Building a Worship Guitar Pedalboard for $300 (ish)

[@ark8001]

Overdrive: Mooer Blues Crab [$47] / Boss SD-1 [$30] / EHX Soul Food [$50] / Ibanez TS-9 [$75] Delay: TCE Flashback 2 [$120] + MXR Tap [$30] / Boss DD-20 [$130] / EHX Canyon [$100] Reverb: Boss RV-5 [$83] / MXR Reverb [$130] / EHX Oceans 11 [$125] Cables: Planet Waves Patch Cables (x3) [$9] Adapter: Truetone 1-Spot [$29.95]

[@cbashe]

I love how simple your approach is, I'm playing ambient music and don't need more than 5/6 pedals. After watching these complicated pedal board builds this is refreshing.

[@LeFeversAudio]

Thanks! I mean, in all honesty, my own personal board has... way more than this on it. Haha. But I know some younger folks who are trying to get into guitar and wanted something I could point them to that would be a non insane place to start. No beginning guitarist needs twelve pedals at first.

[@cbashe]

@@LeFeversAudio I'm old school, I've been using a mix of multi-effects units, pedals and rack units for years, and I put guitar, synth and sample pads through it, and vocals sometimes. But I want to go light, so seeing your simple approach is incredibly helpful.

[@jabulanikwaramba2297]

Hey Matt, i think it would be great if you could do a cover song with this board so that we can see how it would work practically. Absolutely love your videos.

[@fredcarvalho1105]

thank you for showing how simple it really is! It's intimidating to see huge pedalboards.

[@LeFeversAudio]

Thanks! I mean, I'm guilty as anyone, my real board is certainly bigger than it needs to be. But only like 1/3 of that stuff is essential, the rest is occasional little bonus stuff. I've heard many other giant-pedalboard guys more legit than me say the same thing, most of that stuff is just for fun and not at all critical.

[@fredcarvalho1105]

@@LeFeversAudio Totally get you! Watched a video yesterday where some guy was saying how TC electronic updated the firmware on the flashback 2 where the mash button also becomes tap tempo. cool update!

[@paulhaustein2140]

How to build a Pedalboard for 300$ Step 1: Get Blue Sky Step 2: Go and Play just kidding, thanks for the video

[@jonlohrenz5446]

The great thing about the flashback is that with the TonePrint editor you can finagle the time knob so that you have different “presets” just with the time knob. For example, you can set up the time knob so that: - all the way down: 300 milliseconds - in the middle: 500 milliseconds - all the way up: 700 milliseconds Or however you want to set it up in the TonePrint editor.

[@LizRocksMySox]

So helpful! I had my pedals stolen and this is so great for starting from scratch. Pls keep making awesome vids!

[@LeFeversAudio]

Oh no! Sorry to hear that! That's actually something I've considered, is what if anything would I re-buy if that happened to me. This kind of thing is probably what I would start with. Hope you get something figured out!

[@christianthomas2756]

FYI TO PEOPLE WONDERING ABOUT THE MXR REVERB. It's amazing but just beware, you must use an ISOLATED power supply with it, or its own wall wart power supply. If you daisy chain it, it will give you high pitched digital cross talk because it pulls around 250Ma. It comes with a power adapter as well when you buy it so USE IT. Just a warning to yah :)

[@LeFeversAudio]

Thanks - that's great info. Serves me right for recommending something I haven't used personally, haha.

[@christianthomas2756]

Nah man you are good haha!! Honestly most people don't know that because that reverb isn't highly used!! @@LeFeversAudio

[@mattvoss564]

Great vid. Very straight forward and shows you don't need to break the bank to start playing. To add, if you're in a pinch, the original Flashback has a way to set delay time on the fly by holding the delay button down and raking the tempo with your hand. It will pick up the tempo your raking at and set the time to that.

[@LeFeversAudio]

True, I never had much luck getting that to work so I forget it has that feature. Thanks!

[@joshuasabbagh5714]

Bam! He’s back!

