Budget Guitar Rig Challenge - Dan Vs Mick: That Pedal Show

We challenge each other to put together a whole guitar rig on a small budget - one guitar, one amp and three pedals on a board. What do we choose and who wins?
Life too short for long KZbin videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.
Yep, it’s come to this. We’ve finally succumbed to the ravages of clickbait-driven populist drivel… and made a very long, discursive, in-depth video again. Ha! But at least this one features some cheap gear for a change. ‘Don’t you mean ‘affordable’, Michael?’ No, we mean CHEAP. Cheaper than chips. The cheapest chips in town. Erm, and some slightly less cheap and much tastier ones too.
There are some exceptional sounds today, and some to which we take exception. There’s a lot of hiss, a bit of pish but I’ve run out of alliterative ideas so I’ll finish with tish, fish McNish.
Come on, make a wish.
Final scores on the doors were:
Mick’s rig: £1,034 - not £900 like he said at the end of the video
Dan’s rig: £466 - not £360 like he said at the end of the video.
Enjoy the episode!
Pedals & stuff in this episode…
Dan’s Rig
• Squier Affinity Telecaster
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2PDhnrF
USA: imp.i114863.net/Me7M3
• Tone City King Of Blues
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2sFcSng
• Mooer E-Lady Flanger
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2g7sSnk
• EHX Memory Toy Echo
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2Q0uOkd
USA: bit.ly/3dDu5Sl
• Stagg 9V PSU
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2sHUlGS
• RockJam GA20W
www.amazon.co.uk/Rockjam-GA-2...
• Marshall 1960B cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers (purchased used off eBay but also available new…)
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2EAxaRK
Mick’s Rig
• Epiphone Casino (purchased used off eBay but also available new…)
UK & Europe: bit.ly/38RZ2hX
USA: bit.ly/2S3huhI
• Foxgear Manic Fuzz
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2Z2z86N
• EHX The Worm (purchased used off eBay but also available as a new version…)
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2rQfi2t
• Tone City Kaffir Lime
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2Q3V64W
• The GigRig Modular Power Supply System
www.thegigrig.com/power
* Why do we have preferred retailer links? Find out here: www.thatpedalshow.com/partners
Interesting bits and go-to sections…
- Intro and… 0:00
- The rules: 1:01
- Guitars? 2:33
- Mick’s eBay guitar and overly long vlog (that Dan forgot to make): 5:10
- Mick’s other eBay purchase: 7:57
- Mick’s other pedalboard choices: 10:00
- Mick’s board choice: 11:35
- …and power supply? 12:05
- Mick’s board build: 12:32
- Mick’s total: 12:55
- The vlog that Dan forgot to make: 13:00
- Amp choices - Dan: 14:55
- Mick’s amp: 16:25
- Dan’s board reveal: 17:10
- Dan’s board and power: 18:20
- Mick’s power supply fail: 19:15
- Worm! 19:45
- Turning Dan;s amp on: 22:05
- Noisy power supply: 22:30
- Dan’s sound - finally: 24:00
- It’s awful: 25:00
- King Of Blues pedal: 25:40
- Let’s vastly improve that rubbish amp: 29:10
- Mooer E-Lady Flanger: 34:05
- Boss Katana 100: 41:23
- Low gain drive from the Katana: 43:10
- Worm, again! 46:20
- Kaffir Lime OD: 47:12
- Foxgear Manic Fuzz: 49:50
- Buying on eBay? 59:50
- Eh, there’s a Dream Rig Challenge? 1:02:30
- Your next realistic upgrade: 1:03:40
- Final spends, incorrect as it turns out: 1:05:03
(Mick’s was actually £1,034, Dan’s was £466)
We hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to our channel.
You can buy TPS merch to support our efforts www.thatpedalshowstore.com
We are on Patreon - crowdfunding for creatives
/ thatpedalshow
Please visit our preferred retailers!
UK & Europe: Andertons Music bit.ly/2cRvIvt
Australia: Pedal Empire bit.ly/2mWmJQf
USA: That Pedal Shop www.thatpedalshop.com/

[@zbqb84a]

"It's far from satisfactory. However... it's awful." I just peed.

[@terminalbliss]

I almost fell over laughing at that line

[@terminalbliss]

I want someone to put that on the Amazon review.. "far from satisfactory." - that pedal show

[@troyoswald5683]

YES! GENIUS!!

[@kurtisr2339]

STILL laughing at this.

[@joepell3352]

I know it’s an Andertons thing, but I think a “Rig Your Mate Would Hate” video would be very entertaining idea for a show next year!

[@ThatPedalShow]

That is a GREAT idea. Happy to steal ideas from those guys. :0)

[@fredeichenauer4568]

"Sound Like That Pedal Show........ without breaking the bank" :P

[@paultwiselton1996]

@@fredeichenauer4568 😂

[@isaacwilliams9919]

That would be a tough one. Unlike rob and lee, they’re rather similar as players

[@mattsaysvideo]

I think all they’d have to do is switch rigs.

[@garywordsworth9302]

I think Dan should finish that long awaited shoe gaze album before his prescription ends.

[@HenriksenDolf]

😂🤣👌

[@troyoswald5683]

Perfect! ;)

[@FlummoxedCartwright]

Mick! I'm so sorry about the noisy Worm. If I'd known, I would have happily given you one of the 9 million 24v power supplies I have to go with it too! Drop me a line and I'll get that noise fixed for you. Great show as always!

[@GyancarloFrancischeto]

David Kongialis he would lose anyway. But what a great seller you are! I wish people on eBay was more like you.

