Tag Archives: Concrete

I wish I had a pedal-mobile.

Posted on by Standard Reply

I don’t have a pedal-mobile like the savagely sardonic Pat Finnerty, but I do have some weird mostly cheap pedals. You’ve seen my guitars, you may have heard some of my musical output, but I need to set up a spot to rock again after letting chaos accumulate in my jam space.

A bunch of guitar pedals on the dirty concrete floor.
Pedals-Schmeadals

I posited the following to social media, and AI:

How would you hook up the following components to maximize use/effectiveness of the given equipment for a guitar rig?

The Amps:

  • Gorilla TC-35 (Combo)
  • Fender Blues Jr. (Combo)
  • Positive Grid Spark (Combo)
  • Lil’ Smokey (Combo)
  • Orange Micro Terror (Head)
  • Laney 2×12 (Cab)
  • Yamaha MSR 100 (PA)

The Pedals:

  • D’Addario/Planet Waves PW-CT-04 Tuner
  • Ernie Ball 6185 Wah
  • Quinnamp Dirt & Ernie (Distortion/Boost)
  • The Spamp+ (Amp / Preamp)
  • Ammoon Pock Loop (Looper)
  • LiveWire Solutions ABY1 ABY Box
  • Joyo BAATSIN (Overdrive/Distortion)
  • Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium (Overdrive)
  • Mooer E7 Synth
  • DigiTech Trio Band Creator + FS3X Footswitch

Is there a good order to the pedals? Typically I have the Trio going out to the Yamaha PA, and the ABY going into the Micro Terror/Laney and the Blues Jr. Ignoring the Spark & (sadly) the TC-35. I’m not sure which way to order the pedals, though.

Also, do I split the signal early & put different effects to each amp? I have done that with the wah and it sounds neat.

I get that it’s all subjective, but I love to over-think things… so help me do that.

I did ask Perplexity, ChatGPT, & Gemini for advice, and they seem to provide pretty standard stuff that you may see in guitar forums.

From Perplexity:

🎸

To set up your guitar rig effectively, the goal is to optimize signal flow for tonal clarity while integrating the ABY box and DigiTech Trio Band Creator with your PA system. Here’s a structured approach:

Pedal Order Recommendations

  1. Tuner (D’Addario PW-CT-04):
    Place first to ensure a clean signal for accurate tuning136.
  2. Wah (Ernie Ball 6185):
    Follows the tuner, as wah pedals interact best with an unaltered guitar signal135.
  3. Distortion/Boost (Quinnamp Dirt & Ernie):
    Early gain staging preserves dynamic response. Stack with subsequent drives145.
  4. Overdrives (Joyo BAATSIN, Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium):
    Order these based on preference (e.g., lower-gain first into higher-gain)146.
  5. Preamp (The Spamp+):
    Acts as a tone-shaping buffer. Place after drives to avoid coloring their response34.
  6. Synth (Mooer E7):
    Position after drives for consistent tracking. Synths can behave unpredictably with distorted signals45.
  7. DigiTech Trio Band Creator:
    Place here to analyze your processed guitar signal. Route its output to the Yamaha PA for bass/drum separation24.
  8. Looper (Ammoon Pock Loop):
    Last in the chain to capture the entire signal, including the Trio’s guitar input. This ensures loops include all effects34.
  9. ABY Box (LiveWire ABY1):
    Split the final signal to your Orange Micro Terror/Laney 2×12 and Fender Blues Jr.2.
    • Enable ground lift/isolation if using both amps simultaneously to avoid hum2.

Amplifier Configuration

  • Orange Micro Terror: Connect to the Laney 2×12 cab (ensure impedance matching).
  • Fender Blues Jr.: Use as a standalone combo.
  • Yamaha PA: Dedicated to the Trio’s band mix for a full stereo/backing track experience24.

Key Considerations

  • Experiment with Drive Order: Test the Joyo BAATSIN and Unobtanium in different sequences (e.g., BAATSIN as a mid-boost into the Unobtanium’s higher gain)14.
  • Synth Placement: If tracking issues arise, try moving the Mooer E7 earlier (post-wah)5.
  • ABY Ground Noise: Use the LiveWire ABY1’s ground-lift feature if humming occurs2.

This setup balances conventional signal-chain logic with your specific gear, ensuring the Trio’s band tracks and dual-amp rig work cohesively. Always test and tweak to suit your playing style!

