Can you list your recomendations for any of these pedals? I will start doing research myself after I get some recomendations. Thanks.

Noisegate

Compression

EQ

The first pedal I am planning on buying is a Noisegate, then maybe an EQ or Compression later on. Do you agree? Should I be looking at buying these in a different order? (I have no pedals right now. Just an ampeg ss-70 amp)

Noisegate: Boss NS2, best reasonably priced no question. The most important pedal in my setup.

EQ: MXR 10 band or 6 band EQ if you don't need all that much range and a volume control.

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+1

If you can afford the ISP Decimator go for it, it's the best noise reduction pedal. The Boss NS-2 is great for the money too.

MXR EQ's are good, if you want something cheaper try the behringer ones (unless you're really heavy on your foot, they're good if you're careful with your gear). The Danelectro Fish'n'Chips is good for the midrange budget range. Boss GE-7 is decent too, it's the same as the behringer but a little sturdier and pricier. They're noisy (Boss and Behringer) but you have a noise reduction pedal, so noise is not an issue, right?

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I prefer the Ns-2 over the ISP Decimator pedal. I actually recently sold my decimator pedal because I never used it, I'm just going to buy another Ns-2 for my other pedalboard with some money left over.

The ProrackG is great, but pricey and not practical for alot of people.

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Isp Decimator, and MXR EQ's. Now as to compression not sure why you'd want that, that is usually added after the amp, such as at the mixing board. If you compress that bad boy, your gonna hear WEE WEE WEE WEE lots of feed back. Even with a noise gate, cause you'll have to set it so high to get rid of the feedback that it'll start chopping off your playing!

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I tried the ISP recently and I couldn't agree more, I really feel that the Decay control is absolutely necessary, the ISP isn't subtle at all it just abruptly cuts off your playing when you set the threshold high enough, doesn't fade out smoothly like the NS2.

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???

I set my threshold to just the point where the noise disappears when i mute the strings with my hand, and i have never encountered that the ISP cuts when it shouldn't. You need a guitar with decent sustain though, don't bet that it'll work properly on the cheapest squier you can get.

I like that it kills it instantly so i don't get that gradual "less guitar / more noise" fadeout. Esp. when you have to suddenly stop playing, like when the bassist's going solo in the middle of a song.

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I was playing through an Ibanez JS signature. It cuts off too abruptly to me, I like when palm muted chords sustain and resonate hard even though they're muted. but the ISP made them inaudible. I didn't get to use it in the loop just in front of the amp, but I hear it doesn't sound very good in the loop compared to in front of the amp(according to about a dozen HC reviews).

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Ah, like "chugg-chugg-chugg-chugg" palm muted, really slow? I guess it will do that really bad, you're right. Depends on your playing style really then!

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Yeah like in some parts I wanna give some palm notes an accent, not just a dry palm mute a la Slayer. A good example: 2nd or 3rd riff in Suffocation's "Bloodchurn" I think(part where the drums and bass go silent, main riff kicks in on 1 guitar, 2nd guitar does 2 uber brutal chugs). The note just kinda lingers there for a while, it doesn't disappear.

Now that's not the only reason I wouldn't want the ISP, I do more than just slow breakdowns n stuff. I just wanna do weird accents in my playing that would be suppressed by heavy use of a noise suppressor with no decay control.

But hell if you wanna sound like psycrotpic you don't need a decay control at all.

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Don't get me wrong, the ISP doesnt suck by any means. But the Ns-2 just has a more subtle gate that's easier to dail in. It doesnt sound like a door slamming on your signal like most gates.

The Ns-2 also has more features that I take advantage of. Namely, the ability to use as a mute, daisy chain power, and it's own fx loop that works great for noisey and tone sucking pedals.

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The ISP gets my vote. Love it!

The daisy chain feature is part of what makes the Ns-2 great...

Yeah that was my point, and cheers for pointing out the FX loop and daisy chain thing, it's a life saver. 1 thing though, if the pedals in the NS-2's fx loop are not on, does the NS bypass the FX loop?

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No, the Ns-2 has no way of knowing wether other pedals in it's fx loop are on or bypassed. A switchable true bypass fx loop would be a killer idea though if they ever make an Ns-3. Wishful thinking I'm sure.

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Grab yourself a soldering iron and some parts and get to work!

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get a ICP Decimator and waste some juggalos

just got a MXR 10-band and it's pretty noisy ... in conjunction w the NS2 it sounds ok.

i used a Rocktron Hush (rack) one time and really liked. it comes as a pedal too, but the reviews aren't too glowing. anyone use one?

If it's noisy you are probably boosting the wrong frequencies. :S

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^nah its the gain

boss with true bypass? only in dreams!



man, boss's are a BITCH to convert to true bypass because they use funny switches... personally, i'd just rip it apart and mount it in a brand new metal box fitted with 2 switches: 1 tr00 bypass for the gate, 1 tr00 bypass for the loop, that would be sexy. Hell... now that you got me thinkin of it, i might make it a summer project.

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I said when used in conjunction with compression. cause compression causes feedback, and to set your threshold high enough to hide the insane feedback it would start chopping your playing.

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