Do you use any EFFECTS on your Amp?

[69CHARGERMD]

I am "used" to having a little bit of delay, reverb on my amp. I think I am "hooked" on it per se' I like the way it sounds overall.
( i do alot of fingerstyle stuff, eg Chet Atkins, etc )

Without a little "something" on the amp as far as effects goes,,,sounds really dry, and even seems to affect my playing

I am attending a Jazz Workshop at one of the local University's through their school of music.
Meet once a week for a few hours,,,it provides teaching, group playing and improv

Instructor mentioned " hey,,can you lose the reverb on the amp "

It is not over the top effects,,,,,,,but I see his point.

Question
What, if any, effect's do you guys use through your amp or do you use any pedals ?

I attended the Aebersold camp,,,and several of the instructors did performances in a group setting..and had small pedal boards they used,,,,( not sure what they were using )

I just want to "sound" correct, and see what if anything other people "might" use...

thanks

[Bambus123]

I use a TC Electronics HOF pedal for reverb, and recently bought a TC Flashback delay pedal which Im experimenting with, a little goes a long way. I like the sound and in my ears the guitar sounds better with the extra effects

[docbop]

Reverb is nice, but reverb is like drummers.... no drummer is better than a bad drummer.

I started playing guitar in the Surf music era and everything had to be drowning in reverb so guess I'm a recovering reverb-o-holic. I got used to no reverb back when I had a couple Fender tweed amps and go used to the sound. These days if an amp has reverb I'll use a little, if it doesn't and I really want some I have a TC HOF pedal.

Aw two quotes with one post. IMO the important thing to remember.... Using reverb is a like cooking with salt, a little can really make a meal great, but too much will ruin the dish.

[henryrobinett]

I always use effects. To most jazz folk I probably use too much, but I don't care what others may think, unless they're hiring me for studio work or a special gig.

I use a bit of reverb, delay, sometimes a multi delay with four or five delay times and levels. Sometimes I use a bit of compression and eq. I also use some distortion and wilder effects like wah and ring modulator on rarer occasions depending in the gig.

[mr. beaumont]

Depends on my mood or the sound I want/what's appropriate for who I'm playing with.

Right now I love a little verb/delay combo.

[kmaaj]

I have a cool little Ampeg Super Jet from the 90's, it has a nice yet not overbearing reverb that stays on. I do use the trem sometimes, and may use it more since I've recently discovered how drop dead gorgeous Wes Montgomery's use of trem was. The only thing between my guitar and amp at the moment is a very cool little delay pedal called Violetta made by Red Witch. It charges like a cell phone, and I like the sound, concept, and footprint so much that I plan on replacing my TS9 and my Big Muff with the Red Witch equivalents. They can be charged with any decent daisy chain power supply and I can play 15-20 hours before having to recharge. But I'm not using any distortion/gain pedals these days. I use the delay similar to the way Brian Setzer uses echo on the solo version of "Sleepwalk", a few fairly quick and light repeats.

My last amp was a 65' AC30, and Duke Levine talked about how he would jumper the brilliant channel with the normal channel, putting a Holy Grail in between the channels, and adjusting the volumes to taste. I tried that, and -that- is one gorgeous sound. But I HATED tap dancing around that amp's vintage quirks, so I unloaded it.

[jaco]

El Capistan by Strymon is really good with right settings. Subtle delay run stereo seems to really open up the sound with more complex chord voicings

[Petimar]

A small touch of verb works for me.

[AlsoRan]

I always use effects. To most jazz folk I probably use too much, but I don't care what others may think, unless they're hiring me for studio work or a special gig.

I use a bit of reverb, delay, sometimes a multi delay with four or five delay times and levels. Sometimes I use a bit of compression and eq. I also use some distortion and wilder effects like wah and ring modulator on rarer occasions depending in the gig.

Henry,

Seeing as your pedigree goes all the way back to Charles Mingus, was their ever a time that you preferred just a clean guitar tone without pedals? And if so, when and what made you prefer your present signature sound?

Thanks.

By the way, to the OP, when I play traditional Jazz, I prefer the old school tone of guitar with a little reverb. But depending on the genre, I may use delay, reverb, boost, chorus, or some combination of these different effects that are on my different amps.

[henryrobinett]

In my early days I played an Ampeg 2-12 solid state and later a Polytone Mini-Brute I basically played without effects. Sometimes I used a Mu-Tron Multi Phaser and LOL! a Maestro Ring Modulator. Also a Dynacomp. But there was a brief period where I didn't use any pedals.

Btw now I just use an Axe Fx II where the effects are all contained within the unit. Not external pedals. I've always hated a bunch of pedals, just because they were messy and a little too precious for guitar players.

[69CHARGERMD]

Thank you to everyone that posted.
So far, it sounds like most people use a "little bit of something" for effect's...
Reverb seems to be the common thread.

I have a bit of reverb and a touch of delay,,,

Perhaps the instructor didn't dig it too much ?