Citations:

  1. https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/w23bgj/my_first_pedals_in_what_order_do_i_put_them/
  2. https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/18q86t2/aby_with_pedal_boards_and_2_amps/
  3. https://spartanmusic.co.uk/blogs/smblog/12314153-the-essentials-of-setting-up-ordering-your-guitar-pedals
  4. https://www.strymon.net/setting-up-your-effect-signal-chain/
  5. https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/blog-posts/aarons-bass-hole-get-in-line-pedal-order-101
  6. https://articles.boss.info/is-there-a-perfect-pedal-order/
  7. https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/what-is-the-best-pedal-order/
  8. https://catalinbread.com/pages/pedal-order-101
  9. https://www.laney.co.uk/blog/an-easy-guide-to-ampless-guitar-rigs-explained/
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmSEigSiXXY
  11. https://articles.boss.info/the-ultimate-guide-to-guitar-effects-pedal-order-and-signal-chain/
  12. https://forum.orangeamps.com/viewtopic.php?t=22000
  13. https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/news/141962/
  14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH9FO1EMIPQ
  15. https://www.radialeng.com/blog/understanding-aby-switchers
  16. https://thejhsshow.com/articles/understanding-pedal-order
  17. https://www.reddit.com/r/GuitarAmps/comments/lqs3c2/trading_orange_micro_terror_and_cab_for_a_blues/
  18. https://www.musiciansfriend.com/effects-pedals
  19. https://www.reddit.com/r/GuitarAmps/comments/11gnatf/how_do_people_setup_multiple_amps/
  20. https://forum.orangeamps.com/viewtopic.php?t=20110

Answer from Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/how-would-you-hook-up-the-foll-tU6VWW5dR1eQrF1her2o1g?utm_source=copy_output

🎸

Perplexity would not generate a schematic, but ChatGPT & Gemini did… or they tried. They look cool upon first glance, then get real weird when you zoom in… and they don’t even follow the advice of the chain setup. Clearly there is a disparity between the text generation & the image generation. Some of the pedal representations are really cool though, especially with GhatGPT. I can’t help but wonder where it is stolen from. Guitar mag/website rig rundowns?

Gemini generated pedal schematic.

I dunno when Fender started using orange tolex & separate heads… but the pedals look fancy.

ChatGPT generated pedal schematic.

It clearly used the Dirt & Ernie art for the Unobtanium, but it stole that gorgeous Micro Terror from somewhere… and WTF is a Crazy Tauloc? Sounds like an extra on Star Trek.

Granted, I am generally a plug-in, crank the gain, and keep the volume low kind of player. I don’t so effects much. I would like to monkey around with that I have.

Here is where I solicit your advice in the comments and on social media. 🤘

Backyard Race Car Track & …Dinosaur Garden? 🚚🦕

Posted on by Standard 4

Well.  Damn, you Pinterest.  Ha ha.  We made more progress on the Back Yard Race Car Track.  It may now also be a construction zone, gravel pit, monster truck arena, and dinosaur garden.  Molly even asked about building a volcano.  I do have an extra bag of concrete.

Check out the latest photos.  We added a gravel pit, some large rocks for edging-work to try to contain the gravel, and dug out the grass so we have a dirt pit.  Not sure if I should plant grass and leave a dirt track, or make it all a dirt pit.  I may try to buy some river rock to make the outside edges look a little neater, and mix some more extra sloppy concrete to smooth it over, and fill in the edges smooth.

I bet it will evolve greatly over time.

I’m anxious to see photos of other projects like this.  Show me what you’ve got in the comments!

 

 

🚧 🚧 🚧 👷 👷‍♀️ 🚚 🦕 🚗 🏁 🧚 🌱 🚧 🚧 🚧

🚧 🚗🏁 Backyard Race Car Track & Fairy Garden Construction! 🧚🌱🚧

Posted on by Standard 4

So, on Labor Day this year, we labored.  We finally got around to pouring cement for the Backyard Race Car Track, and we started a Fairy Garden.

I have been sitting on the race car track idea for a while, and wondering what to do landscape-wise around the one small tree in the back.  We recently got some fairy garden furniture stuff as a gift… so we thought that would be a cool second (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th?) backyard play-space.

I had purchased some Quikrete coloring from Amazon a while ago, and some bags of Quikrete Sand/Topping Mix from Home Depot this Saturday knowing that we had a full day to work today.

We had also started the digging a while ago when Ian was over-zealous and wanted to “Dig, Dig Dig!” in the back yard.

