Mike And Barry's Pedals

Posted in Barry, Mike on May 11, 2008 by

MercyMe

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  • http://www.mattulrich.com Matt Ulrich

    Does the Nova Delay support stereo inputs and outputs? Does it do any looping? I’m a keyboard player, and I’m just wondering if it would be a fun toy to have for my type.

  • Eric

    Well guys, I am one of the Three!! Have a great Mother’s Day

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    matt…
    the nova delay does have stereo ins and outs, but no looping. Also no midi if that’s something you would want. However, as a stompbox delay pedal, there is no other that comes close. 9 presets, pristine sounds and mdulation that you can add to any of the delays….GREAT pedal. have fun turning your keyboard rig into a guitar rig!!!!!

    mike

  • Randy Megathlin

    I tried the Line 6 MM4 (the blue one) per Barry’s suggestion in the “Ask Barry”. It is pretty sweet! Thanks for the help! I am still looking for a Fender Pro Junior to try out.

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    TC elctronics is alos making a Modulation pedal…the NOVA Mod. Mine should be getting to the house within the week. I’ll let you know how it is shortly. One cool thing I know about it is that it has a dual engine, therefore, you can combine, say a tremolo and a phase, or a flange and a chorus….etc.

    mike

  • Joshua

    Wow…that’s like a comination of my dream setup…Dear God, help me to not covet my neighbor’s gear…

  • Tim

    Thanks so much for that.
    p.s.
    Looks seven so far.

  • Randy

    Mike – Thanks. I will be interested to see what you think of your Nova Modulator since you guys like your Nova delays so much and it is about the same price as the Line 6 one.

  • http://danielcrowe.wordpress.com Daniel Crowe

    thanks so much man! i’ve been wanting that tour for awhile :-P

  • Randy Megathlin

    Mike – How many fuzz\distortion pedals do you have active at a time? Thanks again!

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    on my pedal board now, I have 3 OD and 1 fuzz. in the closet are probably 8-9 more OD and 1 more fuzz. My others are…
    Fuzz-ZVEX fuzz factory
    OD’s-
    Xotic effects ACplus
    Menatone King of the Britains
    Ibanez TS9
    Boss SuperDrive
    Fulltone Fulldrive II
    Visual sound Jeckyll and Hyde
    Visual sound Route 66

    there could be a few others in there somewhere…it’ll be a while till I venture through there again, but those are the special ones or the ones I’ve used a lot. I seem to have a hard time living with one OD pedal for long, however, the current setup on my board is by far my favorite…Also, Barry’s Moolon OD is one of my favorites, but I can just borrow his when I need a fix!!!! What are you guys playing????

    mike

  • Randy

    I’ve got the Boss BD-2 Bluesdriver and just a small Roland Cube Amp. I’m itching to buy some others (gotta save money for daughters college). Guess I would have a better excuse if I was a professional musician, not an engineer.

    Do you turn on multiple OD pedals at the same time to get your sound?

    Thanks again! Keep the music coming please!

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    randy…yes…at times even all 3 OD pedals are on. The LovePedal Eternity pretty much stays on at all times, I have the drive set so low on it that there’s only a slight change. Then my OD808 is set to be a bit crunchier, when added on top of the LovePedal, it’s a nice drive. For a gainier drive I go to my Cusack Screamer, which is only gainier because I have the drive up on it…it can actually smooth out nicely. It’s a great pedal and with a sticker price of around $150-$175, it’s actually cheap for the quality you’re getting.
    1st thing I would do in your situation, would be to try and move into a tube amp…really that ‘s the foundation of all good tone. Even something like a fender blues junior…it’s like a 15watt amp with a single 12, but they sound great…The Edge used 2 of them on the last U2 tour. You can even find them in a pawn shop from time to time for less than $500.

    mike

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    Also…for you guys out there working on getting great amp sounds on a budget…everyone should demo and consider Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3. barry and I both have this for writing on the road and demoing songs at home directly into our computers. It’s unbelievable how good it sounds for being a software amp modeler. I have yet to try it live…and I stress YET. one of these days I’m going to have to give it a go! You should check it our for sure!

    mike

  • Randy

    I just downloaded the demo of Guitar Rig 3 at Native Instruments site. That is sooooo awesome! The signature sounds alone are enough to keep me busy for hours of fun.

  • Kaleb Trail

    Barry and Mike:
    I noticed you don’t have a whole lot of boss pedals. I thought for sure they were the best! Do you try out pedals before you buy them, or do you just get them and try them out later? Is their a particular brand?
    Also, Your Les Paul’s always sound awesome, is their a particular string brand you swear by?
    How do you feel about EFX amps?