[@FlummoxedCartwright]

@@GyancarloFrancischeto it seems like the people have spoken though. They want a proper review! You're welcome any time by the way. Thank you for your kind words!

[@ARPMAN]

I have the same issue, great modulation but to much noise. Is this a power supply issue?

[@FlummoxedCartwright]

@@ARPMAN I'd defer to Dan on this one and say it needs looking at. These ehx from this period are noisy which is what gives them their unique characteristics but they require regular maintenence too. I've heard the reissues tend to be a bit easier but couldn't tell you if they sound as good as I haven't tried them. They also do a more upmarket one called the Wiggler which has tubes in it but I don't think it has the wah.

[@fly51256]

Better yet was the lesson everyone gets from his mistake.

[@MrSlash00r]

Best line from Dan "It's far from satisfactory, HOWEVER .. its awful". lol

[@MostlyElectrolytes]

King of Blues pedals "we can make any amp sound great" Dan "hold my beer"

[@checkmycatself666]

Most relevant show ever. This show is probably more representative of more rigs than any other show.

[@NoCoverCharge]

Well wait till you get to be 50 ... You get older but your rig gets better

[@checkmycatself666]

No Cover Charge I thought about this reply a lot. I got my first Gibson at 22 and my boogie rig at 24. But when I gigged again at 40 I built a parts caster p bass as I didn’t want to ruin my Warwick. In my experience of playing live with rubbish venue pa and theft from gigs I would never take most of the kit that I see of this channel to most of the venues I have played at. Yes I have mostly played at the bottom of the market gig wise.

[@aguynamedben]

I’d like to see a Workhorse Pedalboard Challenge. I.e. Mexican Tele/Epi LP, AC15/HRD/Peavey Bandit, respectable classic pedals like OCD/Boss/DL4. Rules: no boutique brands, scoring is 90% value for money. Premise: you have at least some disposable income but need to make sure you’re buying good gear that will last and not need to be replaced! This was entertaining but going from a Matchless DC-30 to a $40 Amazon amp was too much of an overcorrection to be practically helpful!!!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha!!!! I love this video. Mick here. Subtext, ‘please feature the kind of gear I use then I will be happy” You speak for the whole world Ben, so don’t feel alone. :0)

[@Schmerb]

That would be awesome, I would like to see that as well!

[@fenix478]

Great idea

[@joelecho]

​@@ThatPedalShow I'd actually love this too. You talked about value for money, and you guys have so much experience with so many pedals. I want to see the cheapest rigs you could quite comfortably play a gig on. Things like the fuzz you chose in this video are sweet little gems of "hey, here's a really good value way to get a solid fuzz sound". Even just assume off the top that you're building it to play back-lined gigs with a Hot Rod Deluxe. Some of the best information I've gotten from you guys in past episodes has been about mid priced pedals that stack up against pedals twice their cost. I want to see the challenge on how to sound great when you can justify a half dozen nice pedals for a few hundred each, and a good power supply, but you can't buy a $600 delay.

[@drewmack1709]

Pretty sure this is what people want to see... of course if you buy a 30 quid amp it’s going to be awful. Mick has taken the challenge more sensibly because most people can’t afford a huge range of top end guitars and boutique pedals. Although I get the point of the channel is more geared to people of a similar mindset as they are.

[@seankebely]

I was pretty damn disappointed until dan pulled out the 4x12. It actually sounded pretty good. Well done.

[@vincet68]

I like Dan normally, but Dan on drugs is FUNNY!!!

[@pmacfto]

They should do some live drunkcasts - they are usually fun in any medium!

[@vincet68]

They did a slight version of that a couple of Christmas’ ago - in Bath, I think, sampling a few cocktails in street side bars. Search up the video on their channel - it was fun.

[@olivarionline]

Basically a Katana and a Squier are all you need if you just play at home with the occasional rehearsal/gig.

[@nathanmontover1436]

An idea - make a vlog of how to troubleshoot and fix that Worm pedal. I bet a lot of us have pedals like that and I (dare I say "we") would love to know how to go about fixing them.

[@OzziePete1]

I own an old EHX Little Big Muff that's a mess tonally. Instead of a tone knob it has a two position slide switch. Hairy muff or razor edged cutter, no in between. Damn near useless and noisy as hell.

[@cameronwhite9959]

I have that model Worm, and in trying to find a power supply, learned that it’s less noisy on lower voltages. :-)

[@VintageRadius]

I just laughed out loud on my train. Dan: “it’s not good..it’s far from satisfactory. However....it’s awful.”

[@SerjBassist]

I imagine Dan with his children as a stereotypical Asian father: - You play Telecaster - No, dad. I was thinking to get a keyboard, or maybe a cello. - NO, YOU PLAY TELECASTER!

[@troyoswald5683]

SO TRUE.

[@CorbenEdward]

lololol "YOU MUST RAABU ZA E-REKORIKU MISSUTORISUUU!!!"

[@disco4535]

What? He literally just sits there laughing while agreeing with everything Mick says lmao. He's like tat type of guy that has no idea whats going on so he laughs and nods nonstop. I've legitimately never seen a video where he didn't like the sound of (or at least honestly say he didn't) whatever they were demoing.

[@zac_m]

The best part of this is how much fun you two doofs clearly had prepping and making this video. Love this damn channel.

