fender bandmaster reverb head
The first digital multi effects pedal that I became familiar with was the old Digitech RP1. Very few dared to play live with these alone without a guitar amp. They had the proper settings for different power amps but the sound was not very exciting.
That left many of us tainted, but in the last few years I’ve seen many performances, mainly at bars, where multi-effects pedals are connected straight to a PA without a guitar amplifier. And the sound was actually very good in my opinion.
Of my experiences these are my top 3:
The Vox Tonelab LE at a 25th anniversary party for ‘Appetite For Destruction’. This pedal in my opinion is the fattest sounding connected to a PA, even though it might not be the most versatile.
The Digitech RP1000 used by a friend of mine in a punk rock band. When Digitech came out with the DNA chips my interest in this brand was rekindled. I had completely lost faith with the RP series but this pedal has impressed me more than once.
The Boss GT8 used by a cover band in a bar. The sound of Boss GT Multi-effects straight to PA’s is not my favorite, but this guitar player surprised me by carefully using EQ and setting suitable presets for every song.
To play live with a multi-effects pedal you just have to set the right output for each of these 3 possibilities:
Plugging it in to the front of an amplifier, “No Amp or Cab Emulation Should be used”.
Plugging into the power amp of a guitar head or combo, “No Cab Emulation Should be used”.
Plugging straight to a mixer in a PA or a powered monitor, “Cab Emulation Should be used”.
An affordable ways to play live with a multi-effects pedal and have plenty of volume is with a live powered monitor.
Vintage Silverface Fender Bandmaster Reverb TFL5005D Amp Head Demo Michael Jackson
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