Several years ago I started making an “affordaboard.” Yes, I stole the name from guys like 60 Cycle Hum. What that is is a pedal board that has budget pedals on it. The board I made up had a looper on it that I paid $100 for and it was more expensive than all the rest of the pedals combined. At this point, about all I remember is that all the other pedals were about the cheapest I could find on Amazon or Reverb at the time. In addition to that looper, there was a reverb, a vibe, a D-type drive, a TS-type drive, a BB-type drive, and a tuner. I had 7 mini pedals on the board. I remember that the D-type was the most expensive of the rest of the pedals, and it was $28. And I had them all on a pretty affordable rail-type board that I found on Amazon.
That board morphed and changed as I would see something else cheap that caught my eye. By the time I realized the board had completely changed and was no longer an affordaboard, the only pedals left from that original board were the D-type (because I totally dig it!), the reverb (because, to me, reverb is reverb), and the looper (which really didn’t count as an afforda-pedal).
Neeways, a couple weekends ago I swapped out a couple of the last two affordable pedals for ones that don’t necessarily fit that bill. Here’s what it is now.
I run the guitar into one of those pink Nux Flow tuners. I like the pedal. I got it because it’s pink, and I like pink. It’s pretty easy to see although I’ve never had to use it in bright sun to test it. It seems pretty accurate. It’s a good tuner.
That runs into a Tube Screamer Mini. I use it because it’s not a full size pedal. It has a TS808 sound. I think there’s something slightly different about the sound of a TS9 that I actually like better. But, by and large, a TS pedal sounds like a TS. Put me in a room where a band is playing, and I know I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in the the types.
The next pedal is a Wampler Germanium Tumnus. It’s a klone. I happened to see it on their website the day it was released and get one. Apparently, when they released it, it was an in-demand pedal, and they sold out. The fact that I got one was pretty much an accident. I, also, have a regular Tumnus. When I got it, I tested them side by side, and, honestly, they sound the same to me. The Germanium is on my board though because I got it dialed in and really like how it sounded. So it went on the board.
Behind that one is the only pedal that survived the affordaboard. It’s a Nux Steel Singer, a D-type pedal. When I bought this pedal, I didn’t really think I was going to like it, but I was curious how it would sound when I bought it. I totally dig it! Because of it, I’ve continued to pick up and test D-type pedals. My opinion on them changed because of this pedal, and I really like the ones I have (the Warm Audio Warmdrive is a standout). It’s an always-on pedal for me. I have this one set to some very light drive. I mostly like the way it kind of colors my sound. Best $28 I’ve spent on gear in a long time.
Those three drive pedals go into an MXR Carbon Copy Mini. I’ve got it set for some slapback. I’m not a big user of delay, but, when I do, slapback is usually where I end up. I added it just to kind of round the board out with all the basics.
That delay goes into a Keely Verb o Trem. My #1 fave effect in the world is a good vibe or rotary emulator. I know those two aren’t the same, but they’re about equal in my mind. Other than that D-type, the last pedal from the affordaboard was the reverb. On the opposite end of the board, I had a Lovepedal Pickle Vibe. It was a great sounding vibe! The reason I pulled it off was because I wanted to add the delay, and I didn’t have room to add it without removing it. As an alternative, I pulled the Pickle and the reverb, and added the delay and the Keely. The trem side of the Keely isn’t a vibe, but it gets half way there. And, since it has the reverb on it too, it allowed me to pull two pedals and add three…in a round about sort of way. It, also, isn’t a two-button pedal, so to use one effect and not the other, you have to reach down and turn the side down you don’t want. But it was kind of a compromise that worked for me, so I went with it.
Off the actual board, I swapped from the looper I had been using to a JamMan Stereo. I’ve always been a fan of two-button loopers, and this one is waaaaay ahead of the Boss RC-20xl I had been using for years (but not the one I was using with the affordaboard). The JamMan runs into my amp.
It’s all still on that small rail-type board I got off Amazon just because I really like the mounting system (no velcro or zip ties). Oh – and it’s still powered by whatever the affordable power supply was that I found (a Caline or Donner or something – I don’t remember). I’m not even sure if it’s an isolated power supply, but it has never been noisy at all so I’ve stuck with it.
That’s the state of the board today. Not an affordaboard anymore, but it’s one that hits all the things it needs for my playing.