[@jirehalexanderduran4610]

The RV5 is really just bang for the buck. Still have one and probably never gonna sell it

[@DavideRuggerini]

for a budget worship pedalboard I solved the problem with a Zoom G3n. I keep the virtual chain very simple: ad overdrive, an amp simulator set for a little crunch, a reverb and a delay. After then I made 5-6 patches with combinations of them.

[@LeFeversAudio]

I'm not too familiar with the Zoom stuff but I could see that working - I've done a similar thing with the Atomic Amplifire. I'll set it up crunchy amp > delay > reverb and go from there.

[@matutegarcia8604]

awesome video, i still have tc flashback the old one, you can sink the tempo if you keep press the switch, kind off tap but works really good.

[@flatbill2]

Actually it is a strum tap. Hold down the button until the audio cuts and then strum your tempo and release. Presto your TAP is set.

[@JoshuaPritchardblogtohealth]

Dude great vid! But I reckon you missed one of the most important pedals that every guitarist in the whole world needs, a tuner! You've got to be in tune

[@LeFeversAudio]

Dang it. I knew I forgot to mention something. I wasn't going to include a pedal tuner because it would have raised the cost too much, but I did intend to at least talk about it, and recommend maybe a Snark tuner or something in the meantime. Just totally slipped my mind. Thanks!

[@ryanspencerlauderdale687]

If you have a smartphone, get a tuner app.

[@tombarker2977]

He's Back!!!

[@flatbill2]

I have an RV-6 that I got for $80. Exact same thing as the RV 5 except it has shimmer.

[@webinno]

Thank u for sharing and good choice. They all sound great to my ears!

[@chrisg2214]

Great tones! Love it

[@tonytaylor5087]

Sounds awesome!

[@texmexgardener]

Great job. You can also get a used Fly Rig by tech 21 for like 150 bucks. Almost the same set up. No wires between pedals and one power supply.

[@Warrnan52]

Great stuff. Thanks!

[@rauliciii]

Thank you, sir. I'm building my first pedal board. I bought a Boss DD 20 - cuz it has presets, easy to use and has a looper effect, a Vemuram Jay Ray Overdrive and I'm thinking about buying a RV-5.

[@LeFeversAudio]

The DD-20 rocks. I kinda regret selling mine sometimes, it's an incredible pedal.

[@rauliciii]

You said that TC electronic delay sounds a bit better to you than Boss. Do you have a preference between boss rv-5, TC Hall of fame 2 and MXR reverb? Thanks

[@LeFeversAudio]

@@rauliciii - I haven't used the MXR but really love the demos. The RV-5 and HoF I can personally vouch for are pretty great. Last time I was reverb shopping I just kept checking RV-5's and HoF's, waiting to see which one I could find for the best price, and ended up grabbing an RV-5 but it was literally just because I got a better price on it than I could find on the TC.

[@rauliciii]

@@LeFeversAudio I didn't think you would respond. Great news. Thank you.

[@rauliciii]

@@LeFeversAudio God bless

[@galoserjemorales4190]

Yooooo.... Thanks for this video!!! So so so helpful. Keep it up!☝

[@nikitakostiaiev0507]

Thank u for a great gear review!

[@jacques-harielango1653]

Thank you so much!! God bless you.

[@flatbill2]

Dude, that is exactly my pedalboard! Except I have the SD-1 and a Soul Food.

[@LeFeversAudio]

Nice! The SD-1 is outstanding, I actually liked it better than the (probably more famous) Tube Screamer.

[@flatbill2]

@@LeFeversAudio I just bought the Soul Food. Only thing I don't like about the SD-1 is it doesn't stack very well and gives the tone some color. Not bad for $40!

[@LeFeversAudio]

Yeah, I like TS and SD-1 type pedals as a lead boost more than I like them as a standalone drive, too much mid coloration for me. But they're super useful, I got rid of mine and then ended up having to get another one.

[@budgetgearguru4211]

Hey man. Came from P&W gear talk

[@LeFeversAudio]

That's rad - glad you checked it out!