[@ThatPedalShow]

ThNk youn

[@manifestgtr]

A bit of context is good for this. I’m a professional musician so my gear is completely ridiculous...you could sell it all and buy a NICE car. That’s pretty average for a pro musician. But I’m an amateur fisherman. I’ve been fishing for 30 years and it’s my favorite hobby. When I was young, I had reels and rods that were just awful. The reels clicked, they’d seize up, the rods had guides fall off, my tackle box had rusty hooks and second hand lures that fish laughed at. This is analogous to the awful amp and noisy worm pedal that dan brought out. Over the years, I’ve slowwwwllyyy amassed gear. A decent rod here, a nice reel there, maybe a new backpack. All of the sudden, 30 years later, I have 10 nice rods, 15+ nice reels, several $900+ combos, boxes filled with jigs, frogs and spinners of every color shade imaginable. Even if something like guitar is just a hobby, you’ll eventually work your way up the “ranks”, through the jungle of gear and find yourself in a comfortable spot. The best part is that it’s an ever evolving thing. Like my fishing gear, I’m always looking for something new for the toolbox. So, if you’re a kid playing an amp that sounds like dan’s....you shouldn’t feel bad for even a SECOND. Everyone’s been there. It’s just a part of your “journey”, for lack of a less dramatic sounding word.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you for this. Not least for reminding us of the crazy good guitar solo in Brad Paisley’s I’m Gonna Miss Her. Nice!

[@Bullittbl]

You can go gig with Micks rig. It actually would be a very practical grab and go rig. You could fertilize a garden with Dan's

[@Bullittbl]

Mick, I'm a VERY reluctant Katana owner and only have one by accident accident. BUT your friend Justin that does lesson videos had a guy on named Juca Neary that is a professional sound editor for Katana's. Learning to edit the eq's in the tone studio makes a chalk and cheese difference in how they sound. Until you do that you aren't doing the Katana Justice. It breaks my heart to admit I've gigged with it and gotten lots of compliments about my tone .

[@andrijucken844]

just get a hx stomp

[@nicf1555]

@@Bullittbl thats rly good info to have, the thought of mucking abt with the tone studio thingy (katana 50 mkii haver here) has crossed my mind before, but not when it comes to the basics, eq comp yada yada. thx for the idea!

[@BockwinkleB]

Just use the Affinity, Katana and buy the $80 foot switch for the katana. 3 programmable, footswitchable sounds. Show over.

[@JohnW335andTele]

BoognishBockwinkle I concur, that is a great set up in enough itself. Katana 100 user here. It sounded great here on this episode, didn’t it?

[@DanBSmith83]

Spot on

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

You can’t go wrong with that amp. I like to play on the clean setting with my pedals but I’d totally do a gig without my pedalboard. The foot switch and 4 channels cover all the bases.

[@zaphod888]

BoognishBockwinkle - I suspect they might have done that it this wasn’t a pedal show 😆 Can’t build a rig on a pedal show and not have any actual pedals...

[@getenlightened]

@@zaphod888 Right, maybe they should have restricted the amp selection to something with just reverb? Or perhaps only a handful of built in effects.

[@vojtasTS29]

i wish dan would actually go the real value way. You can get a second hand pro junior and a classic vibe tele for very little money and they're both pieces of gear you'll never grow out of.

[@Ottophil]

My entire board is full of “landfill pedals” 17 of them

[@phillippennington1795]

Right at 31 minutes when dan kicks in plan b, absolute magic. Brought an instant smile to my face. Thank you.

[@10sassafras]

I thought Dan’s Santa amp might derail the purpose of this show until it turned into a great demo of how much speakers affect tone.

[@luthiervandros]

lol Dan is genuinely offended by bad tone. Such a visceral and primal reaction haha.

[@lostandalone3096]

Best show in a long time. TPS doing what it does best: two guys playing with gear and enjoying each others company. Thanks!

[@IHendricks27]

I think the lesson here is, if you have e to, put your money into your amp over your guitar or pedals.

[@Javier-qk7ms]

Absolutely, I would also say if you have a boss katana katana they first try using a foot switch to select clean/rhythm/lead presets rather than buying distortion/fuzz pedals.

[@sam4667]

@@Javier-qk7ms This. The Katana used with its own effects sounds more than passable. This would allow you to spend more on your guitar 👍

[@Cadet44642]

The reality is that this is most people’s budget. Most people really can’t afford the tube amps that we all know sounds better then solid state amps. Here’s my budget rig. Epiphone LP Standard I got use for $218. I still have the recipe to prove it. Boss Katana $229. Mosky Klon clone $28 on Amazon. The silver one. EHX Ocean Eleven reverb was $147 when I bought I but is now $151. This reverb can do everything you want. My only issue is that it is mono. Joyo digital delay $37. I just have to have delay on my board. Power supply would be a CP-04($35). I built my board with extra Ikea cabinets in my house and carpet off of job sites. The total with everything is $750 US dollars. To be any kind of musician you are gonna need to spend money on gear. Most of my gear is used.

[@bernhardrohrer9593]

I still say to get yourself a Bugera for less than 300€. Lovely amp and valve!

[@rome8180]

You spent $229 on the amp. You can get a nice used tube amp for around $350. It's not as out of reach as you're making it out to be.

[@Cadet44642]

Yeah, I see where you are coming from. I’m just thinking budget. How much money 17 year old me versus 35 year old me would have access to on a budget. If I use Dan and Mick’s criteria my budget would be much bigger at my current age. This is a fun thought experiment. I’m looking forward to the next one.

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

rome8180 Tube isn’t always better for someone. Tube amps cost money to maintain. Some people don’t have that kind of disposable income. And non valve amps in 2020 have grown a lot the last 20 years since the first Line 6 was introduced in the late 90’s. A Boss Katana is an absolutely gig worthy amplifier.

