The ultimate DIY stompbox for Blues .

[gez]

I'm with Andrew on this one, though over the years some blues-rock players have dabbled with boxes.  Tony McPhee springs to mind, as does Phil Guy (Buddy's brother) though he used a phaser/flanger not overdrive.

[Eric H]

The vast majority of blues players that I have played with and respect don't use any effects in fact they are kind of snicker at others who do.


Andrew

I know some of those guys 
Unless they play like Kenny Burrell, most blues players run their amps hot enough to overdrive, and sustain --in my book that's an effect. I dislike that kind of snobbery (not aimed at you, Andrew --your point is well taken)
My opinion.
Oh --when I can't dime my amp, the Shaka Braddah 3 works for me, too, Gilles 

-Eric

[The Tone God]

I'm not one of those guys that snicker at people and most of the guys I hang out with wouldn't either...well atleast not to the player's face. I wait to see how the player uses the effect(s) to see just how good they are. You can see if they use it as a crutch to make up for their lack of ability. I show up with a fuzz box, a real fuzz box, but the players know I don't need it if the going got tough on stage so I get their respect even with all the feedback going on. About the only place I could justify an effect on most of the time in blues music is for the bedroom player who can't crank a Super Reverb but even then there is something to be said about playing clean.

I don't consider amp distortion an effect just like I would not consider vibrato, be it finger or vibrato arm, to be an effect. It is a tool that is at the disposal of any player.

Andrew

[Johnny Guitar]

I wouldn't fault anyone for trying to get a nice cranked sound using a pedal (a la SRV's use of the TS) -- especially if one had volume concerns to deal with.

But..., to chime in with the clean tone guys here, I've recently been experimenting with a wonderful clean tone I get playing a Les Paul (with those expensive Gibson reissue HB PUs) through my silver face Deluxe Reverb with the volume about 7, *BUT* turning the volume on the guitar way down to about 3. This was counter intuitive to me because I usually have my PU volume at 7 or more. With this setting I find I get a really nice tone similar to BB King.

Sorry for the OT interjection, but experimenting with what you've already got can produce really interesting results.

[markm]

I've noticed in my years as a guitar player that ALOT of guys just dime the contols on the guitar and forget it.
One of the best gain controls you have is right there with ya next to your picking hand!
I use 'em on my Tele all the time.
Good guitar tone lurks in those two knobs 
This is OT too but, want your compressor to not squish or kill dynamics as much??
Turn down the volume on the guitar and don't feed it such a hot signal! It can improve tone quite a bit.

[aron]

The Blue Magic is a really great pedal. I like it a lot.

[Doug_H]

I don't consider amp distortion an effect just like I would not consider vibrato, be it finger or vibrato arm, to be an effect. It is a tool that is at the disposal of any player.

...Which is what an effect is.

People make too much of the "means" instead of the "end" IMO...

Oh and btw I like my Hwy89 for real expressive lead playing including blues and etc. It responds so well to the guitar volume control- I can dial it from almost clean to "TS-y" edge tones into full blown compressed singing leads. May as well plug myself, right?

[markm]

That reminds me Doug,
I forgot to mention the Brick by Doug H.
Which just so happens to be in my layouts gallery
http://aronnelson.com/gallery/Acid-Graphics
Two......count 'em TWO shameless plugs!!

[idlechatterbox]

There's some discussion of blues pedals at http://www.the-crossroads.org/

I couldn't figure out how to post the url for the specific thread, but if you click on "Digital Effects" you'll see the same "infamous" question about the best pedal to use. (Some good answers as well) 

[Gilles C]

The original question was "What is the ultimate DIY stompbox for Blues "  not "How to get the best sound for Blues?".

So, it was a question from someone who want to build a guitar effect for Blues, not a quest for the best sound without an effect, IMHO.

Btw, I only used boosters live for the Blues, and never needed to use a distortion. But I tried a lot of effects at home. But even then, I never found an effect that I liked enough to use live, something that would still sound Blues, and not Rock. It doesn't mean that I should stop building and trying effects because I play Blues... 

Gilles

[cbriere]

The original question was "What is the ultimate DIY stompbox for Blues "  not "How to get the best sound for Blues?".

So, it was a question from someone who want to build a guitar effect for Blues, not a quest for the best sound without an effect, IMHO.

Gilles

agree,
I think that Samy was asking for a good starting point to search for a good blues tone.
As a blues player myself, i know that the best effect for blues (for other style as well ) is the one that will
let your soul be free,  ....And that where the search should focus.

cbriere

[petemoore]

"What is the ultimate DIY stompbox for Blues "
  ....The Happy one.
  HAppy with the guitar pickups used as source.
  Happy with the grit amount which the amp adds.
  Happy with the speaker[s and speakers that are also happy to reproduce happy tones and frequencies which lend themselves to producing sad tones.
  Happy to make you Happy and the Audience also.
  A Stompbox that couldn't be happier to be where it is and doing what it does, and would be less happy anywhere else.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Or...perhaps a stompbox with no amp, no speaker even, no DC Jack and No Battery, No cable, No source guitar/pickups...is very sad and ultimately will give you some serious 'the Blues'..