[@zombievl85]

That’s a sick lick at 8:30ish…..wish I knew the chords

[@LameCarrot]

Cadd9 followed by Dadd9

[@matttheknife3652]

What do you think of the Keeley Electronics Caverns 2 pedal? That has both Delay and Reverb on it? I love your channel by the way - I found it while looking for a good1981 vs Rat comparisons video and subscribed :). Your 2019 pedal board video was also epic! I was amazed it was all going through a amp cab sim .... so last 2 days have been spent researching Strymon Iridium and Amplifire 6 ...

[@LeFeversAudio]

Thank you! I'm loving the Iridium, but the Amplifire is excellent too. Anyway I haven't had a chance to try the Caverns, though I know Keeley is well respected so I'm sure it's good quality. If I was going to try a combo delay/reverb I'd personally grab the Source Audio Collider, but in general I prefer having those two separate.

[@israelfigueroa598]

The Flashback one does have the tempo option but you do it strumming the guitar instead i love it

[@Alexjh260]

That's the original one not the 2

[@GaveMeGrace1]

Thank you

[@david.648]

New updated price of the mentioned pedals: 1) Soulfood USD 86.2 2) flashback 2 USD 169 3) MXR Rev USD 200 Either this or the Line 6 Pod Go 😬

[@RyanWright]

OK, so I've got Helix, so I don't need to do this, but I'm certainly interested (b/c I also have a ton of cheapo pedals and really think they are pretty good).

[@veerchasm1]

It should be 3 shimmer reverbs and a delay...

[@nathaniellarson8]

I recently picked up a Flashback X3 on Craigslist for $120.

[@chaseshatswell9648]

I would search around for a walrus arp87. I got one used for 160 and personally that delay, though has less settings, will be better all around

[@LeFeversAudio]

I didn't realize Walrus made a delay with onboard tap in that small of a form factor. That's definitely a good pick.

[@luisgoregonzalez7394]

Try Nux morning star! Is a cheap pedal perfect For worpship!

[@danieru4948]

Very cool vid...i was looking for low budget example but just found boards with 12 „40 bucks minis“ :( Finally found yours and it definetly helped me! My secret tip für delay if you can get one: Line 6 echo park (small size + tap) and really good sound What do you think about it?

[@LeFeversAudio]

I haven't used one personally but everyone I know who has an Echo Park swears by it. I've heard they sound terrific.

[@c0unterac342]

I already have boss distortion DS-1 So im just gonna save some money And use that for overdrive YES I KNOW ITS VASTLY DIFFERENT However surprisingly adjustung the tone knob to left makes it sound like overdrive

[@xMasterxRazorx]

Hey Matt, Kingrazor from TGP here. Great job on the vid! I'd been wanting to do something like this myself but you did it better :P

[@LeFeversAudio]

Ha, thanks man. I'd be interested to see what your choices would have been. Maybe still Flashback but some other overdrive or 'verb?

[@xMasterxRazorx]

@@LeFeversAudio I might have gone ts mini for the drive. Don't think you can beat a used rv5 for value on verb. DD7 would be a good alternative for delay since you can find them for like $90 or less sometimes.

[@LeFeversAudio]

I * should * have gone TS Mini for the drive, because I already have one and it'd have been one less thing to order, haha. But I'm not crazy about how tube screamers sound as a main drive rather than a boost, and I really wanted to keep the 'amp' clean in this exercise since many beginner players won't have nice tube amps that saturate well. I've never tried a DD-7 but I really should someday. I loved my DD-3 growing up, although clean digital repeats are not a thing I use anymore. The extra modes etc on the 7 would be fun to check out.

[@jeffkessel669]

The original flashback had a tap.. (sort of). You hold the foot pedal down and strum the tap.

[@LeFeversAudio]

Yeah... I vaguely remember that but I could never get it to work for me at all.

[@DerekBarolet]

for ambient reverbs, mooer Skyverb is cheap and gorgeous sounding.

[@potassiumchloride2542]

tbh, if you need a pedalboard at this budget, i would get a multi effect pedal like GE200 which is amazing or something used. If you really want a pedal board, i would probably sped about 30-40 per effects, i wouldnt spend more than that.