[@terminalbliss]

"However, its awful... " "it would be shocking" Dan uncensored on pain killers is hilarious.

[@druwk]

Wow! Speakers, the absolutely underrated element of sound. Couldn’t believe how much better Dan’s sound got with a decent cabinet.

[@oansun]

When I started gigging in the 90's I played through my Dad's "old basement amp" 68 Princeton and a Crate 15 watt plugged into a Carvin 15" bass cab, in stereo from a used Boss CE-5

[@oansun]

anyway, dans just brought into some nostalgia a bit. but I also has a zoom 505 in there lol

[@W4rpth0rn]

I notice it doesn't say "Sounds better through headphones" in this episode.

[@rorymcclellan3740]

SO looking forward to part two!!! Bloomin great as always. Upwards and onwards!

[@jamesabbott1413]

Perhaps you could do a show on upgrading Liv's guitar? Pick up selection, other value upgrades, other considerations etc

[@kaybee4143]

YES!!! I got a Squier Affinity Tele recently for $50. Looks brand new. Needed a set of tuners. Spent another $20 on Amazon. I gave it to my son for Christmas but told him it needs new pick ups. We don't want to spend $115 for SD's for a cheap guitar.

[@markvironda]

For anyone who talks shit about you guys just pushing expensive pedals, here is a great example of having fun and tweaking pedals for improvement on any level. Best show on the internet

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers Mark :))

[@thehound2161]

It is the best show on KZbin indeed.

[@revenant235]

That. It is in fact the only show I watch, on or off the internet.

[@H_Oscarsson]

When I was a teen I had a JCM800 and a 4x12 cabinet in my 11 square meter room at my parents house. Cranking the volume made the roof lift a bit and my father shouting at me (didn't hear him though). :)

[@markruark2523]

I am SO HAPPY to see an Epiphone guitar. They don't get the love they deserve. I've had a number of brands over the years, but I've always come back to Epiphone. I've got 4 electrics, all 4 are Epis. Love them, love them, love them.

[@fenix478]

Absolutely adored this Low budget rig show! One of my favorites, and i’ve watched probabily more than half of all your videos. Greetings from Brasil. Cheers.

[@Grindian]

Ive referred to TPS as a top gear for guitars before, and that was before you decided to do a budget challenge. M8888's that was the best thing they ever did on their show.. this is awesome.

[@patrickfitzgerald2861]

Nice to see a little respect for Squier, Epiphone and Katana on this channel. Four and five figure gear is lovely, but few of us can afford it.

[@ThatPedalShow]

We can’t afford it either. It’s a conviction not a financial choice. And it takes decades to work up to all that stuff.

[@markpfeffer7487]

Squier classic vibe tales are A+++. Honestly they play circles around most MIA teles I've played. At a fraction of cost.

[@patrickfitzgerald2861]

@TPS - We all love to see the high-priced stuff you guys present on the show, and we believe you when you assert that certain classic guitars/pedals have special sonic qualities. The lesson from this episode might be to try and mix things up a bit, simply because it's fun. Speaking of which, it's probably high time for a look at some of the pedals Fender has released over the past couple of years. They're pretty darn good!

[@mattsaysvideo]

I second what Mick said. I started in approx 1990 with a little Peavy SS practice amp and a Jackson Charvelle Charvette. A couple years later, I bought a Big Muff Green Russian-though they weren’t called that then-and an Ibanez chorus. All of that together cost about $200 over a two year period. I’ve been buying and trying ever since and have so much gear, now, that I am constantly buying and reselling stuff just to try and find what I really love. It just takes time and a dedication to it. Whatever you really love, you will find a way to do. If it is just a little hobbie, it will unconsciously take a back seat to other pursuits and you won’t even know the extent to which this is occurring. What size is your TV? What kind of car do you have? How many subscription services are you a member of, etc.? I don’t watch TV, my wife and I share a car, and I don’t subscribe to much at all, if anything. I don’t have time because I work and I write music, and I buy, try, and sell guitar gear. It’s what I truly love and not a 5 min here or there thing. So, I find a way to prioritize it piece at a time. In short, if you truly love a thing, whatever that is, you will unconsciously form a lifestyle around that; a lifestyle that is centered on that one thing. It will be your focus and it alone will benefit over all other pursuits. Anyway, that’s just my observation.

[@boaleman6894]

Dan should make a vlog about fixing the Worm!

[@nathanmontover1436]

Combining the VLOG with the regular show is a brilliant idea! Also, I realize now how much I value your segments on guitars and I'm really grateful that you incorporate them into your line-up of videos. Another masterful episode. Thank you

[@emilblain1244]

Dan: *plays some weird shit* "Woooo! Painkillers" - Completely flattened me

[@P51gn]

Two easy cheap casino upgrades - stuff some foam in the F-holes & put rubber under the dog ears where the pickups screw into the top. Reduces the handling noise & microphony! I’ve had the Korean casino, & currently own the John Lennon ltd Ed revolution, & these worked on both! Taking the thick lacquer off will make such a difference, cos the Lennon casino is so much more responsive. Great episode cheers.

[@KristofferVad]

In addition to this, those Epi P90s are extremely prone to microphonic feedback. I would suggest swapping them out. I have an Epi LPjr which plays and sounds fantastic but even at medium gain starts wailing uncontrollably. I will try the rubber under the dog-ears before buying better pups. @P51gn - any particular rubber?

[@randysutton2120]

Painkillers and caffeine: Breakfast of Champions.

