Most common pedals used in Jazz?

**skykomishone** · 05-20-2021, 12:47 PM

Besides a reverb pedal, what would be considered 'common' pedals that you'd expect to see a jazz player using these days? I'm not a pedal guy, but am often curious about this. I have several amps that don't have reverb, so one of those makes very practical sense for me. I'm curious what others think about this. I know there are a zillion of them out there, but I would expect only a few would be on the jazz players list.

Please forgive me if this question sounds like I might be somewhat vintage, stupid, or if this subject has already been addressed somewhere else on the forum. Maybe even narrow it a bit, like skip loopers, reverb, effects processors like Boss GT-001, Acoustic Imaging and D.I..
Thanks, Steve

**BenVir97** · 05-20-2021, 01:06 PM

Well delay is pretty commonly used, in a tasteful manner, along with reverbs. I'd say thats the basic jazz setup, if you dont want the dry sound of the guitar plugged straight into the amp.
Kurt Rosenwinkel uses the POG, and HOG pedals, with various distortion pedals. I also associate Rotem Sivan with the organ-like sound of the POG.
Gilad Hekselman is famous for using the Boss OC3 superoctave. I've seen Freeze pedals around quite a lot as well.
Mike Moreno always uses a preamp pedal.
The 80's was the drunken wobbly chorus sound á la John Scofield/Metheny
But you name it man - eq pedals, overdrive, compressor, volume pedal, tremolo etc. These days anything goes, and boy, it sure does!

**marcwhy** · 05-20-2021, 01:13 PM

Recent thread on this; lots of great ideas.

**gitman** · 05-20-2021, 01:50 PM

There are too many very useful und toneful preamp/eq / low overdrive pedals out there - a few trips to a well-stocked store will enlighten you !

**Litterick** · 05-20-2021, 03:14 PM

That way madness lies.

**Fred Archtop** · 05-20-2021, 03:15 PM

Hi-hat pedal?

**Rob MacKillop** · 05-20-2021, 03:17 PM

Dominant pedal?

If no enterprising company has brought out a "Tonic Pedal" and a "Dominant Pedal", I reserve all rights to the names here and now, with witnesses

**omphalopsychos** · 05-20-2021, 03:53 PM

I want a pedal that makes it sound like i'm plugged straight into the amp.

**citizenk74** · 05-20-2021, 04:15 PM

P.ractice E.very D.ay A.rduously L.isten

**ruger9** · 05-20-2021, 05:12 PM

Yeah, it's not a pedal, but a rack unit, that is the core of Mike Stern's sound. Sounds like a doubler/de-tune/chorus to me, but he thinks it's makes a solid body sound more like an arch top (???- maybe on whatever he was taking back then, LOL)

Yamaha SPX-90

**JaxJaxon** · 05-20-2021, 08:19 PM

A compressor. A EQ. Plate,room,hall reverb.

**Cunamara** · 05-20-2021, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by omphalopsychos

I want a pedal that makes it sound like i'm plugged straight into the amp.

Otherwise you're stuck with pedal tones.

**Ray175** · 05-21-2021, 05:30 AM

Most of the time the only pedal I use for jazz is a Fender Tre-Verb because the tc electronics BAM200 amp has no reverb. The plate setting gives me the best reverb I’ve ever used. Otherwise it would be the TMDR with no pedals engaged, using the on-board reverb which is much better since the software update.
If I were to play out again (I wish.....) I would take the MXR 6-band EQ off my pedalboard and adjust overall sound to the venue’s acoustics - easier to do when you play wireless because all I need to do is walk around the hall and listen...
On rare occasions when playing 100% solo I’ve added a minuscule amount of chorus to thicken up the sound.

**Groyniad** · 05-21-2021, 05:38 AM

I don't know what a pedal is and I'm a jazz guitarist

**mr. beaumont** · 05-21-2021, 09:09 AM

I love preamp pedals...then I can sound similar in pretty much any environment, any amp.

**ruger9** · 05-21-2021, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I love preamp pedals...then I can sound similar in pretty much any environment, any amp.

Agree... I would place them more in the "amp" category, because they are tone "generators" instead of [pedal] "effects" (like chorus, etc)

**Doctor Jeff** · 05-21-2021, 09:48 AM

Anybody have any thoughts about the Fender '65 reverb pedal? This seems like it would fit in well with traditional jazz sounds. Too bad they don't make it anymore, but easy to find used.

