indie and 90s stuff. She would like something with fuzz/distortion I think

Big Muff!

Second vote for a big muff. Then a chorus of some kind

What's your budget? I would go with a little multi effects unit so she can try everything out.

The Zoom Multistomps are great, the MS-50G has all the overdrive/distortion/fuzz effects on it which the MS70-CDR doesn't. You can download extra sounds from the Zoom website and delete/load whatever you like. Only issue with these pedals is there's only one footswitch but you can chain effects, can't remember how many you can use at once. These are perfect budget shoegaze pedals!

Or the Joyo Tone Chain? That'll probably be easier to use for a young person. Or a bunch of budget mini pedals (Donner?) on a cheap board?

Merry Christmas, what a lucky kid! 🤩

2 Attachments

She would like something with fuzz/distortion I think

For me, there’s only one!

If you’ve got an idea of the bands she likes (and depending on how far down a rabbit hole you want to go) you could look some guitarists of the bands on Equipboard. Then could check out Andertons/Gear4Music/Thomann for their entry level offerings of the effects that show up to make a bit of a pedal board?

Pat's back

https://youtu.be/jeJXF55HXRI

thanks all, lots to think about...

Seconded on the multi-effects thing. I picked up a Zoom one a while ago and had hours of fun pissing about with it.

Bought my youngest a Mooer multi-effects pedal for Christmas last year and that was great fun too - plenty of presets that sound like stuff you've heard, customisable, loop function, several drum pattern backing tracks, metronome, etc. For less than £100.

Also a big fan of the Zoom Multi-FX stuff. Got their G1x-Four & G3Xn (whoever came up with the naming convention needs to be taken out back and shot...) and they're awesome. Especially considering the cost.

The limitation on 5/7 effects on the two units can be a bit constraining if you're also using amp & cabinet sims (I generally don't), but aside from that they're excellent.

I’m going to go against the grain and echo @rodan’s suggestion of a Rat. Many of those multi fx are guitar toys that most players will end up outgrowing or never get excited anout.

I had thought about a Zoom 505 when I was a teenager but couldn’t be happier I didn’t. I bought good pedals little by little and 90% of them I still own, play and love 20 years on.

If budget allows the T Rex Mudhoney II is an absolute cracking pedal, quite Rat like but with two presets effectively, ranging from crunchy OD to fuzzed out distortion. They go for under 100 second hand. I love my big box Vintage Rat but the lower gain is harder to nail as it’s all bunched up in the first step or two of the dial (Rats are awesome at low gain!); the Mudhoney is so versatile and covers a similar ground sonically and the switchable preset make it two pedals in one effectively.

Edit: scrap that, the Mudhoney II is a hair below 100 new! Most guitarists could use owning one for that much...!

thanks - I'm not going to get a multi-effect one as I don't think that will suit her - she will just want to plug and play. So maybe Rat or the Mudhoney. Thanks all

all this pedal chat has reminded me I have a couple of Jed's Peds kits I've never opened... must get on with that

In that case I would recommend a cheap Zoom MS70CDR for all the other effects, she can just toggle through them to her heart's content. Mine only cost me AU$50, peanuts.

Worth it just for the reverse reverb and the (very nice!) univibe.

Continuing the Rat chat, I personally find them to be not very musical. But the whole world disagrees with me! 😋

Same - I've got a few of them on the go. I stalled on building them after last christmas when I first decided I had to make a new pedal board for them to go on..

Was just half-watching the Steve Hackett Rig Rundown, not that interesting until he started playing through a Boss PS6 Harmonist. Wow, instant Brian May fun!

Now on the lookout for one. Should probably check if my Zoom pedal has that in there somewhere.

Agee- simpler / fewer knobs = better = need more pedals + tastefully sized pedal board = look super cool. If she's into wet leg - they use the earthquaker devices Hoof II. A lot of chorus/vibrato on modern indie (phoebe bridgers / madison cunningham et al) so maybe something of that ilk for some modulation and an interesting clean. EH neo clone is a one switch one knob option that looks the biz.

The absolute worst aspect of guitar pedal browsing is coming across Sweetwater videos with Don Carr.

Yeah, but you’re equally likely to find Andy Martin, so all good.

I've got the Hudson Broadcast PCB staring at me and a half done Box of Rocks waiting for pots, but also have a half gutted 1950s radio which I'm turning into a silverface Champ... Too many projects, too little time!

There’s a Bakelite radio at my mums somewhere that I won’t let her throw out, really want to make that a little practice amp. And a vox jaguar that needs repairing, but that’s a whole thread of its own

I've only just learned to solder, from pursuing a new hobby of Tamiya RC cars, and was looking for a new soldering/electrical project, so those Jeds's Peds kits seem ideal!

Thanks!