[@hoboroadie]

"You can't make an elephant by cobbling together a bunch of rabbits." That's what I was told, and after decades of doing things the hard way, I have come to admit that I am doing it wrong. None the less, the amplifier I would choose is two of those amp-shaped objects, like the twenty watt wonder there, and a Humdinger to split the signal. Probably not the equal of the Katana but with a VB-2 on one side is actually like what I've got hooked up in the garage right now. It works. Of course, I always start with the speakers so they are playing out of some AlNiCo Celestions...

[@shook9042]

🤣 Dan says "It's not good. However, it's awful!" Lol. So good

[@bottleneck1100]

ok, so.. Laney VC30. killer. £250. Second hand mexican fender. £300-£350. 1st gen mudhoney pedal. EM drive. budda optical compressor. £700 all -in. I win :D :D

[@JoeySlackMusic]

bottleneck1100 vc30! Great amp! I gig with one all the time 👍🏻

[@orlock20]

Boss Katana 100w $360 new, PRS SE singlecut $375 (including shipping for all items mentioned), Used J Rockett Rockaway Archer Overdrive EQ Distortion Steve Stevens Pedal $189, Caline Cp 04 power supply (with patch cables) $32, Rowin tuner $18, roadrunner pedal board (with bag) $39, Black Arts Toneworks Pharaoh Fuzz Pedal $168. That's $1181 or 908 British pounds.

[@EpicStuffMan1000]

@@orlock20 for maximum budget spend some time with the katana with a computer choosing the effects you want and get the footswitch. Almost everything you need

[@elitestarquake3597]

The Worm adds that “snare played with brushes” sound as a bonus.

[@jameslewis1747]

The look on Mick's face said it all when Dan strikes the tele...I was almost in tears laughing....

[@LiamHardyMusic]

I got 2 vintage Marshall 4x12s for free because they were some rehearsal rooms near me that were shutting and getting rid of equipment.

[@LiamHardyMusic]

@@freddyb7519 It's not what you know, it's who you know!

[@danielbrown6961]

This is tremendous! Seeing Dan's amp whistling at 23:12 with the Matchless sitting idle in the background is too much!

[@two-tone6934]

You guys are awesome , discovered you during this pandemic and just love the humor you guys bring not to mention all the in-depth knowledge thank you and cheers for making a stressful and challenging time not as difficult. Respect from California

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you Wilson! Great to have you here!

[@jeremywando75]

Great show, guys! I love how you didn't try much out beforehand and we got to see changes to make the sound better. Keep up the great work! A lot of good info in here.

[@boggeshzahim3713]

I was shocked by how amazing that 30$ amp sounded when plugged into a 4x12

[@saint-cetacean]

My jaw flat out dropped, I was *astonished*

[@EpicStuffMan1000]

and people buy a new pedal before a speaker because they don't like their sound

[@andrewharper1609]

@@EpicStuffMan1000 That could be for a number of reasons. The 25 w amp I got from Gear 4 Music has no Reverb. It also has no on board effects. Plus it was about time I started to add a bit of variety to my tonal palette (I didn't have much spare cash growing up so pedals would have been a luxury, plus I liked my distortion so I didn't feel the need at the time) plus I couldn't get two handed tapping to sound any good on my Marshall Park practice amp (turned out lack of compressor and volume too low were the problems). If you don't know the speaker is a problem because you're new to it then you're not going to know the solution is a better speaker. That probably covers why that phenomenon occurs.

[@nohomatt6559]

On Reverb right now listed as “Mint condition” Boss BD2 - $80 MXR: Carbon Copy - $80 MXR phase 90 - $40 MXR dyna comp - $50 Amp: Orange crush 35 - $185 Pedalboard: Hot box 2.0 $50 Power: Voodoo lab pedal x4 $90 mint Guitar: 1960s/70s teisco under $300 Total: $875. You would have a killer setup.

[@noname-ng6sj]

@Noah Lyons not to mention at least 200 bucks in shopping costs.

[@joshuacarpenter4456]

You have to do more of these, its fascinating seeing you solve dilemmas in realtime, also the curve ball of the Worm was a delight, especially that you guys bought gear just for this show...love that....more please!

[@aplakides]

Loved this video. Can't wait for part 2!

[@terranceturner7972]

I am absolutely shocked at how much of a difference that cab made to Dan’s tone. Mind blown.

[@capt_knobs3972]

New shirt? “Don’t stand by someone with tone!”

[@rickya3877]

That was a lot of fun and I'm REALLY looking forward to part 2!

[@evanmiller2579]

Great show. You made it very entertaining despite some of the rough tones. Really looking forward to part 2.

[@fraenkiboii]

Gary Clark Jr. would be jealous of Mick's gear, even tho he doesn't play his Casino that much any more.

[@MaDshowonhere]

If anyone wants to know how important speakers are to your guitar tone, I'm showing them this video

[@jimsy5530]

@alan wake And amps matter more than guitars, yet we all spend our money on guitars first, then amps, then speakers.

[@ryleyeaton7349]

Jimsy no bro it all comes down to how many pieces a body’s made out of

[@jackhaugh]

I once had Jimmy Page himself from his verified KZbin account add a comment to a reply I made to a video where I said that an amp makes 90% of your tone when dealing with electric guitar and he said that the speaker is by far the most important component in the mix before guitar and amp. All these other things are negligible unless they are hurting your tone.

[@superbford]

Guitars have to be playable though.... and bad pickups can ruin any good amp.. so it all comes together at some point.