How about the Joyo American sound?

I would be running these through a SS amp--Fishman Artist.

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I love preamp pedals...then I can sound similar in pretty much any environment, any amp.

What's your choice of pedals?

**ruger9** · 05-21-2021, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

Anybody have any thoughts about the Fender '65 reverb pedal? This seems like it would fit in well with traditional jazz sounds. Too bad they don't make it anymore, but easy to find used.
How about the Joyo American sound?
I would be running these through a SS amp--Fishman Artist.
What's your choice of pedals?

I didn't like either at all. But back when I had the '65, I wasn't trying to get jazz sounds with it. The Joyo was just awful, I know it has it's fans here, but I hated it. JMHO, but if your amp- by itself- isn't giving you what you want (and I assume this means it's voicing), you should be looking at an EQ pedal maybe? A preamp pedals like the Joyo is also an option, if it works for you.

check out this thread:

Stomp boxes that enhance a traditional jazz sound?

**Doctor Jeff** · 05-21-2021, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by ruger9

I didn't like either at all. But back when I had the '65, I wasn't trying to get jazz sounds with it. The Joyo was just awful, I know it has it's fans here, but I hated it. JMHO, but if your amp- by itself- isn't giving you what you want (and I assume this means it's voicing), you should be looking at an EQ pedal maybe? A preamp pedals like the Joyo is also an option, if it works for you.

check out this thread:

Stomp boxes that enhance a traditional jazz sound?

For some reason, when someone says something is "just awful" it makes me want to try it LOL.

Well the price of the Joyo is certainly right. I wouldn't want to spend $200 to make my acoustic amp sound like a tube amp, cause I've got a tube amp for that. (Which cost about $200...)

**gitman** · 05-21-2021, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I love preamp pedals...then I can sound similar in pretty much any environment, any amp.

..... as long as you always carry your own speakercab/
+ poweramp.

**ruger9** · 05-21-2021, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by gitman

..... as long as you always carry your own speakercab/
+ poweramp.

Part of the idea is that you could be playing through a backline amp... IDK how common that is anymore these days on small "jazz" gigs...

**mr. beaumont** · 05-21-2021, 11:11 AM

Yeah, I use a Tech 21 Blonde.

The idea is basically consistency. Sometimes I'll have my good amp, sometimes a small amp, sometimes someone else's amp...but with the Blonde i can get in the same ballpark through pretty much anything.

Mind you, im different than a lot of players...I don't chase an exact tone, I just focus on sounding good in the room I'm in at the moment.

**ruger9** · 05-21-2021, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Mind you, im different than a lot of players...I don't chase an exact tone, I just focus on sounding good in the room I'm in at the moment.

That's where I'm at as well... I always get close, I always "sound like me". I still love buying and trying, but I'm no longer "chasing" an "exact" tone I have in my head.... lots of great tones to be had out there.... I just always search for *A* tone I enjoy playing.

**Tal_175** · 05-21-2021, 01:04 PM

There is something sweet about the combination of a blackface type amp and a tube screamer type pedal. TS tames the bass, brings out the mids a bit, adds a bit of compression and grit with the gain very low.

**bluejaybill** · 05-21-2021, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Tal_175

There is something sweet about the combination of blackface type amp and tube screamer type pedal. TS tames the bass, brings out the mids a bit, adds a bit of compression and grit with the gain very low.

Yes, many of us have blackface style amps, which tend to be mid-scooped, especially the smaller ones which lack a mid control.

In my case I also have a rather bright jazz guitar.

Several pedals help me get the fuller jazz sound that I'm looking for. I have a GE7 graphic which I've mentioned before is modified by Analogman with higher grade parts for a cleaner sound.

A King of Tone, which is a Bluesbreaker variant, in boost mode does it nicely as well but differently. Julian Lage used a similar Morning Glory pedal for this.

And a Klon style pedal at low boost levels does something nice like this as well, again slightly different EQ.

I was experimenting with all three yesterday, not sure yet which I will use most consistently but I suspect the EQ pedal.

TS pedals can work with this as well, but some models are too nasally/honky for this application. Both the KOT and the Klon styles are a bit flatter. IMHO, YMMV etc.