[Samy]

It was not my intention to start a war on this !
Some people must understand that some users are from other countries and have different languages, so, sometimes questions are not placed correctly and some translation confusions might happen ...

I think i have placed my question correctly, i´m not looking for the best and only wanted personal opinions about this, i´m not a Blues guy but i wanted to know something about the available DIY stompboxes and some comparison to some others in the market, like i said before, it´s very subjective like everything on music  ...

I want to thank everyone for your help and if there´s someone else who want to add some more i´ll appreciate that too.

Thanks once more and sorry for my English.

[Gilles C]

The ultimate
This treads on thin ice already.
  "Ultimate" is a term which implies all others of discussion are "Lesser'
  What "Ultimate" is varyies widely and is largely personal opinion based.
  People who have personal and financial investment in the circuits discussed may see their 'worthy of an opinion of 'ultimate' get seriously [if inadvertantly] "dissed" into a "Lesser than the Ultimate" categories.
  DIY stompbox for Blues .
  1 stompbox for blues...hmmm
  What kinda blues...
  Delta?
  Mississipi?
  Chicago?
  Here's what I equate to blues...
  anything from accoustic guitar w/glass slide to OctaFuzz/Reverb/Echo.
  As you can see I have no trouble troubling you with the title.
  I do have trouble forming a useful answer...this could be helped by:
  Stating what kind of sound you want less vaguely.
  Stating what kind of sound you are getting that is close [or that you've had before, or seen others use, or suspect could be of circuit definition even by naming a song with a characteristic tone which represents what it is your'e going for].
  Stating what kind of equipment "X" stompbox will be expected to perform with.
  IIUC many blues players, JLHooker, Muddy Waters, BBKing...don't even use stompboxes much. Just a guitar with lots of 'character' and some kinda tube amp.

Good point about the kind of Blues. There are different kinds of Blues that don't have the same sound. And each song can have its own sound.

And each Blues player have his own style, ie: not the same way of playing and not the same equipment.

So, there can't be only one best effect for Blues, as there can't be only one best sound for Blues.

I know some of those guys 
Unless they play like Kenny Burrell, most blues players run their amps hot enough to overdrive, and sustain --in my book that's an effect. I dislike that kind of snobbery (not aimed at you, Andrew --your point is well taken)
My opinion.
Oh --when I can't dime my amp, the Shaka Braddah 3 works for me, too, Gilles 

-Eric

Cool! I should but mine back into a box someday...

Btw Samy, no problem with your question. You didn't start a war. You just permitted people to express themself on the subject...

Gilles

[chieljan]

The TS808 is great, and not too hard to build. But what I'd really like to build, is build a Blue Magic overdrive. To me, one of the most amizing OD's i've ever heard, very bluesy and beautiful! Check out the soundclips on generalguitargadgets.com, think you'll like it Good luck on your quest!

[petemoore]

It was not my intention to start a war on this !
Some people must understand that some users are from other countries and have different languages, so, sometimes questions are not placed correctly and some translation confusions might happen ...
  Peace negotiations accepted, I don't think you wanted to tussle...
  'The Blues' is still pretty wide open as far as designating any particular tone.
  I'll just figure you want 1 box to do everything which has some 'blue
hue' to the tone.
  I'll put two switches at least on it, so it can go from Clean Bypass / Boost / OD / BOOST-OD, and include some type of tone knob.
  Build the boosters you want to try out and find one you can figure as ultimate, then build a buncha Distorters with tone and volume knobs, decide which one lets you do without the others with the least pain...
  Build the Boost with a 'volume for boost/gain for OD' pot at the end of the boost circuit.
  Build the OD with a pre-set gain which can be raised with the Booster, lowered with the guitar volume.
  I think you'll need that tone knob, This configuration is something I use alot, and allows wide Clean to HeavY OD [and much intbetween] tones using three knobs.

[StephenGiles]

But in the end, it's just down to the fingers is it not!!

[markm]

But in the end, it's just down to the fingers is it not!!

If I'm not mistaken, Old "Smokin' Tom Thompkins" said that one had to grow up in the south, next to train tracks, down the road apiece
from the crossroads where at a tender young age one would sell one's soul to the devil and forever be blessed with the power to achieve a good blues tone.  A lemon squeeze or two thrown in for good measure as well.
Of course, losing your job, your woman and friends helps too along with the consumption of various spirits or narcotics.
Smokin' Tom died at.....you guessed it.....27 years old.
He should've just built the Fat Boostered and been done with it