That's ok, I need to learn to play with various sounds and not let it throw me.

Is the TC HOF something to look into ? several people mentioned it ..... ( is it just a reverb peddle ? )

I put a quick link,,you can hear the effect's,,,, too much ?

forgive the playing,,,i have been learning jazz just over a year now...

thanks

Doug

[kmaaj]

The HOF is a programmable reverb pedal by TC Electronics, reasonably priced and very versatile, you can store and change reverb types with an iPhone. In theory it was cool, but I just could not find a preset that I cared for. My ears prefer the sound of a Holy Grail. I don't think either beats a good spring.

Whatever the source of your delay/reverb, it can be dialed back. When you get to playing with others, how wet the signal will affect the tightness of the whole. I would not hesitate to use the sound you have for a ballad with sparse accompaniment, but I'd dial it back or turn it off for spunky tunes.

[Cunamara]

Most often the reverb isn't necessary because the room provides it and having the amp provide it is too much; you may not be able to hear it from where you are sitting. In rooms that have little natural reverb, like my living room, it adds some liveliness to my sound. One of the amps I use the most, a 5E3 clone, doesn't have any reverb at all. I don't use pedals more than a couple of times I year as I find they always adversely affect the dry tone (even, perhaps especially, the "true bypass" pedals which are still tone suckers). With a good buffer that would be diminished, but I've yet to find a buffer I like the sound of.

[cosmic gumbo]

I won't own an amp without a usable reverb on it. You only need a bit, except for when you're getting your Dick Dale on.

[Para]

I use just a little reverb, your sound is to much for my taste, but that is just my opinion, you have a modern sounding jazz tone.

[KEOKI]

I feel effects should be tailored to what you are doing and what you are doing it with. Having said that your amp should be capable of providing what you are looking for without effects. That, for me, is a pleasing, complex, and dynamic (in the sense of reacting to your inputs with the guitar) sound. Quilter MP's do this magnificently and the on board verb is there to be used as needed.

[henryrobinett]

I've always looked for guitar tones a little more forward looking than the traditional dark, almost monotone dry tone associated with jazz guitar since the 40s. On most earlier recordings the mixing/mastering engineer has applied an opto compressor like at LA2A and limited the crap out of it, because the guitar's spikey transients can poke you right in the eye.

[pubylakeg]

Personally, I echo (pun fully intended) Cunamara's comments above. I don't use reverb as I feel every room has it's own natural reverb, and I try to accept that. I'm also not too keen if a sound engineer adds it on the mics for brass/winds, as, to me, it's artificial. I prefer to hear the groups sound integrated as a whole unit. It's worth remembering that Jazz has really developed as an acoustic music form, at least up until the fusion era. Some non-guitarists can find amplification very obtrusive.

There is also the consideration of compatibility. I've seen a group play a typical hard bop set, with an electric guitarist using the modern Jazz, chorus/delay and that soft distortion on the peaks sound, playing Metheny licks. It just sounded wrong to me.

[Pat Clare]

I havn't used effects for quite a while. I prefer to use dynamics,pharsing, articulation and technique to get my sound.
I don't have anything against pedals or players who use them though. I practice most times without an amp and try to contour my amps tone and response to how my guitar sounds accousticlly.

[grahambop]

I put a quick link,,you can hear the effect's,,,, too much ?

Doug

Hi Doug, personally I think that's WAY too much reverb you've used there! I think reverb is great, but it must be used very sparingly, just enough to enhance the sound.

For example, check out this solo clip I did - there is reverb added here. It was enough to 'warm up' the sound (which was originally rather dry), but it's not too obvious.

My 'rule of thumb' is to add the reverb just to the point where I can hear it as an 'effect' which has been added, then dial it back a bit.

[mr. beaumont]

I think it's too much reverb for the type of playing he's going after...it seems out of place.

I'm hestitant to say that it would ALWAYS be too much reverb.

[EightString]

For jazz, I typically use a very light compression and a touch of reverb. Not enough verb that you really notice it, but enough to "warm up" the sound.

The compressor is cool the way I have it set because it preserves my overall dynamics, but subtly pulls chord work back a hair in the mix with the rest of the instruments, but pushes single note solo lines out front a just bit, all without having to futz with my volume knob.

[acoustictones]

I go through phases of wanting a nice clean tone with a touch of reverb that is almost not noticeable (that's most days at this point), and then some days I'll need just a bit of dirt or break up for that John Scofield or Larry Carlton edge. The only other effects that I ever really use, but pretty close to never, is an octave pedal and/or very suttle auto-wah when the Jazz is just getting a little funky 😜

[JGL]

The TC Electronics Flashback is an awesome delay pedal. I have a Boss digital delay that's good when running a longer chain of effects. Most of the time it gathers dust ad I rely on an Ibanez analog delay. My amp is a little bright and the analog really fattens up the tone overall.

[JGL]

Love the GraHamBop clip. Great sound.