[@MaDshowonhere]

@@superbford true, I just upgraded from a squier bullet to a classic Vibe strat and the difference in my playing if definitely noticable just because it's easy to play and I can bend without going out tune. I don't imagine paying more would make that much of a significant difference though

[@tristandeniet]

This is hands-down the best guitar channel. Also, whoever does the time-stamping, you are a god and you deserve everything.

[@milesroozen2918]

Dan's omega-budget 20w amp before and after the speaker cab was one of the coolest things I've seen with gear in a while. Pretty remarkable how much speakers/cabs affect tone.

[@andreweasombentley4703]

Hey Guys! You mentioned in VCQ about maybe doing some tube comparisons. You should get some Effectrode pedals to do this as they are really easy to switch the tubes in and out. An effectrode show would be interesting in general as they also have tube driven fuzz, modulations etc that run at proper amp voltages! (no affiliation but I have one of them and am a fan!) Keep up the great work!

[@mattgilbert7347]

+1 on that. Been intrigued by those Effectrode pedals ever since a photo of Davey G's rig (recent, post-2010, it's always changing y'know) showed what looked like mostly tube pedalboard-rack with a lot of Effectrode gear. Pricey, I'd assume. I could never afford one but I'd love to see that show.

[@MooCow2X2]

To add to this. (I don’t know how pricey they are in the UK) Get a pair of Egnater Tweakers. Cause they can take all kinds of tubes and don’t cost a fortune. Good for a/b ing both brands of the same tube. And head to head comparing 6v6 vs el34 ect. I know there’s other amps that can do this. I just don’t know them haha

[@amandacatherine793]

Definitely need lots more Effectrode on TPS.

[@EricNielsen85]

Guys, huge fan here. Never comment very much, but I have to tell you this time that I really enjoyed this episode (and Dan’s vid, short and unexpected, was hilarious!!).

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Eric. All best to you!

[@RobUttley]

What a great episode. Thanks guys, really excellent way to pass my lunch hour!

[@justinrucker7059]

You guys should do the ultimate budget wet dry rig since you are probably responsible for more of us having/wanting them than anyone else haha. Thank you for what you do. Legitimately the only regularly airing show I look forward too and the first thing I watch on Friday's!

[@the1khronohs40]

This was a great challenge video guys! Both of you had to face very real world bugs, fails and problems that come with strict budget and second hand shopping! And I probably enjoyed that the most. Thad challenge being defined the way it was makes your rigs valid, in a way. But for any beginner I would strongly recommend leaving pedals out of it at first, and put the money into a decent amp first. Like a used katana 50 maybe. Loud enough for practice and gigs. Every Boss pedal you could want built in, and so on. Four great sounding channels. Leaves a lot of guess work and gambling out of it. And the cheap Squires now a days are actually excellent guitars that easily can be upgraded once some more cash comes in. Superb choose on the guitar there Dan! Really looking forward to part 2! Cheers!

[@recklesstoboggan]

"Look over there! It's Taylor Swift! Yoink!" That had me on the floor for a good few minutes. Hilarious and cheesy. Right in my wheelhouse.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Hey Dan, wishing you a full & speedy recovery from your operation. Happy Holidays to you & Mick from NYC.

[@aaronunroe5267]

I genuinely stumbled on this channel and love the interactions between these guys. Mick, Dan, you guys rock. Thanks for making the videos :)

[@ThatPedalShow]

Nice one Aaron, thanks for being here!

[@jameswilde6713]

Liked this one! Sadly though guys your "Challenge' is called "reality" for many of us! lol The best amp for the buck on amazon is the MonoPrice StageRight. its basically a Chinese Fender Blues Jr. copy for $250. And don't overlook Joyo and Mooer for thier ability to clone a pedal on a budget and sound good, of course, you can get an OCD clone for $35 , a Klon Clone foe $54 and a decent delay for under $50. Not to mention that the Donner Power Supply is a killer deal at $35, has isolated outputs, mutilple 9v outputs, a 12v out, and 18v out (going to need those for those options for the joyo Ultimate Drive!) Couple that with a Craigslist Epiphone Les Paul Standard for around $200, a homemade pedal board for about $25 and you have an awesome sounding rig for about $650, most of it shipped to your door and only one run about for the guitar and board supplies.

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

James Wilde So true James. I like fancy, expensive gear just as much as any other guitar player. But with the family that I have, I can’t justify spending that kind of money on gear. Thankfully we live in a time where we can get quality gear for really good prices. My #1 amp (my only amp 😊) is a Katana 50. My expensive guitar (which would be considered cheap by a lot of guitarists) is a Paul Reed Smith S2 Standard 24 in satin finish. My favorite guitar is a Harley Benton SC550. Got it as a b stock with some minor blemishes for $193. Thing plays and sounds like a Les Paul should. My mini board has a Rowin Plexion, Mosky Golden Horse, Donner flanger, Ni-X univibe and Kokko green overdrive. My amp and pedals and board cost the same as a lot of people’s delay pedal. But I’m so thankful for gear that is inexpensive and sounds good.

