A lot of the times, we buy things based on reviews. That includes not only guitars, but also cars, kitchenware, clothings, shoes, etc. Reviews are a helpful way to get an idea of how popular a product is, which most of the time means that thing is good enough for most people. Note: most. A product might work well for a great portion of the consumer, but that doesn't mean that you need it. That doesn't mean it'll work equally well for your application. I run into a lot of customers like this, buying loads of gear and then realise in only a matter of months that they don't need these things at all, or they're not suitable for their applications. This entry serves as both a reminder and a guide to all potential buyers out there, to think it through the right way, before you pull the trigger on any gear.
First off, what makes you not satisfied with your current rig? Many many times, people tell me they need a certain piece of gear, whether it be a Tube Screamer, a Boss distortion pedal, a new set of pickup, or even a new amp. I would almost always reply, "Well, what's making you not satisfied with your current sound?" Most customers can't name a proper or plausible reason for that possible purchase. If you can't put a finger on what you don't like about your tone/rig, you need to tuck that cash back into your wallet, go back home. And I'm not even joking! Sit in front of the rig, twiddle around with your settings, twist a few knobs. Answer yourself honestly, do you really need that piece of gear? Or was it that glowing review you read/heard/watched earlier made you want to own that piece of gear?
Lets move on to the main issue that I have put forward. Troubleshooting. Or in other words, what is the problem that you wish to rectify (no Mesa/Boogie pun intended) in your sound? Is the bass too flubby? Is the treble too piercing? Is the sound too dry? Not enough gain in the drive channel? The are many factors that can cause your tone to be unpleasant, or at least not appealing to your ears. Pigeonholing the problems is a common mistake that many people have done, myself included. Thinking that a problem can be solved by a pedal or two, we've all been there. Changing pickups because they don't sound "heavy" enough, hmmm.... Starting from the wrong spots will dig ourselves deeper into frustration and confusion.
List out everything about your tone that you're not happy with. Go into deep details of what's bugging you. Then only, the problems can be identified and the ideal solutions found, by looking at the big picture. A great starting point would be to reduce signal length to only guitar-to-amp. When you go guitar-shopping, this is how you try your guitars, straight into the amp. That's how a guitar or amp sound can be heard and judged. If the guitar and the amp don't compliment each other well, they're not going to cut it. If the pickup doesn't pair well with the guitar, they're not going to cut it. If the pickup doesn't work for your applications, for instance, having a set of vintage single coils in a Strat, but your band plays 80's rock, they're not going to cut it. If the amp doesn't work well for your applications, for example, having a JCM800 onboard, but your band plays funk, that won't go well either.
Only when the tone foundations are rightfully matched, great tone is achieved. Once the pairing is sorted, you are now happy with Phase 1 of your rig. You can then decide, whether or not to add Phase 2, which means pedals, into the equation.
Pedals are useful tools for working musicians and hobbyists alike. But if the pedal is not serving it's purpose on the board, why is it there? A lot of the times, people have some amazing tube amplifiers, and they kick back the gain, use a pedal to bring it back up. Quoting Joe Bonamassa's words, that's like using these tube amps as power amps only. As cliched as it sounds, a tube amp only sounds great when cranked. If you can help it, get an amp with channel-switching that can be operated with a footswitch. If you're playing through single-channel amplifiers, play with the volume knob for cleans.
Or, get a 2nd amp that works well for cleans and use an ABY pedal to switch between or use both.
If all the above are not options that you can consider, whether it be portability or financial issues, get an amp that works great for clean tones. That's your soundbed. Get a preamp pedal like those made by AMT, Tech21, etc. and kick 'em in when you need your dirt. They'll still sound sufficiently great. Unless you're going for a fuzz pedal, I personally don't recommend any distortion pedals not voiced to be like an amp sound. Amp-type distortions retain that organic amp sound, whereas a pedal distortion would have a distinct "pedal" sound, that might or might not be pleasant. Some are tolerable to me, like the Marshall Shredmaster, the new Jackhammer, Pro Co Rat, Suhr Riot, since they're all still based on the distortion of some amps. But just my personal opinion, I'll never catch myself buying a Boss DS-1, MT-2, Digitech Grunge, Metal Muff, that kind of distortion pedal. They just have a distinct "pedal" edge to them that I don't like.
If your amp has an amazing overdriven sound, get a transparent-sounding boost/overdrive pedal instead. Things like BB Preamps or OCDs will shine in rigs like this. set your amp gain to slight breakup, so that you can control your gain by just controlling your strumming technique. Pick light to clean up, pick hard to saturate. Unless your band plays funk, you can use that for your clean sound, and then kick in the boost/overdrive for your dirty sound. This way you'll have a wide tonal palette to play with, with all shades of gain in between easily accessed just by hitting the strings harder or lighter. A very dynamic, toneful sound is the pinnacle of guitar-playing. If you're not into that kind of stuff, clearly you are no tone snob. Not saying that's a bad thing though, but of course, having a responsive tone is way better than a flat, inert tone.
My own setup/tone has always come from the simplest, no-frills rig that involves only one or no pedal at all. Not because pedals sound bad to me, but because amps sound great to me, especially when you're letting them do all their job. That is my ideal rig to me. Some people might need pedals, but hey, if it's necessary, in that the existence/absence of the pedal may make or break your rig, try before you buy. Try to nail or get close to "that" sound without that pedal first, then only make the purchase. Not purchasing doesn't mean you're saving money. It means you've made the right choices for your rig, and there is no need to add anything more to it at the moment. It's perfect for the time being. If you did buy a pedal and it has improved your tone, you've made the right choices for your rig by adding an essential ingredient to complete your rig. Simple, huh?
That's all for this post, folks!
