Least-loved guitar effects?

[Peter C]

The most abused effect is distortion when used to mask lack of musicality, as it so often is.


Pat Metheny's sighing effect, however processed it may be, really enhances this performance of How Insensitive, IMO.

[Peter C]

BTW, if you hate tremolo, take a listen to Tim Lerch trying out that 12W Fender retro "pawn shop" amp - the Excelsior.

[christianm77]

Man, I love that Ben Monder song (Wichita Lineman). I guess tastes vary.

No I love it. In fact I copied the idea for my own trio. I just feel the echo is a little too much, but that's really being picky. It just jumps out because I've listened to it a LOT.

I think "ambiance" works for some people. Monder frequently plays a pretty overdriven Fripp-like tone on his more single-note and arpeggiated stuff (Hydra for instance).

Although I must say Monder's tone is not my favourite thing about him - Hydra for instance. His sound on the Bowie album is really good though...

[Cunamara]

Yeah when it comes to Metheny it's all about the early stuff for me. It all turns into processed cheese in the '80s.

For a lot of people it's the exact opposite. An that has sustained him as possibly the most popular jazz artist in the world.

For me "Offramp" is the dividing line. But listen to his duet record with Jim Hall and Pat sounds pretty good there again, apparently not using so much of his usual rig.

[Cunamara]

The dampening effect of closed minds is the killer for me

Hey, I resemble that remark!

[christianm77]

For a lot of people it's the exact opposite. An that has sustained him as possibly the most popular jazz artist in the world.

Good for them.

For me "Offramp" is the dividing line. But listen to his duet record with Jim Hall and Pat sounds pretty good there again, apparently not using so much of his usual rig.

Pat is always a badass. I'm not a huge fan of his live tone and his 80s PMG stuff isn't my cup of tea, but I'll always give him respect for being one of the baddest cats around.

I went to see him live, and the best bit was when he was playing duo with Antonio Sanchez, AMAZING.... Everything else I found a bit dull. I just wanted to hear him wail on some jazz tunes. But I'm not a 'normal listener.' I'd like to catch his group with Gwylim and Linda Oh, but harder to get tickets....

[pkirk]

Autowah--if this went, the entire jam band industry would implode. Too many offenders to name, but it seemed to start with the Grateful Dead's Shakedown Street.

I guess my particular pet peeve is jam bands, who seem to think effects like autowah trigger a mystical portal into a hallucinogenic paradise. I want to say, throw away the pedals and play.

Hey DJ,


I really dig the autowah. This guy uses it pretty successfully:

I'm not real familiar with the jam band thing, although I know Fareed Haque does some of it, and he's a monster with the autowah.

It's also an interesting practice tool, you can use it to work on playing single notes at even volume.

It also gives a real good approximation to a steel drum sound in the guitar. I tend to use it when someone calls a calypso. At the risk of making you hate it even more, here's an old take of mine on st thomas where I turned on the autowah. I don't use it much, but that's what a multi-FX pedal is good for.

SoundClick artist: Paul Kirk - page with MP3 music downloads



My least loved effect is the tone control knob on a guitar: namely when it is turned all the way down. give me chorus, distortion, autowah, anything but the sound of dull thud. (Except when Martino does it of course....)

[pkirk]

As far as wahwah in the most traditional jazz guitar setting, here's what it sounds like when two masters try it

I've had this recording forever (on vinyl) and I'm still not sure what I think of it.

[Meggy]

I like all the effects pretty much, or at least I like having the option to use them. I'd say to me, with any effect or combination of them, the guitar becomes a different instrument, or rather that the instrument then is the guitar and effects combination. So one has to play in a manner appropriate to the new instrument/sound. Yes you lose something of the natural guitar sound, but you also gain something else. I suppose put another way I'm just agreeing with the comments saying effects can be good if used with intelligence.

If there is an effect I dislike, it's certain kinds of high gain distortion sounds, where there is all this kind of "hair" around the notes like a load of white noise, somewhat piercing treble, and an ugly "crrrrrrrrh" kind of attack to the notes. I hear some of the top-regarded virtuoso rock guitarists using this kind of tone, and they obviously don't hear it in the way I do. But that's mentioning no names (coughpaulgilbertcough).

[destinytot]

Hey Destinytot,

What wah pedal did you buy?
I'm also curious what else is on your pedalboard. . . .

So far mine is Digitech Polara Reverb, Boss Wazacraft DM-2W Delay, Fulltone Fulldrive 3, Fulltone Plimsoul.
All housed in a Pedaltrane nano case. I'm having fun with it!