[@bradleyard4195]

Sounds like your rig is built similar to mine, because I'm poor! LOL! I have two Monoprice Stage Right 15 watt rube amps, one of which I re-tubed not long after I got it ($180 for one amp, $200 for the second, plus about $50 on tubes for a total of $430). Great little amps. My pedalboard consists of a Dunlop wah I found at my local music store (Dynamite Music in Griffith, IN) for $35. I have a Behringer Vintage Tube Monster ($50 new, plus $10 for a 12at7, which really smoothed it out) and an MXR Prime Distortion ($35 at Dynamite) for gain pedals. For modulation, I have a Boss BF-3 flanger ($30 at Dynamite) and the one pedal I've had forever, a DOD FX65 Stereo Chorus ($80 in 1993, nowadays on Ebay they run $50), which I love. The end of my signal chain is a Behringer EM600 delay ($50 at Sweetwater, discontinued, but you can get them for about the same on Ebay), which is an amazingly good pedal. So, my pedalboard, with a OneSpot, ran a total of... $280 at today's values. So, cheap. My most "budget" guitar is my 1967 Harmony Bobkat H15V, which I paid nothing for since I literally found it in a dumpster, about to be carted off to a landfill. Out of the guitars I paid for, it would be my Ibanez GRX40, which I got used for $65, and then modded with locking tuners and a roller nut ($150 installed), and it came with a Duncan JB in the bridge. So, that guitar was a total of $215. So, for a low budget but fantastic overall rig, I paid a grand total of $925, which in British Pounds is a whopping £720-ish, far lower than what these guys paid, and it sounds great, especially with my Gibson Sonex ($250 back in 1991, my first real guitar), which still leaves me below what they paid, and I have money left for beer.

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

Bradley Ard Bradley I love your rig. You get what you can swing cost-wise and you make it work well for you. That’s all any of us can do. I’ve fell victim to the whole expensive gear thing and have spent way too much money on it. I laughed the other night at our band’s gig. I just got a Harley Benton Les Paul style guitar and I was getting such great compliments for its appearance and sound. When I told my band mates I paid $193 for it they were just flabbergasted. Honestly I was too. For decades I believed there’s no way a guitar at that price could sound or play any good. And it’s an amazing guitar playability wise and I like the sound too. I may change the neck pickup sometime (and you can get good pickups today for cheap).

[@bradleyard4195]

@@erictoniaschwab1009 I've been looking at the Harley Benton PRS copies lately, wondering how they compare to the SE models. There's very few guitars these days at any reasonable price point that could be considered "bad". Even the :low-end" models, the overall quality has gotten very good.

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

Bradley Ard Shane from In The Blues, Henning from HP42 and John Robson all do good, in depth reviews of those. I was considering that guitar as well but already have a PRS and wanted a Les Paul style guitar.

[@justingarcia7722]

I had an Ibanez Gio (strat like thing), Crate amp and a Korg 1500g (?) Multi effects processor. It took only one band practice to realize I stood no chance against a drummer (particularly when we were 15 and everything needed to be as loud as possible). I quickly upgraded to a bargain second hand hot rod DeVille, PRS first year Santana SE and a full tone Fulldrive II. That and a later added boss dd6 was my rig for years

Mick, I dig the traverses that you encounter with your purchases, tests and gear expectations! Thank you guys!

[@duffdunlap6705]

Great show. A lot of fun and seeing the different approaches was awesome

[@jorgenvandeburgt8670]

Actually not the cheapest Squier, that would be the Bullet.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Aha, thank you!

[@jmichaelE68]

@@ThatPedalShow It's good that you didn't get the Bullet. I bought one for kicks' and I think it's made with balsa wood.

[@qualitytrash2257]

Affinity’s aren’t that bad to be honest I have an squier affinity strat and it’s pretty good

[@GuitarQueero1]

Ha! Dan's daughter has his laugh. Great video guys and great for an aspiring guitarist who just graduated postsecondary. Hope you have a good new year across the pond!

[@murfmurphy6212]

These challenges are great, love seeing them back. The fun part is the pedal selection, be good to see perhaps some 'I selected these three from these 9 options' or something. Big highlights for me in this one were the difference a 4x12 made, and the Worm. Things we wouldn't normally see. NIce. Keep it up...and more Pick 'n' Mix.

[@aaroncurtis4476]

I like what Dan says about still feeling 16 years old and being a hero. More people should have that attitude when putting a band together. I’m in my 40’s and my band mates in their 50’s and that’s how we feel. One life to live, f’ing live it hard!

[@peteredie9108]

The tone city King of Blues is actually not two blues breaker circuits (I know the name is bs, they totally tried to market it as a king of tone copy, but its actually its own thing). Its actually a klone into blues breaker. Really cool pedal in its own right, and is a bit upsetting they ruined it with the naming convention trying to ride on the hype of a totally different type of pedal.

[@grega1207]

The reason TPS hasn't focused on "budget" equipment is twofold in my mind. Firstly, there are a plethora of channels out there that do just that. Secondly, it is really easy to get a bad sounding rig if you're solely focused on budget. Which brings us to the real benefits of this particular show. The main takeaways would be to first spend enough money on a decent amp setup to give you a usable sound. Second, there are plenty of guitars out there to be had for not a lot of coin, pick one that fits your body and playing style. Use that decent amp to start finding out what you can do with that guitar and amp. Then start adding a pedal and repeat the process. The alternative is to buy a whole mess of expensive stuff and then have a wild time trying to figure it all out!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yes. This! Mick here. :0)

[@thorstenfaust153]

Pure fun! Entertaining and interesting! Love the Mooer E-Lady and the Casino. Again you made my day!

[@stuartbowlerwell2845]

Thanks for this one - again, as always! The most important take away from this episode: 4x12s are available for £80.

[@RobBrownSTS]

Where’s the Peavey Bandit? Classic of all teenage jam rooms

[@ricardorodriguez5549]

Rob Brown mine would sound great...and then not....and then great...and then. Not.:) Lots of goof HS gig memories with that.