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    Kaleb…

    I’m not familiar with EFX amps so I can’t say anything to that effect. Strings are D’Addario 11′s on electric and 13′s on acoustic for the most part…Barry does some alternate tunings live that require lighter string gauge. As far as effects pedals go, it’s ALWAYS best to play through them 1st and find the pedals that work best for you. While BOSS pedals are DEFINITELY road worthy and can take an absolute beating, they are mass produced and as such aren’t hand wired, or don’t have some of the more high end gear…let’s compare them to a Dell computer vs. APPLE…we’ve all seen the commercials, so you know which side I’m on there. Sometimes it’s a little harder to find some of these boutique pedals, but the hunt is half the fun. you can go to http://www.pedalgeek.com is a great place to check out pedals. Also if you are in the nashville area you can go to Rock Block Guitars, or check them out on the web!!!

    mike

  • Randy

    I have a question I’ve been dying to ask…. in Goodbye Ordinary is that a real Leslie or is that Barry’s Boss flanger? Thanks. It sounds pretty darn cool.

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    depending on the part you’re talking about….At the intro and turn around’s, it’s actually my Loco Box Cosmo Chorus. I don’t think there are any other parts that would sound like a Leslie, other than Jim’s Leslie on his B3. Are those the parts you speaking of or am I forgetting something?

    mike

  • Randy

    Yeah, sorry the guitar in the intro. Thanks.

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    yep…that’s the Loco Box Cosmo Chorus. Our producer on our 1st 3 records got one about the time we were working on Spoken For. It’s actually on that album in a few places too. I fell in love with it, but could never find one. Pete vowed to one day buy me one, and a mere 3 years later, he finally came across one and the man kept his word. We were in nashville going over to see his new studio and he pulled me aside….and VIOLA!!!!! My very own Cosmo Chorus. Good luck finding one…Barry actually got one on eBay about a month after I got mine, so they’re out there.

    mike

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    Just got my TC Electronics Nova Mod in the mail yesterday and gave it a little run through last night. I will never need to buy another MOD pedal…DESTROYS the line 6 MM4, (the blue one) and is only half the size!!!! GREAT sounds in it, plus the ability to combine any 2 of the effects in it to make your own sounds….VERY cool pedal!

    mike

  • Randy

    Sweet. It must be good if you are sold on it already! Thank you for taking the time to share your gear experiences!

  • Randy Megathlin

    So…. are you going to use the Nova Mod for the next leg of your tour or do you have to get used to it first? I was just thinking how cool it is that you don’t have to get approval from a supervisor or anything… you can just do it! You can tell I work for a big corporation ;}

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike and Barry…

    I have been checking out the newer digital pedal from Line 6. The X3 Live. I saw that it is the one that lincoln brewster uses with his strats. I have been getting alot of mixed reviews, and yet, it is the number one selling “pedal” on musicians friend.
    What do you think?

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    Kaleb-
    I think Line 6 stuff for the most part is good gear. i don’t feel it’s pro level gear in most cases. that being said…Lincoln Brewster is a flippin’ stud. I don’t know how he makes his Line 6 stuff sound THAT good. I like Line 6 stuff to a point, but as of yet, other than their modeling pedals, I haven’t found anything of that I would use live.
    Randy-
    Dare I say that this will be the last Mod pedal I will ever buy. It’s really amazing what you can do with it. i’ve just had an absolute blast playing with it at home and am really excited about the sounds I can get from it. I can’t wait to see how it works in the live scenario, but I don’t think it will ever leave my pedal board. It does the work of like 6 pedals and sounds unbelievable.

    By the way…thanks for keeping the gear chat alive on here…I love talking gear!!!!

    mike

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike,
    Thanks for the input on the Line 6 X3 Live.
    I have been wanting to upgrade and get a nice pedalboard setup or something. It has been fun researching it. And I have plenty of time since I don’t have very much money anyways. lol.
    I have been wanting a more professional setup for some time now, and money is tight. Music is my ministry, and my passion, so I’m thankful that Pro’s like you and Barry would take the time for aspiring guys like me.
    One more quick question, what are the wood combos on your McPherson guitar? Check out their All Koa guitar on their website. How it sounds, I have no clue. But it sure is pleasant to the eyes.

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    We each have 2 McPherson’s, Mine are Walnut back and sides with a Cedar top, and some sort of Redwood with an Adorondak (sp) top.
    Barry’s are, Maple Back and sides with a Cedar top, and a Brazilian Rosewood with a Cedar top. The later of each listed being our preferred guitars that are most likely the ones you see us play live.
    Happy hunt on your tone quest…let us know if we can help you more!!!!

    mike

  • Randy

    Hey Kaleb – I don’t know if Mike would agree, but I tried a Fender Super Champ XD that is about $300 and it sounded great to my non-professional ear. It is a tube amp with built in digital signal processor. I have read a lot of good stuff about it and am seriously thinking about spending some birthday and Christmas money on it.