[@LeFeversAudio]

Personally, I don't think I could recommend very many things in the $30-40 range, besides a used Boss overdrive or a handful of Danelectro Cool Cat things, but if that works for you then it works for you.

[@tobypass3926]

Hey Matt, What's your thoughts on the neunaber immerse. Struggling on what reverb to get for worship. I'm only young though (13), but I'm trying to upgrade my setup as I'm now leading on stage. Just wondering if you had any tips as well and best ways to improve. Cheers Matt, great vid!

[@LeFeversAudio]

I haven't owned a Neunaber personally but in every video I've ever watched, their stuff sounded absolutely terrific. I use a Strymon blueSky right now but if I was ever going to change it out (probably won't, but sometimes you think about things) I'd probably get a Neunaber Wet. The person whose videos I found most helpful when I was getting into ambient music and pedals was Andy Othling, and he uses a Neunaber as well as a blueSky. Also, I will say, if you're leading as well as playing you'll definitely want to keep your setup simple and easy to use. If I have to sing and play at the same time, the number of pedals and switches I normally deal with is way too distracting. Best of luck!

[@tobypass3926]

Sorry in lead I meant lead guitarist. But thank you!

[@ashtonbrown81]

Neunabar Slate is good too cause you have Presets with the expression pedal

[@xMasterxRazorx]

I have the Neunaber Expanse. I think that's a great option. With the EXP controller you get a second preset.

[@alexandersasha3265]

Hey Matt, I'm caught up between Mooer Blues Crab & Toms Line Bluesy Overdrive. They both Blues Breaker clones and looks pretty similar, Toms even have bright/normal switch. May be you tried them both? btw nice combo!

[@LeFeversAudio]

Fedor Fakovich - I’ve never heard of the Toms one but I was impressed with the Blues Crab, it sounded as good or better than most bluesbreakers I’ve tried. Sorry I can’t compare them directly!

[@alexandersasha3265]

@@LeFeversAudio Thanks, Man!

[@noahbarger1]

so my thinking of a drive pedal to buy is the boss blues driver, would this be good for worship?

[@LeFeversAudio]

That one would be terrific. I haven’t owned a blues driver myself but I’ve always heard good things. It’s definitely the right ‘type’ - low to medium gain, fairly transparent. 👍🏻

[@NicholasReguin]

This is awesome but where on earth did you find an EHX Canyon for $100??

[@LeFeversAudio]

Back in the year 2018 😅 It would’ve been Reverb.com, that’s where I get almost everything for these videos, but yeah the used pedal market has really changed in the last few years. I doubt most of these specific prices are super manageable anymore 😔

[@NicholasReguin]

@@LeFeversAudio that makes so much more sense 😂😂 I’ve been looking at maybe just rolling with a NUX Atlantic Delay/Reverb. Right now all I have is a Boss overdrive pedal and I’m trying to get a simple worship rig.

[@gpdllcfun1]

Tuner tuner tuner

[@Veggie_Tray]

For the delay, I payed 130 for a TCE nova delay

[@stancj7]

Have you ever experimented with something digital and cheap like a firehawk fx?

[@LeFeversAudio]

No, not really. I know Line 6 is killing it lately with the Helix platform but my early experiences with their stuff were pretty meh. I'm not sure where the Firehawk falls on that spectrum...

[@paceyjohnston]

Whens the 2019 Board Walkthrough???

[@LeFeversAudio]

I might do one at some point but it hasn't changed much! I finally settled on a rig, hah.

[@keithconville5460]

What were you using for an amp on this video? Do you remember? Thanks in advance!

[@LeFeversAudio]

It was an Atomic Amplifire, I'm pretty certain.

[@mr_leysonlessonovich5414]

Hi Matt, I use tele with p90s too and don't like too bright sound( I heard that Blues Crab had a LOT of treble on them, is it true?

[@LeFeversAudio]

Hmm, could be - I was mostly only using it with my guitar on the neck pickup, which would have darkened the sound. Maybe if I'd switched to bridge the Blues Crab would have sounded more treble-y. It does have a tone knob, though, which might help? Not sure.