[@theguitarelectric5218]

Nice gentlemen. The memory toy has many adjustments inside for the gain of the preamp , modulation and delay times and speeds it’s a pretty cool pedal actually. I adjusted the gain and get a nice little kick out of it for lead lines.

[@tomthumb4325]

I've gigged with one for a few years and didn't know you could adjust it damn it

[@bmitchellmusic]

My jaw hit the floor and I proceeded to die laughing in hysterics from hearing that amp and the Marshall cab for the first strum with the OD. What even the heck??

[@dalezjc]

Fun video, but I think a do-over is needed! For a "budget" rig challenge, the Katana is not realistic for most people (in spite of the fact it's a good amp). Shocked that neither of you chose the Monoprice 15-watt amp. It's gotten tremendous reviews since its release. And for pedals, any of the Tone City pedals hold their own, FOR THEIR PRICE POINT. Your guitar choices were spot-on.

[@vintagecharlie5969]

Cheers Dan, i just had a knee surgery too - the thingy named meniscus needed some shaving and tuning. Wish you good recovery!

[@adamnichols2762]

Man, I have tons of $200-$300 dollar pedals (ODs, Fuzz's, Delay's, etc.) and the King of Blues from Tone City is a pedal i seem to continuously put back on my board. If you run the left side of the pedal's volume @ noon, tone @ noon, & drive @ 3 o'clock, then, run the right side of the pedal's volume & drive @ 2 o'clock and it's tone @ noonish and mainly use the left side as an "always on" boosty-drive then kick in the right side as a mid-boosty thing it is simply amazing. It sounds very similar to my Moonshine V1 w/toggle switch down.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Nice!

[@ebail8359]

One of the best examples of how a speaker and cab change everything!

[@MarkDelsing]

Best budget rig challenge ever! Thank you guys so much for making two very important points. First, that anyone on a budget needs to be looking at used gear. It drives me nuts when other channels - usually big retailers - do "budget" rigs that are entirely comprised of new equipment, despite that being the worst value-for-money route to take - especially when you are looking at low-end gear! Second, that the most important part of any audio setup - be it a guitar rig or a stereo - is whatever is moving air: speaker, headphones, or earbuds. No equipment, no matter how high-end, is going to sound good through crappy speakers. Anyone putting together a rig should start with the amp/cabinet and then work outwards from there. Kudos, sirs.

[@analogoutdoors]

Sweet! Dan's rig is closer to what I consider budget. Except for that Rock Jam, lol. $600-$800 is ore like budget to me. The guys around here run Peavey Bandit 112s and Boss, Digitech, MXR, or they did when I was playing the "scene". You can do a lot with little today, even more so than back in the day.

[@markjames7140]

Everyone had a peavey bandit 112 and felt like a god!

[@GScott50]

15:29 Dan: 'Dude I've had a look in the back - they're making money on this.' ROFL

[@telebender]

This episode was a lot of fun. I’ve been watching since at least 2016 and I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the hard work and dedication you guys bring to the show. My technical knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds from watching you every week, and I’d like to think my chops have improved, as well. On a side note, are we ever going to get the promised follow-up John Smith episode? As a Canadian ex-pat living in the western US, I was not familiar with him. All I can say is ‘WOW’, he completely blew me away. I know acoustic based episodes don’t track as well with your audience, but I for one, am waiting with bated breath to see more of this phenomenal talent. Happiest Holidays to you and yours’! Thanks again for what you do - Cheers

[@tskjek08]

This installment of TPS is something I wish would have been around when I was a 14 year old EVH wannabe like everyone else. Great example of what really matters when putting a rig together. It’s more fun to buy pedals but quiet power makes those pedals come alive. Great advice for everyone on how you can take a decent guitar and in time approve upon it with upgrades. Also not as fun as new pedals but the final product can be totally worth the investment. Great show as usual. Cheers!

[@cheycasters]

Kicking Morphine IS a horrible thing....Whatch out there Danny boy!!!

[@lucianodebenedictis6014]

It's interesting how different countries treat morphine differently. they gave it to me only the first day after knee surgery, while i was still in the hospital

[@cowieson]

Camelia sinensis what country just out of interest? (Like the name btw, spectacularly esoteric! I bet not many people know the Latin name for tea off-hand!)

[@lucianodebenedictis6014]

@@cowieson hehe the picture helps maybe! Italy by the way. I know for a fact some countries are more morphine-trigger-happy

[@hoboroadie]

Here in the U.S. it got really weird about three years ago. I have a condition that requires a single therapeutic dose perhaps once a year, but now I get to be bedridden for three to six weeks instead, because I might get addicted or something. Satanic Panic I guess. I have a Jasminum sambac at the end of my row of Camellias, it's a traditional combination.

[@9timesacharm]

I think if you combine the two rigs it would be a killer first rig. E.G. Katana, Tele, Memory Boy, Fuzz, King of Blues. I would be very happy with that rig.

[@elonmush4793]

Definitely so much better than the stuff I started out with. Back in the dark ages before there was KZbin and TPS to enlighten guitar noobies like I was.

[@jameswilde6713]

@@elonmush4793 we all had Peveys and Crates back in the 90's!

[@mftran]

That Squier Tele is a phenomenal value. New pickups and pots make it really come to life. I like it almost as much as my Fenders.

[@benoastler4376]

For part 2, I'd like to see Dan and Mick guess each other's rig. I think we can assume there will be a Two Rock, Vintage AC30, Klon, Electric Mistress, Replicator, maybe an original TS808. Great show guys!!