We had an easy enough start, put down some gravel, and mixed two of the three bags of Sand/Topping Mix with the coloring.  I mixed it a little thick, and really what was all the coloring was meant to cover.  The track was only about ‎⅔ of the way complete.  So, I mixed the one other bag we had on hand.  It was a little sloppier and went on really well.  The kids helped in a kid-helping capacity, and Bethany did nearly all of the troweling/finishing work.  Molly told me that she wanted to use the trowel because that’s what “brick builders” use to put the stuff in between bricks.  I have no idea where she learned that.

So.  It was obvious we needed a quick trip back to Home Depot to get some more bags.  Ian & I went on a mission.

I asked the little man if we should get 3, or 4.  He was adamant about getting 4.  We also got the cheapest bag of garden soil, and some pebbles.  Sadly, the bottle of coloring didn’t last long, and maddeningly Home Depot didn’t carry it… even with two shelves full of Quikrete products.  I ended up asking if they had anything in the paint department, and they just had a concrete paint or dye to use after the fact.

We got back and Bethany made us a delicious salad for lunch.  We needed to re-fuel for more work out back!  I mixed 2 more bags, with some help:

After that, we did use just one more bag… but that’s OK.  I can use the rest for some driveway patch work now that I have some more recent practice with this stuff.  (A long time ago, I worked for a bit for a general contractor, and would sometimes mix mortar all day for the subcontracted bricklayers.)

For now, that’s about all we can do.  The bag says it needs to set up for five days.  Hopefully we can be patient and the neighborhood wildlife (including my children) stays out of it.  I did grab an odd old brick from out front that had originally been in the back yard, and made a sort of garage out of it.  I plan to get some river rocks or pebbles or something to kind of clean up the edges of the track.  Maybe they will need to go on with concrete, or some of that stuff that comes in a caulking-gun dispenser.  If they’re not stuck down, they will end up all over and most likely destroy my lawn mower.

The other quick family project was to make a fairy garden.  I was hoping to use stuff that we had around in addition to the recently gifted furniture and starter items.

After thinking about a couple of different ideas, we settled on me taking a chainsaw to some large branches and small logs that we had out back, and driving nails partway into the bottom so we could drive them into the ground and they would hopefully hold.  It worked!

I played with the chainsaw, demonstrated the nail technique, then Bethany and the kids did most of the nail-driving… and I think that was mostly Bethany.  Molly helped me place them around the tree in sort of a kidney bean shape, including an old wooden bucket that I think we bought from the estate sale of the previous owner of this house (who coincidentally said she would miss the little tree in the backyard most of all).

Then we pulled up 90% of the grass, and Ian hauled it away in his wheelbarrow.  We put down the bag of cheap garden soil and it was perfect for coverage & fairy garden decoration placement.  We also planted a small succulent plant that my mom had recently given us in a small pot that should be durable outdoors, but may look cool covered in small round stones so it looks like a fairy house.  We’re putting Grandma on craft duty to help make little projects to decorate the space.  I would love to use some of the stuff we have around the yard or house like tiny terracotta pots, or Popsicle sticks, or wire.

It would be nice to plant some small ornamental succulents, moss, or super tiny flowers eventually too.  Luckily (?) Pinterest is an endless rabbit hole when it comes to fairy garden stuff.  Speaking of rabbits, our backyard is overrun with them as well as squirrels, chipmunks, birds, deer, and who knows what else.  Think they’ll leave this stuff alone?

At any rate, playing in the dirt has been proven over-and-over to be good for you.  These spaces offer two additional opportunities for the kids to get into the dirt in the back yard.  It’s great to learn about gardening, ecosystems, using your imagination, and more… all without even realizing that you’re learning.

Check out some photos from the day if you have the time and interest, and let us know what you think in the comments!

 

 

If this is something you’d like to try yourself, check out these Pinterest boards for inspiration:

If it’s something you have tried yourself, please share your stuff in the comments!  I would love to see some other backyard family projects.

So, in the spring I want to build an outdoor Matchbox car race track… 🚗

Posted on by Standard 2

How cool is this?

Since the bean house was a bit of a bust, maybe this will be a hit.  It looks like it can get as complicated or remain as simple as you’d like.  I have pinned a bunch of ideas.  I’d like to include an area for construction vehicles… maybe tiny pebbles, not sand.  I hate sand.  I like the use of the tire in the one… and the dirt road, and tunnels.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to snag a bunch of ideas online, specifically Pinterest I guess. Looks super fun for both kids, and me!

Have you done anything like this?