[@mr_leysonlessonovich5414]

Thanks, I just stack between Blues Crab and Black Box 2... I guess you like Black box more?

[@LeFeversAudio]

@@mr_leysonlessonovich5414 - to be honest I didn't really A/B them directly against each other. The Black Box has a lot more knobs and options, and is also hand made by a pedal craftsman and not some factory in China so my automatic snooty assumption is that it's better. But that Blues Crab did sound very good....

[@skylarmobis4681]

can you share on how did you make the flashback into dotted 8th note delay??please help me

[@LeFeversAudio]

It's the little tiny switch in the center, near the top - with the music notes above it. Top position is regular quarter notes and then the middle position is dotted eighths. I think the third, bottom position is both together at the same time.

[@RickyTickyTV]

TS9 FOR 75? its 130 euro in germany

[@LeFeversAudio]

RickyTickyTV - Huh. That surprises me. I don’t know the conversion from euros to American dollars, or what the variation in price is for other countries, for this video I just looked up average prices on Reverb which is where I get the majority of my pedals. But TS9s are incredibly common on the used market, I’m surprised they’re that pricey there.

[@marknuss8498]

So I’m struggling finding the RV-5 is the RV-6 an ok option??

[@LeFeversAudio]

Mark Nuss - Should be! I haven’t used it myself but other folks I know and respect swear by it. It’s supposedly a little different from the RV-5 but will definitely work for the same things

[@richardmckrell4899]

Any suggestions for PA's or amps for acoustic guitar?

[@LeFeversAudio]

Hmm... I'm not an expert on that, it's been many years since I've gigged with an acoustic at any place that didn't already have amplification there. I know those Fender Passport systems are pretty convenient, in a small room, though they don't get super loud. Sorry I'm not much help!

[@user-ov3uz5co3h]

Please help me out, its too difficult. I have a drive pedal, and tc flashback2 delay is on the way, Now I want to buy a reverb but just cant decide tc Hall of Fame2 or Boss rv6. In your experience, which would you prefer？

[@user-ov3uz5co3h]

I maybe buy a volume pedal later to try playing some ambient swell kind stuff~ I basically play in worship band, thanks very much if you can see this and answer🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@LeFeversAudio]

Those are both terrific reverbs, but I think personally I’d go with the Boss. I haven’t played the RV-6 but I’ve bought three RV-5’s over the years, every time I get rid of it I regret it.

[@user-ov3uz5co3h]

@@LeFeversAudio thanks for answering, i would consider it, thanks a lot！great information

[@rafaelrada9861]

What do you think about MXR M77 Modified OD? worth it?

[@LeFeversAudio]

Honestly hadn't heard of that one until your comment just now, but I went down a research rabbit hole this morning and it kinda looks great. I'd be a little interested to try one. Some reports are that it's similar to a Boss SD-1 which is on my board right now, but even more versatile. I'd say go for it?

[@rafaelrada9861]

Matt LeFevers just bought it, arriving next week... let’s see 😊

[@gijoe442]

I'm new to the pedal board (always been an acoustic guitar player) and love your vids. My question is, what should the settings be on my amp (Line 6, spider 2) so as not to take away from the effects of the pedals... Thanks

[@LeFeversAudio]

Does your Spider amp have those artist settings made by specific artists? If so I used to really like the one that Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional made.. Although that was ages ago, so who knows. In all seriousness, most ambient guitar players set their amp pretty clean and basic - you definitely don't want to run a lot of distortion on the amp if you're using pedals out front, as it will mess up your effects. There's a phrase players in this genre use, "edge of breakup", which means dialing in the amp so that it's just * barely * starting to have some grit to it, but is still basically clean, and that's what most of us go for. You can also try playing around with the EQ on the amp, the typical tone for this kind of thing is a little bright so maybe boost the treble a bit and lower the bass. If there are any Vox AC30 type amps modeled in the Spider definitely start there - it's been too long since I had one, I can't remember if it has anything like that. Hope that helps!

[@gijoe442]

Thanks for the quick response, my amp is in great shape but I have been contemplating getting something else. Anything in particular you recommend, my venue is is predominantly for a small church... Also been considering something like Qsc speakers with an equalizer...