    Randy

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike…
    I have been researching it a little, and from what “they” say; (Adirondack)red spruce is considered the “holy grail” of guitar wood tops. I know from personal experience that anything spruce is going to have a nice balanced sound. I have never played anything walnut.

    Randy…
    Thanks for the tube amp input. I have it pulled up on musicians friend right now and the average customer rating (out of 70 ratings) is a very impressive 9.69/10

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike:
    To follow up, here is the description I found.

    Red spruce is relatively heavy, has a high velocity of sound, and the highest stiffness across and along the grain of all the top woods. Like Sitka, is has a strong fundamental, but also a more complex overtone content. Tops produce the highest volume, yet they also have a rich fullness of tone that retains clarity at all dynamic levels. In short, red spruce may well be the Holy Grail of top woods for acoustic steel-string guitars.

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    glad to hear that i happened upon it. I played a room full of McPherson’s…(THANKS MATT!!!!) and this was the one that spoke to me….hard to hear it for the fact that they are all such beautiful instruments.
    I’m not familiar with the Fender Super Champ…let me google and get back to you…. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aGMTrL0pGg&feature=related) …ok it helps that this guy is a SMOKING player, but this little amp sounds pretty dang good in the demos I found. I wish they would kill the reverb a little for the sake of hearing the amp a bit more directly, but…sounds like a pretty versatile little tool especially for rehearsing/practicing/demoing songs…good find!
    I know fender made a champ about a year ago that had a sort of DI out and built in overdrive and compression that was supposed to be pretty killer, but never heard one.

    mike

  • Kaleb Trail

    A room full of McPhersons. And you had a guitar pick.
    This is what heaven must be like…

    Anyways. It would seem kind of annoying to have to pretty much sit on top of the amp to change the “voices.” And unless you have them memorized, you have to play around to find what they are. Its a cheap tube amp, so I can’t knock it. But I’d rather have my Peavey 112 TransTube EFX…http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-TransTube-112-EFX-Combo-Amp?sku=481368&src=3SOSWXXA…so I can change my effects with the pedal….http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-PFC3-Footswitch?sku=421391.
    I like it because first of all, It sounds absolutley awesome. Second of all, it is light to carry around.
    Third of all, it has all of the effects you would need at any levels.

  • Randy Megathlin

    Hi Mike (if you are still reading this)… I saw a picture somewhere along the way of Barry’s gear I think and it appeared to have a Boss BD-2. I was wondering why he stopped using it and if he ever considered having the Keeley mod done to it?

    Thanks!

  • MMBarry

    Randy, I did have a BD-2 on my board for quite some time. It was probably back when I was using amp distortion more than pedals and was on the board only as a boost. After A-B ing a number of pedals over the last year or 2 I have discovered that I don’t like the BD-2 so much after buying a Moolon overdrive and a Zevex Box Of Rock. In another setup it’s probably an ok pedal, it just doesn’t work for me anymore. However, I didn’t know about the Keeley mod so maybe I’ll check that out sometime.
    Thanks

  • Randy Megathlin

    Barry – Thanks again for sharing your experience. If you guys are ever in the area and need a place to worship check out Grace United Church of Christ, 8326 Mexico Road, St. Peters, Missouri 63376. It is about 2 miles of off I-70 in Metro St. Louis (on the way to Chicago from KC). Services at 8:45 am and 11:15 am Sundays.

    Take care,
    Randy

  • http://www.mercyme.org MMmike

    Hey Kaleb…
    sorry for the slow response. I’m with you on having to babysit an amp to get the sounds you want out of it… that’s just no good. I can’t say as I’m too familiar with the Peavey trans tube stuff. I’ve had a hard time giving in to digital modeling amps and such, but with things like Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3, I’m having to rethink the way I approach things tonally speaking. I can’t wait to make our next record so I can see how Guitar Rig will play into it!!!

    Randy… It wold be great to come worship with you guys if we’re ever in the area on a sunday. Are you a part of the worship team there?

    mike

  • Randy

    Mike – Yes I play guitar for the 11:15 contemporary service on most Sundays.

    About sitting on the amp….. I figure I am getting a Fender tube amp at a cheap price and already have a few effect pedals that I can use with it. The Superchamp XD has an optional foot switch that can switch between the clean and DSP channels. I figure I would use minimal amounts of DSP, perhaps reverb for example. Anyway, much better than what I currently have.