I think it is coming along nicely

The cheapest Harley-Benton wah (by Thomann). It's set up now, and I'm going to play in a moment. I'll get someone to make a quick video at the end of the night.

[Longways to Go]

Playing jazz chords really limits the amount of distortion that sounds good IMO.
I guess that's why power chords work well for hard rock . . .

On the topic of Wah Wah, I just took the plunge on a Real McCoy RMC4 Picture Wah.
Used my Musician's Friend 20% coupon so $188 looks like a good deal.
By all accounts, it looks like it will be fantastic.
Of course there is the question of whether or not I can make good sounds with it, but it should be fun trying!

[christianm77]

Playing jazz chords really limits the amount of distortion that sounds good IMO.
I guess that's why power chords work well for hard rock . . .

On the topic of Wah Wah, I just took the plunge on a Real McCoy RMC4 Picture Wah.
Used my Musician's Friend 20% coupon so $188 looks like a good deal.
By all accounts, it looks like it will be fantastic.
Of course there is the question of whether or not I can make good sounds with it, but it should be fun trying!

I dunno a lot of this modern Djent stuff seems to involve complex chords with lots of drive.

[lawson-stone]

It's literally a talk box




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

EEWWW... anything involving clear rubber tubing I want to be FAAAARRRR away.

[lawson-stone]

Is it seriously possible in such a thread not to here prominently mentioned the universally reviled POLYTONE DISTORTION?

But something require to be HEARD to be BELIEVED.

Listen, and Believe!

[blille]

EEWWW... anything involving clear rubber tubing I want to be FAAAARRRR away.

Don't worry, it's only clear the first time you use it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[christianm77]

Is it seriously possible in such a thread not to here prominently mentioned the universally reviled POLYTONE DISTORTION?

But something require to be HEARD to be BELIEVED.

Listen, and Believe!

Hahahahahaha I love it. You are internet winner!

[vernon]

What a wonderfully entertaining thread!! Love it!!!

Regarding efx... if done musically with some taste, I can enjoy most of them. I'll just mention two issues. If the chorusing seriously obscures the pitch center it gets me crazy fast. Other than that, the only efx that I reject out of hand is the dreaded UNIVIBE. I hate that one... I mean, most of us aren't taking copious amounts of hallucinogenic drugs any more.... are we?

[pkirk]

If the chorusing seriously obscures the pitch center it gets me crazy fast.

you must hate opera...

[vernon]

Yes, you are correct! Operatic singers with wide vibrato... ouch!!

[lawson-stone]

Yes, you are correct! Operatic singers with wide vibrato... ouch!!

Especially if accompanied by Viking hats and spaghetti strap gowns... RUUNNNNNNN!!!!!

[destinytot]

The cheapest Harley-Benton wah (by Thomann). It's set up now, and I'm going to play in a moment. I'll get someone to make a quick video at the end of the night.

[cosmic gumbo]

Kurt never found a pedal he couldn't love...

[Alder Statesman]

you must hate opera...

Slow that nag down. On account of you I nearly heard the opera: Groucho Marx as Otis P. Driftwood, A Night at the Opera

[Hammertone]

NEVER works properly. I hate it.

[destinytot]

Least loved effect? Any effect that distracts - and detracts - from my experience of the music as a listener.

But as a player, I'm starting to think that the effects I like neither add nor take away, but rather 'amplify' what otherwise would be lost in amplification.

It's something that occurred to me last night while trying out my new toys (which was fun for me, at least), though I haven't thought it through completely.

It also occurred to me that it's better to arrive late to this party than not at all, and that the 'sound' one is crafting is not literal - it's an abstract/figurative one, a 'voice'.

Two things that struck me were, firstly, that - unlike when I tried it out at home - the reverb wasn't noticeable; only the 'presence' was. I ran the reverb through the fx loop of my AER Compact 60, and used Pan to send most of it to my nylon Ovation, which came to life with a sound that surpassed my expectations - intimate yet spacious, quiet and 'quack-free', like flesh on nylon playing at home late at night. (The reverb is a Neunaber Immerse - as with the amp and guitar, other brands exist.)

Secondly, and I think this has to do with a combination of factors (unusual weather, tolerant diners and management, and - mostly - no other musicians to object), letting that figurative 'voice' speak the Truth is as liberating as it is exhilarating.

Least loved effect? The one used without judiciousness. That, and 'sampling' (except, perhaps, sampled sound effects from the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles.)