[@LeFeversAudio]

@@gijoe442 Well, the iconic church amp is a Vox AC, the smaller ones like an AC15 or AC10 would be plenty in a small church. A lot of church players right now are migrating to going direct with a modeler, though - not sure if your church has that capability. You'd need a monitor to be able to hear yourself but that's how I play, is through an Atomic Amplifire instead of an amp.

[@gijoe442]

Matt sorry to be a pain but could you specify the model of Vox AC15? They seem to range from 600-1500 dollars... Are you talking about the custom? Thanks again for your expertise...

[@LeFeversAudio]

@@gijoe442 Well, the AC15C1 is the only one I've personally used, I just know Vox AC series tube amps are kind of the 'worship sound'. I also know guys who used an AC10 but not sure which one exactly. Personally I got rid of my amps and went to a modeler but if having an actual amp is important those are the ones I see folks using.

[@christianthomas2756]

But Great Video dude!!

[@NormanZealandMalana]

Other people already mentioned the tuner, so I'll ask, why is there no comp pedal? I thought it was basically mandatory for worship. Thanks!

[@LeFeversAudio]

I'm a huge compressor fan, so I agree with you - if I had one more pedal on there I'd probably have done a Mooer Yellow Comp. But for this project I was really trying to see what the * bare * minimum would be, and compressor is one of those subtle things where it's hard for a beginner to even hear the difference, so I thought I could get away without it on this one.

[@NormanZealandMalana]

@@LeFeversAudio Oh ok. Thanks!

[@Cheezeeeee]

Question, do I really need a compressor on building this kind of rig?

[@LeFeversAudio]

Eino Duazo - personally I really love compressor, especially for styles where I need to play clean but be heard in the mix, but I would put it after all of these in terms of importance. Overdrive, delay, and reverb are key, and then once you’ve got those locked down a comp might be next. (I also skipped mentioning a tuner, which is important, but I was trying to see what the absolute fewest pedals I could get away with would be.)

[@Cheezeeeee]

@@LeFeversAudio Thank you so much for your answer. Last question, where should I place my comp? Or is my pedal arrangement, Compressor, Crazy Cacti (Overdrive), California (Pre amp), Analog Delay, Digital Delay and Reverb.

[@LeFeversAudio]

@@Cheezeeeee That lineup looks right to me. I put Compressor first in chain, like you mentioned, and personally I might put the preamp last because I like how delays and reverbs sound going into an 'amp', but that's just personal preference. Lots of guitarists I know set it up just like you have it.

[@anthonyumana7013]

Would this work with a line 6 spider V amp?

[@LeFeversAudio]

I used to have one of those but I don't remember it too well... I'm guessing if you had the Line 6 set fairly clean and then ran some good pedals into it, it could be okay?

[@anthonyumana7013]

@@LeFeversAudio yeah I can make the sound clean for the pedals, but thanks you so much for the confirmation man💪

[@milicorrea8415]

But can u make it under 200? Oh wait wrong channel

[@lavadoraautomatica1]

What about the zoom ms 70cdr?

[@LeFeversAudio]

Ooh, that'd be a good call. I haven't used it personally, I'm put off by menus and digital screens on pedals, but that's a personal problem, hah. I know lots of people have gotten good sounds from it, and it'd definitely cover a lot of that delay/reverb territory (plus some modulation stuff if needed).

[@lavadoraautomatica1]

@@LeFeversAudio Yeah, I honestly agree with you. but I always encourage these units 'cause man I've been impressed.

[@TravisClark43]

What are the dimensions of your pedal board?

[@LeFeversAudio]

This little wooden one? I didn't measure it before I cut it but I was shooting for roughly Pedaltrain Nano size - maybe 5" by 16" or so if I had to guess.

[@CianRourke]

Sorry, man. You lost me at “tap tempo being so important”.

[@LeFeversAudio]

Not at all in some genres - I don't know any metal or classic rock guys who need it - but in this style having delay repeats synced to the song's tempo is widely considered pretty crucial.