    Take care,
    Randy

  • Rebecca T :-)

    WHAT LANGUAGE ARE YOU GUYS SPEAKING IN?

  • MMBarry

    Guitar gear code. Fascinating isn’t it? :-)

  • Randy

    You can call it Guitar Geek Speak.

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike…
    I use the Peavey Transtube for my acoustic stuff. I use a little acoustic effects like delay, and reverb, and even some tremolo. I use the second channel on the amp for a clean distortion type sound and an acoustic boost. I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for my electric stuff.
    I run both amps using a Radial Tonebone ABY Passive Switcher. Output A goes to the Peavey Amp (acoustic) and the Output B goes through the pedalchain and straight into the Fender Clean Channel. My TU-2 comes out of the Radial tonebone, and I have both my Ovation and my Gibson LP going into the input on the tonebone. Good stuff.

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike,
    I totally missed my question on that last one, sorry.
    I was wondering how you plug in your Mcpherson. Do you go straight or have a mic’d acoustic amp?
    Tube amps suck acoustic tone, and really, the acoustic can damage the tube amp.

  • Kaleb Trail

    Is this the most succesful blog without Bart? I think so.
    Lets push for 100 comments and beat out “by request only”

  • Randy

    Hey Barry – I just listened to the first hymned. Whatever your setup was on there sounds great! I love the tone on the track about grandma singing.

    Randy

  • Kaleb Trail

    Mike…

    Quick question about your tuner set up.
    Typically with a TU-2, the signal will be muted when it is engaged. Since your’s is going through the EBVP Jr, do you achieve silent tuning by muting the signal with the VP?

    A great amp for both work and play:

    Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Combo Amp

    Can also be combined with Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Cabinet to get a huge stack sound. Around 1000 bucks for everything.

  • Randy

    If anyone is still reading this…… I got my Fender Super Champ XD and it is pretty awesome. Best money I have spent on any musical instrument. Thanks to Mike and Barry for highly suggesting the tube amp!

    Take care,
    Randy

  • Allan Herman

    Mike,
    Can you tell me what effects you used for the riffs in “God With Us?”

    Thanks,
    Allan

  • http://www.myspace.com/confesschrist ConfessChrist

    Hey guys! Thanks for taking the time to share your toys with us! I’m a little late to this party, so I’m not sure if there will be any replies to my question.

    How often do you use your compressor (Is it on always, or only for cleans)? I’m considering adding a compressor to my board, but I am unsure if I will like it. I have borrowed a Boss CS-3 (I believe that’s the number) that has been modded with the “Monte Allums” mod. The person I borrowed it from uses it on bass, and it sounds fantastic that way! I mainly play my Carvin Bolt (a strat type guitar with a splittable humbucker in the bridge), but I use p-90s a lot also.

    What made you switch from using your amps “dirty” preamp, to using the pedals? Versatility?

  • http://myspace.com/danielcrowe Daniel Crowe

    I’m reviving this thread, just to say that after hearing what the MM guys have said about the TC Nova Delay, and playing it ONCE in Guitar Center, I had to pick one up. I’m really delay-heavy in the way I play, and had been using a Line6 DL4 (the big green one).

    So, this week I traded an older (silver) Jekyll & Hyde and a L6 Verbzilla for a brand new Nova, and man – it is amazing. I think I’m permanently set on delay!

    The rest of my chain is:

    72 Fender Tele Deluxe (reissue) or a 94 Gibson LP Studio
    Ernie Ball Jr Volume
    Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Wah
    Visual Sound Route 66
    BBE Sonic Stomp
    Electro Harminox Booster
    Danelectro Tuna Melt Tremolo
    Line6 Echo Park
    Line6 DL4
    TC Nova Delay

    powered by Dunlop DC Brick

    AMP – Crate Palomino V32 (30-watt Vox-ish sound)

    That little crate amp is a real gem too!

  • Richie Pruitt

    Hi, i have just found someone that is willing to help people like me on some guitar pedals. I have 10 or 12 pedals, but looking to up grade some of my pedals. i have been to your concerts in Salisbury Md, I have pictures of your pedal boards, and i love them.
    Now, I have a Fender Deluxe Reverb, and a Fender Blues Jr. as my amps. I have a Fender Strat, Fender Tele, Gibson Studo, Taylor 814 Ce. Effects; I go into a boss comprssor, boss distortion, tube zone, fulltone 2 mosfit, maxon 808, boss blues driver, volume pedal, boss digital delay3, boss digital delay5, boss chorus, phaser, boss flanger, into my amp.
    My question is this. What is the proper way to set up these pedals in the right chain.
    I will be getting the TC Electronics Nove mod, and others latter.
    Thanks for any help you can give me.