From left to right: Digitech Digidelay, Boss Phase Shifter, Ibanez Lo-Fi filter, Boss Super Chorus, Digitech Hardwire Valve Distortion.
Digidelay:
This pedal is a newcomer to my arsenal. I had previously purchased a Boss DD3, but something about it just sounded far too digital to my ears. I know, duh, right? A digital delay sounding too digital? HURR I WOULD HAVE NEVAR GUESSED.
Anyway, I was introduced to this pedal by Andy, the bass player for Frozen Idols. He had one that I borrowed for the recording of Lies during the Such Promising Things sessions. I liked it, and once I had moved to Indiana, I found this pedal used at Guitar Center for $49. Score.
Used on: Lies, Menthol Memories, When It Rains, Burning Leaves.
Phase Shifter:
Back in high school, I had purchased a Digitech Hyper Phase pedal. Now, it wasn't anything spectacular, but it did have a feature called Step Phase that I thought was really neat, even if it didn't have a whole lot of applications. It was still a pretty kickin' sound. So when it came time for me to buy another phaser, I specifically looked for one with the step mode. This Boss pedal was the only one I found.
This pedal has received the least use out of all of them, appearing on only two songs. It's a great sounding phaser, but I think it's better to use it sparingly. I used it to get that really shimmery, watery guitar tone on The Music of Erich Zann
Used on: Lies, The Music of Erich Zann
Lo-Fi Filter:
The newest addition to my collection, I picked this little gem up at Spotts Music Center while I was back to visit friends in DuBois PA. The original price was $49.99, but I worked them down to $25. Worth every penny. With this pedal, you can achieve all sorts of neat effects. Plug a mic into it, and you can get that classic over-the-telephone sound. With the right settings, it will make the instrument plugged into it sound like it's being broadcast over AM radio. Technically it's a distortion pedal, and it can generate some righteous fuzz tones. So far this little guy has only appeared on one track. It's an effect that can wear out its welcome really quickly if you overuse it, but if you save it for those moments where it'll be just right, it packs quite a punch.
Used on: Menthol Memories
Super Chorus:
This little blue box is my secret weapon. Out of all of my pedals, it gets used the most. Generally, I keep it on a subtle setting, kick it on, and just leave it that way for all of my songs. It thickens up my sound on chords and adds a subtle shimmer to single note runs and arpeggios. On certain songs, like The Chronophage and Modern Machinery, I use a more dramatic chorus effect where you can definitely notice it, but on all three Frozen Idols albums, this effect is employed on nearly every song that features electric guitar.
This is actually my second Super Chorus. The first one was a champ, until I connected it to the wrong power supply. From then on, it would emit this high pitched buzz or squeal when it was in the signal chain, even if it wasn't turned on. However, I was impressed with the unit so much that I replaced it with the same one. If anything happens to this one, I'll be buying another Boss chorus.
Used on: Practically everything I've recorded since 2009.
Valve Distortion:
This was the first pedal I bought when I got back into playing guitar. It has two modes; crunch, a lighter overdrive, and saturated, a heavier distortion that does everything but modern metal. The crunch setting is the one I use most, though when recording Cittágazze I used the saturated mode. Both settings offer a great distorted tone that compliments my amp very well, as well as all of my guitars. The thing I like most about it is that it really does handle tube dynamics very well for a solid state pedal- Lighten up on your attack, and the sound cleans up. Dig in, and you've got nice raunchy distortion. Paired with a tube amp, this is about as good as it gets.
My only complaint with this pedal is after I started using the power supply for 3 or 4 months, it no longer works with battery power, even when I put a brand new battery in it. Works perfectly when it's plugged in though, so it's not really a big deal.
Used on: Just about all of my electric guitar tracks with any amount of distortion.
There are a few other pedals I would like to add to my collection, but not too many. Namely, I want an Electro-Harmonix Polyphonic Octave Generator, some kind of tremolo pedal, and some kind of guitar synth, either a Line 6 Filter Modeler, or the Electro Harmonix HOG.
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