What effects can you not live without

[pianoguyy]

Which MFX board? Maybe I need to head there.

I have the Line6 Pod HD500.

It literally replaced everything I had that went between me and the pa.
No amps. No other fx. Just a guitar and a pod. The only thing I lost is the ability to use my talk box because I don't have an amp to power it. But I gained a vocoder. Besides, the new talk boxes are self-powered. I could just enter it in the signal chain if I needed one that bad.

So, really, if you want to know what fx I can''t live without, that's it - because it is everything. But my original post wasn't naming a specific device, just the general sound.

[Frigo89]

I don't think I really need anything. Playing live, reverb comes from the room/open air, you can usually get away with a lower gain setting with a lot more volume.

[VitaminG]

And I know no one has mentioned it because- duh, obvious- but a talkbox is essential at all times on every song.

well, of course. That goes without saying

My only must-have is OD. Playing covers, I set my rhythm channel to low gain, just breaking up. For rockier tunes, I'll kick in the CMATMODS Super Signa Drive. It's cool because it's a TS-style overdrive with 3 band EQ (so more control than an actual TS), 3-stage gain switch, and another footswitch for clean boost if you need a further kick in the guts. It takes the rhythm channel from a bit dirty to good crunch, effectively giving me 4 channels. Plus great on the lead channel if the song requires a tighter, more searing lead.

Otherwise, I have a few effects on the board. My favourites would be T-Rex Viper vibe (slow deep sweep with clean or dirty sounds), a Subdecay Baby Quasar, VFE White Horse compressor, mainly to boost the output of a Strat up to match the buckers in a Jackson but also set to give a bit of that compression spank that sounds great with a Strat.

And I absolutely love my delay. TC Electronic Alter EgoX4. All kinds of vintage delays, 4 Toneprint slots, 3 different delays at your feet. Plus enough headroom to actually work in the loop of my RM100 too. The old TC Flashback is a great pedal, but the Randall loop was just too hot for it, unless the volume on all modules was turned down. And they just sound better with with the volume up - loudness can be controlled with the MV. So the Flashback had to be run in front of the preamp. Can still sound very good with the right delay, but it limits your choices.

[mantis]

Looking at the Title of this thread again and playing with the idea of going back to all stand alone pedals made me realize that I really can't live without my GT100.
The ability to fully control everything in my rig with one floor processor is magic.

[jgcable]

I use reverb and a touch of delay most of the time.
On rare occasions I'll add some chorus to a clean channel.
If I feel like getting all accurate on a particular sound, like old VH, I'll add a flanger in the mix.
That's the cool thing about a GT-8. It's like a buffet, take what you want.

Ditto for me but I also need an intelligent harmonizer for 2 songs and a wah for one. These are all essential because of the songs my band plays.
If I didn't need them.. I wouldn't use anything live and at home I would use a touch or reverb and or delay. Echo Park is what I use. .

[PowerTube]

The day after I got my GT-100, I sold my ME-80 and six individual pedals to Guitar Center and they haven't been missed one bit.

To answer the question, I must have:

Distortion/Overdrive (although technically, in my mind, it's not an "effect." It's an essential part of my sound)
A touch of Reverb
A touch of Delay
EQ - Like Distortion, it's not an "effect" but I use it a good bit

That's it. I enjoy other effects at times but they're usually not essential. For example:

Phaser - for "Spirit of Radio" or "Barracuda," stuff like that.
Flanger - Not really a fan, but needed on some EVH stuff.
Chorus - I only ever use it on clean sounds, and very little even then.
Wah - Practically never touched.
Octave Divider - Only used on rare "sound effect" type settings.
Tremolo - Meh. Okay for some "groovy" 60's riffs.
Things like Uni-vibe, Leslie Speaker, etc.... have rarely done much for me.

[BayRocker]

I run a GSP1101 in 4cm with a Carvin V3M tube head. I only use effects on the GSP1101, no amp or cab sims. I put a little overdrive out front, could live without. A slight bit of reverb and the noise gate on. For distorted rhythm, that's it. For solos just add a bit of delay. For cleans, just a little chorus. That would be my can't live withouts. I've got a crapload of presets made with octave, phaser, flanger, etc, but I find I almost never use them. They're cool to screw around with when you're bored, but almost are never useful.

[Texas Crude]

The only outboard effect I use these days is a TC digital reverb, sparingly. I'm a home player and use it in the loop of my JS JVM, and in the loop of an attenuator when I use my 1959. I like a touch of reverb. I have been thinking about adding delay, but I wan t to keep it as simple as possible. The reverb pedal is literally the only effect I own.

I plug straight into either amp with a 6' cable. The JVM obviously has tons of gain, but surprisingly the 1959 NMV has plenty too. Ideally I'd like to play with zero effects some day...just hard to give up that reverb.

[catzodellamarina]

In a stranded on a island (with electricity) scenario, reverb would be the bare necessity for me.